1. India's first road constructed from steel slag inaugurated in Surat
Tags: State News National News
Union Steel Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh on June 15 inaugurated the first 6-lane highway built using steel slag in Gujarat's Surat city to connect the port with the city.
The road, built using 100 percent steel-processed slag, is a true example of "converting waste into wealth" and improving the sustainability of steel plants.
The Minister emphasized the need to promote circular economy and resource efficiency by converting all waste into money.
Promoting a circular economy is the need of the hour as all types of natural resources are getting depleted in the world.
The use of such material in road construction will not only increase the durability but will also help in reducing the cost of construction as the slag-based material has better properties.
The production of steel slag through various processes in India is expected to increase by 2030.
What is a steel slag road?
The slag is generated from a steel furnace burning at around 1,500-1,600 degree centigrade in the form of molten flux material as an impurity.
The molten material is then poured into slag pits for cooling as per the optimized process and further processed to develop stable steel slag aggregates.
It is a substitute for natural aggregates commonly used in road construction with better physical properties.
What is a circular economy?
In the current economy, products are made from materials taken from the earth, and they are finally thrown away as waste.
In a circular economy, by contrast, we first stop producing waste.
In such an economy, all kinds of waste such as clothing, scrap metals and obsolete electronics are returned to the economy or used more efficiently.
The circular economy is based on three principles-
Eliminate waste and pollution
Circulating products and materials (at their highest value)
Nature of regenerate
