Development of a Novel Steel Slag-based Sulfur-enriched Multi-nutrient Fertilizer and Its Performance in Agriculture

Abstract

Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag, a by-product of steel manufacturing process, is rich in iron oxide, calcium oxide, silica, various macro, and micronutrients as well as varying degrees of heavy metals residues. The steel slag, thus, presents an opportunity for their utilization in agriculture beyond the conventional routes of consumption in cement, transport, construction industries. In this chapter, we explore a sustainable waste management technology for utilizing LD slag in the development of sulfur enriched nutrient supplement “Dhurvi Gold (DG)” and determine its effect on physico-chemical characteristics of the soil and its impact in the growth, quality, and economic yield on selected crops under natural field conditions. Heavy metal accumulation among the plant parts following the supplementation with DG was also studied. The results indicate the farming and economic benefits of utilizing DG in agriculture, which thus, presents itself as an opportunity both for the steel industry and the agriculture sector desirable for the development of a sustainable strategy for management of steel (LD)-slag. However, it is important to determine the long-term effects of the steel slag-based fertilizers on physico-chemical and biological characteristics of soil including accumulation of heavy metals in soil-plant continuum, if any.