Concrete

AAC blocks are eco-friendly and sustainable

Published

2 years ago

October 19, 2023

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Narayan Saboo, Chairman, Bigbloc Construction, discusses the qualities of AAC blocks and its environmentally friendly properties.

What is the composition of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks?
AAC is a lightweight, precast, cellular concrete. It is a green building material composed of fly ash, gypsum, lime, portland cement, water and aluminum powder. AAC blocks are made in rectangular prism shape only.

What is the core functionality of the blocks?
AAC blocks are widely used in the construction of apartments and other types of residential properties, industrial and commercial buildings. Owing to their excellent heat insulation capacity and thermal resistance, AAC blocks find application in interior and exterior construction.

What brings strength and durability to these blocks?
These materials include cement, lime, fly ash, gypsum, aluminum powder and some other additives. The precise combination and proportion of these materials contribute to their overall strength.

How do you ensure quality standards?
We make AAC blocks as per BIS code IS 2185 Part 3, guidelines in IS code to ensure quality standards.

What are the key advantages of using these blocks as building materials?
AAC blocks are eco-friendly and sustainable. They are lightweight, thermally insulated, energy efficient and fire resistant. Their other qualities include acoustics performance, easy workability, design flexibility and faster construction. AAC Blocks are one-third in weight as compared to red bricks thereby reducing the dead load on the building and resulting in huge saving of structural costs. Also, as the size is equivalent to almost nine red bricks, construction is much faster; the labour required is less; joints in the wall are also less thereby resulting in mortar savings, too.

How does it impact the environment?
AAC blocks are eco-friendly and sustainable. They are green lightweight building materials, with less transport cost. This material warms the room during the winter and cools it during the summer, reducing air-conditioning system usage by at least 25 per cent. Non-toxic and pest repellent, they prevent soil erosion and consume less water. Use of red bricks results in an upper layer of soil erosion, which makes the land barren or infertile in the long run.

What innovations can we expect from you?
We are starting with the manufacturing of ALC panels, which is further advancement of technology as ALC panels are a new age building material that is a further advancement of AAC Blocks.
Panels are reinforced with steel and they will make construction much faster, too. Also, we are looking to get many other new age building materials in our partnership with SCG.

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Adani Cement and Coolbrook have announced a landmark agreement to install the world’s first commercial RotoDynamic Heater (RDH) system at Adani’s Boyareddypalli Integrated Cement Plant in Andhra Pradesh. The initiative aims to sharply reduce carbon emissions associated with cement production.

This marks the first industrial-scale deployment of Coolbrook’s RDH technology, which will decarbonise the calcination phase — the most fossil fuel-intensive stage of cement manufacturing. The RDH system will generate clean, electrified heat to dry and improve the efficiency of alternative fuels, reducing dependence on conventional fossil sources.

According to Adani, the installation is expected to eliminate around 60,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, with the potential to scale up tenfold as the technology is expanded. The system will be powered entirely by renewable energy sourced from Adani Cement’s own portfolio, demonstrating the feasibility of producing industrial heat without emissions and strengthening India’s position as a hub for clean cement technologies.

The partnership also includes a roadmap to deploy RotoDynamic Technology across additional Adani Cement sites, with at least five more projects planned over the next two years. The first-generation RDH will provide hot gases at approximately 1000°C, enabling more efficient use of alternative fuels.

Adani Cement’s wider sustainability strategy targets raising the share of alternative fuels and resources to 30 per cent and increasing green power use to 60 per cent by FY28. The RDH deployment supports the company’s Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)-validated commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

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Birla Corporation Q2 EBITDA Surges 71%, Net Profit at Rs 90 Crore

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Birla Corporation Limited reported a consolidated EBITDA of Rs 3320 million for the September quarter of FY26, a 71 per cent increase over the same period last year, driven by improved profitability in both its Cement and Jute divisions. The company posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 900 million, reversing a loss of Rs 250 million in the corresponding quarter last year.

Consolidated revenue stood at Rs 22330 million, marking a 13 per cent year-on-year growth as cement sales volumes rose 7 per cent to 4.2 million tonnes. Despite subdued cement demand, weak pricing, and rainfall disruptions, Birla Jute Mills staged a turnaround during the quarter.

Premium cement continued to drive performance, accounting for 60 per cent of total trade sales. The flagship brand Perfect Plus recorded 20 per cent growth, while Unique Plus rose 28 per cent year-on-year. Sales through the trade channel reached 79 per cent, up from 71 per cent a year earlier, while blended cement sales grew 14 per cent, forming 89 per cent of total cement sales. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan remained key growth markets with 7–11 per cent volume gains.

EBITDA per tonne improved 54 per cent to Rs 712, with operating margins expanding to 14.7 per cent from 9.8 per cent last year, supported by efficiency gains and cost reduction measures.

Sandip Ghose, Managing Director and CEO, said, “The Company was able to overcome headwinds from multiple directions to deliver a resilient performance, which boosts confidence in the robustness of our strategies.”

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Ambuja Cements, part of the diversified Adani Portfolio and the world’s ninth-largest building materials solutions company, has reported a robust performance for Q2 FY26. The company’s strong results were driven by market share gains, R&D-led premium cement products, and continued efficiency improvements.

Vinod Bahety, Whole-Time Director and CEO, Ambuja Cements, said, “This quarter has been noteworthy for the cement industry. Despite headwinds from prolonged monsoons, the sector stands to benefit from several favourable developments, including GST 2.0 reforms, the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), and the withdrawal of coal cess. Our capacity expansion is well timed to capitalise on this positive momentum.”

Ambuja has increased its FY28 capacity target by 15 MTPA — from 140 MTPA to 155 MTPA — through debottlenecking initiatives that will come at a lower capital expenditure of USD 48 per metric tonne. The company also plans to enhance utilisation of its existing 107 MTPA capacity by 3 per cent through logistics infrastructure improvements.

To strengthen its product mix, Ambuja will install 13 blenders across its plants over the next 12 months to optimise production and increase the share of premium cement, improving realisations. These operational enhancements have already contributed to a 5 per cent reduction in cost of sales year-on-year, resulting in an EBITDA of Rs 1,060 per metric tonne and a PMT EBITDA of approximately Rs 1,189.

Looking ahead, the company remains optimistic about achieving double-digit revenue growth and maintaining four-digit PMT EBITDA through FY26. Ambuja aims to reduce total cost to Rs 4,000 per metric tonne by the end of FY26 and further by 5 per cent annually to reach Rs 3,650 per metric tonne by FY28.

Bahety added, “Our Cement Intelligent Network Operations Centre (CiNOC) will bring a paradigm shift to our business operations. Artificial Intelligence will run deep within our enterprise, driving efficiency, productivity, and enhanced stakeholder engagement across the value chain.”