The Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation has initiated a large-scale co-processing process in the Indian cement industry, with a focus on rough capacity building, advocacy and development of a legal and institutional framework to boost the use of AFR, writes Shashank Jain.
While there is a lot of intense debate going on about the economic growth of India, there is hardly any discussion about the waste resulting from the same economic growth. Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, increasing household income and changing lifestyles are leading to an increase in the amount of waste generated. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, India generates about 6.2 million tonnes of hazardous wastes annually; with this quantum of hazardous waste generation, local administration, civic bodies and policy makers are seriously concerned, particularly about its effective and safe disposal. Thus, effective waste management is the need of the hour for the country, indeed, imperative for the sustainable growth of the country.
One innovative approach to handle the problem of waste management is the co-processing of waste in cement kilns i.e, use of waste for the partial substitution of fossil fuels in cement kilns. Cement kilns can destroy hazardous wastes in a safe and effective manner beneficial to industries that generate such waste and to a society that wants to dispose of such waste in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner. The high temperature in the kiln and adequate retention time makes the cement kilns most suitable for disposing almost every type of waste. It is a practical and demonstrated solution that reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from cement kilns, with the added bonus of waste management. The use of waste as alternative fuels in the cement kilns has its own benefits in the form of reduced usage of fossil fuels such as coal and the maximisation of recovery of energy from waste. All developed nations globally have utilised cement kilns in their countries as an effective option for industrial, municipal and hazardous waste disposal.
The Indian cement industry is the second largest in the world, with a total installed cement capacity of about 320MTA, and production of 220MTAa according to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association 2011 Annual Report. Over time, it has made significant progress in terms of improvement in energy efficiency and productivity. Still, the use of alternate fuel and raw material (AFR) to replace coal for thermal energy needs, remains an area where the Indian cement industry is yet to catch up with global benchmarks. Though a few cement plants use large quantities and varieties of AFR in their kilns, on an average, co-processing in the Indian cement industry is less than one per cent, compared to European average of 40 per cent.
The cement industry is also a large energy consumer and GHG emitter. Enhanced AFR usage in kilns will help consumers to achieve or even exceed their energy consumption reduction targets under the Perform- Achieve- Trade (PAT) scheme. The other co-benefits include reduced effort towards waste management, reduced landfill areas and methane emission from these sites. It is said that opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune; with reference to alternate fuel and raw material utilisation in the Indian cement industry, it could not have been a better opportunity. Though current AFR usage is significantly low at about 1%, it offers immense potential for improvement. As per a Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) estimate, even ten per cent of thermal substitution through the use of AFR in cement kilns has the potential to reduce the emission by three million tonnes of CO2 per year, which is about 0.2 per cent of emissions from the country in 2007. (Emissions as estimated in Second National Communication from India)
Challenges
As per a white paper submitted by the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation to MoEF in 2011, there are number of challenges faced by the Indian cement industry with regard to using waste for co-processing. Challenges become more pronounced in the Indian scenario as the situation is further exacerbated by a knowledge gap, lack of market incentives and the absence of an encouraging regulatory framework in the country. A few such issues are mentioned below-Information on waste availability and waste quality.
Detailed information on district and sector- wise distribution of waste, type of waste generated, etc, is not readily available in the public domain. As the data available on the quantity and quality of waste is minimal or outdated, cement industries have to spend a considerable amount of time and resources in exploring the availability of different types of alternative fuels.
Also, wastes received by cement plants have varying chemical compositions. Co-processing of such heterogeneous wastes poses considerable difficulty as these require pre-processing to generate a uniform quality of AFR. Getting a regular supply of such pre-processed waste of homogenous quality is a big challenge for cement plants at present.
Long permission process
The time period for getting clearances for conducting trial runs and obtaining permission from state pollution control boards thereafter for regular co-processing takes about 8 to 12 months. This is one of the major hurdles in enhancing the AFR usage. Also, the expenses incurred in conducting a trial run are significantly high.
Handling and storage
Handling and storage of hazardous waste is resource-consuming and requires a lot of precautions. Safety and protection gears are essential during for such handling.
Waste transportation
Collection and transportation of hazardous waste is quite expensive because of large distances between waste generators and cement plants. There is also a need to evolve and implement proper guidelines on the safe transportation of hazardous materials; currently, there is a lack of availability of certified transporters who can safely transport the hazardous materials.
Existing regulations don’t encourage transfer of hazardous waste from one state to another for co-processing. Many countries in Europe permit the movement of waste across international boundaries as a energy/heat recovery option, with significant advantages. A similar perception of waste is much needed here in India.
Aiming to tackle various challenges and issues, the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation has started an initiative to promote largescale co-processing in the Indian cement industry. The current Phase 2 (2013-14) of this initiative focuses on capacity building, advocacy and development of a legal and institutional framework to boost the use of AFR in kilns. The activities in this phase include the compilation of information on waste generation and utilisation, building capacity of stakeholders and working with relevant government agencies/departments to enable the regulatory processes.
We still have a long way to go. Notwithstanding several policies, regulatory or technological barriers that we face, this is an opportune time for the Indian cement industry to focus all its efforts on increasing co-processing. With such initiatives, not only will the Indian cement industry become more competitive globally but our country can also get rid of mounting waste.
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF): Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF) works towards securing the future of clean energy in the country by supporting the design and implementation of policies that encourage energy efficiency and usage of renewable energy.
Shashank Jain, Sr. Programme Officer, Energy Efficiency (Industry), Shakti, Sustainable energy foundation Email: shashank@shakifoundation.in