Concrete

The use of AFR has a bright future

Published

2 years ago

March 19, 2024

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Pankaj Kejriwal, Whole Time Director and COO, Star Cement, delves into their innovative strategies and commitment towards embracing alternative fuels and raw materials in their production processes.

What are the alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) used in your organisation?
Presently we are using bamboo chips as alternative fuel and raw material. However, we are setting up an AFR feeding system in our new plant and after that we will go for RDF, MSW, rice husk etc., as per availability in our region.

Tell us about the quality standards for AFR.

What factors do you consider while selecting AFR?
Factors to consider before selection of alternative fuels and raw materials are as follows:

Calorific value
Ignition temperature
Volatility
Flash point
Products of combustion
Chemical composition
Cost per NCV

Tell us about the impact created on the environment by use of AFR in your organisation.
Use of alternative fuels and raw materials creates an impact in many ways for us. Some of the notable contribution of AFR is as follows:

Reduce fossil fuels consumption
Reduction in CO2 emission
Contribution to local waste management
Lower energy costs
Lower NOx emission in the environment

How are you supporting the circular economy in context to AFR?
Reusing of waste material such as plastic waste, MSW in manufacturing of cement and thereby helping the environment and also generating revenue is a massive contribution in the circular economy.

Have you faced any challenges or barriers when using alternative fuels and raw materials in cement production, and if so, how have you overcome them?
Main challenges faced during the usage of AFR are as follows:

Handling of high moisture and of different size material
Mixing of heterogeneous AFR
High Chloride in AFR
Volatility of the AFR

To overcome these, proper co-processing is required, and chemical analysis and mix design needs to be assured from QC. Continuous monitoring of the pyro system helps us to overcome the hurdles.

What role can technology plan in further implementation of AFR?
Many plants in India and abroad are using different technology for utilising AFR. Preprocessing and co-processing of material is very important in this respect. Use of a high precision shredder is important for size reduction. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in detecting proper material and usage in cement kilns.

How do you see the use of AFR in cement production evolving in the future, and what role do you think your company will play in this process?
The use of AFR has a bright future. Due to scarcity of fossil fuel, it is the need of the century to increase the use of AFR. The cement industry globally is in line with it and is continuously working towards maximising use of AFR. This will help the society to decrease waste dump in soil and reduce emission of CO2 and NOx in the environment. In some cement industries in Asia Pacific and Europe, they are taking it as a CSR (corporate social responsibility) to clean the environment. In India, too, the Government is encouraging use of MSW in cement plants. Our organisation is also aligned in the same path. After commissioning of our AFR feeding system, we also have a way forward towards the usage of AFR in our cement plant and have a target of 15-20 per cent TSR by 2026 depending on the availability in the northeast.

–Kanika Mathur

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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…

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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.