Iron and Steel Industry
"Unfortunately our affluent society has also been an effluent society" - Hubert H. Humphrey
The rapid rate of industrialization has been constantly deteriorating the air and water quality of the world. While considering various type of industries, it has to  be taken into account that the different production processes involved lead to different types of pollutants. The iron and steel industry consumes a huge amount of water, mainly for cooling, washing, gas transfer, matter removal, etc. The complex vertically integrated process of steel production consists of four stages – mining, iron ore concentration, blast furnace treatment and steel production, and each of these processes utilizes large volumes of water. To ascertain the ever rising problem of water pollution, these industries do adopt certain technological options such as bio-methanation and composting for the treatment of wastewater but then, these technologies, like everything else, have their own limitations.
Right from the mining process to the fabrication of steel, the entire iron and steel manufacturing process incorporates powerful reduction reactions in blast furnaces. The water used for cooling is therefore begrimed by chemicals such as ammonia and cyanide. Contamination of waste streams includes gasification products such as benzene, naphthalene, cyanide, ammonia, phenols and cresols, along with a wide array of more composite organic compounds collectively known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
Even during other stages, e.g., in the final treatment stage where pickling is done in strong mineral acids for rust removal and preparing the surface for surface treatments such as galvanization or painting, large amount of water is generated which is contaminated by acids like hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.
The main causes of industrial pollution arising from the iron and steel industry can be attributed to the following factors:
- Unregistered small scale units
- Lack of pollution control systems
- Lack of common treatment facilities
- Lack of economically viable treatment technologies
- Lack of awareness and active participation.
Impacts on Human Health
Industrial processes mainly contaminate water by begriming it with pollutants like chlorides, nitrates, heavy metals and organic matters. The common health problems caused by ground water includes:
- Miscarriage
- Low birth weight
- Birth defects
- Premature infant death
- Skin problems
- Neurological problems, etc.
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is continually depleting with its increasing demand. Key reasons that account for the growing demand of water.