Economy & Market

Where there is sand, there is a way!

Published

8 years ago

March 31, 2018

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Vivek Maheshwari and Bhavesh Pravin Shah of CLSA reviews the problems of sand mining in India and provides a way forward for natural sand.
Sand is a non-negotiable resource for the construction sector and, interestingly, is classified as the fourth most important ‘minor’ mineral by the mines ministry. Sand availability was a problem at different points of time in the past few years but 2017 was perhaps the worst year with a series of sand mining restrictions across several states due to non-compliance with environment norms. This had an obvious impact on the construction industry in several states and this in turn impacted cement demand too. Sand availability, however, has been improving with states revising their mining rules. M-sand too has been gaining acceptance albeit at a slower pace. Based on our industry interactions, it appears that sand-related problems should be resolved during the course of 2018 although recent media reports still point to some uncertainties.Sand-related problems are not new…

Sand mining has a negative impact on the environment as it causes degradation of rivers and lowers the stream bottom, leading to bank erosion and thereby floods.
Enlargement of river mouths, loss of water and destruction of the aquatic habitat also get triggered by excessive sand mining.
There has been a widespread problem of sand mining in India, flouting environmental rules and damaging the environment.
The Supreme Court, in 2012, notified that sand mining operations should be licensed and monitored; in effect, this made ongoing sand mining operations illegal.

… but 2017 perhaps was the worst
Following the Supreme Court directive, states had put restrictions on sand mining in the past five years but the problem had brief impact over a relatively short timeframe. In 2017, though, following National Green Tribunal (NGT) concerns about illegal mining, several states formalised sand mining and even banned it in the interim. As a result, sand availability became a severe issue in several states and, even now, it is a problem in several of the states, although the worst phase seems to be over.The way forward for natural sand…
Sand availability has improved in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh. However, there continue to be problems in Rajasthan, where the Supreme Court intends to study and examine a report on replenishment of 19 mines. Madhya Pradesh now sells sand through an online portal. Bihar, Telangana and Tamil Nadu too have increased transparency in the sand trade by leveraging technology. Uttar Pradesh has e-auctioned mining leases in all districts except one, resulting in a revenue windfall of Rs26.5bn for the exchequer. Media reports indicate regulatory issues persist and may not go away for some time.… as well as M-sand
Sand mining problems have opened up another avenue for the industry which is ‘manufactured sand’ or simply, M-sand. M-sand has existed for a long time but recent events have accelerated its growth. M-sand is formed by crushing hard granite stone – it is cubical in shape with grounded edges, washed and graded with its size being less than 4.75mm. We also understand that M-sand’s gradation, shape, smoothness and consistency make it better than even natural sand for use in construction. However, buyer concerns persist and, hence, acceptability is still somewhat sluggish.Environmental effects of sand mining
Sand and boulders both are necessary to a river’s existence. Excessive instream sand/gravel mining causes its degradation as it lowers the stream bottom and eventually leads to erosion of the river banks. Depletion of sand in the stream bed and along coastal areas causes deepening of rivers/estuaries and enlarges river mouths and coastal inlets. This leads to disturbances in the ecological balance in these areas. Additionally, this results in destruction of aquatic and riparian habitat, through changes to the shape of the river, and pollution of water bodies.Triggers of the sand mining ban
Sand mining was declared illegal in February 2012 after the Supreme Court of India ruled that approval under the 2006 Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification is needed for all sand mining and gravel collection activities
According to the Geological Survey of India, riverbed mining causes several alterations to the physical characteristics of both rivers and riverbeds which severely affect ecological systems of river plants and animals. Excessive sand mining was reportedly one of the key reasons for major floods in the state of Bihar in 2017.
Additionally, there was ambiguity about best practices in mining methods that were used to assess how much sand can be sustainably mined. Over the years, lack of clear guidelines to deal with sand mining operations along with inability of the authorities to regulate mining operations resulted in unscrupulous and illegal sand mining activities. For instance, in the state of Tamil Nadu, reportedly, three-fifths of overall sand mined in the past 17 years was illegal.
Illegal sand mining not only has huge implications for the environment but also leads to a colossal loss to the state exchequer. Following a Supreme Court directive, states put restrictions on sand mining in the past five years but the issue had a brief impact over a relatively short timeframe.
In 2017, though, following NGT concerns about illegal mining, several states decided to formalise sand mining and even banned it in the interim. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Uttar Pradesh (UP), Tamil Nadu (TN), Rajasthan and Maharashtra the key states that clamped down heavily on sand mining ops in 2017.Efforts to regulate and streamline mining
Madhya Pradesh was among the first to act and restructure the sand mining and sale process. It has allowed sand mining at key sites and now sells sand through its own simplified online portal.
Supply has improved across the state leading to a boost to construction. In Nov ’17, the chief minister opened up the mining sector under a detailed process that involved obtaining an e-pass for mining, which would be verified by the ‘sarpanch’ (village head) to ensure royalty of Rs125/cubic metres is paid to the state government.
Similarly, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Telangana too have launched online portals, mobile applications and GPS systems to track truck movements, etc to increase overall transparency in the sand trade.Availability of M-Sand pan-India is still an issue
Currently, more than seven organised companies based in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu produce M-sand. Thriveni Sands, Poabs, Tavara and Robo Silicon are the key players with large-scale production on a daily basis. However, in west and north India, availability of M-sand is relatively limited.
The types of M-sand available include:

M-sand for brick and block work: Laying bricks and block/masonry work
Concrete M-sand: For all concreting purposes
Plastering M-sand: External and internal plastering

Economy & Market

TSR Will Define Which Cement Companies Win India’s Net-Zero Race

Published

1 week ago

April 27, 2026

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Jignesh Kundaria, Director and CEO, Fornnax Technology

India is simultaneously grappling with two crises: a mounting waste emergency and an urgent need to decarbonise its most carbon-intensive industries. The cement sector, the second-largest in the world and the backbone of the nation’s infrastructure ambitions, sits at the centre of both. It consumes enormous quantities of fossil fuel, and it has the technical capacity to consume something else entirely: the waste our cities cannot get rid of.

According to CPCB and NITI Aayog projections, India generates approximately 62.4 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with that figure expected to reach 165 million tonnes by 2030. Much of this waste is energy-rich and non-recyclable. At the same time, cement kilns operate at material temperatures of approximately 1,450 degrees Celsius, with gas temperatures reaching 2,000 degrees. This high-temperature environment is ideal for co-processing, ensuring the complete thermal destruction of organic compounds without generating toxic residues. The physics are in our favour. The infrastructure is not.

Pre-processing is not the support act for co-processing. It is the main event. Get the particle size wrong, get the moisture wrong, get the calorific value wrong and your kiln thermal stability will suffer the consequences.

The Regulatory Push Is Real

The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026 mandate that cement plants progressively replace solid fossil fuels with Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), starting at a 5 per cent baseline and scaling to 15 per cent within six years. NITI Aayog’s 2026 Roadmap for Cement Sector Decarbonisation targets 20 to 25 per cent Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) by 2030. Beyond compliance, every tonne of coal replaced by RDF generates measurable carbon reductions which is monetisable under India’s emerging Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). TSR is no longer a sustainability metric. It is a financial lever.

Yet our own field assessments across multiple Indian cement plants reveal a sobering reality: the primary barrier to scaling AFR adoption is not waste availability. It is the fragmented and under-engineered pre-processing ecosystem that sits between the waste and the kiln.

Why Indian Waste Is a Different Engineering Problem

Indian municipal solid waste is not the material that imported shredding equipment was designed for. Our waste streams frequently exceed 40 per cent to 50 per cent moisture content, particularly during monsoon cycles, saturated with abrasive inerts including sand, glass, and stone. Plants relying on imported OEM equipment face months of downtime awaiting proprietary spare parts. Machines built for segregated, low-moisture waste fail quickly and disrupt the entire pre-processing operation in Indian conditions.

The two most common failures we observe are what I call the biting teeth problem and the chewing teeth problem. Plants relying solely on a primary shredder reduce bulk waste to large fractions, but the output remains too coarse for stable kiln combustion. Others attempt to use a secondary shredder as a standalone unit without a primary stage to pre-size the feed, leading to catastrophic mechanical failure. When both stages are present but mismatched in throughput capacity, the system becomes a bottleneck. Achieving the 40 to 70 tonnes per hour required for meaningful coal displacement demands a precisely coordinated two-stage process.

Engineering a Made-in-India Answer

At Fornnax, our response to these challenges is grounded in one principle: Indian waste demands Indian engineering. Our systems are built around feedstock homogeneity, the holy grail of kiln stability. Consistent particle size and predictable calorific value are the foundation of stable kiln combustion. Without them, no TSR target is achievable at scale.

Our SR-MAX2500 Dual Shaft Primary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive) processes raw, baled, or loosely mixed MSW, C&I waste, bulky waste, and plastics, reducing them to approximately 150 mm fractions at throughputs of up to 40 tonnes per hour. The R-MAX 3300 Single Shaft Secondary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive), introduced in 2025, takes that primary output and produces RDF fractions in the 30 to 80 mm range at up to 30 tonnes per hour, specifically optimised for consistent kiln feeding. We have also introduced electric drive configurations under the SR-100 HD series, with capacities between 5 and 40 tonnes per hour, already operational at a leading Indian waste-processing facility.

Looking ahead, Fornnax is expanding its portfolio with the upcoming SR-MAX3600 Hydraulic Drive primary shredder at up to 70 tonnes per hour and the R-MAX2100 Hydraulic drive secondary shredder at up to 20 tonnes per hour, designed specifically for the large-scale throughput that higher TSR ambitions require.

The Investment Case Is Now

The 2070 Net-Zero target is not a distant goal for India’s cement sector. It starts today, with decisions being made on the plant floor.

The SWM Rules 2026 are already in effect, requiring cement plants to replace coal with RDF. Carbon credit markets are opening up, and coal prices are not going to get cheaper. Every tonne of coal a cement plant replaces with waste-derived fuel saves money on one side and generates carbon credit revenue on the other. Pre-processing infrastructure is no longer just a compliance requirement. It is a business investment with a measurable return.

The good news is that nothing is missing. The technology works. The waste is available in every Indian city. The government has provided the policy direction. The only thing standing between where the industry is today and where it needs to be is the commitment to build the right infrastructure.

The cement companies that move now will not just meet the regulations. They will be ahead of every competitor that waits.

About The Author

Jignesh Kundaria is the Director and CEO of Fornnax Technology. Over an experience spanning more than two decades in the recycling industry, he has established himself as one of India’s foremost voices on waste-to-fuel technology and alternative fuel infrastructure.

Concrete

WCA Welcomes SiloConnect as associate corporate member

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

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The World Cement Association (WCA) has announced SiloConnect as its newest associate corporate member, expanding its network of technology providers supporting digitalisation in the cement industry. SiloConnect offers smart sensor technology that provides real-time visibility of cement inventory levels at customer silos, enabling producers to monitor stock remotely and plan deliveries more efficiently. The solution helps companies move from reactive to proactive logistics, improving delivery planning, operational efficiency and safety by reducing manual inspections. The technology is already used by major cement producers such as Holcim, Cemex and Heidelberg Materials and is deployed across more than 30 countries worldwide.

Concrete

TotalEnergies and Holcim Launch Floating Solar Plant in Belgium

Published

3 weeks ago

April 13, 2026

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TotalEnergies and Holcim have commissioned a floating solar power plant in Obourg, Belgium, built on a rehabilitated former chalk quarry that has been converted into a lake. The project has a generation capacity of 31 MW and produces around 30 GWh of renewable electricity annually, which will be used to power Holcim’s nearby industrial operations. The project is currently the largest floating solar installation in Europe dedicated entirely to industrial self-consumption. To ensure minimal impact on the surrounding landscape, more than 700 metres of horizontal directional drilling were used to connect the solar installation to the electrical substation. The project reflects ongoing collaboration between the two companies to support industrial decarbonisation through renewable energy solutions and innovative infrastructure development.