BRICK KILN INDUSTRY

INTRODUCTION• Brick making in India is as old as the Indus Valley Civilization

• Many historical monuments: Nalanda, Sarnath, Qutub Minar, etcshow the use of bricks

LOCATION OF BRICK KILN INDUSTRIES IN INDIA

Southernpeninsularstateswithbrickkilns

Northernmountainouscitieswithbrickkilns

Gangeticplainstateswithbrickkilns

LOCATION OF BRICK KILN INDUSTRIES IN INDIA

The Gangetic plains have the maximum number of brick kilns in the country and these kilns make 65% of the total production capacity

PRODUCTION RATE: GLOBAL AND INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

• India is the second largest producer of bricks in the world after China with an 10-11% share in the market

• There are 1,45,000 registered/unregistered brick kilns in India

• Annual production rate= ~240 billion bricks /year

• Annual Consumption rate=~170 billion bricks/year

• Projected rate by 2030=500 billion bricks

• Growth rate=5-10% annually

PRODUCTION PROCESS

• Material Procurement: Clay is mined from open pits and stored in the open. Open storage helps to make the clay soft and removes unwanted oxides. In India primarily surface soil is used for brick production.

• Preparation & Tempering: To rid of clay lumps and stones the raw material is reduced in size by either passing through size reduction machines or manually. This clay is then mixed with water to get the right consistency (either manually or by animal driven pug mills) for moulding.

• Moulding: The tempered clay is mostly rolled in sand (to prevent the clay from sticking to the mould) and slapped into wood or metal moulds.

• Drying: The moulds are emptied into the drying area (in open or under drying sheds) where the bricks are arranged in a herring bone pattern. They are turned over every two days to ensure uniform drying and prevent warping. Drying period continues for two weeks after which the bricks are ready to be burnt.

• Firing: The green bricks are arranged in a kiln and insulation is provided with a mudpack. Fire holes left to ignite the kiln are later sealed to keep the heat inside. This is maintained for a week. Firing like other operations also depends on the knowledge and experience of the brick maker.

Bull’s Trench Kiln• An oval or circular trench is dug (6-9 metres wide, 2-2.5 metres deep and 100-150

metres in circumference )

• A tall exhaust chimney is constructed in the centre

• Half or more of the trench is filled with green bricks which are stacked in an open lattice pattern to allow airflow. The lattice is capped with a roofing layer of finished brick

• In operation, green bricks are stacked at one end of the brick pile and cooled finished bricks are removed from the other end for transport

• In the middle fuel is inserted through access holes in the roof above the trench for firing

POLLUTION FROM BRICK KILNSSOLID WASTE

The major solid waste generated is coal dust ..Its quantity depends upon

the amount of coal

other fuel used and their ash content. The amount of ash generated is

about 1 – 1.5 tonns per

day which goes on accumulating on or around the brick kilns.

AIR POLLUTION• Use of thermally low efficient kilns and poor grade coal result in

particulate and• gaseous emissions. Brick kiln emissions consists of mainly coal fines

and dust • particles. The fugitive dust emissions are mostly siliceous except • for coal crushers where there are coal fines

Environmental Impacts: Air Pollutants

• The dangerous pollutants emitted by brick kilns are numerous and varied

• These emissions are produced from the burning of the fuels as well as from the bricks themselves as they are heated

• These emissions can be extremely unhealthy to kiln workers as well as the surrounding flora, fauna, and residents

Environmental Impacts: Air Pollutants

• Nitrogen oxides are produced by the burning of hydrocarbon fuels and cause acid rain as well as local air pollution

• Sulfur dioxides are produced by the heating of the clay and the burning of any oils or coals as a fuel source

• Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are produced when hydrocarbon fuels are burned and CO causes local air pollution while CO2 causes global warming

Environmental Impacts: Air Pollutants

• Other organic compounds, even toxins such as dioxin can be released if waste compounds are used to fuel a kiln

• Particulate matter is produced by the firing of the bricks themselves and from the burning of heavy fuel oil, coal, and waste materials

• Many of these problems could be greatly remedied and reduced by the use of better technology, which reduces waste and increases efficiency

Ways to Increase Energy Efficiency and Reduce Waste

• a) Measures to reduce generation of pollutants at source or energy efficiency measures.

• Improve combustion:

• Energy efficiency measures (by improving kiln design and kiln insulation)

• Use of Fly ash

• b)Measures to control or reduce the impact of the emissions.

• To use an device to remove pollutants from the stack gases e.g. gravity settling chamber.

• Planned dispersion to control local air quality e.g. provision of taller chimneys

Ways to Increase Energy Efficiency and Reduce Waste

• Use of good quality agriculture soil in large quantities for brick making is also an area of concern, to reduce this wastage following steps can be taken

• Promoting deep mining of clay for brick making instead of surface mining. we currently use only top surface i.e. 3ft to 10ft) for brick making.

• Promoting use of waste materials like fly ash, boiler ash ,stone dust etc. in brick making.

• Promoting use of perforated of hollow bricks.

Vertical Shaft Brick Kilns

• VSBK save between 30 and 50% more energy than traditional brick kilns

• Because of its roof VSKB can operate in all weather conditions year round instead of only 6 months per year

• Because of energy efficiency and improved combustion air flow efficiency the amount of suspended particulate matter in the emitted flue gases and other pollutants are greatly reduced

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

• Air pollution

• Loss of soil fertility

• Other environmental impacts

Air pollution

The main environmental impact of brick kilns is air pollution due to fugitive and stack emission.

The level of particulate matter in the air is about three times higher in areas with brick kilns compared to areas without kilns.

Loss of soil fertility

Erection of brick kilns in the agricultural lands is leading to serious loss in agricultural productivity.

Top soil is removed from the land and it takes between 25 to 30 years for those lands to be fertile as earlier.

Burning soil decreases the soil pH making it acidic, increase sand and decrease the clay content.

Other environmental impacts

• Disruption of irrigation schemes is caused by the extraction of soil for brick making.

• Black smoke produced by the brick kilns ultimately moves away the species which are involved in pollination process.

• The effects of brick kilns have both long term and short-term impacts in the environment. In short term the vegetation process hampers, crops production decreases, plants fruits falls down etc. and long term impacts are ozone depletions, global warming, land fertility decreases etc.

MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN INDIA• Building construction in India is estimated to grow at a rate of

6.6% per year during the period 2005 to 2030.

• The building stock is expected to multiply five times during this period, resulting in a continuous increase in demand for building materials.

Projected Increase in Building Area in India

Brick Kiln Technologies currently prevailing in India

• Most of the brick kilns in India are non-mechanisedexcept few mechanized / semi-mechanized units contributing to less than 1% of the total production. In recent years use of mechanical excavators for clay winning is becoming common.

Industrial and economic condition

• Fuel and operation are the two most important cost components of brick production and together accounts for almost 70% of the cost of production. The selling price of fired bricks vary greatly across the country, the highest price of Rs 8-12/ brick is realized in West Bengal and some of the Southern States.

MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

USA Scenario

Managing design through the use of brick and masonry in specific districts and land uses is becoming a popular method to ensure smart growth, stimulate the local economy, preserve property values, and lend to sustainable development.

Building Codes and Zoning Ordinances

• Because of the aesthetic qualities of brick and masonry, these codes indirectly manage design by requiring aesthetically appealing structures that are built to ensure the life safety of citizens.

• Zoning ordinances that require a specific percentage of masonry ensure a standard of good design throughout specified land uses. These ordinances set a clear minimum requirement for all developers creating a level playing field for builders.

Planned Unit Developments

A Planned Unit Development (PUD) encourages creativity in design of development on a small scale.

PUDs allow for variations in the code such as setbacks or lot size in exchange for the inclusion of requirements such as architectural standards

RECOMMENDATION FOR IMPROVEMENT

•Effective Protection of the Environment

•The Brick Industry extracts and consumes clay. Its production process is energy intensive and gives rise to atmospheric emissions. It makes use of considerable volumes of water. This potential for environmental impact emphasizes the importance of effective regulation and responsible environmental management.

Reducing the Impact of Extraction

Research undertaken by London Economics for the DETR in preparation for the introduction of the aggregates levy assessed the environmental impact of clay extraction as small compared with other minerals.

Technical improvements: some of these innovations require technical improvements such as better air quality through chimneys and ventilation; mechanical pug mills and mechanized brick-molding machines instead of treating the clay by foot and molding the bricks by hand.

Better working conditions for workers: significant improvements are possible with a practical approach like introducing Child-care-centers on brick kilns rather than leaving the children play in the mud; a dialogue with brick workers (firemen, molders and kiln owners) can bring small but crucial improvements, for example a simple mobile phone on a kiln makes communication between firemen and their families possible

Controlling Atmospheric Emission

The main emission resulting from the production process are carbon gases, hydrogen fluoride and particulates. Continuous improvement in performance has been achieved through: • A constant drive towards increased energy efficiency. The cost of energy and the need to reach targets prescribed in the industry’s climate change agreement are key influences in this respect • Regulatory control including process guidance noted prescribing limits for hydrogen fluoride and particulates emissions • Major capital investment in the technology required to ensure compliance • Investment in research and development to achieve compliance through process modification rather than end-of-pipe solutions

An Integrated Approach to Environmental Management

Brick factories, all of which are already subject to UK Integrated Pollution Control or Local Air Pollution Control, will become installations under the new EU integrated pollution prevention and control regime. However, the Industry’s recognition that a responsible approach to the environment extends well beyond simple compliance is demonstrated by:

• The major contribution to the development of the Industry’s BREF note made by the UK industry • The increasing numbers of Industry sites with accredited ISO 14001 or EMAS systems • The input made by brick manufacturers in the BCC Guidance on Introducing and Environmental Management System which assists the spread of best practice throughout the industry • The effective application within the Industry of techniques to reduce water use and effluent levels reflected in the Enviro-wise publication, ‘Managing Water Use and Benchmarking in the Brick and Heavy Clay Sectors’• The range of guidance and advisory notes on aspects of environmental management produced by other organizations in partnership with the Industry

THANK YOU

REFERENCES:• Indian Brick Sector: http://www.ecobrick.in/indian_Brick_Sector.aspx

• Final Report, Evaluating Energy Conservation Potential of Brick Production in India: A Report Prepared for the SAARC Energy Centre, Islamabad by Sameer Maithel (March 2013))

• Energy Efficient Improvement in Indian Brick Industry: http://pscst.gov.in/pscstHTML/brick.html

• Brick Making in India: http://www.ecobrick.in/brickmakinginindia.aspx

• Manufacturing of Brick: www.gobrick.com

• http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/GATE_DL/BUILDING/BK/EN/BK.HTM

• Journal of Environmental Research And Development January-March 2008

• An article "An Overview of the American Brick Industry" on www.gobrick.com

• An article "UK building sector revives - brick by brick" on www.ft.comA report named "brickclaySummaryReport" by british geological survey(www.bgs.ac.uk)"India brick industry: Calls to improve working conditions" BBC report 2014An article "Brick industry and social improvements" www.poverty.chENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AT WIENERBERGER and SUSTAINABILITY - at the heart of practices on www.wienerberger.co.uk Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation and Climate Works Foundation (2012). Monitoring of brick kilns & strategies for cleaner brick production in India. Brick kilns performance assessment.