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Hindalco
Managing the land effectively is primary on our agenda
for both the businesses. Land is a crucial
resource for new project, waste land reclamation and
mining reclamation.
Hindalco has Mine Closure Plans in place for both the
coal and bauxite mines where it operates in
India and for Copper mines in Australia.
We ensure that we go beyond the legal requirements and
target the following objectives in dealing with mine
closures:
a) to protect public health and safety after the mine
production is stopped;
b) to alleviate or eliminate environmental damage during
mining or post mining activities ;
c) to achieve a productive use of the land, or a return
to its original condition or an acceptable alternative;
and,
d) to the extent achievable, provide for sustainability
of social and economic benefits resulting from mine
development and operations.
One of the focus areas of research and innovation of
Hindalco Innovation Centre is to look into the options
for better management of mine closure related issues.
In 1985, our Belgaum plant was the first alumina plant
in India to adopt Dry Mud Stacking (DMS), much before
the statutory requirement in 2003. Though DMS requires
less land and reduces groundwater contamination from
chemicals, it creates dust nuisance and is also a skin
irritant. We have found a unique solution by using bioremediation
technology.
For this we have partnered with TERI. It involves developing
amenders, trials, treating red mud with different bacteria
from TERI’s pool to modify the pH suitably and planting
species of high alkali tolerance. The huge red mud yards
are systematically covered with trees using this new
technology. The success of vegetation on red mud ponds
(RMP) is unique and to the best of our knowledge, it
is first-of-its-kind globally. The successful management
of red mud is now cited as a benchmark for alumina producers
the world-over.
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