Economy & Market

Eliminating landfills

Published

9 years ago

December 30, 2017

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The problem of tackling house hold waste is alarming and the infrastructure to handle that by the local bodies on the verge of collapse.
India today collects close to 1,00,000 tonnes of waste per day (the generation is higher and so we see the waste everywhere). And as we urbanise, this problem will only dramatically increase. We all know the reasons for this problem. Increasing urbanisation, coupled with economic development and modern living styles have created this monumental problem in the form of solid waste for urban India. Past frugal habits, almost no use of packaging, no knowledge of plastics, a limited population that was largely rural have given way to a scenario where municipal solid waste generation occurs at each step, without much thought going into the aggregated municipal solid waste (MSW) heaps that are becoming an integral part of our urban (and partially, even rural) landscape.
So what do we do? The first and most obvious and desirable step that has been talked about for some time is: Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse.
But at this stage in our country’s development, this is easier said than done. As we urbanise, some of our past practices are dying and being replaced with new, more convenient practices. I remember, when I was younger, my mother would never go to the market without a bag (typically cloth) of her own. Then, along came plastic bags at each hawkers’ end and out went the earlier re-usable cloth bags. Thus now all the vegetables come home in their own plastic bags. If we also look at most products we buy today, the packing has gone up dramatically.
Similarly, the new urban economy has given a boost to the attitude of convenience and thus changed our age old ways of recycling and reusing. Thus while the Rs 3 as they are called should be the aim of each one of us, we should understand that these generally go against current human behaviour, find limited acceptance and even if successful, will still leave large quantities requiring treatment and safe disposal/utilisation.
MSW collection and management has thus become one of the most difficult and expensive tasks for most municipalities and municipal corporations across the world and in India. Most municipal bodies either spend a substantial part of their budget on this or just see this as a problem with no solution. Even where the waste is being collected, there are limited technical solutions available to handle the waste effectively.Current status
The only real solutions that exist today are listed below:
Landfilling: Most waste collected in the country today is sent to an identified landfill. The landfills are not really scientifically designed and this leads to issues of groundwater contamination (the leachate generated in landfills should be trapped and treated but this is seldom done), air emissions, etc. As the quantum of waste grows, the landfills start choking and become a physical hazard as well. Recently there have been news reports of people dying due to part of the kachra in the landfills collapsing and falling on people (Delhi). In Deonar, Mumbai, parts of the landfill caught fire leading to all of Mumbai suffering smog. These are just a couple of examples but we read and hear such depressing stories each day! Similar stories come from other parts of the world as well like Colombo, Kenya, etc. Thus the landfill can only be an interim solution and that too is becoming an increasingly difficult solution to implement as no one, including villagers, want these landfills in their backyards and for very obvious reasons! Composting: As per the National Green Tribunal Guidelines, the wet waste (food waste, dung, vegetable and fruit waste, etc) should be composted and the compost so generated should be used as fertilizer. A few sites are doing this but this finally treats less than 10 per cent of the incoming waste. Thus there has to be a solution to handle the balance.Waste to energy: This seems to be the only real solution that can get rid of the waste in an economical and sustainable manner. But at this point of time, the technology available is complex, has emissions issues and is not available for villages, towns and smaller cities (typical combustion plants need at least 500 tonnes of waste per day). Many of the plants installed earlier have been shut down due to emission issues. Parameters of an Ideal solution
The ideal solution should thus be a waste to energy technology that does below:

It will need to substantially reduce the volume of the waste – ideally it should lead to all waste being processed and should send nothing to landfills
The process should generate wealth – fertilizer, gas / power, etc., ensuring that the bane of MSW could become a boon
The solution should be usable in small towns as well as large cities
Even for large cities, the solution should allow decentralised processing to minimise transportation and related costs/issues
Emissions should be in keeping with all norms as defined worldwide
The solution should be financially viable

An innovative solution
Under this very gloomy scenario, there seems to be a glimmer of hope as a new and promising technology has come to convert most kinds of waste to energy. The technology uses the process of gasification to breakdown the solid waste into a combustible gas called syngas. This gas is then used to generate heat or power.

The technology uses all fractions of MSW without extensive segregation and coupled with composting/biogas plants, ensures that nothing goes to landfills. Part of the in-feed is given out as totally benign ash that can be used for roads while the balance material is converted to gas
The way the systems are designed ensures that all emissions norms are met
The systems are designed for distributed use. Thus, the smallest system is a 2.5 tonne per day plant and the largest can handle up to 200 tonne per day. This allows use of the technology in small towns as well as large cities
The systems ensure that at current waste to energy power tariffs, the projects can be financially viable, particularly if small support/viability gap funding is made available
The systems have been designed, developed and made in India

A typical configuration uses about 100 tonnes of waste to generate about 1.8 MW of power. It is envisaged that apart from using these systems in towns and villages, the systems can also be used to distribute waste processing in larger cities. This will ensure that the transport costs for the waste are much reduced.
Come, let’s use this ‘Made in India" technology to create Swachh Bharat!The menace of waste
As a citizen of this country and this world, I increasingly get concerned about many issues we as a society face. Of all our issues, one of the larger ones is the waste we as a race generate. And there is no real solution in sight to this problem, particularly for small town and cities.The numbers are telling: Human beings as they develop produce more and more waste. Urban Indian’s average waste generation per capita is today 400 grams per day. For the US, it is at a staggering 2,500 grams per capita per day, and we seem to be slowly but surely moving in that direction – a frightening prospect indeed!
The world today generates close to 2 billion tonnes of waste per annum. This is up from about 1.3 billion tonne in 2010 (as per World Bank numbers). This number will probably grow to more than 2.2 billion in 2020.Authors:
The article is authored by Dr BC Jain, Chairman, Ankur Scientific, Baroda.

Concrete

Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication

Published

7 days ago

October 9, 2026

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Singh brings 20+ years of brand and marketing experience, and will lead integrated corporate brand communication initiatives at Wonder Cement

New Delhi

Wonder Cement, a leading cement manufacturer, has appointed Mahesh Singh as Vice President – Corporate Brand Communication. In his new role, he will oversee corporate brand strategy and communication, including digital and performance marketing, public relations, trade, events, exhibitions, sports and experiential marketing.

Singh brings over two decades of experience across marketing and communications, with roles spanning the automotive industry, agencies and entrepreneurship. He spent more than a decade with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, working across integrated communication, media, digital, retail and consumer engagement. His stint also included helping build the company’s digital marketing capabilities.

He moved to dentsu X India as Vice President – Strategy & Planning, working across categories such as automotive, auto components, electric vehicles, FMCG, consumer electronics, BFSI, apparel and brand consulting. His responsibilities included media and marketing strategy, product launches, content, performance marketing and consumer activations.

Singh subsequently took an entrepreneurial route with Radiant Brands before joining Shriram Ltd (SPR Autotech) as Head – Marketing & Communications. There, his remit included brand and corporate strategy, communications, PR and ORM, retail identity, loyalty programmes and events.

At Wonder Cement, Singh will be responsible for bringing together the company’s corporate brand communication initiatives across digital, performance marketing, PR, trade, sports and experiential platforms. The role will focus on creating an integrated approach to communication across consumers, trade partners and other key stakeholders.

The appointment brings to Wonder Cement a marketer whose career has spanned the brand, agency and entrepreneurial sides of the communications ecosystem.

Wonder Cement, part of the RK Group, is a cement manufacturer with roots in Rajasthan and a focus on quality, trust and transparency. The company has grown to six manufacturing plants, and a cement capacity of 21.5 MTPA. With more than 2,000 employees and a network of over 5,000 dealers, its operations span manufacturing, distribution and customer engagement, with a focus on consistent product quality and efficient execution.

Concrete

JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

Published

1 week ago

October 8, 2026

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With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA,
Mumbai

JSW Cement, one of India’s leading green cement producers and part of the diversified JSW Group, today announced the successful commissioning of an additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The commissioning marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth strategy.

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, while its total clinker manufacturing capacity, including clinker capacity at its joint venture, JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

JSW Cement had commenced operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the commissioning of the additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit, the plant’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA, enhancing the company’s ability to cater to the growing cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a strategic mix of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended 30th September 2026, JSW Cement has also commissioned the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) at the Nagaur Integrated Plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said: “The commissioning of additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity at Nagaur is a key strategic priority for us and will accelerate JSW Cement’s expansion into North India. We look forward to servicing the growing needs of the region and contributing to the economic growth of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR area. I am delighted to share that the company has commissioned this grinding unit within the expected timeline, showcasing our project execution capabilities. Further, the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) are expected to substantially reduce our production costs going forward.”

Concrete

UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

Published

1 week ago

October 7, 2026

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UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.