The National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to carry out a study within four months to find out if advance batch automated plants can address pollution caused by burning of waste tyres in pyrolysis industry.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the CPCB to involve National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and IIT-Delhi in carrying out the study.
Pyrolysis is a method of recycling old tyres through a thermochemical treatment under high temperature to produce industrial oil and other matters.
The central pollution watchdog told the tribunal that according to the action-taken report as received from state pollution control boards, there are now 678 tyre pyrolysis units in 19 states. Out of these 678 tyre pyrolysis units, 270 are complying, 250 are not complying and 155 units are closed or not in operation, it said.
The CPCB said of the two units whose 'consent to operate' are under renewal, one is operational and the other is closed.
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"The increase in number of compliance units is mainly due to monitoring by CPCB and state pollution control boards (SPCBs). SPCBs based on direction of CPCB has started process of closing the noncompliance units. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has recovered environmental compensation of Rs 77,500 from three units," it said.
The NGT had earlier directed the CPCB to regulate import of waste tyres for use in pyrolysis industry so that India does not become a dump yard for highly polluting hazardous waste material from other countries. It had said that pyrolysis process involves high levels of pollution and also adversely affects the health of workers involved in it.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by an NGO -- Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE) -- seeking complete ban on end-of-life tyres (ELTs) in pyrolysis industries due to non-implementation of the existing laws resulting in adverse environmental impact.
According to the plea, use of waste tyres by the pyrolysis industry operating in the country which are engaged in producing inferior quality pyrolysis oil, pyrolysis gas (pyro gas), solid residue (char), carbon black and steel through the pyrolysis process needs to be banned to prevent environmental damage.
The activity emits highly carcinogenic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), dioxin, furans and oxides of nitrogen which are extremely harmful for the respiratory system.
"Direct the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the CPCB and the state pollution control boards in consultation with other scientific agencies to develop a monitoring mechanism to ensure that waste tyres imported in the country are verified through scientific means and through a robust monitoring framework," the plea had said.
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