Making best of waste, the Induction Furnace Unit owners of Mandi Gobindgarh by installing the new Air Pollution Control Device in place of the traditional furnaces are now earning money from the residue collected in the Side Hood Suction System, informed KS Pannu, Director, Tandrust Punjab Mission.Giving details he said that the Side Hood Suction System with Bag Filters House is a far better Air Pollution Control Device than the traditional induction furnaces. This system, designed with the help of Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh collects five to six times more dust emissions. Earlier, majority of dust was getting emitted in the environment and only a fraction of the leftover in the form of ash was obtained. The Induction Furnace Unit owners had to shell money out of their pockets as disposal and handling charges in order to rid their premises from the ash, informed Pannu.As against this under Tandrust Punjab Mission, they were directed to install Side Hood Suction System with Bag Filters House as the Air Pollution Control Device (APCD) which sucks multi-fold times more dust than the traditional system, said Pannu. He added that this transition has been a win-win situation for Induction Furnace Unit owners as well as environment lovers.
Elaborating the details, Mission Director informed that the Induction Furnace Unit owners now sell the huge amount of ash collected in their units and are earning Rs.3 per kg for the ash which is being lifted by an alloy making company. Simultaneously, the town is being saved from the onslaught of air pollution.He informed that the dust collected in the new Air Pollution Control Device contains 25 to 35 % zinc content, so it is being collected by a Bhagwanpura, Amloh based company which uses this dust as raw material in its waste recycling division for recovery of zinc hence is also creating 'Wealth from Waste'.Mr. Pannu informed that the Mandi Gobindgarh area once considered as Critically Polluted Area by the Central Pollution Control Board is heading full swing towards coming clean out of it. Over 70% of the Induction Furnace units have shifted from traditional furnaces to the Side Hood Suction System.Presently out of 92 induction furnaces including units in Khanna area, 65 industries have converted their old APCDs to new Air Pollution Control Devices as per design evolved. The rest of Industries are also under process of up-gradation of their devices and have completed 80 to 90% of modification work, said Pannu and added that Directorate of Tandrust Punjab Mission is hopeful of a good and measurable impact on quality of ambient air with this activity.