Local Steel Industry Research Articles

Struggles about class and Adivasi-ness in an eastern Indian steel plant

AbstractIn the eastern Indian steel town of Rourkela, Adivasis are widely stereotyped as uneducated, jangli (‘wild’), and drinkers, and they are therefore held to make for a special type of worker. Their Adivasi ‘nature’ makes them an ideal fit for facing the heat, dust, and fumes in the so-called ‘hot shops’ of the local public-sector steel plant. It is also said that Adivasis are, in fact, not well suited for the permanent and well-paid jobs the public-sector steel plant provides, and that they are better employed as contract workers who are paid little and by the day, and on whom the industry has increasingly relied since the 1970s. Critically engaging with Bourgois’ concept of ‘conjugated oppression’, I will show how these casteist stereotypes entrench the class position of Adivasis in the local steel industry, but also how this position has nevertheless changed over time—for some for the better, for many for the worse. Furthermore, although this polarization is driven by larger political economic changes it is exacerbated by the ways in which the better-off among the stereotyped Adivasi workers respond to them. This calls, I argue, for close attention to be given to the historical dynamics in the relations between class and caste (or ‘tribe’) and in the struggles related to them.

Effect of composition and microstructure on the rusting of MS rebars and ultimately their impact on mechanical behavior

Rebar steel is used for reinforcement to aid concrete because concrete does not sustain tension. Thermomechanical treatment is an advanced manufacturing technique for rebar production, but rusting problems emerged in the local steel industry. Raw material sampling included ingot casting (IC) and continuous casting (CC). IC samples corroded more frequently than CC samples. Spectroscopy indicated a small amount of chromium and an improper ratio of manganese to sulfur in IC samples. The improper ratio of manganese to sulfur in IC samples promoted hot cracking at grain boundaries, which resulted in intergranular corrosion. The microstructural results of G40 (air cooled) and G60 (water cooled) showed ferrite and martensite in different proportions. The deformed ferrite in G60 indicated inclination to corrosion, and no proper stable layer of martensite was found. The percentage of martensite was not enough to retaliate against intergranular corrosion. Highly pressurized water initiated pitting corrosion due to the formation of small pits on the surface. Tensile testing revealed 10% reduction in ultimate strength, 8% reduction in yield strength, and 30% reduction in percentage of elongation of corroded samples. Environmental study revealed that the humidity level in the industry was greater than in the laboratory space. High values of SOxand NOxemission revealed the involvement of the environment in the deterioration of the product surface.

Improvement of Shielding Properties of Cement Paste by Slag Addition from Local Steel Industry

Abstract The effect of iron slag powder (ISP) obtained from the local steel industry as an effective addition to improve the radiation shielding ability of cement paste was evaluated. Ten cement pastes with different ISP-to-cement ratios, up to 90 % by mass of cement, were prepared. In addition, the compressive strength of the cement paste as a function of slag content was investigated. The γ-ray attenuation measurements were performed by a NaI (Tl) detector at 59.54, 511, 662, 1,173.2 and 1,332.5 keV. The computation of γ-ray attenuation parameters was obtained by the WinXCom program. Both measured and calculated shielding results are in good agreement. The results demonstrate that the addition of slag significantly alters the cement paste density, γ-ray attenuation coefficient, effective atomic number (Zeff), effective electron density (Neff), and kerma coefficients (k). Moreover, the neutron shielding of cement paste has been evaluated in terms of the macroscopic removal cross section of the fast neutron (ΣR). In conclusion, it is argued that the incorporation of slag results in a significant improvement in γ-ray shielding ability. In addition, the results showed that the best ISP addition proportion that leads to the best shielding properties is about 60 % (by mass of cement).

Steel scrap generation in the EU-28 since 1946 – Sources and composition

A detailed understanding of scrap generation and utilization is needed to target increased material efficiencies and circular economy in the steel industry. In the present paper, the generation and composition of steel scrap (production & forming scrap, fabrication scrap and post-consumer scrap and their composition) in the former territory of the EU-28 have been assessed from 1946 to 2017 by means of Material Flow Analysis. The results reveal that the steel scrap composition in the EU-28 has changed significantly since 1946. Until 1980 scrap generation was dominated by new scrap (mostly production & forming scrap). Today, most of the overall steel scrap is post-consumer scrap. Most of the new scrap consists of fabrication scrap. Taking the presence and tolerance levels of major tramp elements in steel (Cu, Sn, Cr, Ni and Mo) into consideration, a material pinch analysis reveals a surplus of steel scrap with higher levels of tramp elements since the 1990ies. This scrap could only be utilized in the European steel industry by dilution with primary iron sources. At present, this surplus scrap seems to be largely exported as its quantity corresponds well to the net-exports of steel scrap from the EU-28. Transplanting the observed trends of steel scrap generation to emerging economies implies a significant increase in fabrication and post-consumer scrap in these countries in the near future. However, the utilization of scrap at higher rates, particularly post-consumer scrap, will challenge the local steel industry as tramp elements significantly increase along the production, use and end-of-life chain.

Charcoal of logging wastes from sustainable forest management for industrial and domestic uses in the Brazilian Amazonia

There is a gap in the literature regarding the quality and suitability of charcoals produced from the abundant logging wastes from sustainable forest management in the Brazilian Amazonia. Our study aimed to characterize and group charcoals produced from the wastes of 20 logged native species in an Amazonia Forest Management Area according to their physical, chemical, and energy properties. Moreover, we analyzed the carbonization mass balance and oil equivalent energy fraction of charcoal. We verified significant variations for charcoal bulk density (0.423–0.620 g cm−3), gravimetric yield in charcoal (34.4–45.5%) and in non-condensable gases (15.2–25.0%), ash content (0.5–9.6%), yield in fixed carbon (24.4–33.2%), energy density (12.3–18.4 GJ m−3), energy yield (53.8–70.9%), and retained carbon (54.1–71.0%). Our study revealed that the total extractives overcame the effect of lignin on the carbonization mass balance, yields, and charcoal quality from logging wastes. These biofuels present suitable equivalences with fossil fuels; however, their use must consider quality. Principal component analysis segregated charcoal into five groups with similar characteristics for carbonization in brick kilns to supply the local steel industry and domestic systems in the Amazonia.

Nutrient (sulphate) removal from wastewater in inverse fluidized bed biofilm reactor

Sulphate is one of the inorganic nutrient pollutants present in wastewater which needs to be treated due to present day global stringent emission norms. Among the several available biological means to treat industrial wastewaters, the use of inverse fluidized bed biofilm reactors (IFBBRs) has gained much attention in recent years over other fluidized bed reactors. In this work, the feasibility of removal of sulphate from synthetic wastewater having initial concentrations of 13.096, 32.74, and 65.48 mg/l was studied using mixed bacterial culture. Spherical polypropylene balls were taken as biomass support particles having density of 920 kg/m3 and diameter of 5.63 mm. Three different bed-volume to reactor-volume (Vb/Vr) ratios i.e., 0.304, 0.380, & 0.445 and three different superficial air velocities i.e., 0.0065, 0.0085, & 0.0106 m/s were considered for experimental runs. The reactor inoculum was prepared from the sludge collected from local steel industry’s wastewater treatment plant. The effects of different input parameters such as Vb/Vr ratio, superficial air velocities, and initial concentration of sulphate in synthetic wastewater on the output sulphate concentration were studied. Temperature of 30–32 °C and pH of 8.3–8.8 were maintained throughout the degradation studies. The reactor was operated in semi-batch recirculation mode with superficial water velocity of 0.0021 m/s. Sulphate concentration was measured by turbidity method using UV spectrophotometer at 420 nm which is as per APHA standards. The maximum removal efficiency of sulphate was found to be 72–75% which was achieved at a Vb/Vr ratio of 0.380 and the superficial gas velocity of 0.0085 m/s observed at a time of 40 h. Higher sulphate reduction was not achieved due to presence of more inorganic salts in the synthetic wastewater. At higher initial sulphate concentration, reactor operational difficulties were observed.

A Feasibility Study to Convert Steel Industry Solid Waste into a Red Oxide Primer

The steel industries generate a high volume of solid waste each year. The disposal of solid waste is a Hercules task for steel industry management. The solid waste contains heavy metals like iron, chromium, lead, zinc and toxic chemical compounds. The solid waste disposal contributes for ground water pollution and soil pollution. The steel industry solid waste contains a high percentage of iron oxide more than 12%. The aim of this project is to convert steel industry solid waste into a red oxide primer. The solid waste samples are collected from a local steel industry. The samples are crushed and passed through a 53 micron mesh to get fine powder. The powder is mixed with Long oil alkyd, calcium carbonate and Butanol. The mixture mixed intensively by the help of a wet grinder until it gets adhering properties and become as a primer. The adhesive properties of the primer is tested by painting on a metal surface and after drying the primer on the metal surface and tested by the peeling method to check the strength of the primer. The primer viscosity modified by adding turpentine oil. The red oxide primer used as a dielectric or pre-coating on iron structure. It was observed that the red oxide produced by using steel industry solid waste is at par with commercially available red-oxide primer. The red oxide primer production from the steel industry sludge is technically feasible and economically viable.

Properties of GGBFS-Based Pervious Concrete Containing Fly Ash and Silica Fume

Pervious concrete primarily is used as a means of storm water management. Taking into consideration the environment issues, the binder can also be formed by partially replaced Portland cement by cementitious materials, such as blast furnace slag fine powder, fly ash and silica fume. The combination of the binder materials was determined based on previous work, which composed of 56% Portland Composite Cement, 15% fly ash Type F, 26% air-cooled blast furnace slag from a local steel Industry and 3% condensed silica fume. The compressive strength of specimens with coarser aggregate was lower compared with the control pervious concrete, but still within the range of the requirement compressive strength according to ACI 522R-2010. The difference of the aggregate size affected the enhancement of the compressive strength. The flexural strength of pervious concrete with aggregate size of 9.5mm-12.5mm tend to be higher compared with that of pervious concrete with smaller aggregate size. Furthermore, the addition of 6% natural fine aggregate while applying higher water/cement ratio could be a contribution to the enhancement of the compressive and the flexural strength.

Application of Microwave Energy for Production of Iron Nuggets from the Pudo Iron Ore using ‘Pito’ Waste and its Blend with HDPE as Reductant

The local steel industry is currently facing stiff competition from South East Asia and elsewhere for high grade scrap iron, culminating in a ban by central Government on the export of ferrous scrap. In this work we investigate the potential for producing high grade iron nuggets from the Pudo iron ore in the Upper West Region of Ghana, using carbonaceous materials generated from locally available ‘pito’ waste and its blend with high density polyethylene (HDPE) as reductant. Composite pellets of the ore containing various blends of uncharred ‘pito’ and charred ‘pito’ waste with HDPE were irradiated in a domestic microwave oven and the extent of reduction was determined after 40 min of irradiation. It was observed that highly carburised premium grade iron nuggets can be produced from the Pudo iron ore using ‘pito’ waste (both charred and uncharred) and its blends with HDPE as reductant. The measured extent of reduction ranged from about 47 % to about 96 %, suggesting that the Pudo iron ore is a potential source of iron from which premium grade metallic iron can be produced commercially to feed the local steel industry. From the point of view of chemical reactivity, it appears the effect of hydrogen is more pronounced than the amount of fixed carbon in the ‘pito’ waste and this effect was felt in all the HDPE-‘pito’ waste blends utilised for the investigation. Accordingly dry ‘pito’ waste may be used directly with HDPE as reductant without the need to char the biomass. Keywords: Reduction, Pudo Iron Ore, Waste Biomass, Pito Waste, Extent of Reduction

Ten years of elemental atmospheric metal fallout and Pb isotopic composition monitoring using lichens in northeastern France

We report on the chemical and Pb isotopic compositions of epiphytic lichens collected from small tree branches in the urban area of the city of Metz (NE France). Lichens were collected in five different years between 2001 and 2009. The data are first compared year to year in order to document any temporal change and trend in metal atmospheric fallout. The area studied was then subdivided into different zones on the basis of land use (urban, suburban, rural and industrial) in order to determine potential spatial gradients. The median concentrations and enrichment factors (EF, normalized to Al) of Pb and other metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cr, Hg, Fe) in lichens from the urban, suburban, and rural zones show no systematic variation between 2001 and 2008. However, the metal EFs show spatial variation and are generally highest in the urban area and lowest in the rural area. Lichens within the industrial zone (collected in 2009), which is dominated by steel industries, are richest in Al, Fe, Cr, Pb, and Zn. Although the Al concentration is high in these lichens, the EFs for the cited metals are several times higher than those measured in lichens from the other three zones. No significant differences were noted for Hg, Cd, Cu and or Ni. Pb isotopic compositions measured in lichens may be highly variable from year to year and from zone to zone. The variation is primarily interpreted to result from mixing between: (i) Pb added to gasoline (and recycled through re-emission of road dust in the atmosphere); (ii) regional industrial Pb from long-range transportation and/or mixed with urban Pb; and (iii) local industrial Pb. The median isotopic compositions of individual zones are distinct, suggesting variable mixing of these three sources. The annual variations show that 2001 was most affected by gasoline Pb, whereas 2003 and 2006 were more affected by the local steel industry.

A 3+ Year Implementation/Evaluation of Tumor Board Conferences in a Community Radiation Oncology Setting

A 3+ Year Implementation/Evaluation of Tumor Board Conferences in a Community Radiation Oncology Setting

Monopoly: The Case Of Egyptian Steel

The local steel industry in Egypt has been protected by high tariffs which were relaxed lately. The market is segmented according to steel type and there is a dominant steel producer acting as a monopoly in the market. Due to barriers to entry in the short run and the dominant market position of the monopoly, price elasticity became more demand inelastic. However, the dominant market player carries an innovative edge over his competitors.

De la Société Métallurgique de Normandie à Effiscience. La transformation d'un site industriel

Stéphane Valognes From the steel-based economy in Normandy to Effiscience The transition of an industrial site Starting in 1993-94, the newly formed agglomeration around Caen had to deal with end of the local steel industry. Lacking solid industrial projects, decision-makers centred their approach on architectural competency. They selected Dominique Perrault, who designed the Bibliothèque de France (French National Library). Becoming a local communications vector, Perrault designed the new site, christened Normandial. Philips has recently set up operations nearby, which thereafter seems to justify Caen's risky strategy.