Resources, Conservation and Recycling 48 (2006) 301–314 Review Innovative methodologies for the utilisation of wastes from metallurgical and allied industries Sanjay Kumar ∗ , Rakesh Kumar, Amitava Bandopadhyay National Metallurgical Laboratory, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Jamshedpur 831007, India Received 9 August 2005; received in revised form 6 February 2006; accepted 3 March 2006 Available online 18 April 2006 Abstract This paper is an overview on the utilisation of solid wastes with focus on blast furnace slag, red mud and fly ash generated in large quantities from iron and steel industry; primary aluminium production and coal fired power plants, respectively. Innovative methodologies, based on the recent research by the authors, are highlighted and these include: (a) smelting reduction of red mud to produce pig iron and titania rich slag, (b) mechanical activation of the slag and fly ash to prepare improved blended cements in terms of higher usage of waste and enhanced cement properties, (c) synergistic usage of fly ash, blast furnace slag and iron ore tailings in the preparation of floor and wall tiles and (d) preparation of synthetic granite from fly ash as a value added product. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Waste management; Value added products; Recycling; Metal recovery; Utilisation of granulated blast furnace slag and fly ash; Mechanical activation Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................... 302 2. Recent innovative developments ................................................... 303 2.1. Recovery of metal values from red mud through the smelting reduction route .... 303 2.1.1. The red mud problem .............................................. 303 ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 657 2271709-14x2207; fax: +91 657 2270527. E-mail address: sanjay kumar nml@yahoo.com (S. Kumar). 0921-3449/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.03.003