India’s First Steel Slag Road

India’s First Steel Slag Road

Subject: Environment

Context- Surat has become the first city in the country to get a processed steel slag (industrial waste) road built as part of a joint-venture project by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Union Ministry of Steel, government think-tank NITI Ayog, and ArcelorMittal-Nippon Steel (AM/NS), at Hazira.

Concept-

What is the project all about?

• The six-lane public road is a kilometre-long stretch in Hazira industries, which also houses the AM/NS plant.
• The construction began around a year ago by converting mounds of steel waste into steel slag aggregate.
• The road is now being used by heavy-duty vehicles of multinationals located in the industrial estate on the outskirts of Surat.

Benefits of using steel slag:

• The construction cost of the processed steel slag road is 30 per cent cheaper than roads built from natural aggregates.
• The thickness of the road is also 30 per cent lesser than normal ones, while the durability is much longer due to the utilisation of steel slag.
• This project falls under the initiative of the Waste to Wealth and Clean India
• The slag has better material properties in place of the natural aggregate commonly used in road constructions
• According to the Indian Road Congress guidelines for construction of a heavy traffic road that is capable of taking the load of 1,000 to 1,200 trucks per day
• The CRRI will now prepare guidelines and specifications for the utilisation of steel slag in road construction.
• This process is also expected to reduce GHG emissions and carbon footprint in road construction activity and is in line with India’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 9 for building resilient infrastructure through inclusive and sustainable industrialization and green technologies.
• However, The lifespan of a cement or concrete road is over 30 years while that of bitumen and steel slag road is around 15 years.

Why has it been done at Hazira?

• The Hazira road in Surat was chosen because of the proximity to the AM/NS steel plant and the availability of heavy traffic on the road for study purposes.
• AM/NS produces around 2 million tons of steel slag annually which can be utilised for the construction of roads.