As part of its green business initiative, CII – Godrej GBC (Green Business Centre) and Cement Manufacturers? Association (CMA) had jointly organised the 12th Green Cementech 2016. The annual conference on cement technologies was held at Hyderabad on 12 & 13 May 2016.
A decade back, CII and CMA initiated the concept of world-class energy efficiency in the cement industry. As part of this initiative, several activities have been carried out in partnership with the industry and various associations. These activities include energy audits, capacity building programmes, national and international missions to energy-efficient plants and setting up of specific energy consumption norms.
The latest event was held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). The focused idea was to accelerate the green initiatives in the cement industry with the theme ?Make Indian Cement Plants World Class in Green?.
The address by Dr Shailendra Chouksey, President, Cement Manufacturers? Association, was truly thought provoking.
He said, ?NCCBM is an autonomous, research-focused organisation, which is making significant contribution to not only to cement, but to the entire building materials industry in conserving of resources, improvement in processes, products, and technologies. I am sure henceforth there would be more opportunities for CII, CMA and NCCBM to collaborate and work together to tackle some of the issues relating to the environment and sustainability challenges facing the nation. I am happy to note that the panel discussions have been lined up on the recent policy reforms and their implications on the cement industry, where members from Central and State Pollution Control Boards, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and other stakeholders will be sharing their views. I also note that the conference has several presentations from world-renowned agencies and experts in this area for the benefit of the participants.? Dr Chouksey encouraged all the delegates to avail of the services of industry associations in all possible ways and benefit from their network, access and technical knowledge base. He added, ?CMA & CII would be glad to extend all possible assistance in the wider interest of the Indian cement industry.?
He also said that to be green is no more of a fad; it has become the way of life for sustainability.
He added, ?I am using this opportunity and the platform to put forward the ?3R + 1R?, (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Renewable) framework to debate, refine, and define our thinking and actions to achieve our goals. I am sure it will be equally exciting to cement industry experts to work on cement which requires half the water or no water at all in construction, given the fact that more than 50 per cent of the country is grappling with water scarcity. Can the experts who are assembled here apply their collective wisdom to see how the most abundant form of natural resource for energy can be harnessed to fulfil the requirement of the process? Can we use solar concentrators to generate the heat and temperatures which can meet the process requirements of pre-calciners in the cement manufacturing process?? N A Viswanathan, Secretary General, Cement Manufacturers? Association, said, ?The Indian cement industry is currently in a turnaround phase, focusing on achieving global standards in production, safety, and energy efficiency. Indian cement plants have already begun utilising new technology and are developing their capacities and product ranges. This, along with the growth of the housing sector, is expected to drive the cement market in the coming years.?
Viswanathan stressed that apart from these technological advancements, the need of the hour is to focus on cost-effective areas like achieving higher utilisation of alternative fuels and raw materials, utilisation of low-grade limestone and lower clinker factor, and development of standards for different types of blended cements, for further sustainable cement production.
He said that the Indian cement industry deserves commendation for its long-standing efforts towards reduction of its carbon footprint by adopting the best available technologies and environmental practices. He said, ?The low carbon technology roadmap for the Indian cement industry is a testimony to the sector?s commitment to contribute to a clean environment.?
He added, ?It is heartening that the Indian cement industry has worked proactively in achieving the targets set for BEE?s PAT First Cycle and the results have been extremely encouraging. With the issue of the notification for the Second Cycle of the PAT scheme by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, cement companies with the new stringent targets are mandated to reduce the specific energy consumption even further.?
Viswanathan said that CMA, by joining hands with the Cement Sustainability Initiative under the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Geneva, as its communication partner, has provided an excellent window for the industry to get to know the latest and best practices available in the world and benchmark performance against these. ?At the same time, it has also helped the cement industry across the globe to get to know our achievements and technical excellence in the field?.
K N Rao, Co-Chairman, Green Cementech 2016 and Director-Energy & Environment, ACC Limited, said that GreenCo Rating is a first-of-its-kind mechanism in the world which evaluates the greenness of a company and also suggests the way forward. The day was also marked by the felicitation of Vinita Singhania, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, J K Lakshmi Cement Ltd, with the?Distinguished Personality? Award for her outstanding contribution to the Indian cement sector and for setting new benchmarks in environmental management.
G Jayaraman, Chairman, Green Cementech 2016, highlighted that the Indian construction sector will become the third largest in the world by 2025, with market potential of $1 trillion a year. He reiterated that the Indian cement industry is among the best and most efficient in the world.
He underlined that the cement sector should look beyond regulations and frameworks and emphasised that the cement plants should take this initiative with renewed passion and commitment. Jayaraman also acknowledged that the cement industry is serving the environment by being the absorber of all kinds of waste and stressed on increased technology and knowledge transfer within the sector.
In his address, L Rajasekhar, Co-Chairman, Green Cementech 2016 & Executive President, UltraTech Cement Ltd, hoped that Green Cementech 2016 would meet its desired objectives and continue to serve as an excellent forum to learn and share the latest trends and green technologies in the sector.
Hall of Fame
At the inaugural session of Green Cementech 2016, Indian cement companies were awarded for their excellent efforts in adopting and promoting green practices in their businesses. The awards were presented under the following two categories: GreenPro certified:
1.Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited
2.IMFA
3.JSW Cement
4.UltraTech Cement Ltd
GreenCo rated companies:
1.Kesoram Industries Ltd (Unit: Vasavadatta Cement)
2.UltraTech Cement Ltd (Unit: Reddipalayam Cement Works)