- Six-lane Road constructed using superior steelmaking slag developed jointly by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) and leading Indian scientific institute – the Central Road Research Institute
- AM/NS India committed to sustainable innovation in its operations and local communities
- The company also bags the first steel slag supply order for a national highway project
- The new road has proven to be an important transport corridor in Surat district, with 1,000 to 1,200 heavy commercial vehicles using it to transport goods to and from Hazira port each day.
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
HAZIRA, JUNE 15
Union Steel Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh on Wednesday inaugurated India’s first road constructed entirely from a specially designed slag, a by-product of steel manufacturing, produced by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) – a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, two of the world’s leading steelmakers.
The 1-km six-lane road in Surat was constructed using around 1 lakh tonnes of processed steel slag from AM/NS India’s Hazira manufacturing plant, which was developed in collaboration with the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) – a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Commenting at the inauguration of the road, Steel Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, said, “The milestone project came to fruition from AM/NS India’s commitment to recycle and reuse by-products from its steelmaking operations, which is commendable. As India’s steel industry grows, so too must industrial innovation that ensures sustainable, circular manufacturing growth.” Subsequently, the Minister visited AM/NS India’s plant as well as expansion sites.
Dilip Oommen, Chief Executive Officer, Arcelormittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS INDIA), said, “Supported by the CRRI; AM/NS India is proud to have developed an alternative to natural aggregates in road construction, which is of international quality standards, cost competitive, and reduces the burden on natural resources. Part of the Waste to Wealth and Clean India Campaign, the first-of-its-kind initiative not only validates our quest to contribute to a circular economy, but also sets a new benchmark for others to emulate”
AM/NS India has also recently received the first order for the supply of steel slag from GR Infra Projects, which was awarded a contract by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the construction of a 36.93 km eight-lane access-controlled stretch from Ena to Kim in Surat. The stretch is a part of the upcoming Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway. The initial order is for the supply of 1 lakh tonnes of steel slag. Ten trucks carrying the first consignment of 350 tonnes’ steel slag were flagged off at AM/NS India, Hazira last week.
AM/NS India’s 9 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant in Hazira generates 2 MTPA of steel slag from Electric Arc Furnaces/ Conarc Furnaces; and while steel slag has long been reused for road making and construction, its quality and efficacy are neither regulated nor monitored. To address this, CRRI was awarded a national project by the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, to conduct scientific research on the uses of steel slag in road construction, with AM/NS India opting to be an industry partner to the initiative. The resulting processed slag has been scientifically proven to be more durable and cost-effective than natural aggregates typically used in road and highway construction. Test road patches had been made earlier in this country by partially replacing stone chips with steel slag in some layers. In contrast, the present road has been made by replacing natural aggregates in all the layers of the road; for the first time in the country, and possibly for the first time in the world.
The new road has proven to be an important transport corridor in Surat district, with 1,000 to 1,200 heavy commercial vehicles using it to transport goods to and from Hazira port each day. The durability of the road also demonstrates the potential for this innovative, recycled material to be used in road and highway construction across India.
