Paper Title
Studies on Pollution Control in Sponge Iron Plants in West Bengal Clusters of India

Abstract
Production of steel through the conventional blast furnace route requires coking coal, which is getting depleted the world over and India has very limited reserves. Hence, evolution of a technology for the reduction of iron ore using abundantly available non coking coal was contemplated, giving birth to directly reduced iron technology- the DR I or the sponge iron processes. Though the sponge iron process eliminated the need of the polluting coke ovens and sinter plants of the conventional blast furnace route of the integrated iron and steel plants, in direct reduction itself, pollution and generation of wastes have been causing concern in industrial belts. In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight the basic principles involved in the environmental issues, particularly with regard to the air pollution and solid waste problems, and data obtained from some local plants have been studied to evaluate the conditions existing wherein it was observed that emissions exceed the stipulated values in majority of the cases. Related factors were analysed and some solutions pertaining to these were also proposed. Air pollution was given emphasis and water and other forms of pollution were kept out of the present scope of studies. Keywords- Sponge Iron, Emissions, Wastes.