Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

Programme Category

Programma
Contenuto archiviato il 2023-03-27

Article available in the following languages:

EN

Third research programme (ECSC) on "Technical control of pollution in the iron and steel industry", 1974-1978

 
Pursuant to Article 55 of the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the Commission is required to promote technical and economic research relating to the production and increased use of coal and steel and to occupational safety in the coal and steel industries. The funds for this aid are derived from levies imposed on the production of coal and steel as provided for in Article 49 of the ECSC Treaty.

Whereas the first and second research programmes on the technical control of pollution in the iron and steel industry (1958-1973) were almost entirely devoted to problems of atmospheric pollution, this third programme enlarged its scope to include the problems of treating waste and liquid effluent. Particular attention was paid to the controlled disposal of the residues from waste gas and waste air-cleaning processes, and from waste water purification and waste matter treatment.

Details of the programme were published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (No C 92 of 6.8.1974).
To promote means of combating pollution in the iron and steel industry, concentrating on the most important prevention techniques and on the development of methods aimed at the practical and efficient reduction of pollutant emission, and taking into account problems posed by industrial water pollution and the elimination or proper disposal of industrial wastes, especially toxic wastes.
- Coke-oven plants:
To address the problems posed by the charging of coal and the quenching of coke, particularly in old plants, the collection of fume during the discharging of coke and its cleaning, and the treatment of waste water from coking plants;

- Production of pig-iron:
. Sintering of ores:
To address the problems posed by the emission of dust and noxious gases from sinter plants;
. Blast furnaces:
To reduce SO2 emissions associated with blast furnace gas and to reduce pollution resulting from the tapping of blast furnaces and the treatment of blast furnace slag;

- Steel works:
To reduce brown fume and air pollution resulting from steelmaking processes at LD, LDAC, OLP, Kaldo and other types of steel works and to address the problems of industrial hygiene and pollution posed by the increased use of electric furnaces in steel production;

- Rolling mills:
To investigate measure to prevent emissions of dust or fumes from the soaking pit and the reheating furnace;

- General problems:
. Reduction of pollution caused by storage and handling of powdery or muddy waste and residual matter;
. Treatment, preparation and re-use of residual matter from iron and steel production and from air and water cleansing plants;
. Measures to reduce the amount of waste water and the pollution it contains;
. Prevention of dangers caused by inhaling toxic gases or dusts;
. Reduction in the noise levels of certain plants in the iron and steel industry;

- Measurement of pollution:
To determine the chemical and physical nature of pollution as well as its quantity and concentration at the working position, in the air, water and earth; to identify the properties of pollutants likely to affect the environment, separately and in combination; and to set up and test methods of calibration.
The Commission was responsible for the implementation of the programme. As in the two previous programmes, a research committee was charged with following the development of the research from a scientific and technical point of view and with ensuring the necessary coordination of the work in this field. Groups of experts were formed in order to study specialized sectors in detail.

The programme was set up so as to include the participation from 1 January 1973 of the three new Member States of the European Community (the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark).

Projects, lasting two or three years, were carried out, as a rule, by the research institutes in the coal and steel industries. Community financial aid was limited to 75% of the direct costs of the projects.