Assessment Of The Ecologization Efficiency Of An Industrial Enterprise

The main directions of greening industrial production

In the process of industrial production ecologization, several fundamental directions are distinguished. Firstly, it is a comprehensive, environmentally-motivated, long-term oriented structural reformatting of the economy. This can be achieved by reducing the share of nature and energy-intensive sectors of the economy in its overall structure, as well as reorienting the export potential from raw materials to increasing the share of deep processing products on the territory of our state.

Secondly, the territorial distribution and growth of environmentally unsafe industrial complexes must be carried out taking into account the environmental sustainability of the territory with respect to man-made impacts and not overload these territories with an excessive concentration of nature-intensive industries.

Thirdly, according to Malysheva and Shinkevich (2020): "Prevention of environmental pollution by industrial waste (cleaning of emissions, discharges, decontamination of industrial waste, etc.) is not possible without the introduction of improved energy-efficient, non-waste, low-waste, environmentally friendly equipment and technologies" (p. 76).

Experience in ecologization of production of the industrial enterprise JSC "Uralelectromed"

The industrial enterprise JSC Uralelectromed, operating in the Sverdlovsk region, is the parent enterprise of the Ural mining and metallurgical company. The enterprise is one of the largest producers of copper cathodes, which are in demand not only in the Russian Federation, but all over the world. In addition, it produces gold, silver in ingots, copper electrolytic powders and products based on them, copper sulfate, sulphate nickel, selenium, tellurium, platinum group metals concentrate, lead grades C0 and C1, and provides services for hot-dip galvanizing of metal structures.

Over its almost 90-year history (it has been operating since 1934), the enterprise exerts a huge man-made load on all components of the environment, which significantly aggravates the ecological situation in the Sverdlovsk region, which for a number of years has been ranked among the last in the ranking of the ecological well-being of Russian regions.

One of the directions of the environmental policy of JSC “Uralelectromed” is the ecologization of production through the modernization of outdated equipment, the introduction of resource-saving technologies, the installation of modern waste treatment facilities, the arrangement of sanitary protection zones, etc.

Ecologization of production of JSC “Uralelektromed” yields positive results. Thus, over the past 10 years, the total volume of emissions has been reduced by more than three times. Today, the specific emissions of sulfur dioxide are just over 13 kg per ton of manufactured products, and the average European level is 42 kg per ton of blister copper.

To reduce emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere in 2016, the company installed highly efficient sack filters, which made it possible to increase the reliability of the gas cleaning complex as a whole.

In recent years, in the copper-smelting workshop, the enterprise has carried out a technical re-equipment of the gas-cleaning complex of the anode furnace, the purification rate of which is 99.8%, and the amount of dust collected is 600 tons annual. The project cost was 43 million rubles. In 2014 - 2016 the electrostatic filters of the chemical and metallurgical workshop were modernized. The degree of purification there now is 99.7%.

One of the significant environmental problems created by the enterprise is the discharge of wastewater with a high content of chemical substances into Lake Klyuchi, the waters of which flow into the Kara Sea. In recent years, due to annual reductions in discharges into surface waters and modernization of the plant's equipment, the quality of the water in the lake has improved, but remains unsatisfactory. This indicates that the enterprise does not provide complete treatment of the waters discharged into the lake, for which it pays large amounts of fines (more than 7 million rubles per year).

As for production wastes, the analyzed enterprise keeps a strict record of their generation, placement and transfer for processing. The total volume of recyclable waste is 80%. Solid waste of JSC Uralelectromed is not subjected to further complete processing, but is stored at landfills, which significantly worsens the environmental situation in the region where it is located.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed investment project to reduce discharges of pollutants of JSC "Uralelectromed"

To reduce the negative impact on water bodies, to reduce the amount of fines for the discharge of harmful substances in excess of the MPD and to obtain a positive economic effect, recycling of effluents has been proposed.

At present, JSC “Uralelectromed” uses horizontal water sedimentation tanks. However, this does not have a positive environmental impact. Thus, the existing method of industrial waste treatment requires ecologization and improvement (Zhidko & Mushtenko, 2016).

In our opinion, it is advisable for the enterprise to modernize the outdated wastewater treatment technology by replacing the horizontal type tanks with reverse osmosis technology and using PRAYESTOL 2505 flocculants. This will improve not only the quality of wastewater treatment, but will also give a positive economic effect by reducing energy costs and time, reducing the amount of fines for exceeding the maximum permissible norms for discharges into surface waters.

The proposed investment project to reduce discharges of pollutants from JSC “Uralelektromed” will cost the company about 20 million rubles. The expected revenue is the averted environmental and economic damage. Considering the speed of cleaning Lake Klyuchi and the equipment power, the payback period of the investment project will be about 10 years. Here are the results of the investment project calculation.

To calculate the investment project, a discount rate of 12% was applied. The rate is determined taking into account the key rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (4.25) and the inflation rate (5.2).

Initial data for the proposed investment project are shown in Table 1.

Taking into account the amount of fines of JSC "Uralelectromed" for the year - 7.43 million rubles, for 10 years the introduction of a new technology of reverse osmosis, worth 20 million rubles. will prevent environmental and economic damage in the amount of 60.9 million rubles.

Table 2 shows the calculation of the present value for the proposed investment project.

Net discounted value (NDV) on the proposed investment project amounted to 14.39 million rubles. (34.39 - 20.0).

The profitability index, showing the investor's profit for each ruble invested by him, will be 1.72 (34.4 / 20.0).

The payback period of the project will be 5.83 years (20.0 / 3.43). The actual amount of the project's net present value (NPV) will be 19.4% (12+ (20-12 / 14.39 + 1.27) * 14.39).

The final indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the proposed investment project are presented in table 3.

Thus, the recommended investment project to modernize the outdated wastewater treatment technology, by replacing the horizontal type settler with reverse osmosis technology and the use of PRAYESTOL 2505 flocculants is profitable.

Directions of industrial production ecologisation

The research of the directions of industrial production ecologisation made it possible to highlight the fundamental:

• reduction of the share of nature- and energy-intensive sectors of the economy in its overall structure, as well as reorientation of the export potential from raw materials;
• rational placement of environmentally unsafe industrial complexes, taking into account the environmental sustainability of the territory with respect to man-made impacts;
• introduction of improved energy-efficient, non-waste, low-waste, environmentally friendly equipment and technologies that contribute to the prevention of environmental pollution by industrial waste (purification of emissions, discharges, disposal of industrial waste, etc.).

However, according to Khetsuriani et al. (2018): “the implementation of these areas is constrained by economic factors - high capital intensity and long payback periods of investment projects related to the ecologization of production” (p. 20).

Directions of ecologization of the production of the industrial enterprise JSC "Uralelectromed"

Having studied the environmental policy of JSC "Uralelectromed", we can conclude that the company is environmentally oriented. Ecologization of production is carried out at the enterprise through the modernization of outdated equipment, the introduction of resource-saving technologies, the installation of modern waste treatment facilities, the arrangement of sanitary protection zones, etc.

However, all these measures are not enough, since the technogenic load on the environment remains quite high. Despite the decrease in emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, the volume of industrial waste with a high content of chemical substances discharged into Lake Klyuchi remains high. This indicates that the enterprise does not provide complete treatment of the waters discharged into the lake, for which it pays large amounts of fines (more than 7 million rubles per year).

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed investment project to reduce discharges of pollutants of JSC "Uralelectromed"

Conclusions can be drawn after evaluating the effectiveness of the investment project to reduce the discharges of pollutants by JSC “Uralelectromed”. The proposed project is cost-effective. It will not only help minimize the expenditures of the enterprise on the payment of fines for exceeding the maximum permissible norms for discharges of pollutants into Lake Klyuchi, but also contribute to the ecologization of the production of JSC “Uralelectromed”. Ecologization of production, according to Glukhov et al. (2018) “will give a reputation effect that enhances the company's image as a socially responsible market participant” (p. 50). This will not only increase the company's chances of receiving additional financial support from the state (tax incentives, subsidies, government loans, guarantees, etc.), but also reach a qualitatively new level that meets global environmental requirements. This will facilitate access to new world sales markets, which will lead to an even greater economic effect.