Concrete

Waste co-processing and RDF adoption are key pillars

Published

9 months ago

July 23, 2025

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Harjot Singh Chatha, Director, Alfa Therm talks about empowering India’s cement sector with scalable, compliant and efficient AFR solutions.

As India accelerates its shift toward sustainable cement production, Alfa Therm is playing a pivotal role in enabling this transformation through innovative RDF and AFR solutions.
In this interview, Harjot Singh Chatha, Director, Alfa Therm, outlines how it is driving circular economy practices, improving regulatory compliance, and future-proofing operations for the green transition.

How is Alfa Therm enabling cement companies to adopt AFR and RDF solutions?
Alfa Therm has been at the forefront of helping Indian cement companies transition from conventional fossil fuels to Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials (AFR) through robust Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) processing and handling solutions. Our engineered RDF plants are designed to deliver consistent fuel quality, customised to kiln specifications, ensuring seamless integration into existing fuel lines.
Additionally, our shredders and pre-processing systems help cement plants optimise calorific value, reduce feed variability and manage a wide range of waste streams, thereby accelerating the shift towards a more sustainable fuel mix.
How does Alfa Therm’s engineering approach ensure efficiency, safety and environmental compliance?
Our engineering philosophy centres on designing robust, modular systems built for India’s demanding industrial environments. We prioritise process efficiency through automated control systems, in-built safety interlocks and dust/fume extraction mechanisms that ensure safe operation and regulatory compliance. Our machines are built with high-grade, corrosion-resistant materials to ensure durability and minimal downtime. Regular customer training and remote monitoring further bolster safety and performance outcomes.

What role do you see waste co-processing and RDF adoption playing in India’s journey towards achieving a circular economy?
Waste co-processing and RDF adoption are key pillars in building India’s circular economy. By diverting non-recyclable waste streams from landfills to cement kilns, the industry not only substitutes fossil fuels for resource conservation. Cement kilns offer an ideal environment for complete thermal destruction of waste residues with zero secondary waste. As regulations tighten around landfill disposal and the cost of waste management rises, RDF-based co-processing will become a cornerstone of India’s waste-to-energy transition.

How is Alfa Therm positioned to support this transformation at scale?
With over 35 years of experience and a nationwide presence, Alfa Therm is uniquely positioned to support the cement industry at scale. We have the capacity to design and deliver turnkey RDF lines, shredding systems, and fuel feeding solutions customised to plant requirements. Our in-house R&D and fabrication units ensure rapid delivery and serviceability. By partnering closely with cement producers, we tailor our offerings for each project’s technical, regulatory and commercial context, helping clients meet
rising demand for alternative fuels while reducing operational risks.

How is Alfa Therm helping cement manufacturers improve their sustainability performance and meet evolving compliance norms?
As ESG reporting and emissions compliance tighten, Alfa Therm provides end-to-end solutions that help cement manufacturers track, measure and reduce their environmental impact. Our equipment is designed with emissions control in mind, including advanced dust extraction and filtration systems.
We also support clients with data-driven process optimisation and reporting tools that ease compliance documentation. Our team actively monitors regulatory shifts and shares knowledge with clients to future-proof their operations against emerging norms.

How do you see the AFR market evolving in India over the next decade?
The AFR market in India is poised for significant growth as regulations around waste disposal and emissions tighten and as cement players aim to meet ambitious TSR targets. We expect greater integration of digital tools for fuel tracking and optimisation, increased investment in localised RDF pre-processing infrastructure and broader acceptance of diverse waste streams including industrial and hazardous waste. Over the next decade, we anticipate TSR in India to grow from single digits to levels comparable with European benchmarks, driven by policy push and growing climate-consciousness across the industry.

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Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

1 week ago

April 1, 2026

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The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

To read the full story Click Here

Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

1 week ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.