GREEN CEMENT PLANT AND ITS CHALLENGES

The Indian cement industry has realised that strong business growth can be achieved by sustaining manufacturing in an eco-friendly manner. As the industry is moving ahead to embrace green technologies it also has to face certain challenges. Cement entrepreneurs have to face many challenges while setting up new cement manufacturing plants on greenfield sites. Emphasis on sustainable development is a new dimension to consider while designing the plant. The cement industry is committed to reducing emission of Greenhouse Gasses (GHG) and to save limestone reserves and fossil fuels, while simultaneously maintaining the quality of the ambient air.

The challenges
The challenges in setting up a cement plant can be broadly divided into technical challenges and external challenges.
Technical challenges include those related with processes, preparation of raw materials, fuels and semi- finished products for processing, availability of machinery, plant and equipment for various operations, instrumentation and process control management for plant operation at optimum levels.

External challenges are related to deciding on the most suitable location for the plant with respect to access to raw materials, fuel, power, and of course, the market.

Technical challenges Processes
There are hardly any technological challenges with respect to process or machinery; even for current sizes of plants with more than 10,000 tpd kiln capacity. Machinery of required design and capacity is available to be used as single units. Out of necessity, cement mills are installed as multiple units to produce different types of cements simultaneously. Multi -stream pre-heaters and calciners are used on 10,000 tpd production lines. Calciners have been developed to permit multi- stage feeding of raw meal and fuel, and to keep NOx levels down within permissible limits. Both the kiln and calciner can be fired simultaneously with coal/oil and alternate fuels; several designs of highly efficient clinker coolers are available. Vertical mills, roller presses and ball mills of required sizes and capacities are available; the industry has already reached fuel efficiency levels of ~ 650 kcal/kg clinker and power consumption of ~ 80 kwh/tonne of cement.

Alternative fuels

The only new element is the preparation of alternative fuels for firing in kiln/calciner. AFs come from myriad sources in many different forms and are widely different from each other and from coal. Fuel preparation systems have to be designed to suit selected AFs for use on a continuous basis. This could involve crushing, drying, pulverising petcoke, shredding tyres, briquetting rice husk, gasification of biomass, etc. The process may require special equipment like briquetting press, shredders, gasification plant and machineries like hot disc, multi-channel burners to fire oil, coal and gas simultaneously. Such versatile systems are at the disposal of modern cement plants today.
What is most necessary for use of AFs is rigorous quality control at all stages, right from the source, to the point of firing. It is also necessary to monitor chlorine, dioxins, heavy metals, etc, in specific cases. In some cases, it may be necessary to install a kiln bypass system at the kiln inlet. Some AFs are hazardous and need special care in their handling and storage.

Waste heat recovery systems
A wide range of options are available in waste heat recovery systems (WHRS). This wide range makes it crucial to select the system most appropriate. There are many ways in which a WHRS can be installed. Suitable machinery is available for every type of requirement.

External challenges
Apart from the challenges arising from financial angles, setting up a plant would require attention to several other factors. These challenges are common for all types of cements as much as for green cement.
Some external challenges include:

• Selecting location for the proposed cement plant.
• Acquisition for land for factory and colony.
• Obtaining mining lease.
• Obtaining environmental clearances.

Renewable energy
Power plants based on renewable sources such as wind and solar power will soon become an integral part of new cement plants, making them greener as these sources of energy are totally free of GHG emissions. The necessary technology to meet these goals is now available and very reliable.
However, the main problem associated with these sources is that the generation of wind and solar power is not consistent. The capacity factor is also very low compared to that of thermal power plants. Secondly, it may not always be possible to locate the wind or solar power plants close to the cement plant. A cement plant would have to manage several sources of electrical energy, grid, captive power plant, WHRS and power from renewable energy. A sound strategy must be in place to ensure continuity of power at optimum cost.

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NGPCL to Produce Power Through Industrial Waste in Punjab

Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal gave in approval for the establishment of SUNSUL Technology Power Plant, a first-of-its-kind renewable energy project in the world which will use industrial waste to generate power. During a demonstration in Hungary the DCM interacted with Mr. Himanshu Verma, the MD of Navrattan Green Power Corporation Ltd. and Mr. Lazlo Pakh, the MD of Fakon Vallalkozasi to set-up a SUNSUL Technology plant in Punjab, India. 

The innovation uses scientific invention to heat sulphur using photo-voltaic cells to produce power. The company will be installing one megawatt renewable energy plant using company's patented invention in Punjab in the next six months.

 

Giving details of the project, Mr. Varma said that it consisted of a self-moving solar dish along with a turbine and other parts. “Industrial sulphur is heated using sun rays to change its character and produce steam which ran a turbine and generated power. This innovation, which used an intellectual property product along with Sulphur to get the desired results, has efficiency between 40 to 70 per cent. Nowhere else in the world does any system generate efficiency of more than 25 per cent,” he added.

Mr. Badal, after taking a round of the scientific establishment and also examining the first and second generation machines created by the company, said that Punjab was keen to produce clean and green energy and would support any innovation which increased efficiency along with being cost effective.

He appreciated the company for coming out with a technology which was three times more efficient than solar plant technology.

Cement Industry in India

Introduction

India's cement industry is a vital part of its economy, providing employment to more than a million people, directly or indirectly. Ever since it was deregulated in 1982, the Indian cement industry has attracted huge investments, from both Indian and foreign investors, making it the second largest in the world. The industry is currently in a turnaround phase, trying to achieve global standards in production, safety and energy-efficiency.

India has a lot of potential for development in the infrastructure and construction sector and the cement sector is expected to largely benefit from it. Some of the recent major government initiatives such as development of 100 smart cities are expected to provide a major boost to the sector.

Expecting such developments in the country and aided by suitable government foreign policies, several foreign players such as Lafarge, Holcim and Vicat have invested in the country in the recent past. A significant factor which aids the growth of this sector is the ready availability of the raw materials for making cement, such as limestone and coal.

Market Size

The cement market in India is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.96 percent during the period 2014-2019.

In India, the housing sector is the biggest demand driver of cement accounting for about 67 per cent of the total consumption. The other major consumers of cement include infrastructure at 13 per cent, commercial construction at 11 per cent and industrial construction at nine per cent.

To meet the rise in demand, cement companies are expected to add 56 million tonnes (MT) capacity over the next three years. The cement capacity in India may register a growth of eight per cent by next year end to 395 MT from the current level of 366 MT. It may increase further to 421 MT by the end of 2017. The country's per-capita consumption stands at around 190 kg.

A total of 188 large cement plants together account for 97 per cent of the total installed capacity in the country while 365 small plants account for the rest. Of these large cement plants, 77 are located in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. The Indian cement industry is dominated by a few companies. The top 20 cement companies account for almost 70 per cent of the total cement production of the country.

Investments

On the back of growing demands, due to increased construction and infrastructural activities the cement sector in India has seen many investments and developments in recent times.

According to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), cement and gypsum products attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) worth US$ 3,084.89 million between April 2000 and December 2014.

Some of the major investments in Indian cement industry are as follows:

• Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd has invested around Rs 2,000 crore (US$ 321.12 million) in expanding its business in North East over the past two years. The company currently has three manufacturing plants in the region — one in Meghalaya and two in Assam.
• JSW Group plans to expand its cement production capacity to 30 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 5 MTPA now by setting up grinding units closer to its steel plants.
• UltraTech Cement Ltd has charted out its next phase of greenfield expansion after a period of aggressive acquisitions over the last two years. Following its takeover of two cement plants owned by the Jaypee group, UltraTech has plans to set up two greenfield grinding units in Bihar and West Bengal, according to Mr O P Puranmalka, MD, UltraTech.
• UltraTech Cement Ltd has agreed to buy two cement plants and related power assets of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd in Madhya Pradesh for Rs 5,400 crore (US$ 867.28 million).
• JSW Cement Ltd has planned to set up a 3 MTPA clinkerisation plant at Chittapur in Karnataka at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore (US$ 401.55 million).
• Andhra Cements Ltd has commenced the commercial production in the company's cement plants – Durga Cement Works at Dachepalli, Guntur and Visakha Cement Works at Visakhapatnam.

Government Initiatives

In the 12th FiveYear Plan, the government plans to increase investment in infrastructure to the tune of US$ 1 trillion and increase the industry's capacity to 150 MT.

The Cement Corporation of India (CCI) was incorporated by the Government of India in 1965 to achieve self-sufficiency in cement production in the country. Currently, CCI has 10 units spread over eight states in India.

In order to help the private sector companies thrive in the industry, the government has been approving their investment schemes. Some such initiatives by the government in the recent past are as follows:

• The Government of Tamil Nadu has launched low priced cement branded 'Amma' Cement. The sale of the cement started in Tiruchi at Rs 190 (US$ 3.05) a bag through the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC). Sales commenced in five godowns of the TNCSC and will be rolled out in stages with the low priced cement available across the state from 470 outlets.
• The Government of Kerala has accorded sanction to Malabar Cements Ltd to set up a bulk cement handling unit at Kochi Port at an investment of Rs 160 crore (US$ 25.68 million).
• The Andhra Pradesh State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) has approved proposals worth Rs 9,200 crore (US$ 1.47 billion) including three cement plants and concessions to Hero MotoCorp project. The total capacity of these three cement plants is likely to be about 12 MTPA and the plants are expected to generate employment for nearly 4,000 people directly and a few thousands more indirectly.
• India has joined hands with Switzerland to reduce energy consumption and develop newer methods in the country for more efficient cement production, which will help India meet its rising demand for cement in the infrastructure sector.
• The Government of India has decided to adopt cement instead of bitumen for the construction of all new road projects on the grounds that cement is more durable and cheaper to maintain than bitumen in the long run.

Road Ahead

The eastern states of India along with the border states will be the newer and virgin markets for cement companies and will contribute to their bottom line in future. In the next 10 years, India will become the main exporter of clinker and gray cement to the Middle East, Africa, and other developing nations of the world. Cement plants near the ports, for instance the plants in Gujarat and Visakhapatnam, will have an added advantage for exports and will logistically be well armed to face stiff competition from cement plants in the interior of the country.

A large number of foreign players are also expected to enter the cement sector in the next 10 years, owing to the profit margins, constant demand, and right valuation. Cement companies will go for global listings either through the FCCB route or the GDR route.

With help from the government in terms of friendlier laws, lower taxation, and more infrastructure spending, the sector will grow and will take India’s economy forward along with it.

Navrattan Group to Set-up First SUNSUL Technology Project in Punjab, India

Navrattan Group recently showcased eight of their revolutionary intellectual inventions to the Punjab Government delegation in Budapest, Hungary. Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal was recently in Hungary to witness a demonstration by the scientists of Fakon Vallalkozasi KFT company in collaboration with Navrattan Green Power Corporation Ltd. (NGPCL) of India on a very innovative new technology which uses scientific invention to heat Sulphur using photovoltaic cells to produce power. The Deputy CM immediately gave his approval for the establishment of the first-of-its-kind renewable energy project in the world which will use industrial waste to generate power.

It is the efforts and vision of Mr. Himanshu Verma whose far sighted initiative has taken shape and has got an approval from the government. Mr. Verma’s collaboration with Fakon Vallalkozasi is set to change the way we produce energy. “This project will not only make renewable energy popular among people but will also open new ways to energy generation,” said Mr. Verma, the MD of Navrattan Green Power Corporation Limited (NGPCL).

Mr. Laszlo Pakh, the Managing Director of Fakon Vallalkozasi assured the Deputy CM of Punjab to install a 1MW power renewable energy plant using the company’s patented invention in Punjab within Six Months. Navrattan Green Power Corporation Ltd. is planning to establish more such energy generation plants in the country and benefit the mankind. “The SUNSUL Technology is a very promising one which produces electricity by using industrial waste as feedstock. This system is first of its kind in the world and the project is set to bring revolution in the renewable energy business,” said Mr. Himanshu Verma.

During the demonstration Mr. Verma explained the working of the project. The energy generation set-up consists of a self moving solar dish along with a turbine and other parts. The industrial waste (Sulphur) is heated using sunrays to change its character and produce steam which runs the turbine and generate power. The technology is 40-70% more efficient that conventional ways of energy generation. Mr. Badal said that Punjab is keen to produce clean and green energy and would support any innovation which increased efficiency along with being cost effective.

Natural Materials Make Concrete the Healthy Choice for Environmentally Responsible Homebuilding

Concrete...The Natural Building Material

Today more than ever, we must choose our building materials wisely, balancing the expenditure of natural resources with the benefits of a material over its useful life. Concrete draws upon some of the earth's most common and abundant minerals for its raw materials. The amount of land used to extract the materials needed to make concrete is only a fraction of that used to cut down our forests for lumber.

Building concrete homes helps save our precious forests. Concrete homes are more energy efficient than wood-frame  homes and therefore require less energy to heat and cool. This reduces emissions produced by power generation plants.

Concrete Uses Recycled Materials

Portland cement, which makes up about 10 percent of concrete, is manufactured from limestone, clay and sand. Scrap tires and other combustible waste that would otherwise take valuable land in landfills are often used as a fuel source in the cement manufacturing process. Sources of aggregates are diverse and plentiful: sand, gravel, crushed stone, and an ever-increasing array of consumer and industrial waste products - fly ash from coal burning electric power plants and blast furnace slag from steel mills. Crushed concrete from demolition is often used as aggregate for concrete. Concrete's nearly inert matrix of materials makes it an ideal recycling medium, with absolutely no degradation of strength or performance.

Limitless Possibilities

Concrete can create any shape or size home you can imagine. Because concrete takes any shape or form, it can create an unlimited variety of curves and angles. Concrete's strength can be used to create large open spaces - offering total flexibility in designing your home's floor plan. 

Healthy Living

Concrete promotes a healthier indoor atmosphere, since it is practically inert, and requires no volatile organic-based preservatives like wood does. It's naturally waterproof and fire-resistant, so it doesn't need special coatings or sealers. Concrete can also be easily cleaned with organic, non-toxic substances. 

Built To Last

Since wood rots and decays, and is an extremely susceptible to natural disaster, it is central to a wasteful construction cycle of frequent disposal and replacement. Concrete, on the other hand, requires little or no maintenance, stands up to hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and fires. It can't be eaten by termites and won't rust or rot. Concrete's sheer durability over decades of use goes a long way towards waste reduction. 

Concrete homes promote a healthier and safer environment.

That's The Beauty of Today's Concrete

There's more than one way to build your concrete home - insulating concrete forms, concrete masonry, aerated concrete, tilt-up concrete, or precast concrete to name a few. With volatile wood prices, logging's high environmental price tag, and a growing shortage of high quality lumber, concrete offers a variety of products and construction techniques to provide cost effective, quality alternatives to wood-frame home construction. 

All of these systems share the same basic virtues of concrete - beauty, strength, durability, low maintenance, energy efficiency,  interior environmental quality, environmental friendliness, and peace and quiet. Which concrete building technique is right for you depends on the labor force and predominant building practices in your area. Whatever your choice, you can rest assured that your beautiful concrete home is built to last.

Committee of Climate Change sets out objectives

The first Committee of Climate Change report, under the latest Climate Change Act, sets out key areas for preparing for the impacts of climate change.

Of particular note is the call for a standard to prevent new homes overheating, and promote passive cooling in existing buildings. The Concrete Center has published guidance on passive and active cooling for new build commercial projects and housing and is keen to work with regulators to help inform how the inherent thermal mass of concrete and masonry buildings can be utilized to reduce overheating.

The Center is also already working with house builders and designers on the issue of overheating, and sharing the latest best practice on how to use thermal mass, ventilation and design to reduce the threat of overheating. As the insulation and airtightness of our homes improves overheating is becoming more of an issue, which will only be exacerbated by the increasing temperatures that we are experiencing now, and are forecast to rise even further.

The Committee for Climate Change also recommends that the government extend funding under the Levy Control Framework so the power sector can invest with a 10 year lead time. The concrete industry

can contribute to low carbon energy through the provision of foundations for offshore wind turbines. These are recognized as offering one of the best opportunities for reducing the cost of offshore wind. But for this benefit to be realized, certainty of funding and hence demand is needed to permit the necessary investment to deliver economies of scale.

The concrete industry’s long-term commitment to biodiversity is also relevant to this report, which recommends the preservation and enhancement of the UK’s natural capital.

The materials supply chain for concrete, i.e. cement and aggregates, have an outstanding record in stewardship of the country’s natural capital and restoration following extraction with over 700 Sites of Scientific Interest (SSI) being former sites of minerals extraction. Out of eleven habitats identified by RSPB, mineral sites provide habitats that could meet the targets for nine.

Compared with forestry that negatively impacts biodiversity and adversely affects health of soils for centuries, extraction sites are worked and restored in a period of decades.

Navrattan Group- Providing Sustainable Alternative Products

It is rightly said that when we have to talk about creativity then only sky is the limit. Over the years, India has left no stone unturned to make the best use of its creativity and innovation. We have constantly come up with something new in terms of infrastructure and technology to make earth a better place to live. The efforts have been joined by Navrattan Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate having its headquarters in Trade Centre, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai, India. Having started its first step in 2010, it has spread its verticals across construction, technology, engineering, energy, mining and acquiring Intellectual Properties. It has done its best to achieve customer satisfaction since its inception.

The company has a strong believe that quality along with commitment is the key to success and hence that is also the backbone of the company’s culture. This is what at which their entire business activities are centered. Having a mission of “Building Greener, Cleaner and Better Tomorrow”, the company’s manufacturing locations are spread across India and in USA as well. Mumbai, Nagpur, Vishakhapatnam, Udaipur and Rajpura and own Basalt mines in Bozeman Montana, USA are few of its manufacturing locations.

Mr. Himanshu Verma, the chairman of the group says, “My mission is to invent Reality which will remain Reality not History”, a firm determination towards his work and his passion towards the company is what is taking this company to another height. The Founder and the Chairman of the Group, Mr. Himanshu Verma is a board member ever since its inception. His role in the company is vital due to which the company has got amazing national as well as international exposure. The manifold growth which the company has experienced is all because of his versatility.

Talking about the innovations undertaken by this company is one of its verticals, Navrattan Blue Crete Industries Pvt. Ltd. It is the first venture of its kind in India and has attempted to bring novelty to the technology involved in construction industry of the country. It is the first Eco-friendly concrete material which has triple times the tensile strength and longevity plus durability of that of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The Navrattan Crete is the combination of green Elastopolmeric cement which surpasses all testing standards as OPC. This environment friendly product is very cost effective as compared to the normal raw material.

Significance for the public and the entire country:

In this race of cut throat competition where companies try to maximize their shareholders’ profits, the Navrattan Group has not only thought about making its place in corporate world but has also worked towards the public and towards the entire country. Taking up multiple projects in various verticals like across construction, technology, engineering, energy, mining, acquiring intellectual properties, the company has paved the path which has lead the country towards infrastructural growth and overall prosperity. And now with its latest innovation in construction industry, it has raised its bar of commitment towards the people of the country by providing eco-friendly cement which is not only environment friendly but also a cost effective solution.