STEEL SLAG ROAD

Why in News?                                                                                                        

Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member (S&T), NITI AAYOG inaugurated India’s First National Highway Steel Slag Road section on NH- 66 Mumbai-Goa National Highway.

What is Steel Slag Road?

• Steel Slag Road Technology, developed by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) is transforming the waste of steel industries into wealth and is helping the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to build stronger and ecofriendly national highways in the country.
• Steel Slag: It is a by-product of steel making, produced during the separation of the molten steel from impurities in steel-making furnaces.
• The slag occurs as a molten liquid melt and is a complex solution of silicates and oxides that solidifies upon cooling.
• Uses of Steel Slag: It is used as an aggregate and is considered a standard practice with applications that include its use in granular base, embankments, engineered fill, highway shoulders, and hot mix asphalt pavement.
• Stronger Roads: The roads made out of steel slag are 30% less thick because of better material characteristics.
• It is helping the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to build stronger national highways in the country.
• Cost-Efficient Process: In comparison to normal highways, the construction costs will also be around 30% cheaper.
• Eco-Friendly Road Construction: SSRT paves the way for sustainable use of waste and reduces the reliance on perishable natural aggregates.
• This process is also expected to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and carbon footprint in road construction activity.
• It aligns with India’s commitment to the UN SDG (Goal 9) for building resilient infrastructure through inclusive and sustainable industrialization and green technologies.