Environmental and economic benefits of co-processing industrial waste in cement sector: Rajasthan and Jharkhand
Student name: Ms Arkaja Das, Ms Sarika Noopur and Ms Swati Sharma
Guide: Dr Suresh Jain
Year of completion: 2008
Host Organisation: ACC Ltd. and TERI University
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Sangeet Srivastava and Dr Pradeep Kaduskar
Abstract: Industrial waste constitutes a major portion of the waste stream and is a major concern for the developing countries. Uncontrolled disposal is usually the cheapest way to get rid of it and so is generally adopted by the waste generators. This causes contamination of soil, water resources, and the atmosphere, leading to the continual deterioration of the living conditions and public health. There is an urgent need to improve waste management and one effective solution for industrial waste management is co-processing which refers to the use of waste materials in energy intensive industrial processes, such as cement, steel production, power stations. The present work aims at the assessment of the business potential, environmental benefits and social benefits of co-processing of industrial waste in the cement sector. The fieldwork was carried out in the states of Rajasthan and Jharkhand. The data from 106 industries visited in the two states was collected and analyzed to assess the feasibility of co-processing of the waste in cement kilns. The net cash benefit of the different waste streams was calculated to prioritize the most potential waste streams for economic gain to the cement company. The total potential net cash benefit from all the industries visited in Rajasthan was accounted to be Rs. 455832695.5 and for Jharkhand to be Rs. 172478930. Life cycle analysis was carried out to judge the advantages of co-processing as a sustainable waste management option and was found that it emits 2.23 times less CO2 compared to incineration and landfilling. The perspective of the various stakeholders constituting the waste generators, regulatory bodies, and officials from the cement plants regarding the issues of impact of current waste disposal options on public health was captured through discussion.
The findings reflected the industrial waste scenario of the two states and builds up a concrete plan for the possibility of co-processing of the different waste streams for the environmental, social and economic benefits to achieve the triple bottom line for sustainable development.
