Environmental Issues and Challenges in the Extraction of Non-ferrous Metals Production in India  (Paperback, Dr.R.Raghavan)

Metals play an important in human life and a country’s growth and economy. Due to the increase in the demand for metals in different areas and growing applications to various sections, the metallurgical industry has adopted innovative technology with an emphasis on environmental issues and challenges faced in manufacturing process technology from primary sources. In this monograph, an attempt has been made with the fundamental concepts of chemistry and metallurgy in the production of non-ferrous metals in India from primary sources as well as the issues and challenges in the environment during the process. In addition, it covers the terms associated with metallurgy and environmental pollution and protection control, various aspects of process chemistry and process metallurgy major non-ferrous metals (aluminium, copper, lead, zinc) with flowsheets of prime producers of these metals in India from primary sources; classification of impurities of the primary source used in the respective smelter and their effect on the environment environmental impact; water quality and air quality, wastewater treatment, hazardous waste generation, sulphuric acid quality; issues and challenges faced by the industry concerning environmental pollution and protection control; Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) norms and standards on wastewater and air pollution quality on important non-ferrous metals. Only the four major non-ferrous metals (aluminium, copper, lead, zinc), concerning the production and environmental issues and challenges from the primary sources, have been discussed and not on the production of these metals through the secondary sources. Finally, a suggestive scheme for the removal of emission from the stack from the copper, lead and zinc smelters has been presented to provide a clean environment with permissible limits as well as an alternate effluent treatment for the effluents generated at different points to reduce the solid-load generation. The advantages of these suggestive schemes have been presented in this monograph. In addition, a brief note on the observations on Birla Copper and Sterlite Copper by the National Green Tribunal has been included. However, this technical paper also briefly describes certain important aspects of other non-ferrous metals such as cobalt, nickel and tin, which may be useful to the readers with respect to environmental issues that are faced by these industries. Key words; non-ferrous metals, environmental issues, pollution, wastewater, ESG, NGT, CPCB, effluent standards, emission standards, classification of impurities, flowsheets.