Business
IARI signs iron ore tailings farm study MoU through 2029
The Hindu BusinessLine·
ICAR-IARI and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel signed a memorandum of understanding to study iron ore tailings in farming through 2029. Principal scientist Bhupinder Singh said preliminary trials since 2024 raised crop yields by 10 to 15 percent while cutting chemical fertiliser use by 20 percent. Singh said six tailings batches showed no toxic heavy metals in tests.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Farmers near steel sites could see tailings converted into soil amendments if large trials succeed.
- Trials covered paddy, wheat, brinjal and okra in the first phase since 2024.
- Singh said tailings cannot be applied raw because excess iron could harm soil quality.
What's Happening
- Valorisation work used organic amendments to lower total iron content before field application.
- Phase two will test cereals, oilseeds, tubers, vegetables and possible agroforestry plots.
- AMNS supplied tailings batches collected at different times for repeated lab characterisation.
Mining Waste Valorisation
- Iron ore tailings are leftover fines from ore processing at steel plants.
- Singh said teams tested six batches to avoid relying on a single sample result.
- The partnership runs until 2029 with trials at IARI and AMNS sites.
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