Jamshedpur,: A two-day conference on Valorization of Fly Ash & Steel Slag: Challenges, Innovations & Future Trends (V-FASS 2022) was organised by Tata Steel in association with CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (CSIR-NML) and Indian Ceramic Society (ICS) Jamshedpur Chapter.
The event at Beldih Club on September 22-23 saw presence of Dr V. K. Sarswat, Honorable Member, NITI Aayog and Chancellor, JNU who graced the occasion as Chief Guest through virtual platform.
He congratulated the organisers for taking up this very relevant topic for deliberations. He underlined the importance of usage of Fly Ash and Steel Slags from the perspective of sustainable growth of industry in the country and summarized the key steps taken by government for promoting by-product utilization. The session was graced by Guests of Honor Dr B N Mahapatra, Director-General, National Council of Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) and Dr Indranil Chattoraj, Director, CSIR-NML.
Dr Mahapatra outlined the major initiatives taken for utilization of by-products in cement and building sector; while Dr Chattoraj highlighted the pioneering research on mechanical activation of by-products and geopolymers for value added usage. Dr Chattoraj along with Dr Sanjay Kumar (Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Chief Scientist, CSIR-NML) and Dr Atanu Ranjan Pal (Co-chairman and Chief Technology Officer, Process, TSL) and Dr Subhadra Sen (Convenor and Head Process Technology, TSL) inaugurated the conference.
Steel slag and fly ash are the by-products of steel plants and power plants respectively – two of the most vital sectors for industrial growth. The effective utilization of these by-products is important for sustainable manufacturing, and their valorization is significant for promotion of circular economy. The conference saw participation by more than 150 esteemed delegates from academic and research institutions, steel and cement industries, concrete, and Fly Ash Brick manufacturers.
The two days of conference included plenary speech by Dr A. K. Chatterjee – eminent expert of cement industry, 12 invited lectures by experts from associated industries and academia, and 25 contributory papers from researchers of reputed institutions covering different aspects of byproduct characterization, challenges, and opportunities in utilization. The proceedings witnessed exchange of numerous bright ideas, and presentations of thought-provoking research initiatives in the field. An exhibition was also set up displaying sustainable products developed from fly ash and steel slags by various organizations working in these field.
A dedicated session with bricks manufacturers and road developers was conducted with participation from over 50 customers. The session was also graced by officials from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), led by Col. Ajay Sriram Kapoor, GM & Project Director, PIU- Jamshedpur, NHAI and a team from JSRRDA led by Mr. Rajesh Rajak, Executive Engineer, East Singhbhum. The objective of this special session was to generate insights and to create awareness about effective utilization of fly ash and steel slag in their respective applications.
