Red Mud Pollution Problems : Some observations

Abstract

The problem of pollution caused by red mud disposal and alternatively its utilisation has remained unsolved eversince industrial production of alumina from bauxite started as a commercial venture in 1860. Indigenous efforts to utilise this collosal waste have been limited since R&D efforts in this direction lacked coordination and adequate funding. In this paper the scientific and technological approaches to tackle this problem have been discussed and few conventional as well as novel approaches are presented. While looking for economics of alumina production, ecology has totally been ignored and time has come to realign our thinking and planning process to find a tangible solution.