Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Vedanta Aluminium Business will collaborate with cement, construction and infrastructure industries for gainful utilisation of its by-products – fly-ash and bauxite-residue. 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.
According to the official reports, 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.
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 the 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 the raw mix for cement clinkers. The advantages of using bauxite-residue with slag improve the properties of the raw mix reducing energy consumption, and improving 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.
