Steel Slag Road Technology

Why in news?

• The Union Minister of Science & Technology has announced that India has developed the world’s latest Steel Slag Road technology.

About Slag:

• Steel Slag Road technology or Slag is made up of impurities melted out of the ore during the steel-making process in most of the Steel Plants.

Use of Steel Slag in Road construction:

• CSIR- Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi has pioneered the development of use of Steel slag in road construction.
• In 2022, Surat in Gujarat became the first city in the country to get a processed steel slag (industrial waste) road.
• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has also used steel slag to construct a long-lasting heavy-duty road at Arunachal Pradesh along the India-China border area.
• Besides, India’s largest road building agency, National Highway Authority of India successfully tested the Steel Slag Road technology on NH-66 (Mumbai- Goa).

Advantages of using Steel Slag in road construction:

• Environment friendly: 
  • India is the world’s second largest steel producer. For per ton of steel production around 200 kg Steel slag is generated as solid waste. 
  • Steel slag generation in the country is about 19 million tons per annum and expected to reach 60 million tons by 2030.  
  • This huge quantity of steel slag is piled up in and around the steel plants as big mounds and becoming the source of air, water, and land pollution. 
  • Hence, the use of steel slag in road construction is an environmentally friendly cost-effective method.
• Cost: 
  • Steel slag road costs are about 30% cheaper than conventional making of roads. 
  • Steel slag roads have been found to last ten years as compared to three to four years for bitumen roads, thus bringing down sharply the maintenance costs.
• Durability: 
  • Steel slag roads are more durable and resistant to weather unpredictability.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

In road construction, the use of which of the following is preferred for ensuring environmental sustainability or to reduce carbon footprint ?

1. Steel slag

2. Cold mix asphalt technology

3. Geotextiles

4. Hot mix asphalt technology

5. Portland cement

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(c) 4 and 5 only

(d) 1 and 5 only

Answer-A