Tata Steel BSL Plant In Odisha’s Dhenkanal, World’s 1st To Get UV Oxidation Unit

Bhubaneswar: As a step towards achieving environmental excellence, Tata Steel BSL has set up the world’s first UV Oxidation Plant in the steel industry at its Narendrapur plant in Dhenkanal district.

The oxidation plant, where the cutting-edge technology jointly developed by R&D team of Tata Steel and Environment and Coke Oven teams of Tata Steel BSL has been used, can treat 80 cubic metre of waste water per hour.

The conventional method of treating cyanide in coke oven wastewater, one of the most toxic and potentially deadly pollutants, is called solid sludge separation technology which may lead towards cyanide toxicity by secondary means of toxic sludge decomposition. However, the new technology will address this issue, according to a company release.

Speaking on the initiative, Subodh Pandey, Chief Operating Officer of Tata Steel BSL said, “One of the best ways to handle cyanide is complete destruction of it by oxidation. The UV Oxidation plant helps us achieve that and thus no footprint is left for further contamination of the environment.”

The steel major got the required equipment like different UV reactors and UV control panels customised before commissioning the plant in consultation with the suppliers and the R&D team of Tata Steel. 

Tata Steel BSL has made several technological interventions to ensure that untreated water is not discharged from the plant. It has set up six Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) and three Gas Cleaning Plants (GCPs) for treatment of waste water from different units. It has also established five Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) having capacity of 4900 cubic metre of water per day in the plant and its housing colony. 

The steel major has also commissioned Coke Dry Quenching plants with implementation of dry quenching process instead of wet quenching of water, which saves around 65 cubic metre of water per hour. It has established scientifically designed High-density polyethylene (HDPE) lined rain water harvesting pond of capacity 50000 cubic metre, first of its kind in Tata Steel group for utilisation of surface run-off available in the Coke Oven and raw material handling system area. 

For its interventions in water management, Tata Steel BSL plant in Dhenkanal has been awarded CII National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2020.