BSL Introduces Eco-Friendly Brick to Boost Steel Production

BSL had been making a pioneering move to overcome the procurement crisis of steel scrap! This green alternative acts as both a heat absorbent and coolant in the process of converting iron to steel, greatly enhancing production efficiency.

The plant waste materials from sludge and mill scale were used to produce an innovative brick, which has been successfully rolling out trials and is currently in regular use at BSL. The plant is also applying for a patent for the innovative product shed presented at the Basant Mela recently in which the officials, engineers and environmentalists of BSL showed great interest.

Environment Conservation and Sustainability (ECS) head Navin Prakash Srivastava at BSL said that the development is a significant step. “Post the closure of the ingot route, BSL experienced a supply-side crisis for steel scrap for steelmaking. “It was a sustainable solution by our environment department under the leadership of Director-in-Charge B.K. Tewari along with the steel melting shop team and RDCIS, Ranchi.

This initiative is very cost-effective, and one of the great advantages. The cost of producing each brick (excluding expenses incurred in transportation, power and machinery etc.) is ₹25.12, and its application reduces steel scrap cost by ₹30,000 per tonne. BSL makes an overall saving estimate of about ₹3 lakh per heat.

The new brick production process helps convert waste into raw material and is a sustainable way to use waste, considering BSL generates about 1.5 lakh tonnes of sludge every year. 0.6 tonnes of sludge are needed to produce a tonne of bricks, and each heat produces an average of 5 tonnes of sludge bricks. With BSL running 40 heats per day, the plant presently processes 120 tonnes of sludge per day, totaling around 45,000 tonnes per year.

Not only does this new method significantly improve the efficiency of steelmaking, but it also coincides with BSL’s pledge to be environmentally friendly, establishing a new standard for waste use in the industry.