Environment

Poised for Exponential Growth

Published

11 years ago

May 31, 2015

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The local as well as global requirements for bulk material handling solutions are projected to be strong. The Indian bulk material handling industry is well saddled to make the best of this opportunity. INDIAN CEMENT REVIEW tracks the market and technology trends.

The Indian cement industry has shown excellent results, even from the global context, having achieved remarkable benchmarks, such as a highly efficient, 60kwhr/tonne energy consumption – the lowest in the world and the highest volume production per annum, next only to China. Despite these achievements, the industry is going through a rough patch, saddled with over capacity mainly due to demand slack, prohibitive costs and an infrastructure policy mismatch. Delayed project clearances related to mining, environmental issues put most of the upcoming projects on hold; in addition tight cash flows in the market totally slowed down the industry growth. However for the last one year of new government initiatives there is optimism across the industry and the industry is expecting moderate 10-15 per cent CAGR in the bulk material industry in coming future.

The bulk material handling equipment industry has had its cycles of growth, in line with the fortunes of the core sectors, of which the cement industry has a sizeable contribution. At present the capacity expansion is minimal, however, there is a substantial emphasis on efficiency, and for bulk material handling companies who can help the cement industry convey more efficiently (lower cost/tonne), and help reduce pollution levels, there is perhaps, more work, than ever before.

Says Rohit Arora, Director – Sales & Marketing, Continental Belting (CBPL), ?Cement manufacturing efficiencies depend greatly on cost effective conveying, mostly by means of conveyor belts, beginning from the transportation of limestone at the mine to the end of the circuit, where the cement bags are loaded by telescopic conveyor belts onto trucks. The Indian belting industry has a fair reliance on cement companies for utilisation of at-least 12-15 per cent of their produce. Cement is a serious business for us and from the long term perspective; our fraternity is bullish on this sector.?

According to Nishant Jain, Head – Business Development, Rollwell Group of Companies, the outlook for BMHE is very bullish given the fact that India is poised to develop major infrastructure in construction, roads, ports and power. Jain says, ?Apart from cement, the power industry is just waiting to get into top gear once the coal allocations get stream lined and some of the land acquisition issues are resolved. Most environmental related clearances have been already obtained and thus the cement and power industry will truly drive the BMHE.?

Market trends
Today clinker production unit sizes are becoming higher (from 2000 – 3000 TPD to 5,000 – 10,000 TPD) to harness economies of scale. This has had a positive impact on BMH solution providers. According to Y Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director, Bevcon Wayors the bulk material handling industry has really geared up to catering high capacity conveying applications beyond certain limits of production; there is no other option except use of material handling equipment to meet the present production needs. Also lot of technological evaluation has been taken place in bulk material industry in terms of conveying the material to longest distances of nearly 100 km and highest capacities about 20000 tonne or more. Hence enhancing the kiln capacities will definitely will add value to BMH industry.

According to Rohit this shift towards higher production units makes things more challenging and also exciting as it calls for out of the box thinking. For the bulk material handling especially, those who continue to do things, as always, it is a rough ride. So I would broadly think that many of them would be seeking contracts in other industries. However, for the seasoned, it is the best time to put their innovation to commercial application and to deliver value to the cement industry. Any player who contributes to improve efficiency and effectiveness would be most sought after! Says Jain, ?Bigger is always better. Larger capacities translate to higher material handling and conveying capacity which means high capacity conveyors, high speed conveyors. It also mandates good quality products which are extremely reliable, proven and low maintenance in order to ensure that inefficient material handling does not hamper production targets. At Rollwell Group we had anticipated this few years ago and thus laid specific emphasis on developing new high speed, high capacity conveyors and components.? Jain adds, ?Apart from material handling, material storage also becomes important as capacities are scaled up and thus we entered into a joint venture with CST Industries of USA to bring ?Dome Storage? solutions to India for the first time. These aluminum domes can store large quantities of clinker, limestone, coal etc all under a roof, thus protecting the environment from pollution and the stored products from the elements of the environment.?

Another major change in the cement industry is many manufacturers are setting up grinding units closer to to thermal power plants. Logistics has played very crucial role in defining final cost of production, especially in the cement industry; hence most of the grinding units are located close to thermal power plants. Growing demands for fly ash based PPC production has forced many of the industry players to set up grinding units close to thermal power plant for fly ash consumption. However, the vendors seem to have geared up for the challenge. This close proximity of grinding units to the power plants brings to the table numerous advantages. Reddy explains some of these benefits:

-Logistics cost / Opex costs can be brought in to greater control by designing suitable bulk material handling equipment like pipe conveyor, cross country conveyor or pneumatic conveying systems by directly conveying fly ash from the thermal plant to grinding unit location.
-Environmental norms and protection can be better managed by use of bulk material handling equipment, fly ash being very light in density handling needs very care full attention which can be controlled when material is handle by mechanised conveying manner only.
-Effective space utilisation can be done by synchronising grinding mill needs with respect to power plant fly ash generation.
-Use of bulk material handling for ash conveying will give option of transporting very high capacities can be handled where in conventional road logistics of truck handling has serious limitations.
-Reddy adds, ?Recently we have commissioned a similar application where in 50 tph fly ash has been conveyed from a power plant by dense phase pneumatic system cement grinding plant located around 600 m away also under commissioning one more plant where in ash has been conveyed from captive thermal plant to cement grinding plant located about 1.2 km away by dense phase pneumatic plant.? Says Rohit, ?We are where our customers are. There has been a trend for the cement industry to set up CGU?s around power plants. Fly ash which once was a big burden to dispose has become a very valuable commodity. We have set-up service cells in the proximity of such plants, to be able to provide a rapid response, ensuring minimal down-time. We understand that it is not just the product, and quality, but, the ability to deliver on a call, which is a very important part of the package.? According to Jain, this is a good development for the BMHE. There is a good potential to transport fly ash through different equipment directly to the grinding units due to the close proximity thereby reducing challenges faced in fly ash storage, transportation and disposal.

Energy & Environment
Energy accounts for about 38-40 per cent of the production cost of cement, hence, besides conventional fuels, such as oil, gas, coal, etc, using alternate fuels, such as rice husk, shredded tyres, coconut kernel, wood chips, etc. helps reduce energy costs, besides reducing pollution. This has its ramification on the BMH equipment providers, who have developed new conveying and supporting systems. Company such as CBPL has developed specialist sidewall conveying systems for feeding alternate fuels, efficiently, which have been constantly upgraded over time. CBPL has also come out with the ?Energy Saver? range of conveyor belts developed after extensive research of the viscoelastic characteristics of conveyor belt polymers, which prevent un-wanted bending of the belt, leading to loss of energy. ?The pay-back period of this product is highly favourable,? informs Rohit.

Rohit adds, ?Pipe conveyor belts, with built-in chevrons, help completely seal the material being conveyed, from the atmosphere. These belts can convey even up to distances of 10km or more, and can easily manage horizontal and vertical curves. Practically zero spillage and pollutions can be assured, once again, pledging our concern for the environment, and also making economic sense.?

According to Reddy energy efficiency is one of the critical design and performance parameter in the bulk material handling. To achieve energy efficiency focus starts from better lay outing of the project design and selection of equipment with optimum service factors. He says, ?We are in the process of putting up totally automated idler and pulley manufacturing plant with UK technology to produce low resistance Idlers which will bring down the overall power consumptions of the conveyors. On average 10-12 per cent enhanced energy efficiency can be achieved. In specific cases it can be to the extent of 30 per cent.?

Bevcon also has conveying system technology called ?pipe conveyor? which conveys materials of high capacity for long distance in enclosed form (belt rolls into pipe form) ensuring absolute control of material emission to atmosphere and loss of material and spillage in conveying path that way it?s very ideal technology for environmental friendly applications. Similarly sandwich conveyor also highly environment friendly equipment where in conveying of material takes place between two sandwiched belts resulting zero spillage of material to atmosphere. Hence it?s very ideal equipment for open pit mining applications where the ore need to be conveyed from the pit of the mine to surface.

Says Jain, ?We have brought the Dome technology to India for covered storage of bulk material stockpiles like coal, limestone, iron ore etc. The particulate pollution from coal and other fine materials has been the reason for many respiratory disorders like tuberculosis etc in India and it is about time that all bulk stockpiles would be under cover and not left open. Not only does this help the environment by reducing air and ground water pollution but also protects the stockpiles from rains, moisture, spontaneous combusting/wind etc.?

Challenges
For Reddy execution of turnkey projects in India is really a challenging game. An organisation should have abilities to handle business techno commercially and should be self sufficient with infrastructure, human talent and project management capabilities to make it as successful as overall timely completion of a project is big task. He adds, ?Risk assessment is major challenge considering the tight cash flows and time consuming financial clearances from institutions. Long pending project clearance from the government also putting extraordinary strain on the project developers in turn its impacting overall business of the industry and economy. Says Mehul Mohanka, Director Global Business, Tega Industries, ?Slowdown in economic growth has led to reduction in sales. This has propelled customers to reduce maintenance and operating costs to maintain profitability. Another challenge is that frequently changing raw material characteristics and operating parameters and pressure to maintain production levels on plant managers is affecting the efficiency of the equipment. BMH Equipment manufacturers need to address these challenges.? According to the BMHE as it caters to the core industries it is highly dependent on policy matters and health of the economy at large. The BMHE industry cannot scale up or down rapidly and at the same time maintain the quality, price and service levels which are expected from it. Thus a streamlined policy environment and clear road map for the economy is mandatory for the industry to thrive and survive.

Moving ahead
So how does the future look like? In spite of current complex situations prevailing Indian bulk material handling has very bright future as per 12th Plan. Reddy says, ?Investments in infrastructure going to be nearly 10 per cent of the GDP and if this planned investment is realised it will propel the Indian economy growth to higher growth trajectory which leads to creating abundant business opportunities more in for bulk material handling sector being key contributor to infrastructure growth. Rohit says, ?Chasing efficiency, the size of plants in the steel, cement, power and other sectors are getting larger, and the requirement for conveyor belting is ever increasing. The local as well as global requirements are projected to be strong. The Indian material handling industry is well saddled to make the best of this opportunity. Jain sums it up on a high note. For him there is only one direction, that?s up. Jain say, ?The potential for infrastructure development in India is tremendous, we are a power hungry nation and there is no way this development will be stalled, it will only grow leaps and bounds and so will the need for BMHE to cater to the same.

Achieving Energy Efficiency

Use of energy efficiency drives and components in equipment engineering.
Best use of gravitational energy for material flow.
Use of imported energy efficiency components while engineering stage if need be.
Adopting proper preventive maintenance practices.
Effective utilisation of machine avoiding idle times and un-even loading and over loading etc.
Use of right fit electrical connectivity accessories to avoid power loss automation of equipment example: when not in use automatic switch off.
Best use of green energy concepts.
Developing friction free component to minimize energy absorption.
Development of re-generation conveyors for energy generation etc.

Industry Highlights

BMHE industry to grow 10-15 per cent
Use of pipe conveyors on the rise
New technologies for material stockpile
Demand for high capacity conveying system
More focus on energy efficient systems

Quote
?Energy Saver? range of conveyor belts developed after extensive research of the viscoelastic characteristics of conveyor elt polymers.

Concrete

We engineer smarter systems to reduce waste

Published

2 months ago

December 12, 2025

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Naveen Kumar Sharma, AVP – Sales and Marketing, Toshniwal Industries, talks about redefining instrumentation with customised, digitally enabled solutions engineered for harsh plant environments.

For over six decades, Toshniwal Industries has played a pioneering role in advancing process instrumentation for Indian manufacturing. In this exclusive conversation with Kanika Mathur, Naveen Kumar Sharma, AVP – Sales & Marketing, explains how the company designs kiln and grinding plant solutions tailored to the unique demands of the cement industry. As plants transition to higher AFR use and smarter automation, Toshniwal’s technologies offer greater reliability, accuracy and predictive insight.

Tell us how are your process instruments and condition monitoring system customised for cement kilns and grinding plant operations?
Toshniwal is a company with a legacy of over 65 years, and our experience has taught us that cement kilns and grinding units are fundamentally different in their operational demands. As an Indian company, we understand the unique requirements of Indian cement manufacturers. We work closely with our customers, engage deeply with their technical teams, and study operational challenges in real-time.
Based on these insights, we customise our solutions for both kiln and grinding applications. This tailoring is not just at a product level, but at a solution level—engineering design, instrumentation logic, and process optimisation. Our primary objective, for both the industry and our customers, is to reduce yield loss. Every customisation we implement is driven by this goal. We engineer smarter systems to reduce waste, improve consistency and increase plant reliability.
Ultimately, our solutions are built on an understanding that cement manufacturers require robust, practical and maintainable instruments. We design with this mindset so plants can operate more efficiently, with better control and higher profitability.

With the rising use of AFR, how do your solutions support thermal zone reliability and process time?
Our solutions are built around four core parameters: energy efficiency, yield loss reduction, product quality and environmental responsibility. These pillars drive our engineering decisions and define how our technologies support cement plants, especially as they adopt alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR).
We strongly believe in energy conservation. Every product we offer—whether for thermal monitoring, kiln control or flame optimisation—is engineered to improve energy performance. Reducing yield loss is another principle deeply embedded in our solutions, because production interruptions and material losses directly affect plant profitability and clinker quality.
We are also highly conscious of the end-product quality delivered by our customers to their markets. Consistency in burning, heat transfer, and thermal profiling directly influences clinker characteristics, and our instruments help maintain this stability.
Lastly, and most importantly, we care about the environment. We want to leave a greener world for the next generation. This mindset aligns with India’s digitalisation movement, advocated by our Prime Minister. Digital technologies are crucial for optimising AFR use, process stability, emissions and kiln efficiency. We are proud to contribute to this transition.
By optimising flame patterns, energy use, and pollution, our solutions deliver direct and indirect savings. Plants benefit from lower operational losses, reduced maintenance, and improved reliability, especially in pyroprocessing zones.

Tell us how do you address harsh environment challenges in cement plants, say dust, temperature, etc. with your sensor and monitoring?
This is a very important question because cement plants, steel plants, and power plants operate in extremely harsh environments. There are two major categories of specifications that we must respect while designing solutions: technical specifications and environmental specifications. Technical specifications relate to performance accuracy, measurement integrity, responsiveness and process safety. Environmental specifications, on the other hand, relate to high temperatures, heavy dust, humidity, vibrations and corrosive atmospheres. Our solutions are engineered to withstand both. We customise sensors, housings, mounting mechanisms and protective systems so that our instruments operate at 100 per cent functionality in harsh conditions. We ensure that the plant experiences minimal downtime from our systems. That is our engineering philosophy—solutions must work reliably in real-world environments, not just in ideal laboratory conditions.

What retrofit pathways do you offer for older cement lines to upgrade measurement and monitoring systems and how is the Indian market responding?
Every solution we provide is scalable and digitally adaptable. Technology evolves rapidly, and our offerings evolve with it. When we upgrade instruments or monitoring systems, we design them to integrate with existing plant infrastructure, so customers do not have to rebuild everything from scratch. Once our solution is installed, software upgrades or performance improvements can often be deployed without major cost. This ensures that customers continue to benefit from ongoing technological advancements. The Indian market has responded positively to this approach. Plant operators appreciate solutions that are future-ready and dynamic rather than static. Scalability helps them maintain competitiveness, extend asset life, and move toward smart manufacturing with confidence.

So how is your organisation leveraging digital technologies in your instrumentation portfolio for cement plants?
Digitalisation is at the core of every product we manufacture. We stand firmly behind the digital movement, not only because it represents efficiency, but because it is the direction in which the Indian industrial ecosystem is evolving. We deploy machine-vision technologies, advanced inline monitoring systems, and solutions capable of visualising the
inside of the furnace. These systems help reduce downtime, enable predictive asset management and provide actionable analytics to customers. All our technologies communicate seamlessly with Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 automation. This allows integration across SCADA, DCS, ERP, and cloud ecosystems. Digitalisation for us is not an add-on—it is foundational to how our instrumentation is built.

What are your key innovation priorities to help Indian cement plant producers hit harder, higher substitution rates, lower emissions and smarter processing?
Sustainability is a national priority, and we are committed to supporting it. Our current portfolio already helps improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and support alternative fuel integration. But our innovation roadmap goes further. We are now developing specialised productivity-oriented software modules that will provide proactive alerts—not just alarms triggered after a fault has occurred. These modules will leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect patterns early. The intention is to help plant teams take corrective actions ahead of time, reducing yield loss and environmental impact. Instead of informing the plant that a disruption has happened, the system will indicate that a disruption will happen, giving operators time to prevent it. We believe that within the next 12 to 18 months, we will launch these predictive solutions in combination with our instrumentation. When implemented, they will significantly improve decision-making, process stability and environmental performance across the Indian cement sector.

– Kanika Mathur

Concrete

India donates 225t of cement for Myanmar earthquake relief

Published

8 months ago

June 17, 2025

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On 23 May 2025, the Indian Navy ship UMS Myitkyina arrived at Thilawa (MITT) port carrying 225 tonnes of cement provided by the Indian government to aid post-earthquake rebuilding efforts in Myanmar. As reported by the Global Light of Myanmar, a formal handover of 4500 50kg cement bags took place that afternoon. The Yangon Region authorities managed the loading of the cement onto trucks for distribution to the earthquake-affected zones.

Concrete

Reclamation of Used Oil for a Greener Future

Published

8 months ago

June 16, 2025

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In this insightful article, KB Mathur, Founder and Director, Global Technical Services, explores how reclaiming used lubricants through advanced filtration and on-site testing can drive cost savings, enhance productivity, and support a greener industrial future. Read on to discover how oil regeneration is revolutionising sustainability in cement and core industries.

The core principle of the circular economy is to redefine the life cycle of materials and products. Unlike traditional linear models where waste from industrial production is dumped/discarded into the environment causing immense harm to the environment;the circular model seeks to keep materials literally in continuous circulation. This is achievedthrough processes cycle of reduction, regeneration, validating (testing) and reuse. Product once
validated as fit, this model ensures that products and materials are reintroduced into the production system, minimising waste. The result? Cleaner and greener manufacturing that fosters a more sustainable planet for future generations.

The current landscape of lubricants
Modern lubricants, typically derived from refined hydrocarbons, made from highly refined petroleum base stocks from crude oil. These play a critical role in maintaining the performance of machinery by reducing friction, enabling smooth operation, preventing damage and wear. However, most of these lubricants; derived from finite petroleum resources pose an environmental challenge once used and disposed of. As industries become increasingly conscious of their environmental impact, the paramount importance or focus is shifting towards reducing the carbon footprint and maximising the lifespan of lubricants; not just for environmental reasons but also to optimise operational costs.
During operations, lubricants often lose their efficacy and performance due to contamination and depletion of additives. When these oils reach their rejection limits (as they will now offer poor or bad lubrication) determined through laboratory testing, they are typically discarded contributing to environmental contamination and pollution.
But here lies an opportunity: Used lubricants can be regenerated and recharged, restoring them to their original performance level. This not only mitigates environmental pollution but also supports a circular economy by reducing waste and conserving resources.

Circular economy in lubricants
In the world of industrial machinery, lubricating oils while essential; are often misunderstood in terms of their life cycle. When oils are used in machinery, they don’t simply ‘DIE’. Instead, they become contaminated with moisture (water) and solid contaminants like dust, dirt, and wear debris. These contaminants degrade the oil’s effectiveness but do not render it completely unusable. Used lubricants can be regenerated via advanced filtration processes/systems and recharged with the use of performance enhancing additives hence restoring them. These oils are brought back to ‘As-New’ levels. This new fresher lubricating oil is formulated to carry out its specific job providing heightened lubrication and reliable performance of the assets with a view of improved machine condition. Hence, contributing to not just cost savings but leading to magnified productivity, and diminished environmental stress.

Save oil, save environment
At Global Technical Services (GTS), we specialise in the regeneration of hydraulic oils and gear oils used in plant operations. While we don’t recommend the regeneration of engine oils due to the complexity of contaminants and additives, our process ensures the continued utility of oils in other applications, offering both cost-saving and environmental benefits.

Regeneration process
Our regeneration plant employs state-of-the-art advanced contamination removal systems including fine and depth filters designed to remove dirt, wear particles, sludge, varnish, and water. Once contaminants are removed, the oil undergoes comprehensive testing to assess its physico-chemical properties and contamination levels. The test results indicate the status of the regenerated oil as compared to the fresh oil.
Depending upon the status the oil is further supplemented with high performance additives to bring it back to the desired specifications, under the guidance of an experienced lubrication technologist.
Contamination Removal ? Testing ? Additive Addition
(to be determined after testing in oil test laboratory)

The steps involved in this process are as follows:
1. Contamination removal: Using advanced filtration techniques to remove contaminants.
2. Testing: Assessing the oil’s properties to determine if it meets the required performance standards.
3. Additive addition: Based on testing results, performance-enhancing additives are added to restore the oil’s original characteristics.

On-site oil testing laboratories
The used oil from the machine passes through 5th generation fine filtration to be reclaimed as ‘New Oil’ and fit to use as per stringent industry standards.
To effectively implement circular economy principles in oil reclamation from used oil, establishing an on-site oil testing laboratory is crucial at any large plants or sites. Scientific testing methods ensure that regenerated oil meets the specifications required for optimal machine performance, making it suitable for reuse as ‘New Oil’ (within specified tolerances). Hence, it can be reused safely by reintroducing it in the machines.
The key parameters to be tested for regenerated hydraulic, gear and transmission oils (except Engine oils) include both physical and chemical characteristics of the lubricant:

Kinematic Viscosity
Flash Point
Total Acid Number
Moisture / Water Content
Oil Cleanliness
Elemental Analysis (Particulates, Additives and Contaminants)
Insoluble

The presence of an on-site laboratory is essential for making quick decisions; ensuring that test reports are available within 36 to 48 hours and this prevents potential mechanical issues/ failures from arising due to poor lubrication. This symbiotic and cyclic process helps not only reduce waste and conserve oil, but also contributes in achieving cost savings and playing a big role in green economy.

Conclusion
The future of industrial operations depends on sustainability, and reclaiming used lubricating oils plays a critical role in this transformation. Through 5th Generation Filtration processes, lubricants can be regenerated and restored to their original levels, contributing to both environmental preservation and economic efficiency.
What would happen if we didn’t recycle our lubricants? Let’s review the quadruple impacts as mentioned below:
1. Oil Conservation and Environmental Impact: Used lubricating oils after usage are normally burnt or sold to a vendor which can be misused leading to pollution. Regenerating oils rather than discarding prevents unnecessary waste and reduces the environmental footprint of the industry. It helps save invaluable resources, aligning with the principles of sustainability and the circular economy. All lubricating oils (except engine oils) can be regenerated and brought to the level of ‘As New Oils’.
2. Cost Reduction Impact: By extending the life of lubricants, industries can significantly cut down on operating costs associated with frequent oil changes, leading to considerable savings over time. Lubricating oils are expensive and saving of lubricants by the process of regeneration will overall be a game changer and highly economical to the core industries.
3. Timely Decisions Impact: Having an oil testing laboratory at site is of prime importance for getting test reports within 36 to 48 hours enabling quick decisions in critical matters that may
lead to complete shutdown of the invaluable asset/equipment.
4. Green Economy Impact: Oil Regeneration is a fundamental part of the green economy. Supporting industries in their efforts to reduce waste, conserve resources, and minimise pollution is ‘The Need of Our Times’.

About the author:
KB Mathur, Founder & Director, Global Technical Services, is a seasoned mechanical engineer with 56 years of experience in India’s oil industry and industrial reliability. He pioneered ‘Total Lubrication Management’ and has been serving the mining and cement sectors since 1999.