Tata Steel UISL transforms industrial LD Slag into Green Concrete
PNS
Jamshedpur
In a significant step towards sustainable infrastructure and circular economy practices, Tata Steel, in collaboration with Tata Steel UISL, has developed an innovative “green concrete” by converting Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag—a by-product of the steelmaking process—into a high-value construction material.
The breakthrough addresses one of the steel industry’s longstanding challenges of sustainably utilising and disposing of LD slag. The initiative was led by Tata Steel’s Industrial By-Products Management Division (IBMD), which processed the industrial waste into specialised manufactured sand (M-sand) suitable for concrete production.
A cross-functional team from Tata Steel and Tata Steel UISL then evaluated the material and successfully developed concrete mix designs for M15, M20 and M25 grades in accordance with Indian Standards (IS 10262 and IS 456). The concrete met all prescribed quality, safety and structural performance requirements.
Each cubic metre of the newly developed green concrete utilises nearly one tonne of LD slag-based M-sand, replacing conventional river sand. This not only enables the productive reuse of industrial waste but also reduces dependence on river sand mining, thereby lowering the environmental impact and carbon footprint associated with construction.
Laboratory tests and field trials have demonstrated the concrete’s strong structural integrity, excellent pumpability and workability retention of up to two hours, making it suitable for commercial and civil engineering projects.
