TREATMENT OF IRON BEARING WASTES

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DO YOU KNOW ?

• A large amount of iron ore fines are generated due to mechanized mining. Out of this about 85 per cent are utilized in sinter and billet making. Nearly 15 per cent ore fines remain unutilized and lead to environmental pollution.
• There are accumulated iron ore fines of more than 50 million tonnes in the country, which are likely to go up with increase in export of iron ore.
• Iron ore slimes are produced at iron ore washeries, which go unutilized. Iron bearing waste material is also generated by non-ferrous industry like aluminum industry.
• The other sources of iron are chromites over-burden, leach residue of nickel plant, red mud, etc., which can be utilized for value added products.
• Indian scientists are trying to develop alternative processes for iron making in the country. This will not only help to conserve huge quantity of iron bearing wastes but also help in utilizing the vast resource of non-coking coal available in the country.
• The utilization of wastes is not possible by conventional iron making process. The smelting reduction process has paved way for utilizing ore fines and iron bearing waste materials. Smelting reduction process utilizes non-coking coal, which is an advantage over the conventional iron making process in which metallurgical coke is used.
• Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar is trying to use smelting reduction technology to treat iron bearing waste materials by setting up of a pilot plant which will be different from other smelting technologies available in the world. This process may bring remarkable change in the field of metallurgy for better utilization of vast resources of non-coking coal in the country.
• In India, Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Ltd. Bellary, Karnataka has adopted COREX technology and National Mineral Development Corporation is setting up a plant based on Romelt Technology developed by Russia to extract iron from iron ore fines.
• Mine owners are looking forward to development of such appropriate technology for the treatment of iron bearing wastes. R&D efforts for development of such technologies are supplemented by financial assistance by the steel ministry.