BHUBANESWAR: With use of water for industrial purposes becoming a hot debate in Western Orissa, adoption of appropriate technology in mineral processing holds new promise. However, it becomes more vital when we talk about optimal use of ore including low-grade varieties for a sustainable use as both can now be addressed through an innovative approach.
As experts are concerned about the ore deposits and the rate of use in the present scenario, an innovative ‘paste thickening technology’ (PTT) can play a crucial role — both for water conservation and make ‘usable’ low-grade ores.
As water is used in huge quantities in ore processing or beneficiation, the ‘tailing’ or end waste product comes out as a slurry, but in PTT the ‘tailing’ would be in the form of a thick paste so that not only the ‘land fill’ or disposal is easy, but can conserve a huge amount of water. On the other hand, the ore output will be with less water.
While the conventional method of ore processing can re-use only 55 per cent of water, PTT using a ‘wet technology’ can re-use more than 75 per cent of water thereby reducing dependency on the water source to a considerable extent, says R. Udayachandran of FLSmidth, the world-wide patent owner, which has its India office in Chennai.
Developed by ‘Dorr-Oliver Emco’, the ‘wet technology’ was acquired by Denmark-based FLSmidth in August 2007 but no company in India used it till now.
But Udaychandran hopes that with rapid industrialisation, water conservation and environmental issues, more and more industrial houses and mineral processing companies may go in for this technology. Speaking to this paper while attending ‘Steelrise 2009’ here yesterday, he said as the efficiency in iron ore processing and beneficiation is the prime concern, this new technology has immense importance for Orissa.
However, water conservation is perhaps the most important benefit from it. The State Government has already restricted use of water from Hirakud reservoir for industrial purposes and as the farmers of the industrial hubs are opposing diversion of water, the ‘wet technology’ might benefit the State in a greater way.