Gujarat: India's first road constructed from steel slag inaugurated in Surat

Steel Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh on Wednesday, June 16, inaugurated a six-lane highway in Gujarat's Surat, made of steel slag -- a first for the country.

The road constructed using 100 per cent steel-processed slag is a real example of converting "waste into wealth" and improving the sustainability of steel plants, the minister said.

"Steel Minister inaugurated the first six-lane highway road made by using steel slag at Surat, Gujrat. While inaugurating the road, the Minister impressed upon the need to promote the circular economy and resource efficiency by converting all waste into wealth," the Ministry of Steel said in a statement. Slag is a by-product of steel manufacturing.

The use of such material in road construction shall not only increase its durability but also help in reducing the cost of construction as slag-based materials have better properties than natural aggregates, Singh said.

The use of steel slag in road construction will also address the shortage of natural aggregates in the country. The production of steel slag in India from different process routes is likely to increase by 2030.

Steel maker AMNS India said the six-lane road of 1 kilometre was constructed using around 1 lakh tonnes of processed steel slag from its manufacturing plant in Hazira.

The road has been jointly made with the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) -- a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) India said in a statement.

AMNS India CEO Dilip Oommen said, "Supported by the CRRI, we are proud to have developed an alternative to natural aggregates in road construction, which is of international standards, cost-competitive and reduces the burden on natural resources."

Mukesh Kumar, Director of Steel Research & Technology Mission of India (SRTMI), said slag is a by-product which comes out during manufacturing of steel through three processes, namely basic oxygen furnace (BOF) route, electric arc furnace (EAF) and induction furnace (IF).

"This is a breakthrough for the industry as far as utilisation of slag is concerned. Slag was being used only for only landfilling," the industry expert said.