Russian steelmaker NLMK Group has completed the construction of a road in the village of Teploye in the Lipetsk region, employing a new soil stabilisation technology which uses steel slag.
According to NLMK, the road will not need repairs 'for at least three years' and the construction costs are three times lower than for regular asphalt and concrete roads.
The soil stabilisation process involves special-purpose machines that mix the existing soil with slag in equal parts. Then a small amount of cement and a unique modifier are added. it is claimed that this special compound makes the road surface stronger and more ductile than conventional road construction methods. The revolutionary new technique was developed by NLMK in conjunction with BFB, a resident of the Moscow-based Skolkovo Innovation Centre.
The new roadmaking technology is not new to NLMK. Last year, the company employed BFB to construct a 6,000 sq m floor at NLMK Kaluga's logistics centre. The latest project occupies a total area of 4,000 sq m.
BFB is developing new technologies for BOF steel slag fines utilisation in various sectors of the Russian economy.