Charlie and the cement factory

12/6/2014

It is not everyday that one gets to go to a cement factory and when i was standing at the security check area, being briefed about the precautions that were to be taken for the visit around the Ambuja cement plant, Ropar, i could not help but feeling a bit proud, and special.

Cement industries produce the second largest greenhouse gas emissions after the electric power plants. To produce one tonne of Portland cement nearly one tonne of CO2 is produced. Until the visit I would say that for a cement industry the word sustainable is purely hypothetical, as, from extracting the raw materials to the manufacturing process the industry is highly polluting. But I had to believe the green credibility of the ACP, Ropar.

While they have setup a captive power plant to meet the energy demands of the industry, 40% biomass and 60% coal is used for production of electricity. The industry has set a milestone where development is seen in harmony with local community. The major chunk of biomass is rice husk which provides ample calorific value. Earlier farmers used to burn the surplus rice husk which lead to large particulate matter in air causing respiratory diseases. Burning was the only feasible alternative as disposal was a costly affair. Commercial value to the biomass has also helped generate employment and further improve the economy of the villages.

The plant is also equipped with an effluent treatment plant. For the production of cement, fly ash along with clinker and gypsum is being used. The fly ash is obtained from the Gurugobind Singh Super power plant. While conventionally clinker was used in higher quantity, obtained from calcination of limestone producing large greenhouse emissions, now, 30-35% fly ash, 60-65% clinker and gypsum in rest quantities is added. 90 million tonnes of fly ash is produced annually, of which only 13 million tonnes is being utilised. Disposal of fly ash has huge environmental threats.

India is the second - largest cement producing country in the world after China. The country's cement production was 300 million tonnes in 2010; the figure is expected to double to reach almost 550 million tonnes by 2020, as per estimates by the Cement Manufacturers Association. In India, cement demand emanates from four key segments - housing, accounting for 67 per cent; infrastructure for 13 per cent; commercial construction for 11 per cent; and industrial sector for nine per cent. The rapid growth of cities has led to a desperate clamour for more residential, office, commercial and retail spaces. India has plunged into a frenzy of construction as a result. If anyone thinks cities are already built to the brim, be warned: more than 70 per cent of the buildings - our homes, offices, and shops - that will stand in India in 2030 are yet to be built.

The trends in the West are exactly opposite - for instance, about 80 per cent of the building stock that will stand in the United Kingdom in 2050 has already been built.

Setting up of an industry has large environmental as well as social implications. With ever increasing demand, it is important for the cement industries throughout the country to adopt green measures to run the plant.