Concrete

We use computerised batching plants to ensure proper blending of fly ash with concrete

Published

11 years ago

July 31, 2014

admin

Mayur Shah, Managing Director, Marathon Group

Availability of good quality fly ash is not an issue. And the methods for testing it are well established as well. Construction leaders have now realised the merits of blending fly ash, and some, like the Marathon Group, are using fly ash in all their projects. The challenge however, is to blend it perfectly, says Mayur Shah, in an interaction with ICR. Excerpts from the interview.

How often, and how much of fly ash do you blend in cement?
We have used fly ash blended concrete in all our projects. We have been replacing cement with 28 per cent of fly ash in our blends. We produce high performance concrete using fly ash, GGBS, etc. Apart from blended concrete, we are using fly ash bricks too for construction. These bricks have better density and strength as compared to the conventional ones.

What encourages you to use fly ash in such significant quantities?
We at Marathon believe that our buildings should last for 75 years without any deterioration despite adverse weathering conditions. We also aim to reduce the cost of building repairs. In order to gain maximum benefits, we use high quality materials for in the construction process. Fly ash is one such material used by us.

How does fly ash contribute to concrete strength?
Fly ash is rich in silica. After primary cement hydration reaction, free lime available in concrete reacts with silica of fly ash and forms calcium silicate hydrate gel, which further adds to the strength of concrete as well as reduces porosity. This is called secondary reaction and it continues for at least a year. It increases durability of the structure over time. As (part of) cement content in the mix is substituted by fly ash, the heat of hydration gets reduced, which in turn eliminates the cracks in concrete.

Can you name some of your noteworthy projects where fly ash was used in significant quantity?
We have successfully completed many projects in which fly ash has been used:

Residential tower Marathon Era – 36 storeys in South Mumbai
Commercial Tower Marathon Futurex – 25 storeys in South Mumbai
Residential Tower Monte Vista – 33 storeys in Mulund, Mumbai
Residential Complex Marathon Nagari at Badlapur – winner of Best Low Cost Housing Apartments, at the CREDAI Real Estate Awards in 2012.

How do you ensure quality of your fly ash-cement blend?
Manual blending of fly ash is prone to errors. It is not possible to get desired quality of concrete consistently unless there is strict supervision on the site. So we use computerised batching plants at our sites to ensure proper blending of fly ash with concrete. There is no need for human intervention in the production of concrete. This eliminates any possible blending errors and helps us make good quality concrete consistently.

How do you assess the quality of fly ash?
Fly ash is broadly classified as Grade I or Grade II. As per IS 3812-2003, when silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and Iron (Fe2O3) quantiles are more than 70 per cent it is classified as Grade I. We have been using the Grade I fly ash, which has at the most 5 per cent loss on ignition. Also, retention on 45 micron must be less than 34 per cent (by wet sieving method) as per IS: 3812 (Pt-I)-2013. We have also been using fly ash having 20 per cent retention on 45 micron sieve. We conduct sieve analysis test on site to ensure that the material retention on 45 micron sieve is in desired range.

What about the availability of good quality fly ash in the country?
Fly ash is generated as a by-product while burning coal at power plants. We are sourcing it from Dahanu and Nashik power plants. This raw fly ash is graded on the basis of its silica, alumina and iron content. We are not facing any issues in sourcing good quality fly ash.

Concrete

Molecor Renews OCS Europe Certification Across Spanish Plants

Certification reinforces commitment to preventing microplastic pollution

Published

22 hours ago

December 18, 2025

admin

Molecor has renewed its OCS Europe certification for another year across all its production facilities in Spain under the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) voluntary initiative, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The renewal underlines the company’s continued focus on preventing the unintentional release of plastic particles during manufacturing, with particular attention to safeguarding marine ecosystems from microplastic pollution.

All Molecor plants in Spain have been compliant with OCS Europe standards for several years, implementing best practices designed to avoid pellet loss and the release of plastic particles during the production of PVC pipes and fittings. The OCS-based management system enables the company to maintain strict operational controls while aligning with evolving regulatory expectations on microplastic prevention.

The renewed certification also positions Molecor ahead of newly published European regulations. The company’s practices are aligned with Regulation (EU) 2025/2365, recently adopted by the European Parliament, which sets out requirements to prevent pellet loss and reduce microplastic pollution across industrial operations.

Extending its sustainability commitment beyond its own operations, Molecor is actively engaging its wider value chain by informing suppliers and customers of its participation in the OCS programme and encouraging responsible microplastic management practices. Through these efforts, the company contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14 ‘Life below water’, reinforcing its role as a responsible industrial manufacturer committed to environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

Concrete

Coforge Launches AI-Led Data Cosmos Analytics Platform

New cloud-native platform targets enterprise data modernisation and GenAI adoption

Published

2 days ago

December 17, 2025

admin

Coforge Limited has recently announced the launch of Coforge Data Cosmos, an AI-enabled, cloud-native data engineering and advanced analytics platform aimed at helping enterprises convert fragmented data environments into intelligent, high-performance data ecosystems. The platform strengthens Coforge’s technology stack by introducing a foundational innovation layer that supports cloud-native, domain-specific solutions built on reusable blueprints, proprietary IP, accelerators, agentic components and industry-aligned capabilities.

Data Cosmos is designed to address persistent enterprise challenges such as data fragmentation, legacy modernisation, high operational costs, limited self-service analytics, lack of unified governance and the complexity of GenAI adoption. The platform is structured around five technology portfolios—Supernova, Nebula, Hypernova, Pulsar and Quasar—covering the full data transformation lifecycle, from legacy-to-cloud migration and governance to cloud-native data platforms, autonomous DataOps and scaled GenAI orchestration.

To accelerate speed-to-value, Coforge has introduced the Data Cosmos Toolkit, comprising over 55 IPs and accelerators and 38 AI agents powered by the Data Cosmos Engine. The platform also enables Galaxy solutions, which combine industry-specific data models with the core technology stack to deliver tailored solutions across sectors including BFS, insurance, travel, transportation and hospitality, healthcare, public sector and retail.

“With Data Cosmos, we are setting a new benchmark for how enterprises convert data complexity into competitive advantage,” said Deepak Manjarekar, Global Head – Data HBU, Coforge. “Our objective is to provide clients with a fast, adaptive and AI-ready data foundation from day one.”

Supported by a strong ecosystem of cloud and technology partners, Data Cosmos operates across multi-cloud and hybrid environments and is already being deployed in large-scale transformation programmes for global clients.

Concrete

India, Sweden Launch Seven Low-Carbon Steel, Cement Projects

Joint studies to cut industrial emissions under LeadIT

Published

3 days ago

December 16, 2025

admin

India and Sweden have announced seven joint projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the steel and cement sectors, with funding support from India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Swedish Energy Agency.

The initiatives, launched under the LeadIT Industry Transition Partnership, bring together major Indian companies including Tata Steel, JK Cement, Ambuja Cements, Jindal Steel and Power, and Prism Johnson, alongside Swedish technology firms such as Cemvision, Kanthal and Swerim. Leading Indian academic institutions, including IIT Bombay, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bhubaneswar and IIT Hyderabad, are also participating.

The projects will undertake pre-pilot feasibility studies on a range of low-carbon technologies. These include the use of hydrogen in steel rotary kilns, recycling steel slag for green cement production, and applying artificial intelligence to optimise concrete mix designs. Other studies will explore converting blast furnace carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for reuse and assessing electric heating solutions for steelmaking.

India’s steel sector currently accounts for about 10–12 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, while cement contributes nearly 6 per cent. Globally, heavy industry is responsible for roughly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes around one-third of total energy.

The collaboration aims to develop scalable, low-carbon industrial technologies that can support India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070. As part of the programme, Tata Steel and Cemvision will examine methods to convert steel slag into construction materials, creating a circular value chain for industrial byproducts.