This document summarizes a summer internship project on pollution from coal-based DRI plants. It provides background on DRI production, noting it is a method to produce solid iron from iron oxide without coking coal. DRI production in India has increased significantly in recent years. The document outlines the DRI process and inputs/outputs, identifying particulate matter, SO2, NOx, and CO as main pollutants. It discusses regulatory air pollution standards and water usage at DRI plants. In summary, it analyzes pollution sources from coal-based DRI production and the impact on the surrounding environment.

1. Pollution in Coal Based
DRI
Summer Internship Project, 2012
Supervised by
Susmita Dasgupta, ERU, JPC
1

2. DRI, or directly reduced iron is a
method of producing solid iron from
iron oxide
2

3. Prepared by Nilopher Khan and Garima Sharma, Teri University
Supervised by Dr Susmita Dasgupta
PRESENTED TO ECONOMIC
RESEARCH UNIT, JOINT PLANT
COMMITTEE, JULY 2012
3

4. Iron from iron ore can be
• In solid form • Or in molten form
In solid form, iron ore can In molten form iron can
be be produced in the
1. DRI produced in coal 1. Blast Furnace, needs
based kilns coking coal.
2. HBI produced in gas 2. Corex , can use
based kiln. significant quantities of
3. DRI does not need non coking coal but
coking coal at all. cannot do away with it
totally.
4

5. DRI is preferred in India because of
1.Small scale of production.
2.Access to iron ore.
3.Paucity of coking coal in India.
 Between 2004-05 and 2009-10, the DRI
production in India has increased by 24% as
compared to only 8% for steel per annum. For
steel produced through the coking coal route,
the production growth is only 5.5%.
• Source: JPC ,2011.
5

6. In India, 27% of all steel is produced
through coal DRI
And 7% of all steel is produced through Gas DRI
And 20% is through the scrap route.
Source: JPC,2012
6

7. This means that the DRI segment is a vital constituency of the steel
industry.
54% OF INDIAN STEEL IS THROUGH THE
NON BLAST FURNACE ROUTE.
SOURCE: JPC, 2012.
7

8. India is the world’s largest producer
of DRI
India produced 28 million tonnes of DRI in 2010
as against 57 million tonnes of global
production.
Source: World Steel Association, 2012.
8

9. DRI is
produced
and consumed
locally; being unstable
in composition, DRI
cannot be exported
out or transported
over long distances.
Factories are located
close to raw material
sources
9

10. No wonder then most DRI
plants are located in Odisha,
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,
West Bengal and Karnataka
Since they are rich
in iron ore and
coal.
Source: CSE, 2012.
10

11. Raw DRI Process
materials,
partly coal,
iron ore, After Burn
Flue gas Chamber
fluxes enter
the rotary kiln
The remainder
Rotary kiln coal in
= 2.5% Slo
and 0.47 rp pe powdered form
m sp e e d and hot air is
charged
Preheating Solid iron and
zone or unburnt char,
combustion zone lime is
where coal is
heated discharged
Cooler discharge
and product
separator
11

12. 12

13. Paths of Iron and Gas
DRI Route Reactant Gas route
1. Raw material yard 1. Rotary kiln discharge or
2. Crusher, screener combustion end.
3. Rotary kiln 2. Gas Conditioning tower
4. Recuperator 3. After Burn Chamber
5. Cooler discharge 4. Gas cleaning plant
6. Product separator 5. Dust settling chamber
7. Stock house
6. Waste Heat Recovery
8. Loading points Boiler
9. Trucks
7. Stack
13

14. Input Output In DRI Plants
per tonne of DRI
Matter Input Output
Solids Iron Ore 6-20 mm : 1500 kg Sponge Iron +3 mm: 790 kg
Coal 0-3 mm : 300 kg Sponge Iron 1-3 mm: 210 kgs
Coal 3-15 mm: 700 kg Sponge Iron -1 mm: 50 kg
Limestone: 0-3 mm: 75 kg Char +3mm :30 kg
Char 1-3mm: 75 kg
Char -1mm:195 kg
Air 6000 Nm3 5000 Nm3
Energy in Gcal Coal = 6 Char = 1.15
= 10 (9) Cooling 0.3
Sponge Iron =1.7
Waste Heat Recovered = 2.25
Unaccounted radioactive = 0.5
Source: http://www.newagepublishers.com/samplechapter/001741.pdf 14

15. Unfortunately,
DRI is a polluting
industry
Air, water, solid
wastes containing
mainly PM, SO2, NOX
and CO abound the
ambient
environment.
Source: CPCB,2008
15

16. Garbage Factor for a tonne of sponge
iron unit.
INPUT (in Tonnes) OUTPUT (in Tonnes)
1.6-1.75 Iron Ore 1.8-2 Carbon Dioxide
1.2-1.5 Coal 0.25 Dust
0.035-0. 5 Dolomite 0.29 Coal Char
1.5-2 Water 0.02 Kiln accretions
0.2 Sulfur Dioxide with water vapour
Water vapour
Source: Down to Earth, September 16,2006.
16

17. Sources of Air Pollution
Process Fugitive
1. Combustion of coal in the 1. Raw material handling and
preheating zone, kiln
2. Oxidation of iron ore in the
feeding area.
process zone, kiln 2. Recuperator (in lieu of
3. Flue gas from the kiln WHRB)
through the upper end.
4. Dust of char, unburnt lime, 3. Discharge end and cooler
sulphur, alumina and others discharge.
through the discharge end.
4. Product separator.
5. Flue gas through the cap of
the After Burn Chamber. 5. Work area of plant.
6. Particulate matter from ESP
17

18. Dust Collection Centers
Source: CSE 2008
Location Nomenclature
Raw material storage yard Stock house
Coal is crushed for charging as powder Coal Crusher
Iron ore is crushed to fit 5 to 16 mm size Iron crusher
Raw materials sent to plants Transfer points
Sponge iron is cooled by spraying water Cooler discharge
Sponge iron rests before screening and separation Intermediate bin
Sponge iron is separated from char Product separation
Product is stocked Product house
18

19. Norms of Air Pollution
Source: CPCB, 2010.
Process Fugitive
• 100 mg/Nm3 for CPCB. • 2 mg/Nm3
• Lower at 86 mg/Nm3 for
Karnataka, 69mg/Nm3 for
Chhattisgarh.
19

20. Sources of water consumption and
pollution
Water consumption Water pollution
1. Rotary kiln cooler. 1. Cooler discharge contains
2. Cooler discharge. solid waste particle.
2. Gas coolers also contain solid
3. Gas Cooling particles.
 Water is circulating water 3. Some sulphides are mixed
in the sense the water irretrievably into water.
which is used to cool the 4. Water is sprayed on dust
kilns is again used to cool while disposing it off in
the coolers of solid trucks.
discharge and flue gas. 5. Water in gas scrubbing may
Make up water is kept in contain PAH compounds.
reserve.
20

21. Water Requirement in m3/tonne DRI
Purpose Water in m3/tonne DRI Nature of water
Cooling 1.32 Circulating and non contact
ABC 0.48 Direct and contact
Dust suppression 0.30 Direct and contact
Wet Scrubber 0.78 Direct and contact
Total Contact 1.54 To be recycled
Total Circulating 1.32 To be made up
Total Water 2.88
Source: CSE, 2008
21

22. 707 kgs/ tonne of DRI is solid waste.
Source: CSE,2012
22

23. Solid waste
from DRI is wet
dust in the
form of sludge
And is mostly
allowed to drain
out into rivers,
ponds, fields.
23

24. Solid waste in DRI Plants
Source CSE, June 2012
Dust Due to Source Percentage
of Total Dust
Char Dust Incomplete combustion. Rotary kiln, Recuperator 42%
Gangue and stony elements.
ESP Dust Ash in coal, incomplete waste Stack connected to ESP 24%
recovery and gas cleaning.
Dust Settling Impurities in raw materials, Stack connected to Gas Cleaning 3%
Chamber incomplete combustion of Plant, sometimes the Waste
coal, poor oxidation of ore. Heat Recovery Boiler.
Cooler Discharge Due to physical fall of Ambient spillage, bag filter 15%
and Product material
Separating area
ABC Dust Poor waste heat recovery ABC Cap 5%
Kiln accretions Poor quality coal, non Stack connected to kiln 11%
preheated material, over
oxidation of iron ore due to
presence of sulphur.
24

25. Standard Norms for discharged effluents.
Source: CPCB, 2008.
PARAMETER PERMISSIBLE LIMIT
pH 6.5 ~ 8.5
COD (mg/L) 250
BOD (mg/L) 30
O & G (mg/L) 10
Flouride (mg/L) 5
Hexavalent Chromium 0.1
(mg/L)
Iron (mg/L) 3
Total Chromium (mg/L) 2
Manganese 2
(mg/L)
TSS (mg/L) 100
Cyanide (mg/L) 0.2
Phenolic Compounds (mg/L) 1
Sulphide (mg/L) 2 25

26. Pollution from the sponge iron
industries is the core reason why
communities rise in arms against this
industry.
26

27. Various CSE Reports of 2008 inform us
1. In Odisha, women from the Bonai Vana Suraksha Committee
marched up to the District Collector with samples of soil,
water and grain to protest against sponge iron plants.
2. Similar protests in Keonjhar and Sundargarh.
3. In Chhattisgarh, popular protests led to closure of offending
units and discovery of illegal operators.
4. Public protests in Chhatisgarh were around a sudden
increase in respiratory diseases and skin allergies.
5. In Andhra Pradesh people filed cases in courts and obtained
compensation for lost kharif crops.
6. In Karnataka, there is an ongoing protest in Bellary against
sponge iron industries.
27

28. Blast Furnace vs. DRI
Source: CSE,2012.
BF must be taken together with
Coke Ovens and Sinter Plants Coal based DRI
• Raw material consumption • Raw material consumption
in tonnes per tonne of iron in tonnes per tonne of iron
= 3.5 = 5.08
• Thermal Energy
Consumption = 0.4 ( C0) • Thermal Energy
+0.5 (Sinter/Pellet) + 4.5 Consumption = 7.5Gcal/
(BF) = 5.4 Gcal/ tonne of tonne
iron
• Pollution Norms = 100
• Pollution Norms = 50 ( CO) +
100 (Sinter/Pellet) + 150 mg/Nm3
(BF) = 300 mg/Nm3
28

29. Blast furnaces have higher stack
heights due to larger volume
DRI have lower stack due to smaller
volumes and hence pollution impact
is higher.
29

30. Interestingly, Coal DRI is one third as much polluting as
the Blast Furnace
Raising the stack height might actually help.
30

31. WEST BENGAL CASE
STUDY
31

32. Features of sample
1. Nearly 95% of sponge iron units in West Bengal have
been considered.
2. All plants are declared as red hot.
3. Plants occur in clusters like Durgapur, Jamuria and
others in Burdwan; in Bankura, Purulia, Haldia in East
Midnapore and in West Midnapore.
4. All plants had run for 720 hours from the last
measurement.
5. All plants are coal based DRI, using SL/RN Process.
6. Sampling was done for 25 to 30 minutes.
32

33. Data reveals
1. Size is not related to flouting of norms. Lower stack heights are not
related to pollution.
2. Commonest source of pollution is the kiln area due to combustion and
carbonization faults. This is due to poor quality of raw materials.
3. Due to poor combustion, thermal efficiency is low and heat exchange is
also low.
4. The existence of pollution control equipment does not guarantee clean
operations. Poor raw material quality may not permit the proper
running of facilities.
5. Sulphides lead to higher temperature of flue gas.
6. High CO2 interferes in nitrogen cycle leading to high Nox in emissions.
7. Sludge is not controlled because of poor commercial reuse value.
8. Char is generated due to low quality of coal.
33

34. CSE Study, West Bengal Sponge Iron
Industry Clusters November 2011
1. WBPCB fails to control pollution. Irregular monitoring. No
enforcement.
2. Factories are repeat and habitual offenders.
3. 92% of inspection reports show abnormally high emissions from
the kilns.
4. 52% fail to meet emission standards.
5. Solid waste management is pathetic.
6. Open storage of raw materials a major issue.
7. Sponge Iron units do not use the pollution control equipment.
Source: WBPCB,2011.
34

35. West Midnapore, CSE Report
• People’s movement very strong against the
sponge iron industry especially Rashmi Cement/
Ispat in 2009, in West Midnapore.
• Maoist politics emerged solely due to pollution
from sponge iron plants in West Midnapore.
• Pollution Control Board found gross violation on
water, air and solid waste disposal.
• Nagarik Mancha led campaign against Rashmi
Ispat.
35

36. Jamuria, Burdwan
• Poor water quality.
• Cattle has stopped grazing.
• Fish inedible.
• Units release pollutants at night from the ABC
cap to avoid inspection.
• Due to water shortage in Jamuria, water is not
used as dust suppressant.
36

37. West Bengal Pollution Control Board
• Romita Dutta in Live mint reports that WBPCB
has issued closure notice to 50-60 units out of
the 250 units in West Bengal.
• More than 40% of the units in West Bengal
violate the environment.
• WBPCB claims that night inspection in West
Midnapore was stalled because of Maoists.
• According to WBPCB, air pollution has been
the main problem.
37

38. CSE Recommendations
• Kilns with capacity less than 300 tpd should be
phased out.
• Only integrated plants should be allowed in
the future.
• Mandatory standards for material handling,
storage and transportation must be enacted.
• New cluster based standards should be
imposed.
• Stricter enforcement.
38

39. Pollution Control Mechanisms (CSE &
CPCB Recommendations)
1. Concrete floor in the work area as well as in the material
handling area.
2. Use of covered trucks and enclosed hoppers to transport
dust and ash.
3. To put a WHRB after the ABC so that the GCC is avoided.
4. Use of ESP instead of the DSC attached to ABC and GCC.
5. Use of magnetic separator at the discharge end.
6. Use of suction hood, bag filter and ESP to cooler
discharge.
7. Use of raw material i.e. coal preheating to reduce energy
consumption and char.
8. Use of pellets.
39

40. Our recommendations for waste
Utilization in DRI
• Char is used as fuel in thermal power plants, industries
and domestic purposes. Coal fines can be mixed with
char fines for fuel.
• Dust and fly ash can be made into bricks.
• Kiln accretions and slag can be used as landfills and road
making.
• Product circuit dust can be used as activated carbon in
edible oil refineries.
• Dolchar and char can be used in cement making.
• Waste Heat is recovered in captive power plants.
• Waste water recycled as make-up water.
40

41. Our Recommendations ( Technical)
1. We can set up air quality monitoring stations to track certain specified air
pollutants and toxins. Delhi for example has set up several real time air quality
monitoring stations. The system uses Lidar (light detection and ranging)
technology, which releases and captures a laser beam and measures the before-
after difference to gauge the concentrations of various pollutants in the air.
2. Construction of screen grit chambers to trap the sludge from the effluent
through the introduction of de-salting tables to minimize the quantity of salt in
the effluent.
3. Use of Sonic Horns, a pneumatically actuated device which produces high
pressure acoustic energy or sound waves that are capable of fluidizing powder
that adheres to surfaces in the bag filter. This low frequency vibration provides
an effective means of cleaning the filter. The FES sonic horn helps in the removal
of powder from walls, ceilings, curtain, and filter bags in the dust collector. (
http://www.fesintl.com/htmfil.fld/sonichrn.htm )
4. Use of Heat pipe Exchangers instead of WHRB, which can transfer up to 100
times more thermal energy than copper, the best known conductor. Heat pipe is
a thermal energy absorbing and transferring system and have no moving parts
and hence require minimum maintenance.
41

42. New Gadgets
Heat Pipe Exchanger (HPHE) Sonic Horn
42

43. Our Recommendations (Legal)
• reduction of green house gas by
implementation of clean development
mechanism (listed by UNDP/GEF) is found to
be depend upon the sincerity and integrity of
the plant owner.
• Granting land on lease basis with ultimate
owner as the community.
• Granting license on term basis to the plant
owners.
43

44. Our recommendations (Institutional)
1. Sponge iron industries may come under a cooperative
organization for management of waste.
2. Assured quality of raw materials must be provided. Raw
material quality must be declared.
3. Pooled resources to set up common facilities towards
pelletization, or ore beneficiation, transportation and
others.
4. Electronic alarms in the Air monitoring systems (that use
LIDAR technology) might be set up on facilities connected to
a central computer which shuts operations whenever limits
of emission are crossed. This has been CPCB’s
recommendation for a long time.
44

45. THANK YOU
45