Call for focus on fly ash brick industry

Despite Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressing concern over growing carbon emissions and the measures being taken to promote eco-friendly energy sources in her recent budget speech, the government seems to have failed to pay attention to the fly ash brick industry which has 454 times greater potential in reducing carbon footprint.

Despite Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressing concern over growing carbon emissions and the measures being taken to promote eco-friendly energy sources in her recent budget speech, the government seems to have failed to pay attention to the fly ash brick industry which has 454 times greater potential in reducing carbon footprint.

The dilution of laws that are made to make the ‘polluters pay’ offsets these efforts, according to N. Bhanumathidas, Director-General of the Vizag-based Institute for Solid Waste Research and Ecological Balance (INSWAREB).

Global carbon studies indicate the social cost of climate change, of every single ton of carbon dioxide emission ranges between 180 and 800 USD.

Meanwhile, a fly ash brick industry with an average capacity of 3 million bricks a year, brings down the carbon footprint by 723 tons a year, which amounts to ₹10.08 million per year.

A mere 220 fly ash brick plants, each producing 3 million bricks a year, can reduce CO2 emissions equivalent to that achieved through the production of 175 gigawatts of solar power, targeted to be achieved by 2030, says Ms. Bhanumatidas.

“There are over 30,000 fly ash brick plants in India, and the target is to increase them to 1 lakh to make sizeable penetration into the clay brick market. The cost of establishing solar plants of 175 GW solar power, a year, is about ₹35 billion and for producing 660 million bricks/year is ₹0.44 billion, and the land required is 1,75,000 hectares and 88 hectares respectively,” she says.

However, the economic spin-off from 175 GW of solar power is ₹1.41 billion and that from producing 660 million bricks/year is ₹3.30 billion. The carbon abatement to be achieved is computed at 1,57,000 tons and 1,58,000 tons respectively, says Ms. Bhanumathidas.