UMP JSC summarizes environmental activities
On June 5 the world community celebrates Environmental Protection Day. This is a good opportunity to take stock of the environmental work of Ulba Metallurgical Plant.
AIR FORMULA
The main environmental measures are aimed at protecting the air basin from pollution by harmful substances. For this, the company uses special equipment. Cyclones and scrubbers, bag and aerosol filters, vortex and cyclone-foam devices, fibrous stuffed filters protect the air of the regional center from emissions of beryllium, nitrogen dioxide, nitric and sulfuric acid, ammonia and hydrochloride. Payment for emissions into the environment in 2019 amounted to about 117 million tenge.
The factory laboratory makes about 13 thousand air samples annually. According to the results of last year, excesses of the established limits of harmful substances were not recorded. Moreover, the company's emissions are below the established annual limits. The total share of substances emitted by the plant is less than 0.1% of the total emissions of the city enterprises.
AMMONIA DECONTAMINATION
Today, the company is making the main efforts to reduce ammonia emissions, which make up almost half of the substances released into the air. Scientific and technical developments and searches in this direction are ongoing. A pilot gas treatment plant has already been tested at beryllium production. The new technology will allow for the comprehensive purification of beryllium production gases with a degree of neutralization of ammonia vapor of 95-97%. Its implementation will reduce the already small emission figures.
SHOW DOWN
Since 2008, a planned reconstruction of the hydraulic structures of the tailings has been carried out. At the same time, there is no increase in existing storage areas, and the available areas are reused. At the moment, the construction of the second stage of the evaporation pond (card) No. 5 is underway.
The evaporation pond is the receiver of industrial waste water of the enterprise, the liquid part of production waste. During modernization, modern building materials are used. The evaporation pond is equipped with an anti-filter screen at the bottom and a slope of modern geosynthetic materials with guaranteed trouble-free operation for 100 years. The water component of the waste placed here will gradually evaporate, eliminating the ingress of pollutants into groundwater. At the end of the operation of the evaporation ponds, reclamation will be carried out in accordance with environmental requirements.
The construction of the facility is included in the Comprehensive Plan of Measures to Improve the Environment of East Kazakhstan region for 2019-2022. The first phase of construction was completed last year, the second phase will be completed by the fall of 2020.
MEMORANDUM
On May 21, 2020, JSC UMP, the Department of Ecology in the East Kazakhstan Region and the Kazhydromet branch for East Kazakhstan region signed a tripartite Memorandum on cooperation in the event of adverse weather conditions (NMU).
Upon receipt of a forecast from Kazhydromet on the occurrence of NMU, UMP JSC shall implement measures to reduce emissions during this period. The Department of Ecology for East Kazakhstan, if necessary, after monitoring, recommends measures to improve the state of atmospheric air. Depending on the degree of NMU, UMP JSC shall be obliged to reduce productivity from 20 to 60% and cease operation of a number of emission sources.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Modern realities require introduction of environmentally safe production management system, whereby an optimal ratio between environmental and economic indicators is achieved. In the furtherance of this goal, the company has implemented Environmental Management System according to International Standard ISO 14001-2015 which is successfully certified by independent international experts on an annual basis.
UMP JSC Environmental Management System helps the company not only systematize work in the sphere of ecology but also allows each employee to recognize his responsibility in achieving the common objective of improving environment in the city and the region.
CLEAN IS WHERE YOU CLEAN
In September 2019, as part of an environmental campaign, UMP employees cleared the Ulba coastline of half a kilometer from debris. The event involved 40 volunteers and factory equipment. As a result, the factory workers took out 120 tons of garbage! UMP employees planted birches, oaks, spruce, and also more than 10,000 shrubs on 55 hectares of their territory and in the sanitary protection zone in 2019. Landscaping will be continued this year.
Newspaper «7 DAYS», №22 June 4, 2020
Newspaper «Rudnyi Altai», №66 June 4, 2020
