Yeongpung Seokpo Smelter 'Transformation of Environmental Paradigm'... Completion of Structural Water Quality Management System

*This content was translated by AI.

The Yeongpung Seokpo Smelter has made large-scale environmental investments in recent years, and has a factory structure that effectively cuts off pollution emission routes. It is evaluated that long-term water stability has been secured by completing a system that not only improves water quality indicators, but also structurally controls all spill paths that may occur in smelting processes such as sewage, wastewater, and rainfall.

The water quality of the river in front of the smelter, which was released on the 'Water Environment Information System' of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment on the 13th, is interpreted as a result of these changes. Water quality at points 2 to 4 of Seokpo has been maintained at an average of 1 to 2 water supply levels in recent years, and the concentration of major heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenide, lead, and mercury is also managed below the detection limit during the same period.

In fact, when comparing the water quality at the downstream point near the smelter with the upstream point, 'Seokpo 1', it is difficult to find a significant difference in the mid to long term. Accordingly, it is analyzed that the operation of the Seokpo Smelter does not effectively affect the water quality of the Nakdonggang River.

The stable water quality of the Nakdonggang River in front of the Seokpo Smelter is also confirmed by the surrounding ecological species. A case in point is the endangered otter. Recently, a smelter employee made headlines by filming an otter moving in a river in front of the smelter on his way to work.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies otters as "Indicator Species" that judge the health of the local water environment. The fact that otters live near the Seokpo Smelter proves that the surrounding water environment is in a healthy state.

In addition, various ecological species such as endangered wild animals such as hot-necked fish and mountain goats are known to inhabit the Nakdong River in front of the smelter.

■ Seokpo Smelter Shifts Paradigm from 'Management' to 'Blockdown'

The key to the environmental investment that the Seokpo Smelter has been pushing for over the past five years is the transition from 'managing' pollutants to 'blocking'.

The biggest change is the establishment of underground water diffusion prevention facilities. The cutoff wall installed in a section of about 2.5 km outside the smelter fundamentally blocks the outflow of groundwater passing through the lower part of the plant. Blocked groundwater is recycled as process water through pumping and purification processes. This is a structure that prevents pollutant leakage and realizes water resource reuse.

In addition, a zero liquid discharge system (ZLD) was introduced to establish a system in which process wastewater was not discharged to the outside world. The possibility of water pollution was fundamentally blocked by structurally removing the possibility of external leakage itself, taking into account exceptional circumstances.

The rainfall management system has also been greatly strengthened. It is designed to reuse all of it after freshwater up to 80mm of initial rainfall, maintaining a level of management that significantly exceeds the legal standard (5mm). The rainwater is guided to the boiling point storage facility through a drainage channel in the factory and then pumped and stored in the excellent storage, which is then recycled as 100% process water.

In addition, a triple cutoff structure consisting of concrete-resistant brick-lining was applied to about 17,000 pyeong of land under the wet plant to physically block the possibility of soil and groundwater contamination.

The improvement of water quality indicators is close to the outcome of these structural changes. In fact, cadmium has not been detected continuously since 2022, and zinc has also maintained undetected levels for a long time. Experts are giving greater significance to structural transformation with the outlet itself removed than to simple numerical improvements.

■ Redesigning Infrastructure Beyond Simple Facility Investment

In the environmental engineering industry, the environmental management system of the Seokpo Smelter is evaluated as "the most advanced water quality management method that the smelter can implement." This is because it is not a monitoring-oriented method that manages the concentration of pollutants according to process conditions, but a system that structurally blocks the inflow and outflow channels themselves.

Since announcing the 'Environmental Improvement Innovation Plan' in 2019, Youngpoong has invested a total of 540 billion won until last year. This was not just an expansion of environmental facilities, but a structural improvement at the level of redesigning the entire factory infrastructure. The company plans to continue steadily investing in the environment in the future to further strengthen long-term environmental stability.

An official from Youngpoong said, "We are approaching structurally removing the possibility of water pollution beyond improving the past problems," adding, "We will be reborn as a sustainable smelter for more than 100 years by fulfilling our responsibility to protect the region and the Nakdonggang River water system."

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*This content was translated by AI.