SGAT Seeks Curbs On Raw Chromite Exports.

The Society of Geoscientists and Allied Technologists (SGAT) has sought curbs in the export of chromite in raw form. It has instead urged the state government to encourage export of chrome ore produced through beneficiation of ore containing less than 15 per cent chrome oxide.

The SGAT has called for adoption of cost effective and technologically sound under ground mining for extraction of chrome ore from a depth not exceeding 500 metres in the Sukinda valley in Jajpur district.

The society is of the view that beneficiation of low grade chrome ore containing 10 per cent chrome oxide can be taken up.

The SGAT expressed concern over the fact that the development of platinum and nickel in the state is yet to take off even though reserves of chromite have been reasonably assessed.

"Orissa has 92 per cent of the country's nickel reserves, but there has not been any effort to develop the mineral in the state. Also, the development of platinum is yet to take off", said R C Mohanty, president of SGAT an international seminar on "Development of Chromite, Nickel and the Platinum Group of Minerals".

The SGAT stressed on the utilization of the large volume of nickeliferrous overburden lying at the chromite mines in Sukinda valley containing an average of 0.6 per cent nickel. The world average of presence of nickel in the lateritic ore being mined is 1.2 per cent.It pointed out that there is a need to adopt a cost effective technology for extraction of nickel from low grade ore given the fact that India imports its entire requirement of nickel.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, "In India, we are yet to establish economically workable resources of the platinum group of metals. However there are some promising indications and that too in the state of Orissa. With regard to nickel, the only workable resources are available in the Sukinda valley as an overburden in the chromite mines. The tenor of nickel available is low compared to the grades being worked in other parts of the world. There have been R & D studies to extract nickel as well as associated cobalt from the overburden material by agencies of Government of India. As India imports almost the entire requirement of nickel, it becomes expedient to utilize the resources available by adopting state of art technologies for their economic extraction."

"So far as chromite is concerned, the position in India appears to be satisfactory with regard to resources, production and industrial utilization. Orissa possesses about 95 % of the total resources of the country and accounts for 98 % of the total production of the country. Occurrence of chromite has been indicated beyond a depth of 250 meters in Sukinda valley and there is distinct possibility of its availability further down to 500 meters. The challenge before us is to adopt a suitable technology to extract chromite from deeper level. In the event of this happening, our resources will be significantly augmented", he added.

Source : sify.com