A ventilation and dust-gas purification laboratory was created at “Zaporizhstal JSC” on 9 September, 1962. On its basis a laboratory for environmental protection was organized at the Works. Therefore there is no reason for the statements about those distant years at the Works when nobody thought about the problems of the pollution of the city and the Dnieper River by production waste. For several decades already the specialists of the laboratory constantly worry about the ways to reduce the emissions into atmosphere and discharges into the water artery of the country. Certainly, considerable financing is necessary regarding the solution of ecological problems. This fact certainly affects the cost of production. But already for 47 years the top management of the enterprise annually appropriates means not only for the functioning of the laboratory proper, but also for the realization of all the ecological measures.
They are all directed towards the improvement of the work of the processing equipment and towards providing the sources of emissions and discharges with cleaning equipment.
These are the main measures, which were carried out lately by the chief of the laboratory Inna Viktorovna Kholina.
As a result of successful reconstruction of blast furnaces no.2 and 3 and putting out of operation blast furnace no.1 the reduction of emissions of harmful substances into atmosphere amounted to 15,5 thousand tons per year, against the planned 4,5 thousands. The Works spent 301,6 mln UAH on that.
In October 2007 a unique system for cleaning aspiration wastes from the discharge parts of sintering machines №№ 1-6 and places where sinter is loaded into hoppers, made it possible to decrease dust emissions into atmosphere by 2500 tons per year, which amounts to 25% of all the dust emissions of the Works. Expenditures connected with the fulfillment of these measures amounted to more than 110 mln UAH.
In the last 5 years 1 297,316 mln UAH were spent on the construction of environmental protection facilities at the Works. As a result emissions into atmosphere were reduced by 19,1 thousand tons per year. These are those parameters, which were included into the Program of overcoming the ecological crisis. Other actions are also accomplished at the Works. In particular, the use of excess heat, which is utilized at TPP, made it possible to provide two city districts with hot water in the summer season, making it also possible to save 10 mln cubic meters of natural gas annually, used for heating water.
Introduction of flat flare burners in the open-hearth shop made it possible to decrease emission of nitrogen oxides by 1806 tons per year and carbon oxide by 1670 tons.
Investment in the environmental protective facilities of the Works and fulfillment of environmental protective measures made it possible to decrease up to 17,67 kg of specific emissions per ton of produced steel, which is the lowest index today in comparison with other industrial enterprises of Ukraine.
In 2005 a contract for the delivery of equipment for the transfer of the pickling aggregates of cold rolling shop No.1 to hydrochloric acid pickling was signed with the Austrian company “Siemens-VAI”. The cost of the contract is 582 mln UAH, and according to the Program of fulfilling this measure 87,7 mln UAH have been planned. At present realization of this project is being carried out. Today more than 200 mln UAH have been spent on this project.
Starting from 2005 preparatory work regarding consideration of the variants of reconstruction of steelmaking production was carried out at the Works. Construction of the new air separation unit VRU-60 has already been accomplished. Expenditures connected with the realization of the construction of this unit amounted to 305 mln UAH.
In 2008 a contract with the Austrian company “Siemens VAI” for the delivery of equipment for the converter shop was signed at the Works. The Works has already invested more than 300 mln UAH in this project and the top management of the Works continues to search for means to finish reconstruction of the steelmaking production as soon as possible. The emissions of harmful substances into atmosphere will be decreased by13 100 t per year thanks to this.
This year a contract for the delivery of gas cleaning equipment for sintering machine no.1 amounting to 34,05 mln UAH was signed. According to the Program 8 mln UAH will be spent to fulfill measures regarding modernization of sintering machines no.1-4. After obtaining results of the gas cleaning equipment installed on sintering machine no.1 works on sintering machines no. 2-6 will be continued.
The effectiveness of installing gas cleaning equipment on sintering machines no. 1-6 will decrease the amount of harmful substances by 1700 tons per year.
Simultaneously, within the framework of the Kyoto protocol, the agreement for execution of three projects of joint realization was signed by the Works. Support letters of the Ministry of environmental protection concerning these three projects were received and Project Design Documents on the projects are being worked out.
In spite of the political and economic instability, as well as constant cost increase of energy and raw materials, the Works introduces nature-preserving measures, contemporary technologies, carries out the policy of production modernization, which undoubtedly entail enormous capital investments, combined with considerable credit obligations. A necessary condition to disburse a loan to the Works is mutual understanding between the enterprise and the local authorities, absence of confrontation and observance of environmental legislation by the enterprise. In connection with this, any attempt to present “Zaporizhstal JSC” in a negative aspect will be an obstacle in obtaining a loan for technical upgrading of the Works, construction of environmental protection units and as a consequence it will cause a delay in the realization of the environmental protection Program.
Workers of the environmental protection laboratory directly participate in all these measures. High qualified specialists of different groups make considerable contribution to the mutual work: the workers of the air basin protection group — I. F. Turchina, T. Yu. Kravchuk, L. N. Reznik, G. P. Klymchuk; water basin protection group — L. V. Pivtorak, I. B. Kozinets, N. V. Erofeeva, I. S. Palchik, N. E. Dubova; ventilation and microclimate group — V.A. Podgola, V. Ya. Kryl, A. V. Anokhin; industrial sanitation group — N. V. Golovan, E. V. Sinyaya, L. I. Bogdanov, A. N. Kutsiy.
Young specialists of the laboratory have already revealed and proved themselves as conscientious and competent professionals — R. G. Kiryanov, L. A. Merzlova, E. S. Romanko, S.S. Tarasenko.
The veterans of the environmental protection laboratory are not forgotten either. Especially Anatoliy Nikolayevich Yasinsky, who headed the laboratory for a long time, considerably contributed to its establishment. Words of appreciation must be also said in address of the following veterans: L. A. Volkova, L. N. Antonyuk, T. I. Aleeva, T. I. Rosikhina, N. P. Lapina, N. P. Ainko.
It is believed at the Works that the environmental protection laboratory will have a great future. The tasks the collective is dealing with have an enormous value not only for the Works, but also for the inhabitants of Zaporozhye. Indeed everyone wants to breathe fresh air, and its purity in many respects depends on the conscientious work of the environmental protection laboratory employees.