Fly Ash Technology in India- A Report Introduction and Background India is the second fastest growing economy in the

world today. The construction industry is an integral part of the economy. Construction is the second largest economic activity after agriculture. Clay fired bricks form the backbone of this industry which is estimated to be at USD 70.8 billion1. It is poised for growth on account of industrialization, urbanization and economic development. Therefore there is a rapid increase in the demand of bricks in infrastructure and housing. There are around 150000 brick kilns in India2. However the brick firing technologies used in India are energy intensive and resource efficient. It contributes to 22% of the total carbon-di-oxide emissions. It also results in heavy particulate matter emissions. Top soil is also utilized for the production of bricks. India needs around 60 billion bricks every year that would exhaust around 180 million tonnes of top soil, making 7500 hectares of fertile land barren. In lieu of these shortcomings building materials made of fly ash are gaining importance. Fly ash refers to the ash produced during combustion of coal. It is the fine powder formed from the mineral matter in coal, consisting of the non-combustible matter in coal plus a small amount of carbon that remains from incomplete combustion. It is captured by electrostatic precipitators (ESP). Propertied of fly ash vary significantly with coal composition and plant operating conditions. It can be referred to as either cementitious or pozzolanic. Pulverized coal ash (PCA) is one of major wastes generated during combustion of coal in thermal power plants (TPP).
1

Overview of the Construction Industry in India- Report by The Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 2 The Asuramunda Experience- A Report on Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln project implemented by Gram Vikas, Orissa

In 2010, TPPs accounted for 63% of the total installed capacity of the country for electricity generation3. TPPs use low grade coal producing a large amount of ash. In 2006-07, the fly ash generation from power plants in the country increased to the level of 130 million tonnes per year4. In 2008, approximately 150 million tonnes of pulverized ash was generated. As the power requirements of the country goes up, the amount of waste produced will also increase enormously creating problems for its safe disposal due to lack of adequate disposal facilities. Apart from land pollution, it is also a source of air pollution due to release of PM, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides. However, PCA can be used as raw materials in other areas. It can be used in the construction sector for roads, embankments, dams, dykes and building materials. Brick sector has great potential in utilising fly ash. The Government of India along with various R&D organizations has constantly been researching the best possible means to utilize fly ash. The Fly Ash Mission was initiated by the Department of Science and Technology under Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC). This mission propagates various developments in the area of fly ash utilization. MoEF, Ministry of Power, thermal power stations and R&D institutions together have launched a Technology Project in Mission Mode. Their focus is on the demonstration of coal ash related technologies ensuring their large-scale adoption. FLY ASH BRICKS Bricks made from fly ash are gaining popularity continuously with the development of proper technologies. Fal-G bricks are made of fly ashlime-gypsum or fly ash- cement-gypsum. The raw materials are blended in desired proportions in a Pan mixer for 4-5 minutes and compressed.
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Energy Statistics 2011( Eighteenth Issue)- Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation 4 R&D and Technology Development- Department of Science and Technology, Fly Ash Unit (FAU)

They undergo curing for a minimum of 14 days and are then air dried for 7 days. Strength of these bricks can be engineered by varying the compositions. The advantages of fly ash bricks include high strength, low water absorption, uniform shape etc. Plants using this technology are likely to be micro/small scale enterprises. Therefore, they dont require any environmental clearance from MoEF. However, they do need to obtain No Objection Certificate from the respective State Pollution Control Boards. It has a payback period of around 2 years. Thus, it is also attractive from a financial point of view. Policy Scenario In lieu of the problems arising due to the brick industry, the Government of India issued a notification published in Gazette of India, Part II, Section 3, sub section (ii) vide S.O. 763(E) dated 14 September 1999. It placed restrictions on the excavation of top soil for manufacture of bricks and promotes the utilization of fly ash for the same. According to it, building materials used in construction shall be made partly or wholly from fly ash instead of clay, top soil, limestone and other such materials. Every construction agency within a radius of 100 km from a coal or lignite based power plant have to utilise fly ash. It also directs TPPs to supply fly ash free of cost to the manufacturers, construction sector and the cement industry for atleast a period of 10 years. Quality Specifications Standards are already present for common burnt clay bricks. Bureau of Indian Standards have also formulated specifications for clay fly ash bricks. IS: 12894: 1990 and IS: 13757:1993 provides specifications for fly ash lime building bricks. Various Methods of Utilization of Fly Ash 3

Fly ash can also be utilized in various other ways as mentioned earlier. It can be used in Portland cement concrete to enhance its strength. It is also used in Cellular Light Weight Concrete (CLC) along with sand, binders (lime and cement) and a foaming agent (Neopor). It is also used for the construction of roads and embankments. It is also used as fill materials. Sources of Fly Ash in Orissa and Bihar Orissa is the hub of thermal power generation. Various TPPs like NTPC, NALCO, Orissa Power Generation Corporation, SAIL, Hindalco, Jindal and TTPS are present. A capacity installation of 20000 MW is proposed for future. They generate various amounts of fly ash. TTPS, Talcher produced 5181000 tonnes of ash between 1999-20055. This can be utilized by the construction sector in the various ways mentioned above. The scope of fly ash utilization in the state of Bihar is limited. This is due to the presence of only 3 power plants (Muzzafarpur thermal power station, Barauni thermal power station and Kahalgaon super thermal power project). Currently fly ash technology is being used on a pilot basis by NTPC in Kahalgaon, Bhagalpur district. These bricks are not being sold for private and public use but used by NTPC for their own construction. Technology Providers Following are the technology providers for fly ash:

TARA Machines and Tech Services INSWAREB (Institute of Solid Waste Research and Ecological Balance) Das Engineering Engineers Enterprises Ludhiana Tech 4

State of Environment, Orissa: Fly Ash Management, ENVIS Newsletter, November 05- January 06

Sakar Engineering

Successful Utilization of Fly Ash There have been many instances in India where fly ash has been successfully utilized in various projects. One of the most publicized projects is the Bandra- Worli Sealink project. High volume fly ash concrete incorporating 55% of fly ash was used. ACC has constructed demonstration roads using high volume fly ash concrete with upto 50% replacement at its Greater Noida and Faridabad ready-mix plants. It has also constructed a small patch at Tikaria- Amethi. In Korba district of Chattisgarh TPPs are utilizing the fly ash produced. There are 6 fly ash brick manufacturing units present. Balco is utilising pond ash/ bottom ash for construction/ widening of approximately 82 km long Urga- Hati road. INSWAREB has been promoting the use of PCA technology for bricks. In Vishakhapatnam scientists have constructed their own buildings. After tsunami, Development Alternatives set up 2 brick production centres using fly ash at Kilinjalmedu and Kottucherrymedu in Tamil Nadu for large scale production of bricks for their post tsunami reconstruction project. They are acquiring fly ash from Neyvelli Lignite Corporation. There are several projects by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) which are using fly ash like the Durgapur Expressway, Haldia Port Connectivity project etc. It has also been used at Nizamuddin bridge road embankment at Delhi for 1.7 km. Radioactivity in Fly Ash There have been concerns about the presence of radioactivity in fly ash. There have been very contradicting views on this issue. A research paper published in the journal of Indian Academy of Sciences by a doctoral student claimed that the fly ash from Kolaghat TPP has high levels of radioactivity, enough to warrant remedial measures6. The
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The Telegraph, Calcutta, India- March 28, 2005

researcher urged to curtail the use of fly ash bricks. Another article published by Scientific American states that coal ash carries into the surrounding environment 100 times more radiation than nuclear plant producing the same amount of energy. Radioactivity in fly ash is also mentioned in the Techno Market Survey on Fly Ash bricks by TIFAC. According to it, it is relevant while designing applications of fly ash products. However, its mentioned that it is still in its nascent stage of research. On the other hand, many scientists are of the opinion that there is no need to panic. Their explanation is that coal contains naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and some of the radioactivity is transferred to fly ash after the combustion of coal. A lot of research has been done to note the radioactive elements present in fly ash. According to U.S. Geological Survey, radioactivity of typical fly ash is not significantly different from that of more conventional concrete additives or other building materials such as granite or red brick. A study was conducted in USA about the radiation hazards in coal fire plants from 1975-1985. They experienced a 1-5% increase in natural radioactivity in a 1 km area around the power plant7. Therefore, they concluded that fly ash is not radioactive. Promotion of Fly Ash in Orissa Use of fly ash is gaining immense popularity and is being promoted by various institutes like TARA, INSWAREB as well as the state governments of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Fly ash based industries utilizing a minimum of 25% by weight of fly ash as base raw materials were included in the Priority Sector in the Orissa Industrial Policy 2001. With Orissa emerging as the national hub for thermal power emphasis is laid on making the industrialization process more sustainable in the Orissa Industrial Policy 2007. Keeping this objective in mind, the Orissa government is promoting investments in new cement plants based on
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Radioactivity in Fly Ash?- Atif Mirza, Luke Snell, Ya Duinkherjev, Richard D. Stehley

blast furnace slag and fly ash, which would be available in abundance due to large number of steel and power plants coming up in the state. Due to the persistent efforts of fly ash mission, the utilization of fly ash increased from a mere 3% in 1994 to 27% in 2003-2004 to 46% in 2006-2007. The present utilization has crossed the 50% mark. However the unutilized fraction is also growing increasingly (70 million tonnes in 2006-07). As a result, a lot still has to be done in this field to reduce the unused fraction. It requires extensive awareness programs, demonstrations and training workshops to shift towards these nonconventional practices.