Rushi Gajjar, Founder and Director, Arcler Projects, draws on deep technical expertise to examine the challenges in using AFR in India.

India’s waste is not a uniform resource. It is a seasonal, city-specific, moisture-laden variable that defies industrial standardisation. Rushi Gajjar, Founder and Director of Arcler Projects, has spent years navigating this reality on the ground. In this conversation, he looks at the technical gaps in RDF processing, the policy frameworks needed to unlock full potential of alternative fuel and raw materials (AFR), and why automation is no longer optional for a viable waste-to-fuel future.

How do you see the evolution of waste—from a disposal challenge to a reliable alternative fuel and raw material (AFR)—for the cement industry?
Currently, India generates 65 MTPA municipal solid waste annually, which is growing with the increase of population. The current per capita solid waste generation is 190 gm per day is growing with change of lifestyle. Indian government is prioritising systematic collection, segregation, transportation and scientific disposal by enacting Solid Waste Management Rule 2026 and Plastic Waste Management Rule 2026. The efficient segregation, resource recovery and recycling is the focus area.
The cement industry is best suited for non-recyclable combustible fraction as the cement kilns are ideal for high temperature disposal of waste derived fuels and destruction of organic pollutants. The alkaline atmosphere within the kiln is excellent for neutralising acidic gases produced during combustion of some alternative fuels, reducing the need for costly external emission controls. The ash produced from alternative fuels does not need to be landfilled, instead it becomes a chemically integrated valuable raw materials substituting the natural raw materials in the clinker matrix. The alkaline environment and clinker ash integration make it a sustainable process that lower the cost, fossil fuel dependency and minimise harmful emissions.
This unique feature of cement kiln makes it more advantages compared to the specially constructed Waste to Energy Power Plant for waste disposal whereas WtE power plants required specially designed costly boiler, SNCR, Flue gas cleaning system. The bottom ash and fly ash disposal is still a challenge with WtE power plants. So, it is great value proposition for cement industry to contribute towards decarbonisation commitment by utilising alternative fuels.

What are the biggest technical and operational gaps in converting heterogeneous waste into consistent, kiln-ready AFR?
The Indian waste composition, contamination, quality varies from city to city, season to season.
The waste is not consistent. It majorly consists of paper, plastic, textile, rubber, leather, diapers, napkins, organic waste, sand, stone, metal and inert contamination with moisture ranges from 30 per cent to 60 per cent. The quality of waste deteriorates further during monsoon season.
The biggest technical gap is selection of correct process flow and deployment of reliable technology based on input waste composition and output quality requirement. The waste recycling machineries must be robust in design and construction to process this heterogeneous highly contaminated waste. There is multiple shredding, screening, sorting, drying technology options available to choose based on quantitative and qualitative objectives. The biggest operational gap is availability of trained and qualified manpower who are ready to work in this challenging environment. The plant operators are facing the challenge to recruit, motivate and retain the qualified manpower.

How can cement companies improve confidence in AFR quality and
reliability when sourcing from fragmented waste streams?
The confidence and reliability of quantitative and qualitative AFR supply can be ensured by deep cooperation and collaboration between cement companies and waste management contractors / AFR suppliers. This starts from conscious selection of suppliers, enabling them, educate them, train them, help them in selection of technology and process, support them in building right infrastructure. The continuous nurturing and hand holding is essence of success.

From your experience, what are the key bottlenecks in scaling RDF and AFR adoption across India?
The first is consistent and reliable supply chain infrastructure. This needs to be developed through the implementation of strict policies and guidelines, in collaboration with key stakeholders such as CPCB, state pollution control boards, ULBs, municipal corporations, waste management contractors, RDF plant operators, and logistics partners.
The second is the quality of RDF / AFR. Companies can achieve desired quality of RDF / AFR through deployment of right process and technology but one must be ready to pay for quality.
The third is the speed of implementation of robust and reliable AFR pre-processing and co-processing infrastructure, chlorine bypass system and other necessary changes within plant across the cement industry. The few cement companies are showing great commitment towards higher thermal substitution rate and implementing necessary plant and machineries as part of their decarbonisation commitment. But some cement companies are showing reluctance to use AFR due to techno-economic infeasibility.
The fourth is economic nonviability compared to fossil fuel. This point needs to be evaluated holistically considering various points like environmental impact of non-disposal of waste, CO2 emissions from cement companies, rule of polluter pays principles and organisation own’s decarbonisation sustainability commitment etc.

How important is pre-processing infrastructure in achieving higher thermal substitution rates (TSR) in cement plants?
The inconsistent, highly contaminated RDF with higher moisture content causes significant operational disruptions and detrimental effects on kiln performance, fluctuating thermal values, changing combustion characteristics and volatile chemical compositions. This results in lower TSR and lower annual availability. The uniform and consistent AFR quality helps in achieving higher TSR. And this can be achieved through removal of inert contamination, uniform size reduction and moisture removal drying infrastructure using waste heat from clinker cooler. The consistent RDF having size < 25mm and moisture <10 per cent can be utilised for main burner application which will help to improve the overall TSR further.

What role do policy, segregation at source, and municipal systems play in unlocking the full potential of AFR?
The Solid Waste Management Rule 2026 and Plastic Waste Management Rule 2026 has already been rolled out. The various government departments, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFandCC), Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), CPCB, ULBs, and other industry stakeholders, must ensure strict implementation of the enacted policies to unlock the full potential of AFR.

How will technology and automation redefine waste-to-fuel ecosystems for cement manufacturing?
The waste is heterogeneous and highly unpredictable. It has challenging operational environment due to odour, leachate, insects, inert etc. And hence the manual feeding, manual sorting, manual operation must be avoided looking at the hygiene and safety concern. The fully automatic completely integrated IoT enabled with feedback feedforward-controlled shredding, screening, sorting, drying, storage and retrieval infrastructure can deliver unmatched productivity with higher efficiency and safety.

• Kanika Mathur