Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has commissioned its first Micro Pellet Plant at Rourkela Steel Plant in Odisha, marking a step towards greater utilisation of steelmaking waste and improved raw-material efficiency.
The 0.18 million tonnes per annum facility was inaugurated in July 2026 and has been designed to convert steelmaking waste into value-added micro pellets.
The project is part of Rourkela Steel Plant’s efforts to increase resource recovery from its production processes while reducing the quantity of waste sent to landfill.
Steelmaking generates several types of process residues during different stages of production. Recovering useful material from these residues can reduce waste while also providing an alternative source of raw material for the production process.
The micro pellet plant is designed to process suitable steelmaking residues and convert them into usable pelletised material.
The development reflects a wider move across the steel industry towards improving material efficiency and reducing waste generated from large-scale production.
For integrated steel plants, waste utilisation is becoming increasingly connected with plant operations, raw-material management and environmental performance.
The ability to recover value from process residues can also reduce dependence on fresh raw materials and improve overall resource utilisation.
Rourkela Steel Plant has been undertaking several initiatives related to energy efficiency, waste utilisation and environmental management as part of its broader modernisation and operational improvement programme.
The micro pellet facility adds another element to this effort by linking waste management with the steelmaking process.
Steel plants are among India’s largest industrial facilities and operate complex networks of furnaces, material-handling systems, utilities, water systems and process equipment. Improvements in one part of the production chain can therefore have implications across the wider plant.
As Indian steelmakers expand production capacity, the utilisation of by-products and process residues is expected to become increasingly important.
The Rourkela facility represents one example of how existing steel plants are using additional processing infrastructure to improve resource utilisation while supporting more sustainable production.
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