Water management at Vedanta aluminium Ltd., Lanjigarh refinery

Abstract

The mineral processing industries have tremendous potential for growth and key sector for the economy of the country. The potential growth of the sector is, however, endangered by public concerns about the environmental profile and responsibility of the mining and minerals processing industries. In view of the limited surface and ground water sources, conservation of water is essential for long term interests of any water based industry. Companies are realizing the fact that intelligent use of water for process applications will have explicit economic benefits for the company. The impact of governmental agencies in regulating the economic use of water by industries is significant and facilitating to reach this goal. Almost all the industries are now observing reduction in use of water in a phased manner. A few industries are practicing reuse of water after treatment and blending with fresh water by the process of regeneration and some are practicing the regeneration recycling by the process of removing the contaminants. The ultimate goal of all the processes is to minimize the waste generation and zeroing down the aqueous discharge. Water management and conservation of water at Lanjigarh alumina refinery has been discussed.