EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (2008-09)

Chrome Ore Beneficiation Plant

M/s Ultra Minerals & Ferro Alloys Private Limited
Alipingal House, Jagannath Lane, Badambadi, Cuttack, Orissa Project Area of 0.9 Ha. or 2.0 Acres Village Nischinta, District Cuttack, Orissa

Prepared by

Environmental Research and Services (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Plot No- B - 22, Sector B Industrial Estate, Chandaka Bhubaneswar 751024, Orissa

1.0

Introduction

M/S Ultra Minerals & Ferro Alloys Pvt. Ltd. has proposed to set up a Chrome Ore Beneficiation Plant of production capacity 36,000 TPA and the cost of the project is Rs. 67,04,500.00. State Pollution Control Board, Orissa has issued the Consent to Establish order to the company. The company is in process of obtaining Environmental Clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests through State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority, Orissa. The Ministry of Environment & Forests has issued the Terms of Reference for the Environmental Impact Assessment Study in July 2008. The proposed site fulfills all the guidelines prescribed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for locating the said industry. There is no litigation pending or any Order/Directions given by any Court of Law against this project as on date. Location & Accessibility The proposed project is located at village Nischinta, PO- Baichuan, PS- Tangi, TehsilJagatpur, in the district of Cuttack in Orissa State. Geographically the project area is located at Latitude 200 34 39 N and Longitude 850 02 53 E. The area falls under Survey of India Toposheet No. 73 L/2. The area for this project is 2.0 Acres. The Company has already in possession of the said land. No forestland is involved in the proposed site. The land has been identified as Industrial Use. The area for the proposed project has been shown in Map No. 01 the Index Map. The site is located at a distance 500 meters from the National Highway No - 5 which is the most important communication line in the area. There are no ecologically sensitive areas within 10 km radius of the proposed site. Few Reserve forests are present within the 10 km area around the project site. 2.0 Project Description

The raw material consumption for the proposed Chrome Ore Beneficiation plant are Low grade Chrome ore of 3200 MT/month which will be sourced from Chromites mines in Sukinda region of Orissa state. Manufacturing Process Semi Mechanized through Double Deck Vibrating Screen fitted on Pre-washing Tank and Drum Stirer and Mechanized Process will be adopted in the proposed project. Semi Mechanized Process Pre-wash Tank Nearly 50 to 60% of the ore consists of chrome fines including agglomerates put on a 10 mm & 3 mm Vibrating Screen (Double Deck) fitted on the pre-washed tank will be washed by water spray. -3mm ore (fines) along with gangue materials settle in the tank and the over sized materials on the screen will be removed manually. It is a continuous process. When the ore with gangue materials come in contact with water, it becomes

Map No. 01 (Index / Location Map)

slurry. As the chrome ore (fines) is a heavy material, so pure ore (fines) settle in the tank and some ore with agglomerates flow and settle on the way till reaches the end of the tank. Around 60-70% of the material will be processed in this manner and will be taken and stacked in the finished product yard for subsequent dispatch. Drum Stirer Around 25-30% mixed materials collected from pre-washed tank again washed in the Drum Stirer by mixing chemicals with water for separating the gangue materials from the ore (fines). By implementing this method the chrome contains in the solid waste will be around 2 to 3 % and the recovery of the prime materials can be enhanced. Through both the process, the silica content can be controlled up to 5% if also required can be restricted as per the market demand. By implementing this Semi Mechanized & Drum Stirer system, one can produce around 1000-1500 T of finished ore per month. If the recovery of the materials from the Chrome Dump will be around 60-70%. The produced specification of the finished product will be 48-50% grade Cr2O3 and silica content will be 5-6%. The above grade can be up-graded as per the market demand. Mechanized Process The overall ore characteristics require through dispersal of the ferruginous coating on the chromite and gangue materials. It is therefore essential through scrubbing & Hydro classification, ore to be suitably designed after screening the over sized materials, which is +100 mm to (-) 20 mm size. The said specification is as follows. Feed sized to scrubber Concentrate size Recovery Feed (medium grade) Cr2O3 Recovery Cr2O3 Scrubbing & Desliming Nearly 60-70% of the ore consists of chrome fines including agglomerates, which requires thorough scrubbing for removal of ferruginous coating on them. Hence, it is concerted to use one drum type scrubber with a partial overflow lip for removal of slimes. Screening After scrubbing (-) 20mm and (+) 3 mm materials are screened out. (-) 20 mm materials are collected in the form of slurry through a slurry pump, which is fed to Hydrocyclone. In the Hydro-Cyclone. Lighter particles are separated from the fines (chrome) and its become chrome concentrate. The tailing ore collected through pipe line to a pond : : : : : (-) 20 MM (100%) 0 3 MM 60 70% (in weight) 32 35% 48 - 50%

where it gets settled. And the clear water will over flow to another pond for recirculation in the process. Chrome Ore Chemical Compositions The Chemical Composition of the ore is given in Table No. -01

Table No. -01 Chemical Composition Chemical composition Cr2O3 Max Cr : Fe Ratio SiO2 Al2O3 S P Metallurgical Standard Min - Max 48-50% 1. 5 :1 3 : 1 5-7% 115 0.5% 0.25%

Chemical Ind. 44.5% 5% 0.5% 0.2%

Refractory 30% 5% -

The Ore will be fed to Hopper by loader or manually and from Hopper ore will be fed to scrubber through reciprocating feeder and conveyor belt. Ore will go to scrubber along with water. After scrubbing it will go to double deck screen. In the screen there will be size separation of (-) 20 mm & (-)3 mm. Minus 3 mm will feed to Hydro Cyclone through a slurry pump and from Hydro cyclone lighter particles will over flow. The chrome concentrate will flow through pipe line to finished product storing yard. Tailing will go to pond No.1 for settling and water will flow to pond No.2 for reusing in process. Over size ore (+20mm) from the feed point will be taken to the crusher cum- Grinder to make it -3 mm size suitable for use in the proposed beneficiation process. Design of the Tailing Pond and Brick Manufacturing Proposed beneficiation process is a wet process that involves re-circulation water for washing through tailing pond. Thus tailing pond is a part of the beneficiation process. Brick Making From Tailing Loss of Chrome Ore Beneficiation Plant Brick Dimension & Weight Brick Size Weight = 10 X 5 X 3 = 3 Kg

Composition of 100 Kg Mix Tailing Loss Lime Soda Ash = = = 88 Kg 10 Kg 2 Kg

Water Requirement in Brick making for 100 Kg Mix is 16 Liter including preparation of Mixture as well Curing of Brick. With the above figures and in consideration of per day waste generation of around 7T, it is concluded that; 1. 2. 3. 4. Total Water Requirement Requirement of Lime Requirement of Soda Ash Number of Bricks = = = = 1.27 KLD 700 Kg/D 140 Kg/D 2625 or say One Truck Trip/Day

Brief Manufacturing Process 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Mix will be Prepared in a mixer with the above proportion. From the Mixer the aggregate material will be taken to Brick Machine (Mould). Green Bricks will be kept outside for Atmospheric Drying for 24 hrs. Then the dried Bricks will be taken to a Water Tank for Curing for 48 Hrs. After Curing the Bricks can be dispatched.

Plant Production Capacity This plant has the provision of production capacity of 1000 to 1500 MT per month with single shift Operation. This plant has the provision and production capacity of 1000 to 1500 MT per month with single shift operation at present and the production capacity of the same plant can be enhanced up-to 2000 to 2500 MT per month looking to the raw-materials availability. At present both the plant have the provision and capacity to produce 2000 to 3000 MT to finished product per month in single shift operation. We have kept provision to enhance the capacity to produce 2500 to 4000 MT of finished product per month in single shift operation in future looking to the market demand and raw-materials availability Other Infrastructure Facilities The requirement of electrical power will be 9 KW. Power requirement of the unit will be met by connecting through grid of Central Electricity Supply Utility from State Grid. The requirement of water in circulation will be 250 KLD with make up of 12.5 KLD. Water will be used for Washing of material through water spraying, potable use and 6

Plantation and dust suppression. The source of water is Ground water. Drinking and sanitary water requirement 1 cum. for the plant will be met from the overhead tank. The emergency water pipelines will be led throughout the plant premises for fire fighting. The dust suppression will be carried out by sprinkling water on the road. The Application for drawal of water has been submitted at the office of the Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board, Bhubaneswar. It is under process for issue of permission to drawal of water. Plant and Machinery The plant and machineries required for Semi Mechanized process are Pre-washed Tanker (16 X 25) -2 Nos., Vibrating Screen (Double Deck) - 2 Nos., Water Storing Tank (9 X 9 X 8)-1 No, Boring of 8 dia- 1 No., Tailing Setting Pond (25 X 15 X 6)- 2 Nos., Finished product storing yard (50 X 30) -1 No., Diesel pump - 1 No., Drum Stirer - 1 No., Crusher- cum Grinder -1 No, Manpower utilization - 10 Nos. The plant and machineries required for Mechanical Process are, Hopper (10 X 6 X 6) - 1 No., Feeder & Conveyer System with belt 70 ft- 1 No., Scrubber 5 MT Capacity - 2 Nos., Vibrating Screen (Two Level) - 1 No., Hydro cyclone (5 MT Capacity) - 2 Nos., Slurry Pump (5MT Capacity) - 2 Nos., Generator -1 No., Grinder -1 No. and the manpower requirement is 8 nos. Management of Solid waste The generation of Solid Waste will be 2400 MTPA with zero % moisture. After the decant water from the sedimentation tank is completely recycled and solid waste as settled at the bottom will be supplied to Brick Manufacturing units. This brick can be used for making pavements in place of tiles. The proposed project is expected to be completed within in 6 to 10 months after obtaining necessary permission. Manpower Requirement The Manpower requirement for project is 15 nos. Emphasis will be given to the local people. 3.0 Description of the Environment The topographical map of the area reveals that the area is almost plain. Contour of the project site 390 meters aMSL. The contour of the study area varies from 320 meters aMSL to 390 meters aMSL. There are open plain lands, forests, rivers, waste land, manmade plantation, fairly dense mixed jungles, open mixed jungles, open ponds, wells, swampy areas close to river bank, Jhor, perennial rivers and its tributaries are the main physical or the topographical features in the area. No notified ecologically sensitive area, like national park, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve exists within 10 km radius of the proposed project site. But a historical monuments (Lord Jagannaths temple) is situated at village Chhatia at a distance of 5.0 Kms towards NNW direction. The North west of the study are predominated by Chhatia Pahar Protected Forest, Panchavhaya Protected Forest, Dalijora Protected Forest, Kaliamba Reserve Forest, Binchana Protected Forest and Bardhapalli Protected Forest.

Important physical features in the study area are River Birupa. It flows from west to east direction and it is located in west-south east direction of the project site. Different types of small scale industries are operating around the study area. Baseline environmental data generation of study area was carried out during the winter 2008. Meteorological data for the station located at Cuttack was collected from the publication on Meteorological Tables of IMD. The SPM, RSPM, SO 2 and NOx levels were monitored at ten locations in the study area. The baseline air quality levels are within the National Standards prescribed for industrial and residential area. Ambient noise levels were also monitored at ten locations in the study area. The baseline noise levels are well within the National Standards (75 dB(A) during day time in plant premises & 55 dB(A) during day time in Residential area and 70 dB(A) during night time in plant premises & 45 dB(A) in residential area during night time). Four numbers of surface water samples and eight numbers of groundwater samples were collected from the study area for analysis. The water quality is within the permissible limit. No metallic or bacterial contamination was found in the groundwater samples. Five soil samples were collected from the study area and analyzed. The pH and conductivity of all the soil samples are within the acceptable range. There are no plant species inside the plant premises. Asan, Arjun, Sal, Teak, Acasia, Chakunda, Nilagiri, Sissoo and Bamboo are the main plant species of the study area. Spotted dear, Barking dear, Wild bore, Bear, Rabbit and Hyena are found in the buffer area., Common birds, mammals, rodents, reptiles and fishes are also found in the area. No endangered species of plants and animals has been found in the study area. No Schedule - I animal species found in the study area. There are more than 1000 population live beyond 1 km from the project site. The most populated area is village Kaitha having population of 3056 numbers. Agricultural land covers 198.96 Sq., km, Dense Forest 0.51 Sq. km., Open forest 5.60 Sq. km., Scrub forest 23.85 Sq. km., Land with scrub 0.96 Sq. km., Plantation 23.54 Sq. km., Settlement covers 48.46 Sq. km. and Ricer/Water bodies covers 10.20 Sq. km in buffer area i.e. 10 km radius from the project site. River Birupa and its tributary and Canals are the main source of irrigation in the study area. Rice is the main crop grown in the main crop in the study area. 4.0 Mitigation Measures & Environmental Impact

Air Quality: Water spraying will be done to suppress the dust generated during construction activity. Plantation will be made around the plant premises. All internal roads will be made black top. All roads and shop floors will be cleaned regularly. Fugitive dusts will be controlled using water sprinkling and following guide line of CPCB and SPCB. Mathematical modeling predicted that the maximum incremental ground level concentration of SPM (24 hrs. average) from the project would be 15.77869 g/m3. The ambient air quality standards of surrounding area will remain well within the prescribed air quality standards. The proposed beneficiation process is wet process and the potential particulate matter emission during operational phase will be limited to the raw material handling and conveying. Noise Quality: Unloading and uploading operations and movement of trucks will be properly scheduled to minimize construction noise. Vehicular movement on the village 8

roads will be avoided. In noisy work areas soundproof duty rooms will be provided. The noise level at the plant boundary will be maintained at 75 dB(A) (day time) and 70 dB(A) (night time) standard. There are no such high noise equipments in the proposed plant. However, impacts on the working personnel are not expected to be significant on account of the high level of automation of the plant, which means that workers will be exposed for short duration only that to intermittently Water Quality: The waste water generation during operation of the proposed beneficiation plant is only from the washing tank and the tailing pond. An adequately designed tailing pond will be made to handle the sediments of the wet type beneficiation plant. The decanted water from the tailing pond will be recirculated into the system and the bottom sediments will be periodically collected and supplied to the brick making unit. A sample brick is already made. Those bricks can be used for road paving purposes. There will not be any discharge from the proposed plant during operation. It is a ZERO discharge unit. Regarding sewage water from toilets in the plant area, there will be provision of septic tank and soak pit for treatment and disposal of sewage. This system will be designed as per the BIS specifications. Soil Quality: The soil quality of the site and surroundings is clayey loam. The infiltration rate of the soil is moderate, Coating the wastewater sewers with Sulphate resistant cement and properly sealing the sewer joints will prevent chances of accidental soil contamination. The entire solid wastes generated from plant will be reused. Water Drawl: Water requirement will be 250m3/Day. The ground water will be used in the proposed project. Rainwater harvesting pits will be constructed inside the plant premises and rooftop rainwater will be diverted towards these pits for recharging the groundwater. Ecology: Dust emission from the project will be controlled using water spraying. All air emissions will be kept within the prescribed standards. The incremental air pollution will be accommodated within the air quality standards. Wastewater and solid waste will be reused. Tree plantation will be done around the plant premises. Such measures will be adequate to protect the surrounding ecology. Public Health: A good number of population reside in the project impact area i.e. 10 km radius of the project site. The national ambient air quality standards prescribed level of air pollutants will be followed to protect public health and vegetation. Air quality dispersion modeling predicted that the ambient air quality will remain within the national air quality standards. Entire wastewater generated from the plant will be reused and no wastewater will be disposed into the outside nalla or rivers without treatment. No toxic chemicals or wastes will be handled in the plant. Since the pollution will be within the national standard there will be no risk to public health from this project. Land: No forestland will be acquired for the project. Since no minerals or building materials will be extracted from the site, topography of the site remains unaffected. The 9

project will involve minor site preparation and leveling work. It will be ensured that adequate drains and garland drains are constructed conforming to the existing drainage pattern so that the alteration is kept to the minimum and flooding does not occur. Demography and Socio-economics: The labour forces operational period. The labour force will be unskilled and recruited from the surrounding villages. About 100-200 employment from the project and from its ancillary socioeconomic condition of the area will improve. will be 15 during the semi-skilled who will be people will get indirect activities. The overall

Accident Risk: The consequences of an accident, which could arise as a result of identified Maximum Credible Accident Scenario was assessed. The hazards are confined within the plant boundary and no outside people or property will be affected. All identified risks are of low risk category because of the adoption of standard design and necessary risk mitigation measures. 5.0 Environmental Monitoring Plan

Necessary provisions would be made for routine monitoring of ambient air quality, noise level, and water quality. Development of schemes for water conservation, rain water harvesting and reuse of treated wastewater as required by the regulations and for monitoring environment management is implemented. The ambient air quality around the plant premises will be monitored periodically. Further, the effluent quality and noise levels will also be regularly monitored. As the company is very small Company, it will engage authorised laboratory for the said activity on a regular basis.The monitored data of the various environmental parameters will be sent to State Pollution Control Board at regular intervals. Temperature, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen testing will be done for wastewater that is reused for gardening. 6.0 Project Benefits

The proposed project has lots of benefits both direct and indirect. 15 numbers of skilled, semiskilled, unskilled persons will get direct employment from this project. During the construction phase, 50-60 people on an average are likely to be employed for construction related activity. Several other types of indirect employment opportunity will be developed in the surrounding area due to this project. Per Capita Income will improve. It will reduce Public Expenditure of Government on social Consumption Need. It will add to Government Exchequers in the form of various taxes and returns. 7.0 Environmental Management Plan

Environment Management Plan (EMP) is required to be implemented by the plant management in order to achieve better environmental viability of the project. The EMP will establish a framework for the effective management of environmental impacts and ensure the best overall protection of the environment through appropriate management procedures. Rs. 40,000.00 has been earmarked as capital cost of pollution control systems. Environmental Management during construction phase will be the responsibility of contractor. UMFAPL will introduce requisite provisions in the contract documents and the contractor will develop a contract specific plan and designate staff responsible for pollution control. The Environment Management Department (EMD) 10

will monitor the contractors obligation for mitigating the environmental impact during construction phase. The EMD will ensure that all air pollution control devices, effluent treatment plants and water re-circulating and reuse schemes are functioning effectively. They will also supervise and monitor the handling, transport and disposal of solid wastes, spent oil and lubricants as per the approved authorization. 33 % of the total project area will be converted into Greenbelt and greenery development inside the plant premises. This has been already started from the construction of its existing installations. CPCB guidelines on greenbelt development will be followed and district forest department will be consulted for selection of trees. For free health check up of the workers, UMFAPL will be provided free medical checkup camps. The workers will continue to be periodically checked for any clinical complaints and abnormal symptoms by the doctors. Safety department undertakes full review of the potential hazard scenarios during plant commissioning. The review confirms the proposed safeguards for accident prevention and minimization and updates the assessment of consequences. With the effective implementation of mitigation measures and Environmental Management Plan during detailed design, construction planning, construction and operation the project will create minimum adverse impacts that will be manageable.

11