India, Norway explore joint technology to turn industrial waste into construction material

India and Norway are exploring joint research and technology initiatives to convert industrial and construction waste into valuable resources, with a focus on sustainable building materials, hazardous waste treatment and a circular economy.The dialogue brought together scientists, regulatory authorities and representatives of the cement and construction industries to identify opportunities for bilateral research and technology development. (Representative)The initiative was discussed at the India-Norway Dialogue on “Waste to Resource Solutions in the Cement and Construction Sector”, organised jointly by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Norway’s research organisation SINTEF and the Research Council of Norway at the India Habitat Centre on Tuesday.The dialogue brought together scientists, regulatory authorities and representatives of the cement and construction industries to identify opportunities for bilateral research and technology development.The discussions follow the elevation of India-Norway relations to a Green Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Norway in May, with circular economy, clean technology and scientific research identified as key areas of cooperation.India stresses circular economy, C&D waste potentialAddressing the inaugural session, CSIR-CBRI director R Pradeep Kumar emphasised the need to move from a linear to a circular economic model by converting construction and industrial waste into usable resources. Kumar highlighted the potential of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, steel slag, fly ash, and red mud, while underlining challenges related to processing technologies, standardisation, economic viability, and market acceptance.A key technical session examined the use of cement kilns for the environmentally safe treatment of hazardous waste, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and materials contaminated with DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).SINTEF chief scientist Kåre Helge Karstensen and CSIR-NEERI scientist Ramesh Kumar discussed how cement kilns, operating under controlled high-temperature conditions, could destroy hazardous organic contaminants while replacing conventional fossil fuels with waste-derived alternatives. The experts stressed the importance of emission monitoring, regulatory compliance and controlled industrial trials.Research presented by CSIR-CRRI and CSIR-AMPRI highlighted the potential of fly ash, copper slag, red mud, plastic waste and steel grit in road construction, geopolymer concrete and specialised construction products.Another session, led by SINTEF’s Christian John Engelsen, examined international practices in C&D waste recycling, including mobile recycling units and techniques to improve the quality of recycled aggregates.The dialogue identified two to three joint India-Norway research proposals, pilot projects for hazardous waste treatment, technical guidelines for DDT- and PCB-contaminated waste and industry-academia partnerships as priority areas.The initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of resource-efficient technologies in India’s cement and construction sectors.