Vedanta Aluminium to collaborate with construction industry for fly-ash, bauxite-residue utilisation

New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) Vedanta Aluminium Business, India's largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, will collaborate with cement, construction and infrastructure industries for gainful utilisation of its by-products - fly-ash (a by-product in thermal power generation) and bauxite-residue (a by-product of producing alumina from bauxite).

At a national-level webinar held with global experts and participants from the cement industry, the company also sought interest from cement manufacturers for setting up integrated cement plants or cement clinker grinding/blending/processing units adjacent to its plants in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Since aluminium is a continuous process industry, proximity to the company's operations will give cement manufacturers a continuous supply of high-quality fly-ash and bauxite-residue, save costs incurred on logistics, and provide access to emerging construction markets in eastern and central India.

Vedanta Aluminium's webinar was attended by almost 200 executives from the cement, construction and infrastructure sectors. Renowned experts in this domain – Ulhas Parlikar, Global Consultant - Waste Management, Circular Economy, Policy Advocacy, AFR & Co-processing, Prof (Dr) Virendra Kumar Paul, Head - Department of Building Engineering and Management, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and Dr Amit Chatterjee, Director - R&D, Aluminium Business, Vedanta Ltd. shared their insights and experience on the benefits of fly-ash and bauxite-residue in cement industry with the industry professionals.

Speaking at the webinar, Rahul Sharma, CEO – Vedanta Aluminium Business said, "We believe in seamlessly integrating principles of sustainability into the way we do business. Sustainable business practices form the bedrock of our operational excellence, as we generate long-term value for our customers and communities. We are working towards developing thriving value-chains to convert our by-products into resources, by fostering long-term strategic collaborations with complementary industries. We hope the Indian cement producers come forth to work with us on this innovative solution, which is a true win-win scenario for the industry and environment."

Fly-ash and bauxite-residue, the two most voluminous by-products generated by the aluminium industry, can be used in cement and concrete manufacturing, providing cement manufacturers significant benefits in terms of quality output, cost and sustainability. Fly ash can partially replace cement in concrete (or be used to produce blended cement), significantly improving durability and workability of cement. In cement manufacturing, every tonne of fly-ash used can help save around 700-800 kg of carbon emissions, 4.2 million KJ of energy, and 341 litres of water. Bauxite-residue can be a very useful additive in raw mix for cement clinkers. The advantages of using bauxite-residue with slag improves properties of the raw mix, reduces energy consumption, and improves the strength of the final product. Both fly ash and bauxite residue being industrial wastes themselves, come with significant cost and energy advantages as well.

Sharing his insights and industry experience with the audience, Parlikar said: "Fly-ash and bauxite residue are two voluminous resources that have huge potential for gainful use in the cement and construction industry. Properly utilised, they can contribute substantially to the cause of sustainable growth, circular economy and climate action."

"Mainstreaming the use of fly-ash and bauxite residue is the need of the hour. Abundance of opportunities awaits their use as we move to a sustainable construction paradigm. It is a resource being wasted at the cost of materials that have potential to be replaced. Let us think differently!" Prof Paul added.

In line with its quest for fostering circular economy, in the current fiscal alone, Vedanta Aluminium has aided in utilisation of over 3 million tonnes of fly-ash and 26,000 tonnes of bauxite-residue in cement, bricks and infrastructure industries.

Vedanta Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Ltd, is India's largest manufacturer of aluminium, producing half of India's aluminium at 1.97 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY21. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class Aluminium Smelters, Alumina Refinery and Power Plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the 'Metal of the Future' for a greener tomorrow.