Hazira-Surat: ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS India), a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, has bagged its first steel slag order for a national highway project. Steel slag is a byproduct obtained during the primary steel manufacturing process.

AM/NS India has received the order supply of steel slag from GR Infra Projects, which was recently awarded the 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 10,000 tonnes of steel slag. 18 trucks carrying the first consignment of 350 tonnes steel slag were flagged off at AM/NS Hazira on Wednesday.

“Substitution of natural aggregate by steel slag in the construction of expressways will bring revolution in natural resource conservation,” said Santosh Mundhada, Executive Director, AM/NS India.

AM/NS India has demonstrated the use of steel slag in road construction by building India’s first road using 100% steel slag in Hazira. More than 1,200 heavy vehicles ply on the 1.2 km road, which was opened in May last year, every day. The riding quality on the road is at par with national highways constructed with natural aggregates, claims the company.

The Macadam of slag or processed steel slag produced by AM/NS India at Hazira will be used in the sub-base or granular sub-base layer of the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway.

The company stated: Steel slag is an environment-friendly and cost-effective alternative to natural aggregate in road construction and also offers other additional benefits over natural aggregates. It is an ideal aggregate material due to its good shape factor, high abrasion resistance, and excellent skid resistance properties. It also has a higher load-bearing capacity compared to natural aggregates, making it more durable. Moreover, slag is readily available in bulk quantity.