Steel major Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) is earning more than Rs 550 crore revenue annually by selling its solid wastes. Apart from earning this huge amount, the company is also saving around Rs 250-280 crore yearly by recycling or reusing these wastes again in the production process. These solid wastes are generated in different units inside the plant during the steel making process. The net sale of the BSL in 2019-20 is Rs 13,212 crore, of which about Rs 550 crore was made by selling its waste in the open market.

The BSL, who claimed to have been utilising 98.12 per cent of its generated solid waste has won the prestigious Greentech Environment Excellence Award 2020 in “Recycling and Waste Management” Category this year. Greentech Environment Awards 2020 is presented in recognition of responsible, innovative practices and initiatives towards achieving sustainable goals.

The credit for the accolade goes to the vision of director in-charge of BSL, Amarendu Prakash and his team of Environment Control Department (ECD), which has developed a potential market by attracting prospective buyers for its various solid wastes in the past couple of years. They termed these solid wastes as ‘by-product’. The solid waste market in Bokaro is growing fast, as companies from different parts of India and abroad is now looking for it.

There are eight different kinds of solid wastes generated in the BSL plant, a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). These are BF Slag, LD Slag, waste refractories, Ferric Oxide, ESP (RMP) dust, BF flue dust, mill scale and coke breeze. Of its BF slag is a hot product and LD slag is being developed. Apart from these two, BSL also gets good earnings from the sale of waste refractories, Ferric Oxide and ESP (RMP) dust. Apart from these five, rest three are reused fully by BSL in its own production.

Chief of communication, BSL, Manikant Dhan said, “In a year 2508056.93 (25 lakh) tonnes of solid waste is generated in BSL. Its utilisation always remains challenging for the company, but now we are doing it well. Unlike dumping these solid wastes, BSL's effort for its utilisation for past decade now yielding fruits with our 98.12 per cent annually generated wastes are being utilised one way or other. In 2019-20, against the sale of 12.1 lakh tonne of solid waste by BSL, around Rs 550 crore revenue was earned.”

Waste arising in steel plants always remains a concern for pollution watchdogs which pushes companies for its effective utilisation and only available solution. Dhan added, “Of the total generated solid wastes in a year, 12,41,726.11 (12.4 lakh) tonnes are either recycled or reused. And, 12,19,193.82 (12.1 lakh) tonnes were sold yearly, which brought good revenue to the company and 47,137 tonnes were being dumped.”

Meanwhile, BSL management is also working on a major plan to reutilise the earlier dumped tonnes of solid waste in its peripheries.

The presentation on effective recycling and waste management of BSL, made before the jury of Greentech Environment Award, by the head of the department, ECD of BSL, Navin Prakash Srivastava and assistant general manager of ECD, Nitesh Ranjan has impressed them. The jury member consisted of ex-chief factory inspector, ex-MD Canara bank, ex-director, ONGC, and other eminent personalities.

“Based on the application filed and presentation given in front of the jury, BSL has been declared the winner of ‘Greentech Environment Award 2020’,” said Dhan. The award will be presented during the “20th Annual Greentech Environment Summit” scheduled on February 12 at Mahabalipuram. Concerted efforts of Bokaro Steel Plant in waste utilisation and improvement in environmental performance parameters helped BSL in achieving this glory.

On this achievement, director in-charge of BSL, Amarendu Prakash congratulated the entire BSL fraternity and especially Navin Prakash Srivastava and his team for the accolade, and reaffirmed Bokaro Steel’s commitment to sustainable development and environment conservation.

These are the new avenues where BSL’s generated solid waste is utilised:

• “Steel Slag – Flyash” based bricks
• Use of weathered LD slag of 20-65 mm size as rail track ballast
• Steam ageing facility of BOF slag for its use as cement concrete
• Use of LD slag as soil conditioner for acidic soil of Jharkhand
• Use of air-cooled blast furnace slag in road making