Indian cement industry has made great strides during the last two decades. It has achieved place of pride in innovations especially in the use of alternate fuels, overall energy and fuel efficiency and control of particulate emissions to surpass the international environmental norms.A K Jain a ‘Bharat Gaurav’ recipient has played significant role in revision of IS 456 :2000 and formulation of various codes on cement, fly ash, ggbs and RMC.The installed capacity of cement in the country has grown at an average rate of 8.3 per cent CAGR during the period 1991 to 2011 while production increased at the rate of 8 per cent during the same period. The Table gives the installed capacity and production of cement between 1991-2011.Thermal EnergyThe thermal energy consumption has seen marginal improvement over the years. Against the world’s best ranges between 680-690 Kcal/kg clinker, India’s average stands at 730-742 Kcal/kg clinker (26 plants). Though some plants are able to match the best average, industry as a whole has challenges before it to further improve on this account.Electric Energy EfficiencyThe average consumption of electric energy (26 plants) was 77 Kwh/t cement. The electric consumption has virtually reached a plateau and shows very little improvement. The best operated plants have brought down the consumption in the range of 65-68 Kwh/t cement, however, industry as a whole has scope for further improvement.Environmental PerformanceThe National Ambient Air Quality Requirement as per CPCB for particulate matter (PM) or dust emission of more than 200 tpd, is 150 mg/Nm3 and 50 mg/Nm3 for new cement plants. The modern cement plants are able to adhere to these norms. The new generation plants with capacity 8000 tpd and above are even excelling the norms.Challenges Ahead: LimestoneLimestone will continue to be the life line of cement manufacture. For 350 million tonnes installed targeted capacity by the end of XI Plan (2012), nearly 600 million tonne of cement grade limestone will be needed annually. Keeping in view the rapid expansion, the NCB initiated the task of preparation of national inventory of cement grade limestone. The proven category reserves are only 22,476 million tonne which are likely to last for next 35 to 40 years at the present rate of production. Sizable reserves are located in inaccessible areas, difficult terrains reserved forests, bio-zones and coastal regulatory zones, etc. Apart from limited availability of measured reserve for greenfield projects, about 27 per cent of the total reserves are of marginal grade which can only be utilised with sweetener or after up-gradation through beneficiation. Availability of cement grade limestone will be becoming a major challenge for the cement industry in the future.CoalAvailability of coal is proving another bottleneck for the cement industry. The coal demand of cement industry by 2012-13 is estimated to touch 39.72 million tonne as against 13.47 million tonne in 2000-01. During the last decade, coal demand has gone up almost four times. The infrastructure deficiencies at ports are causing problems in importing coal and availability of indigenous coal to cement industry is not assured. The cost of coal is escalating every year and posing challenge before the cement industry. The situation is likely to aggravate in future.Blending Materials: Fly ashAlthough large quality of fly ash is generated in India, in many cases the location of thermal power plants is far away from cement plants and in the absence of proper infrastructure for transportation and handing of fly ash, most of it remains unutilised. About 175 million tonne of fly ash was generated during the 11th Five Year Plan period. The cost of fly ash is continuously increasing due to transportation and permission given to thermal power plants to charge for it instead of giving free. The mega thermal plants located in East UP, West Bengal, North Bihar and generally in Eastern part of India have very few cement plants in close vicinity. The availability of good quality fly ash at reasonable cost is also going to be major factor before the cement industry in coming years.ChallengesAt present, the cement industry is facing two fold problems of high input costs and infrastructural weakness. The costs of key inputs coal, power and transport by rail or road are spiraling year-on-year. The coal is of poor quality, with high ash and low calorific value content. There is need to introduce competition for improving quality, regularity in supply and reduced prices. The power from public utilities is of poor quality due to frequent power cuts and fluctuating voltage.Transport by rail or road is a cost-intensive component and amounts to almost 15-20 per cent of the delivered cost to the consumers. The railway tariff is high and need to be rationalised for an essential product like cement. Road transport on the other hand, provides limited alternative because of inadequacy of road network and rising cost of road transport due to continuously rising fuel cost. Inland water transport is eco-friendly and cheap mode especially for bulk commodities like cement. Coastal shipping and inland waterways will help in bringing down the transportation cost.To Increase Use Of CementCement is not the end-use product for the consumer. Concrete and mortar are the real end-products. Use of concrete at present is very low, about 0.5 tonne per head annually against World’s average of 1.0 tonne. Use of concrete and cement based products need to be promoted especially in the following sectors to increase the demand of cement.
- Concrete roads
- White topping over existing bitumen roads
- Cement-based bricks/blocks for walling in lieu of clay bricks
- Pre-fab components for mass housing in lieu of conventional systems for roofing, flooring, walling etc.
- Cement concrete lining to canals to reduce seepage losses.
- Development of inland water ways and linking of rivers
The average consumption of cement per head is very low in India, in the range of 180-190 kg while world average is about 400 kg and in developed countries it is 600-800 kg. Cement-concrete is more durable than other conventional materials and the use of concrete in construction will bring down the life cycle of civil works and will be more eco-friendly and sustainable.