Cement, Energy & Environment Jan-Mar 2002

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND ENERGY SAVING AT BINANI CEMENT'S PLANT The article surveys the range ofenvironmental protection and energy conservation measures successfully implemented by Binani Cement's plant at Pindwara (district Sirohi, Rajasthan) since its inception in 1997. The plant, in addition, is playing a major role in the socio– economic development of the surrounding area. Besides ISO 14001 accreditation, the plant has won several awards for environmental excellence...Ed Introduction (ii) Dust· suppression system installed at limestone unloading points, i.e. dump The Binanis who had distinguished hopper. themselves in non-ferrous metallurgical industry in India and overseas for over four generations, decided in 1994 to diversify into cement field. Accordingly, the company successfully commissioned in 1997 its 1.65 MTPA cement plant at Pindwara, district Sirohi, Rajasthan. It was a measure of the company's environmental concern that, even in the selection of the technology and equipment, environmental aspects were accorded highest priority. This policy, logically, continued to guide the management in operating the plant over the last four years, as a result of which a whole range of mitigatory measures have been worked out and adopted to improve the overall environmental performance of the plant. Side by side, energy saving measures also have been devised and successfully implemented. This article gives an account ofwhat the plant has achieved on both the environment and energy fronts. A. Air Pollution Control Following are the control and protective measures being implemented: (i) Water injection in drilling machine to reduce emission of dust from blast hole. (iii) All major venting points at limestone crusher connected to bag house for collection of air-borne dust. (iv) All material transfer points provided with jet pulse filter (JPF) to arrest fugitive dust. (v) The process air is vented through a stack. All stacks are regularly monitored for emission of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and,the SPM found to be well within the prescribed limits. (vi) Water sprinkler installed over belt conveyors carrying raw material to arrest fugitive emission. (vii) Water sprinkled on haul roads for suppressing dust. (viii) Bulk mixing and delivery truck introduced for supplying on site oxygen-balanced explosive to control NO emission. X (ix) Three-km l ong paved tar road constructed connecting the plant's two mining areas. (x) Airconditioned cabin provided to operators of Heavy Earth Moving 15