POLLUTION CONTROL

In the process of steel-making, even with the latest technologies available, it is not possible to completely eliminate pollution in any of its diverse forms - air, water, noise or solid waste. Efforts to control the pollution menace are, therefore, being tackled in several ways.
Pollution, once generated, needs to be arrested and treated before the pollutants are released into the ambient environment.

In SAIL, over 1000 air pollution control equipment in the form of bag filters, ESPs, Ventury scrubbers, cyclones are operating at its various plants. For tackling water pollutants, over 200 control devices are in place including BOD plants. As a leader in the steel industry in India, SAIL has frequently been the first to introduce the latest available technologies in the area of pollution control.

AIR QUALITY

Comprehensive and structured initiatives in SAIL have significantly brought down the pollution load (stack emission) to 2.5 kg/tcs from 12.6 kg/tcs in a decade. Installing new air pollution control facilities in shops and augmenting the capacity of the existing ones are helping the stack emission to comply with the statutory norms. The stacks of the special steel plants are 100% complying with norms where as for those of the integrated steel plants, gaps have been identified and work is under progress to meet the regulatory standards.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Over the last few years, concerted efforts are on to maximize utilisation of these wastes. The granulated BF slag is being sold to cement manufacturers while the air-cooled BF slag is being used in all the SAIL plants for repair of roads in the townships. It was also found suitable for use as concrete aggregate, road aggregate, for both base- and wear-courses and for bituminous mixes. Steel melting slag is partly being recycled through BF and sinter plants utilising the presence of useful components like CaO, MgO, Fe, MnO, thereby conserving flux material and saving the natural degradation to that extent. The slag from steel making (BOF slag) has proved to be an excellent railway ballast material and, as such, is being used extensively for the internal rail networks of SAIL plants as well as being sold to Indian Railways.
The solid waste arisings rate has been gradually brought down to the level of 559 kg/tcs during 2005- 06, from a high level of 648 kg/tcs in 2000 - 01.