Research & Development Centre for Iron & Steel (RDCIS), Ranchi, the corporate Research and Development unit of Steel Authority of India (SAIl) has developed the technology to mitigate effluents — particularly cyanide and phenol — conforming more than the already existing stringent norms of the Central Pollution Control Board.
The technology workshop held on Thursday that was chaired by Indu Malhotra, Ex-Professor, Indian Institute of technology (IIT), Roorkee presented the unique treatment process developed. She congratulated the entire team for the success of the project. Sreekrishnan of IIT Delhi, Dr S Ahmed of Jamia Milia Islamia University, Delhi and S Mitra Mazumdar of RDCIS, SAIl made presentations. Apart from the General Manager (Coal and Energy) and other senior officers of RDCIS, presentations were made by Tata Steel, JSW, NINl, RINl, JSPl, Bokaro, Durgapur, Rourkela, Bhilai and Burnpur steel plant personnel.
“Once this technology is patented, procedure for its horizontal transfer to the entire steel fraternity of India shall be soon initiated,” said Dr BK Jha, Executive Director, RDCIS.
The Steel Development Fund Scheme is a three stage treatment process that is a joint endeavour of consultants from the IIT, Delhi and Jamia Milia Islamia University under the project, ‘Development of integrated treatment process for coke oven effluent’.
A unique bio-culture consortium has been developed by the laboratory scale for nitrification and denitrification of coke oven affluent.
Based on laboratory scale process, a 1000 litres/day capacity pilot plant with integrated process monitoring and control facility has been designed, developed and established at RDCIS, Ranchi.
In parallel, an alternate effluent treatment process, which treats effluent through the culture consortium organically developed at the root of specific plants has also been developed and optimised in a constructed wetland pilot facility established at RDCIS complex. The process can be used for tertiary treatment of coke oven effluent.
This technology shall ensure cyanide and phenol to be contained at 0.2 ppm and 1 ppm respectively.
With the upscaling to 300MT steel from the present level of 90MT, this technology has major relevance for the country as pollutants of that magnitude will never be allowed by statutory Government bodies.