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Environmental Economics of Chromium Pollution

Management
Dr.V.Nagarajan ,Krishnan A.V , Anand Kumar R
Department of Civil Engineering, SSN College Of Engineering
Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Kalavakkam-60 !!0 ,"amil Nad#
av_krishnan@yahoo.com
anandkmr.1993@gmail.com
Abstract Objective of this paper is to cram the environmental economics
of the preferred chrome recovery system by applying Benefit Cost Analysis
for valuation and accounting for environmental protection in the tannery
cluster of Palar basin in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu !a"ardous #aste
$%anagement& !andling and Transbounadry %ovement' (ules& )**+
declared Chromium ,,, and V, as ha"ardous #aste substances ,f the
tanneries pollute the adjoining areas and it ends up affecting everyone-s
#ater source & economics has dealt #ith it largely by labelling such items as
e.ternalities /nvironmental economics see0s to 1uantify the losses and
determine the most efficient #ay to reduce them& as #ell as to compare the
cost of environmental damage to the cost of mitigation The BCA study
done for the chrome recovery and reuse system justifies the environmental
regulations being enforced by the environment regulatory authority ,t also
notifies the sta0eholders of a paybac0 period for recovering the initial
investment into the system and by doing so encourages advancement in
these systems
Keywords/nvironmental economics& chrome tanning& chromium
pollutant& ha"ardous #aste dump site& e.ternalities& chrome recovery
system& benefit cost analysis
!. !N"R#D$C"!#N
"he leather industr% has sho&n un'recedented gro&th in the 'ast fe&
decades ,es'eciall% in states li(e "amil Nadu and )engal. "he industr%
that caters mainl% to the e*'ort mar(et has also seen huge amount of
foreign investment along &ith su+stantial investment from local 'la%ers.
$ntil a+out the ,-../s East !ndia "anning 0 Vegeta+le tanning 0+ar(
tanning &as in &ides'read use across !ndia,Euro'e,Middle East and
North Africa and &as a major trade commodit% ."he shortcomings in the
finished 'roduct &ere soon identified that made this method o+solete .
Earl% research in this regard gave &a% for the chea'er and efficient
method of chemical tanning involving chromium com'ounds. Effluents
from these tanneries &ith inorganic chromium and sul'hur com'ounds
are the most threatening emissions. "he% 'ose a major threat to soil
fertilit% in the surrounding areas .#ne such area under threat is the Palar
+asin in northern "amil Nadu. "he chrome com'ounds 'reci'itate as
h%dro*ides and infiltrate into the ground &ater ,&hile the sul'hur
com'ounds get converted into more harmful sul'hides during the
conventional treatment 'rocess. !t is essential to understand the
environmental significance of chromium vulnera+ilit% in this case under
the conte*t that finding out an economical solution of curtailing
'ollution at source rather than ta(ing action for remediation of the
ha1ardous &aste dum' sites along Palar +asin. "o regulate this, 2tate
3overnment has intervened and directed that no chrome tanning should
+e done &ithout having chrome recover%
s%stem and this sim'lest form of such
intervention is to +asicall% 'rohi+it 'ollution.
4inding &a%s to com'el the tanneries, under
the am+it of Environmental 5a&s to do so
efficientl%, &hile still maintaining the
ro+ustness created +% a free mar(et s%stem,
is the tas( of Environmental Economists.
Economic activit% that harms the
environment creates 'resent or future losses
to human in the form of damaged health,
lo&er 'roductivit%, de'leted natural
resources and reduced enjo%ment of nature.
Environmental Economics see(s to 6uantif%
these losses and determine the most efficient
&a% to reduce them, as &ell as to com'are
the cost of environmental damage to the cost
of mitigation. "o anal%1e the costs and
+enefits of reduced environmental damage,
economists must com'are changes in
economic &ell +eing in the future. "his
involves judging the e*tent to &hich future
generation &ill have higher income and
+etter methods for mitigating 'ollution
effects. !ntegral to the K%oto "reat% are
mechanisms ta(en from environmental
economics onl%.
"he socio7economic im'ortance of the
leather industr% can +e judged +% the fact that
it is a major em'lo%ment 'rovider 8direct and
in7direct em'lo%ment to more than 9.:
million 'eo'le;, and is the eighth largest
foreign e*change earner in the countr%. "he
gro&th of the leather industr% has im'acted
'redominantl% rural develo'ment and socio7
economic gro&th through contri+ution to
em'lo%ment generation and
entre'reneurshi'. Considering this 'osition,
the leather industr% in !ndia has +een
identified as one of the thrust areas for
e*'orts. "he e*'ort of leather and leather
'roducts has increased manifold over the decades and hence occu'ies a
'lace of 'rominence in the !ndian econom% in vie& of its large 'otential
for e*'ort, em'lo%ment and gro&th. "he categor% &ise e*'ort of
leather from !ndia is 'resented +elo& in ta+le !.
"he economics of the tanning activit% in the stud% area is
studied that out of the <., 'resentl% o'erating tanneries :=> tanneries
are ado'ting chrome tanning 'rocess. Among them, =: could +e termed
as large em'lo%ing more than 9.. 'ersons, ,.. medium em'lo%ing
a+out ,.. 'ersons and the rest small, em'lo%ing around ?. 'ersons.
"he chrome leather 'roduct rate is in the range of ,.. thousand s6. ft.
'er month and =. to :. thousand s6. ft. 'er month res'ectivel%, for the
large and medium.
"he environment in the stud% area is under increasing 'ressures
from solid and li6uid &astes as +% 'roducts from leather manufacture
and tanner% effluent create significant 'ollution unless there has +een a
form of treatment +efore discharge. !t is essential to understand the
environmental significance of chromium vulnera+ilit% in this case under
the conte*t that finding out economical solution of curtailing 'ollution at
source rather than ta(ing action for remediation of the ha1ardous &aste
dum' sites along Palar +asin. Environmental economics see(s to
6uantif% the losses and determine the most efficient &a% to reduce them,
as &ell as to com'are the cost of environmental damage to the cost of
mitigation. !f the tanneries 'ollute the Palar +asin and it ends u'
affecting ever% one@s &ater source of settings along the Palar river +asin
and economics has dealt &ith this largel% +% la+elling such items as
e*ternalities. "o regulate this, 2tate 3overnment has intervened and
directed that no chrome tanning should +e done &ithout having chrome
recover% s%stem and this sim'lest form of such intervention is to
+asicall% 'rohi+it 'ollution. 4inding &a%s to com'el the tanneries, under
the am+it of Environmental 5a&s to do so efficientl%, &hile still
maintaining the ro+ustness created +% a free mar(et s%stem, is the tas(
of Environmental Economists.
Environmental regulations cause e*tra costs for the measures,
additional manufacturing costs, and losses of certain +enefits due to the
o+ligation to refrain from the use of convenient materials etc. !n
e*change for all of these, 'u+lic goods, i.e., environmental 6ualit%
im'rovement, are su''lied 84reeman, ,>-9;. !f the +enefit of these
'u+lic goods can +e estimated as a monetar%
amount, the cost7+enefit anal%sis can +e
conducted.
Nonetheless, the im'ortance of 'utting
'olic%7decision on a trans'arent and
o+jective +asis suggests that some sort of
a''raisal must +e done 8Ra% and Anandaru',
,>-=;. !n vie& of these circumstances, the
utili1ation of cost7effectiveness anal%sis,
&hich is highl% feasi+le and relia+le, is
desired.
!!. 2"A"EMEN" #4 "AE
PR#)5EM
"anning activit% +eing a &ater intensive
one, tanneries are generall% located along and
near+% to the &atercourses. "anneries in the
Borld are discharging their secondar% treated
&aste &ater, &hich is free from organic
'ollutants and chromium, into the near+%
&ater courses. "hus the dissolved solids
8D2; in the secondar% treated &aste &ater
&hen discharged into flo&ing river gets
diluted i.e. salt concentration reduced after a
'articular distance travelled. !n !ndia similar
environmental scenario e*ists in Kan'ur.
4ig. , 2tud% Area
!n "amilnadu, surface &ater 'oorl%
su''orts the state. )ecause of the earlier
un'lanned gro&th of the industr%, es'eciall%
the small cottage scale tanneries in villages
and outs(irts of to&ns, o&ing to the lac( of
facilities for 'ro'er dis'osal of tanner% effluent, serious ground&ater
'ollution in Palar +asin have ta(en 'lace. "he tanneries in Vellore
District, "amilnadu are ado'ting Vegeta+le 8or; East !ndia 8E.!; "anning
and Chrome tanning. "he major 'ollution emission factors in E.!.
tanning are high "D2, +iodegrada+le organic matter and &hereas in the
Chrome tanning, it is to*ic heav% metal chromium, ver% high "D2 and
+iodegrada+le organic matter. 2ince ?,.,9.>: no tanner% in Vellore
district is 'ermitted to function &ithout having 'ollution control
measures either individuall% or commonl%. "he treated &aste &ater
discharge ta(es 'lace over a distance of >: (m at five major outlets. "he
6uantit% of discharge is ranging from ,: M5D to 9. M5D and the
6ualit% 8chromium level; is ranging from =: to ,,C mgl as against
the regulator% standards of 9 mgl. 3iven the fact that the discharge
of the 'artiall% treated &aste &ater flo& out on to the dr% tracts of the
river +ed and sin( into river a6uifer directl%, this results a direct im'act
on ground&ater of the a6uifer as &ell as causing soil 'ollution and
hence endangering the health of the settings of Palar +asin. "he major
threat from these tanneries is emission of chromium, to*ic heav% metal
of carcinogenic nature, either in the li6uid or solid state.
Aence, 'rotection of the ground&ater of Palar, the onl%
availa+le resource to the social settings of Vellore District and the +asin
land is highl% &arranted. "he com'elling need of the stud% is to find
out an o'tion to restrain the discharge of chromium 'ollutant into the
river as &ell as on land, either in li6uid or solid state.

!!!. #)DEC"!VE2 #4 "AE 2"$DE
#+jective of this 'a'er is to stud% the environmental economics of the
'referred chrome recover% s%stem +% a''l%ing )enefit Cost Anal%sis for
valuation and accounting for environmental 'rotection. "o attain this
o+jective, it is essential to understand the environmental significance of
chrome 'ollution vulnera+ilit% in this case under the conte*t that
finding out economical solution of curtailing 'ollution at source caused
+% the tanner% effluents rather than ta(ing action for remediation of the
contaminated ha1ardous dum' sites of the Palar +asin of Vellore District
in "amilnadu.
"he com'elling need of the stud% isF
"o find out an o'tion to restrain the discharge of chromium 'ollutant
into the &ater sources either in solid or li6uid state.
"o find out an o'tion to restrain the discharge of chromium 'ollutant
into the &ater sources either in solid or li6uid state.

!V. ME"A#D#5#3E
"he methodolog% com'rises the
follo&ing engineering com'onents to carr%
out this stud%.
Data collection a+out chrome tanning
industries in the stud% area,
2'atial statistics generation of chromium
'ollutant level in the stud% area
A large amount of information and a
com'rehensive descri'tion a+out the
chrome management s%stem in the stud%
area.
4ield stud% of a chrome recover% s%stem
in the stud% area and to conduct cost
+enefit anal%sis.
V. REV!EB #4 5!"ERA"$RE
Marshall &as the first to introduce the
conce't of e*ternal economies, a''l%ing it to
the influence that technical (no&ledge and
'roduction volume of small firms have on
other similar firms. "he e*istence of e*ternal
effects e*'lained the concentration of
+usinesses in a certain 'lace. 5ater, Pigou
formulated this conce't more 'recisel%, as a
divergence +et&een 'rivate and social costs.
Ae &as the first to o+serve that e*ternal
effects could +e 'ositive as &ell as negative,
and to 'ro'ose means to correct this
divergence. Ae &as again the first to choose
environmental e*am'les to illustrate the
divergence +et&een 'rivate and social cost
84aucheu* and Noel, ,>>:;.
!n fact, environmental e*ternalities
are not an anomal%, +ut a natural 'rocess,
&hich is derived from the la& of the
conservation of material and energ% 8the first
la& of thermod%namics; as has +een sho&n
first +% A%res and Kneese 8,><>;. !ndeed,
+ecause of this la&, all 'roduction 'rocesses
&hich use energ% or transform materials are
res'onsi+le for a change in the natural
environment, in the form of transformed
energ% or &aste 'roduction. Bhen
determining &hether the mar(et can solve a
'ro+lem or the government has to ste' in, it
is not a choice +et&een a 'erfect mar(et and
an im'erfect governmentG neither is it a
choice +et&een an im'erfect mar(et and a
'erfect government. !nstead, it is a choice
+et&een an im'erfect mar(et and an
im'erfect government, and an im'erfect
com+ination of the t&o 8Bolf, ,>--;. 2mall
e*ternalities ma% +e tolerated &ithout government intervention, and
onl% su+stantial, and such an intervention &ill +e necessar% in the stud%
area.
"he Cleaner "echnologies to +e ado'ted in each stage of the
leather manufacture &ere studied 8Ma%, ,>>=; including the 'ro+lem
and constraints in im'lementation of it. "he general tanning 'rocesses
ado'ted in !ndian "anning !ndustr% and characteristics of effluent from
various sources &ere studied in detail .
"he variet% of and differences in 'ost7tanning &et &or(
formulations follo&ed +% tanners 8even &hen 'roducing ver% similar
t%'es of leather; is much +roader than in +eam house and chrome
tanning. Nevertheless, &hereas the chemicals used, float length,
duration, tem'erature and se6uence ma% differ, several ste's involved in
converting &et +lue 8+oth grain leather and s'lits; into crust leather can
+e considered t%'ical for most tanneries. An environmental friendl%
'rocessing of tanning o'erations and mass +alance of 'ollutant sources
due to that &as studied H,I.
"he 'roducts resulting from tan %ard o'erations are grain
leather, usa+le s'lits and a certain amount of unusa+le s'lits, i.e.
chrome7containing solid &aste. "he desired thic(ness of the grain
leather defines the &eight ratio of the grain7to7flesh s'lit &hich, in turn,
de'ends on the s'ecification of the final 'roduct. At the end of chrome
tanning, some C: 'ercent of the chrome offer 8Cr
9
#
?
; remains in the
collagen structure. 2mall amounts of other chemicals and au*iliaries
such as tannins, acids and +ases 8in the form of solu+le Jreaction salts@;
remain in the &et +lue leather. "he 'resence of calcium is ver% common
and occasionall% causes irregular d%eing. !n terms of &eight, all such
residues can +e disregarded H-I. 5ong lasting and convincing solution to
handle chrome tanning &aste hosts on im'lementation of a
com'rehensive chrome recover% and reuse has +een develo'ed to tac(le
easil% the environmental 'ro+lems and enhance economic via+ilit% of
chrome tanning. "he s%stem affords eas% recover% of chrome from
he*avalent chrome li6uor and to reuse in the 'rocessH,,I.
Environmental regulations cause e*tra costs for the measures,
additional manufacturing costs, and losses of certain +enefits due to the
o+ligation to refrain from the use of convenient materials etc. !n
e*change for all of these, 'u+lic goods, i.e., environmental 6ualit%
im'rovement, are su''lied H:I . !f the +enefit of these 'u+lic goods can
+e estimated as a monetar% amount, the cost7+enefit anal%sis can +e
conducted.
Nonetheless, the im'ortance of 'utting 'olic%7decision on a
trans'arent and o+jective +asis suggests that some sort of a''raisal must
+e done H,:I. !n vie& of these circumstances, the utili1ation of cost7
effectiveness anal%sis, &hich is highl% feasi+le and relia+le, is desired.
V!. AN EC#N#ME"R!C ANA5E2!2 #N "AE ENV!R#NMEN"A5
PER4#RMANCE #4 "ANNER!E2 !N 2"$DE AREA.
A .Pollutants
!n order to categorise the different forms of ground&ater
'ollution, one &a% is to grou' them +% 'ollutants. "he different
'ollutants can also +e roughl% grou'ed in the t&o main categories of
ground&ater 'ollution, namel% 'oint source 'ollution, or 'ollution from
diffuse sources. 2ome of the environmentall% significant 'ollutants are
descri+ed here &hich are +elong to the first categor% i.e "D2 and
chromium 'ollution in the stud% area. !t is evident that in the stud% area
the 'ollutant "D2 and chromium 'ollution
are the 'oint source 'ollution.
,;Chloride$%Chlorides are chemical
com'ounds 8salts;, containing negativel%
charged chlorine. "he% are ver% common and
are naturall% 'resent in surface &aters and
ground&ater, and are also found in &aste
&aters. Chlorides are difficult to eliminate
from &aste &atersG +oth se'tic s%stems and
&aste&ater treatment 'lants are una+le to
remove them. !n addition, the% are a+le to
mo+ili1e heav% metals from soil. Chlorides
are to*icologicall% harmless for humans, +ut
the% affect the taste of ground&ater and
there+% ma(e it unsuita+le as drin(ing &ater.
Bith regard to anthro'ogenic sources,
chloride enters the h%drological c%cle via
chloride7containing li6uid and solid &aste
8e.g. human and animal se&age, industrial
effluents from the chemical, tanning of
animals s(ins0hides, te*tile d%eing, galvanic
and 'a'er industries, &ater softening 'lants,
'etroleum refineries, landfill leachate; and
fertilisers containing chloride. !rrigation ma%
also lead to an accumulation of chlorides in
ground&ater. !f &ater from dee'
ground&ater a6uifers &ith a high chloride
concentration is used for irrigation, this ma%
increase the salt content of u''er
ground&ater a6uifers through infiltration.!t is
found that the chloride level in the effluent
discharged into 'alar +asin of the stud% area
from the tanning industries is <:7-.K of the
its "D2 content.
&'(eav) metal$%"he transformation of the
ra& s(in into leather is o+tained +% means of
a series of chemical and mechanical
o'erations, in the "anning industr%. "he
inorganic tanning method i.e chrome tanning
is largel% ado'ted +% the tanneries located
along Palar +asin in Vellore district. !n
traditional chrome tanning, chromium is
a''lied in the form of +asic chromium
sul'hate 8)C2;. Chromium is an element
heav% metal e*isting in valances from 9 to <
+ut is 'resent in the environment mainl% in
the trivalent or he*avalent state. Cr !!! is
naturall% occurring one and Cr V! does not
occur naturall%. Cr !!! is not considered to +e
to*icG ho&ever, if 'resent in ra& &ater ,it
ma% +e o*idised to Cr V! during
chlorination. Chromium !!! 8Cr !!! ; added to
natural la(e &aters is converted ver% slo&l%
to Cr V!.
!n conventional chrome tanning a+out <.7C.K of chromium a''lied
is a+sor+ed in the 'rocess +% the hides0 s(ins 'rocessed from ra& to
finish is <.: (g. "he chromium concentration in terms of total chromium
in the e*haust chrome li6uor ranges from ,:..7:...mg0lit and the
volume of e*haust chrome li6uor is = to <K of the total volume of
&aste&ater discharged from the tanning 'rocess. Aarmful health effects
of chromium are also of serious concern.
!n the +eginning of chrome tanning era, the tanneries in the
stud% area &ere not 'racticed 0 ado'ted chrome recover% and reuse
methods and hence chromium 'ollution 'revailed in the stud% area as
'er field stud% re'ort of Agricultural De'artment. Presentl%, no tanner%
in the stud% area is 'ermitted to carr% out chrome tanning o'eration
&ithout having the facilit% of chrome recover% s%stem either
individuall% or commonl% and the same are +eing monitored +% the
regulator% authorities. "he 5oEA has also not considered chromium
'ollutant as e*ternalit% or as an indicator to assess the environmental
damage in the stud% area.
).Chrome Management in "anneries located along Palar River )asin
and its Environmental Pricing
"he transformation of the ra& s(in into leather is o+tained +%
means of a series of chemical and mechanical o'erations, in the "anning
industr%. "he inorganic tanning method i.e chrome tanning is largel%
ado'ted +% the tanneries located along Palar +asin in Vellore district. !n
traditional chrome tanning, chromium is a''lied in the form of +asic
chromium sul'hate 8)C2;. Chromium is an element heav% metal
e*isting in valances from 9 to < +ut is 'resent in the environment mainl%
in the trivalent or he*avalent state. Cr !!! is naturall% occurring one and
Cr V! does not occur naturall%. Cr !!! is not considered to +e to*icG
ho&ever, if 'resent in ra& &ater ,it ma% +e o*idised to Cr V! during
chlorination. Chromium !!! 8Cr !!! ; added to natural la(e &aters is
converted ver% slo&l% to Cr V!.
"he environment in the stud% area is under increasing 'ressures
from solid and li6uid &astes as +% 'roducts from leather manufacture
and tanner% effluent create significant 'ollution unless there has +een a
form of treatment +efore discharge. !n conventional chrome tanning
a+out <.7C.K of chromium a''lied is a+sor+ed in the 'rocess +% the
hides0 s(ins 'rocessed from ra& to finish is <.: (g. "he chromium
concentration in terms of total chromium in the e*haust chrome li6uor
ranges from ,:..7:...mg0lit and the volume of e*haust chrome li6uor
is = to <K of the total volume of &aste& ater discharged from the
tanning 'rocess. Aarmful health effects of chromium are also of serious
concern.
,; Chromi#m in "anning *nd#$trie$FChromium !!! salts are used
e*tensivel% in the chrome tanning 'rocess. A''ro*imatel% >.K of the
leather manufactured around the &orld is tanned using chromium salts.
"his is done +% soa(ing the leather in chrome li6uor of chromium
sul'hate and &ith addition of sodium car+onate for fi*ing the chrome
and later ta(en out of the reactor drums and stac(ed 8or; 'iled for
a+sor'tion. !n conventional chrome tanning on an average, the leather
ta(es onl% <.K of the chromium a''lied in the form )C2 and the
+alance is discharged as a &aste in the effluent. As 'er ,>>< estimate
=:,... " of chromium salt is used and out of this a+out ,-,... " of
chromium salt is discharged &ith &aste &ater streams. $'ta(e of
chromium +% leather can +e increased to C:7
-.K +% im'roved chrome tanning o'eration
is through the im'rovement of drive s%stem
8RPM; of the drum, im'rovement of the door
L structure of the drum and tem'erature
control s%stem. Aence +etter chrome
management is &arranted in tanneries in
order to control the 'ollution. H,,I.
"he candidate@s surve% in the stud%
area reveals that much attention on solid
&aste management &as 'aid +% the tanneries
onl% during ,>>> on&ards. As 'er the
Aa1ardous 2olid Baste 8MLA; Rules, ,>->
the chemical sludge arising from treatment of
effluents have +een categorised as ha1ardous.
Aa1ardous 2olid Baste 8MLA; Rules
amended in 9... and 9..? categorises
sludge containing
Cr V! level of :. mg0(g and sludge
containing Cr !!! level of :... mg0(g as
Aa1ardous &aste
"he sludge generated from the
treatment 'rocess so far have +een dum'ed
over single lined, not in an engineering
manner, 5DPE sheet in their 'remises itself.
"he candidate has collected and anal%sed the
6ualities of the sludge from all the ten
functioning CE"Ps in the stud% area. "he
result sho&s that e*ce't sludge sam'le of one
CE"P, all the CE"P sludge has recorded
chromium level less than the concentration
limits 'rescri+ed. Ao&ever concern is
&arranted on the 6uantit% of sludge
generated and 6uantit% of chrome in that
solid &aste. "he candidate after ascertaining
the ground realit% concludes that all the
CE"Ps have to 'rovide "2D4 as 'er the
CPC) guidelines and the regulator% authorit%
have to e*hort the CE"Ps to store the
e*isting as &ell as the sludge to +e generated
in the "2D4 onl%.
A 2ecure 5andfill 4acilit% 8254; as
'er CPC) guide lines modif%ing the
im'ervious arrangement +% re'lacing ADPE7
cla% liner s%stem &ith RCC +ottom,
a''roved +% 2ERC, an C2!R division, has
+een esta+lished and commissioned its
o'eration at Am+ur and similar 254 are
under various stage of im'lementation in the
other locations of the stud% area vi1.,
Vaniam+adi, Pernam+ut, Melvisharam,
Rani'et, and 2i'cot72!DC#7Rani'et in
Vellore District.
!n Vellore district, no tanner% is
'ermitted to carr%out Chrome "anning
&ithout 'roviding chrome recover% s%stem
8CR2; and this effective monitoring resulted
in a+atement of chrome 'ollution. "he #'eration and Maintenance of
CR2 has +een made easier +% indigenous methods and )enefit Cost
Anal%sis on CR2 reveals that MPollution Prevention Pa%s.N
C .Chrome Management "echni6ues
,; (igh Chrome E+ha#$tion%"his 'rocess aims at increasing the rate of
a+sor'tion of chromium in hides and s(ins under 'rocess to -: 7 >.
K or more. 4or high chrome e*haustion +etter drums &ith high
ca'acit% driving s%stem, strict 'rocess control of 'arameters li(e
'A, tem'erature, etc. and additional s'ecial chemicals are needed.
Aigh chromium e*haustion &ould increase the cost at &et +lue
stage, +ut is li(el% to result in savings in chemicals at the finishing
stage. Ao&ever, high chromium e*haustion ma% not +e feasi+le in
most of the traditional tanneries &ith the e*isting drums and
infrastructural facilities, 'articularl% in tanneries 'rocessing ra&
hides and s(ins to &et +lue stage onl%.
9; Dire,t Re,),ling Of Spent Chrome%"he direct reuse method
envisages reuse of e*haust chrome li6uor directl% after sim'le
screening as tanning li6uor for the ne*t +atch. Additional
chromium is su''lied to com'ensate the deficienc%. "he main
constraint in ado'ting this method is that the salts and other
im'urities are accumulated due to re'eated reuse and &ill have
negative effect on the leather 6ualit%. After a fe& rec%cles the
e*haust chrome li6uor has to +e discharged as &aste.
?; *ndire,t Re#$e -ethod%$nder the indirect reuse method, chromium
is recovered +% 'reci'itation as h%dro*ide using an al(ali and the
'reci'itated chrome slurr% is dissolved su+se6uentl% in sul'huric
acid. "he solution can +e used as tanning li6uor. "he advantage of
this method is a more efficient use of chromium and a cleaner
reusa+le solution &hich normall% does not affect the leather 6ualit%.
=; Separation Of Chromi#m Compo#nd$%!n 'rinci'le, +% this method,
recover% of chromium can +e achieved +% se'arating the chromium
com'ounds from other salts in the &aste li6uor. "he chrome li6uor
ma% +e cleaner than +% the direct reuse method, +ut this s%stem
re6uires rather so'histicated techni6ues such as electrodial%sls,
mem+rane se'aration, ion7e*change etc and has limited sco'e for
im'lementation in tanneries.
:;.lternative Chemi,al$ for "anning%Various
alternative chemicals li(e aluminium and
1irconium +ased salts have +een tried in the tanning
industr%, +ut these have certain limitations vis7O7vis the
6ualit% of finished leather re6uired. Accordingl% these are
a''lied on a limited scale onl%.
V!!. AARM4$5 AEA5"A E44EC"2 #4 CAR#M!$M
Chromium is an element heav% metal e*isting in several
different forms. Metallic chromium is mined for use in steel and other
metal 'roducts. Man% chromium containing com'ounds are used for
'lating, manufacturing 'aints and d%es, tanning leather and 'reserving
&ood. "rivalent chromium 8or; Cr !!! is naturall% occurring and is
essential for good health and it is re'orted as
C. 7 -. 0da% is considered safe.
!n the home or office the less to*ic
forms of chromium are used to ma(e
flooring materials, video and audio recording
ta'es, stainless steel, chrome 'lated items
and co'% machine toner. Ae*avalent
chromium or Cr 7 V! does not occur
naturall%, +ut is 'roduced +% certain
industrial 'rocesses. !t is most to*ic form of
chromium and is (no&n to cause.
!rritation to mouth, throat lungs and
nose follo&ing inhalation of he*avalent
chromium 'articles.
!rritation and allergic reaction.
Digestive 'ro+lems, (idne% damage
and liver damage after eating food or
drin(ing &ater contaminated &ith
he*avalent chromium.
Aealth Effects after several %ears of
e*'osure to chromium
5ungs cancer can develo' after
e*'osure to Cr 7 V! va'ours or fumes.
5ungs irritation resulting in asthma
can +e caused +% Cr V! 8Res'iration;.
Chromium e*'osure can cause liver
and (idne% damage.
!mmune s%stemF Animal studies
sho& changes in immune s%stem
functions.
Re'roductive DefectsF Animal
studies sho& damage to develo'ing
fetuses and lo&ered s'erm 'roduction in
males.

V!!!. ENV!R#NMEN"A5
ACC#$N"A)!5!"E #4
EP"ERNA5!"!E2
"he Environment 8Protection; Act,
,>-< defines environment to include J&ater,
air and land and the interrelationshi' &hich
e*ists among and +et&een &ater, air and
land, and human +eings, other living
creatures, 'lants, microorganisms and
'ro'ert%@.
Due to 'o'ulation gro&th and ra'id
industriali1ation, environmental resources
such as ground&ater and &ater in la(es and
rivers and clean air in man% 'laces have
+ecome scarce resources. !ndustrial discharge
of untreated effluents into &ater +odies and
emissions into air has deteriorated the 6ualit% of &ater and air
res'ectivel%.
Man% economic activities ma% 'rovide secondar% +enefits or
im'ose s'illover costs to individuals and to societ%. "hese secondar%
effects, &hich are not recogni1ed in the mar(et transaction, are referred
to as e*ternalities. E*ternalities arise &hen certain actions of 'roducers
or consumers have unintended e*ternal 8indirect; effects on other
'roducers or0and consumers. E*ternalities ma% +e 'ositive or negative.
Positive e*ternalit% arises &hen an action +% an individual or a grou'
confers +enefits to others. A technological s'illover is a 'ositive
e*ternalit% and it occurs &hen a firm@s invention not onl% +enefits the
firm +ut also enters into the societ%@s 'ool of technological (no&ledge
and +enefits the societ% as a &hole. Also, the 'ositive e*ternalities of
education, 'u+lic health 8vaccination; and research and develo'ment,
are &idel% recogni1ed toda%. Negative e*ternalities arise &hen an
action +% an individual or grou' 'roduces harmful effects on others.
Pollution is a negative e*ternalit%. !n the stud% area ,the tanning
industries discharges its effluents containing high "D2 into the Palar
river, the river is 'olluted and consumers of the river &ater +ear costs in
the form of health costs or0and &ater 'urification costs including cost
involved for an alternative source. !n an activit% generating
'ositive e*ternalit%, social +enefit is higher than 'rivate +enefit
and in an activit% generating negative e*ternalit%, social cost is
higher than 'rivate cost. "hus, in the 'resence of e*ternalities,
social +enefits 8costs; and 'rivate +enefits 8costs; differ.
!P. )ENE4!" C#2" ANA5E2!2
M!t is trivial to note that the future is uncertain.
!t is, ho&ever, far from trivial to anal%1e that uncertaint%N.
7 Maler L 4isher ,9..:.
"he use of cost7 anal%sis has +ecome +enefit common 'lace
in environmental and other health7and7safet% regulation. An increase
in environmental a&areness in recent %ears, has led 4!s 84inancial
!nstitutions;, to ensure that 'rojects it finances are environmentall%
sound. "his means that, &hen necessar%, +orro&ers must underta(e
ca'ital and o'erating costs to ensure com'liance &ith 4!s
environmental guidelines.
Environmental regulations cause e*tra costs for the
measures, additional manufacturing costs, and losses of certain
+enefits due to the o+ligation to refrain from the use of convenient
materials etc. !n e*change for all of these, 'u+lic goods, i.e.,
environmental 6ualit% im'rovement, are su''lied. !f the +enefit of these
'u+lic goods can +e estimated as a monetar% amount, the cost7+enefit
anal%sis can +e conducted.
A cost +enefit anal%sis informs the decision7ma(ing 'rocess +%
estimating the net 'resent value of a 'roject or 'olic%. )% incor'orating
ris( and uncertaint% into the anal%sis, the relia+ilit% of the estimated
e*'ected net 'resent value can +e assessed. 2ometimes the e*'ected net
'resent value can also +e estimated more 'recisel%. Monetar% a''raisal
of an% +enefit from environmental im'rovement has +een said to +e
difficult, +ecause it consists of Mintangi+le values.N Environmental
economists have +een s'ending much energ% in a''raising it, although
the estimation is difficult since o''ortunities to o+serve individual
B"Ps are limited in actual mar(et transactions. !t is 'articularl% difficult
to a''raise the +enefit of 'olicies regulating harmful environment7
'olluting su+stances &hich have a great
effect on human health and from time to time
invite death. Ao&ever, the 'olicies that
regulate su+stances affecting human health
have +ecome a field in &hich cost7+enefit
anal%sis can +e a''lied relativel% easil%
&ithin the environmental 'olicies. "his is due
to the develo'ment of methods to
6uantitativel% a''raise the ris( to human
health and to cumulativel% measure the B"P
for ris( reduction. )enefit Cost Anal%sis
8)CA; Q or social cost +enefit anal%sis as the
methodolog% is sometimes called Q is an
im'ortant tool for socio7economic
assessment of government 'rojects and
'olicies. "he aim is to hel' assess &hether or
not a given 'roject or 'olic% &ill +enefit
societ%.
"a+le !!. Area
"a+le !!! . "echnical Data
"a+le !V. Estimation of 6uantit% of )C2
recovered
"a+le V.Cost Details
"a+le V!.Chemical Cost Per )atch
"a+le V!!. Po&er And 5a+our Cost
"a+le V!!!. "otal #'erating Cost
"a+le !P. Cost of Recovered )C2
"a+le P. Pa% )ac( Period
A.#ther )enefits.
Elimination of chromium ha1ard as a
&hole from the tanning industries
Reduction of "D2 level in the effluent
streams
P. C#NC5$2!#N2
"he conclusions arrived are
"he 'resent stud% &as carried out to
recogni1e the environmental measures to
+e im'lemented in the stud% area of
u''er Palar )asin to 'revent 0 restrain
the continual of 'ollution caused due to
the discharge of chromium either in
solid or li6uid state.
"he 'erformance and 'otential of
e*isting chrome recover%0management
s%stems in the stud% area have +een
evaluated.
)CA &as also done for the time tested
recover% and reuse technologies to a+ate
chromium contaminant. "he )CA stud%
done for the chrome recover% and reuse
s%stem esta+lished realistic results.
4urther a''lication of cost +enefit
anal%sis justifies the environmental
regulations +eing enforced +% the
"NPC), i.e installation of chrome
recover% 'lants +% all the tanneries
ado'ting chrome tanning.
"he results of the field evaluation stud%
of chrome recover% s%stem in the stud%
area at Am+ur revealed that the 'a%+ac(
'eriod is a+out ? months and also the
tanner% claims the credit of com'liance of sti'ulated regulator%
'rovisions com'rehensivel%.
ACKN#B5ED3EMEN"
"he authors gratefull% ac(no&ledge the su''ort of
Professor Dr.V.Nagarajan, De'artment #f Civil Engineering , 22N
College #f Engineering .
RE4ERENCE2
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