Abstract: There is provided a hydrogel having a self-supporting property that can be produced only through mixing at room temperature, and there is provided a method by which the hydrogel can be manufactured by using industrially easily available raw materials. A hydrogel-forming composition that is capable of forming a hydrogel having a self-supporting property, the hydrogel-forming composition characterized by including: a water-soluble organic polymer having an organic acid salt structure or an organic acid anion structure; a silicate salt; and a dispersant for the silicate salt, having a weight average molecular weight of 200 to 20,000 and having hydrolysis resistance.

Abstract: There is provided a method for bonding together hydrogels by interposing a polyalkylene glycol between the gel surfaces to be bonded together of hydrogels. A method for bonding together hydrogels of the same type or different types, the method including: interposing a polyalkylene glycol between gel surfaces to be bonded together of the hydrogels and joining together the gel surfaces.

Abstract: A method of controlling slag coating in a steel converter in which slag is left in the converter after tapping, and a slag solidifying agent is added to the slag to form a coated slag which is used to coat the bottom and/or side wall surface of the converter. The method is performed bya) examining the composition of the slag at the tapping time;b) determining, based on the examined slag and through an equilibrium calculation using thermodynamic data, the amount of solidifying agent per unit weight of the slag necessary for maintaining the liquid volume fraction of the coated slag to a value not greater than about 40% at the planned tapping temperature of the next charge of steel;c) determining the amount of charge of the solidifying agent based on the calculated required amount of the solidifying agent and the amount of the slag remaining in the converter; andd) adding the calculated charge of the solidifying agent to the slag after tapping, to form a coated slag.