Vedanta Aluminium Business, largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, invites partnerships from cement producers for using its by-products for manufacturing low-carbon cement.
The company expressed its interest for long-term collaboration with cement industry players on opportunities of using fly ash (a by-product in thermal power generation) and bauxite residue (a by-product of producing alumina from bauxite) in cement manufacturing, in a national workshop conducted with global industry experts.
The cement industry, which is exploring viable solutions to produce cement more sustainably, is the perfect circular economy partner for Vedanta Aluminium, the company said in a press release. 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. Owing to high concentration of iron oxide and alumina, bauxite residue is a better substitute for laterite, used in clinker manufacturing.
Vedanta Aluminium’s technical workshop was attended by over a hundred executives from the cement industry and featured globally renowned experts in this domain – Shreesh Khadilkar, ex-Director of Quality and Product Development at one of India’s leading cement producers, and Robin De Beer, a concrete technologist from South Africa with 40+ years of experience in gainful utilization of fly ash in concrete.
Speaking at the webinar, Rahul Sharma, CEO – Vedanta Aluminium Business said, “We firmly believe that industries must develop waste-to-wealth value-chains to truly become sustainable. 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.”
Sharing his insights and industry experience with the audience, Robin De Beer said, “Good quality fly ash can help reduce water demand, lower heat of hydration and significantly enhance workability of concrete, resulting in long-term strength and durability.”
Shreesh Khadilkar added, “Bauxite residue has multiple advantages in cement manufacturing, such as lower silica relative to laterite/bauxite, higher alkali content and fine particles, which reduces grinding cost. It also improves hydraulic properties of cement. Indian cement industry should leverage this innovative opportunity to reap benefits of quality and sustainability."
