SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 1: Civil engineering experts from across the country convened at IIT ISM Dhanbad on Thursday to discuss and explore the latest advancements in utilizing industrial and mine waste as construction materials.
The seminar, titled ‘Valorization of Industrial Mine Wastes in Highway Construction’, was organized by the Indian Geotechnical Society (IGS), Dhanbad Chapter, in collaboration with the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) in New Delhi.
Prof. Manoranjan Parida, from the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), inaugurated the seminar, highlighting the significant contributions of the Central Road Research Organization.
He discussed its role as a research laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, emphasizing its ongoing research and development projects aimed at advancing highway construction and infrastructure.
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Significance and uses of waste valorization
Dr. Anil Kumar Sinha, head of Geotechnical Engineering and Senior Principal Scientist at CSIR-CRRI, discussed the potential of industrial waste materials for road construction.
Prof. Sowmiya Chawla from the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT (ISM) presented on the use of coal mine overburden as a potential geomaterial in transportation infrastructure, emphasizing the role of geosynthetics in enhancing stability and durability.
Meanwhile, Smruti Sourav Mahapatra, also from IIT (ISM), explored the feasibility of utilizing coal mine overburden material for low-volume road construction.
In his address, Prof. Sarat Das, Dean of Faculty at IIT ISM, stressed the importance of the seminar in the context of expanding infrastructure development and industrialization. He emphasized that a holistic approach to valuing industrial and mining wastes can significantly contribute to highway construction efforts.
Prof. Srinivas Pasupuleti, head of the Civil Engineering Department, outlined the history of ongoing courses in structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, water resources engineering, and transportation engineering at IIT ISM.
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MoU signing for collaborative research
Earlier in the day, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between IIT (ISM) and CRRI to foster collaborative research efforts.
The agreement was formalized in the Conference Hall of the Administrative Building of IIT ISM, with Prof. Sukumar Mishra (Director), Prof. Sagar Pal (Dean, R&D), and Prof. Srinivas Pasupuleti (HoD, Civil Engineering) representing IIT (ISM), while Prof. Manoranjan Parida represented CSIR-CRRI.
