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KNOWLEDGE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME
Report of the Exposure cum Study Tour for Bangladesh Brick Industry on Production of
Resource Efficient Brick
07th-12th June, 2015
Institute for Industrial Productivity
Submitted to
Department for International Development (DFID)
IPE Global (P) Ltd.
June 2015
Report of the Exposure cum Study Tour for Bangladesh Brick Industry on Production of
Resource Efficient Brick
07th-12th June, 2015
An exposure and study tour for a delegation from the Bangladesh Brick Manufacturers and
Owners Association (BBMOA) on FaL-G (Fly ash Lime and Gypsum) non fired brick making
technology was organized from 7th to 12th June, 2015. The details of the participants of the Study
Tour is provided at Annex-1 and the program schedule is provided at Annex-2.
This exposure and study tour was organised as part of a project to ‘Promote resource efficiency
along key sectors of South Asia’ within which the focus sectors in Bangladesh is Brick and Textile.
The focus of this initiative in Brick sector is to promote resource efficient brick technology (FaL-
G). The current practice of brick making in Bangladesh is resource intensive. It is characterized
by outdated technologies with low energy efficiency, high emissions and dominance of single
raw material (clay) and product (solid clay brick). Bangladesh currently produces around 17
billion bricks per year, consuming around 45 million tonnes of fertile agricultural soil in the
process. Currently, the total farmland in Bangladesh is about 14 million hectares and brick
making is depleting by about 80,000 hectares every year, a 0.05% depletion rate. Given this
trend, the competing use of already declining fertile agriculture land for brick manufacture will
push the country, which is already the most densely populated country in the world, towards
the brink of severe food shortages in near future. FaL-G Brick (Fly ash- Lime- Gypsum) technology
that has been invented and patented in India, is a climate-friendly technology that produces
high strength fly ash bricks without using top soil and coal and completely eliminates carbon
emissions. The purpose of the Exposure and Study tour was to build confidence and clarity
among BBMOA delegation on FaL-G brick making technology by addressing doubts related to
technical and economic viability to facilitate its transfer and scale up in Bangladesh.
As a prelude to the study tour, a round table discussion and field visit (of the technology
developers and experts from India) was organised in Bangladesh to: 1. have interaction with the
local stakeholders to assess the existing issues and challenges as well as their needs,
expectations; 2. Undertake filed visit to the brick kilns to understand the current brick
manufacturing process, raw material availability, and market demand etc.; 3. Carry out tests
(with the help of Bangladesh University for Engineering & Technology-BUET) to assess the
quality & strength of the bricks currently being manufactured in Bangladesh. This helped in
understanding how the technology could be improvised to the local context and requirements
in Bangladesh and to develop economic models to suit different prevailing conditions (viz.
quality and quantity of raw material, distance for which they will be transported etc.) in
Bangladesh. These preparatory activities helped in developing relevant reference material and
designing the study Tour in a manner that it met the objectives of the project.
The Study tour had the following components,
• Interactions with technology developers to understand the intricacies of the FaL-G
technology in terms of raw material requirement, their supply chain, issues and concerns
related to its availability and pricing of raw material, manufacturing process, market demand
& challenges related to it and how the technology can be deployed and scaled up in
Bangladesh.
• Interaction with thermal power plant to understand the issues and challenges related to fly
ash management and the advantage they see in utilising fly ash in brick manufacture. Also
understand the policy context that enabled the use of fly ash in manufacture of bricks and
other building material.
• Interaction with Fly Ash Brick Manufacturers Federation (FABMAFED) to understand what
factors - policy, technology, resource availability and market – led them to adopt and scale
up the new technology, how the issues and challenges were handled and what has been
their experience so far. This would help BBMOA members anticipate the challenges related
to the technology and understand the factors influencing success – what were the conditions
that enabled certain innovations to work effectively e.g. federation structure, political
economy, delivery model, timing, finance etc. and whether these conditions are replicable
• Field visit to brick manufacturing facility and interaction with brick entrepreneurs with a
focus on enhancing the understanding of BBMOA and their members about the chosen
technologies, see it in operational condition and get a first-hand feedback from Indian
entrepreneurs on its performance, price, market acceptability and other issues. Also
organise interaction with the construction companies to understand why they opt for FaL-G
bricks over conventional bricks and whether there are any advantages.
To cover the above aspects, the study tour included site visits to FaL-G manufacturing plants,
construction sites, Fly ash source and laboratory and class room sessions at Vishakhapatnam
and Kolkata. The details of each component of the Study Tour is as follows:
Day1: 08th June, 2015; Vishakhapatnam
The delegation from Bangladesh was accompanied by IIP professional and reached
Vishakhapatnam on 7th June, where they were briefed about the weeklong study tour in
Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata.
The delegation on first day of study tour visited Institute for Solid Waste Research & Ecological
Balance (INSWAREB) where Mr. Kalidas, who has invented the FaL-G technology joined the
delegation to visit the FaL-G manufacturing facility Near National Thermal Power Corporation
(NTPC), Simhadri. The details and observations are as follows:
Site 1: FaL-G Brick Manufacturing Facility
The first FaL G unit visited by delegation manufactures fly ash bricks, blocks of different sizes
and aggregates. The basic raw material being used is fly ash sourced from NTPC Simhadri, locally
available sand and gypsum.
The facility manufactures over 1600 bricks per shift spread over 8 hours, utilizing 9-10
manpower resources. The choice and composition of raw material depends on the kind of
activity/function served by the bricks or the required strength of the bricks. The guaranteed
compressive strength mentioned by INSWAREB is 80 kg/cm2 which actually stands at 120-150
kg/cm2.
1 Name of facility: INSWAREB
2 Product range: Bricks and blocks, aggregates
3 Fly ash per batch: 90 kg (56.4%)
4 Crusher dust per batch: 60 kg (38%)
5 Gypsum per batch: 1.5 kg (0.95%)
6 OPC per batch: 8 kg (5%)
The process of making fly ash products is simple and can be summed up in four major steps
described below:
The resources used in this process are electricity for drives and manpower, the basic brick
manufacturing process remains the same, however the level of automation and production
capacity vary over the installations countrywide.
1. Pan Mixer 2. Pan mixer to Block making machine
Raw
material
Pellet
Unloading
Pan
mixer
Brick
making
Casting
on pellet
3. Block making machine- Hand operated 4. Pellet unloading and curing
5. Pan Mixer for Egg laying machine 6. Egg laying machine
Site 2: National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Simhadri
The delegation after visiting the FaL-G brick manufacturing unit also visited the site from where
fly ash is sourced by the brick manufacturers. The fly ash for manufacturing FaL-G bricks is
sourced from NTPC, which is at a distance of around 10 kilometers from the plant. The team
along with NTPC professionals reached the fly ash collection area inside the plant premises. The
fly ash which is collected from the Electro Static Precipitator (ESP) is being collected in 3 storage
silos. The coarse ash collected from the first field of ESP is stored in silo 1, relatively finer ash
from second field of ESP is collected in silo 2 and the remaining finest grade fly ash from the
third field of ESP is collected and stored in silo 3. As per the discussions with NTPC professionals,
the power plant of 2000MW capacity utilizes around 40,000 tons of coal per day and produces
around 10,000 tons of fly ash per day. The quality of fly ash due to high operating temperature
and pressure boilers is relatively good.
The mechanism for loading fly ash in tanker
vehicles and open trucks was also
demonstrated. The delegation also met the
Deputy General Manager, fly ash handling, NTPC
to discuss the fly ash management aspects of
the plant.
The delegation also met Mr. A. K Samantha,
Group General Manager, NTPC and Mr. Y.S.
Gupta, Addl. General Manager (EMG & AU). The
NTPC management expressed keen interest in
supporting the project in sharing the learnings
for effective management of fly ash. They
mentioned that despite using fly ash in cement
plants, brick making and other areas, NTPC is
still finding it difficult to manage the un-utilised
fly ash, which means that there is still a lot of
potential to enhance the use of fly ash in brick
making in India. Based on their experience they
mentioned that, in Bangladesh, brick making
could be a potential area which could help in
effective disposal of the fly ash that would be
generated from the thermal power plants in
operation and those in the pipeline as there are not many cement manufacturing facilities in
Bangladesh. NTPC also mentioned that they are also exploring the option of transporting fly ash
to countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Fly Ash Collection unit in NTPC
Meeting with Group Mr. A.K. Samantha, General Manager, NTPC, Simhadri
Site 3 and 4: FaL-G Brick Manufacturing units, Vishakhapatnam
The delegation visited two more FaL-G manufacturing units in the same area. The manufacturing
process was similar to the previously visited unit, only the block making machines were different
in design and capacity.
In site 3 the block making machine was of semi-automatic design and is known as Flat Bed
Hydraulic Machine in which the raw mix material is fed from one end of the machine and the
made bricks are collected from the opposite end. The raw mix is filled in the mould blocks which
rest over the pellet, once the moulds are loaded, the hydraulic ram applies pressure on the
moulds. The raw mix in the moulds are processed into castings due to the application of
pressure. Once the cycle ends, the ram is lifted up along with the mould and made bricks which
rest over the pellet are removed and taken for curing. The hydraulic ram and mould movements
are hydraulic and 3-4 number of semi-skilled manpower are required to operate the entire
facility . The total connected load for the plant is 5.5 kW and is able to produce a batch of 8
bricks over a cycle of 15 seconds.
The operations at site 4 were also same except the block making machine which is this case is
Hydraulic Rotary Table Disc. The material feeding from pan mixer to the block making machine
is through conveyors. The material is transferred from the conveyor to the rotary disc which has
in built mould blocks in it. The mechanism over the disc enables raw material to fill the mould,
the disc is now rotated and moulds filled with raw material are compressed by applying hydraulic
pressure evenly over the mould. At the same time when one mould is being compressed the
empty mould receives the material from the conveyor and the operation continues.
1. Material Feeding, Site 3; Flat Bed Brick
Making Machine
2. Hydraulic ram in action; brick receiving
end
3. Belt conveyor enabled material transfer in
rotary disc type machine
4. Rotary disc with in built mould blocks
The delegation also spend time in the INSWAREB testing facility to witness different testing
equipment used for analysis of compressive strength of made bricks. The facility had two
Universal Testing machines, one digital and one analog. The samples collected from different
sites by the delegation were also tested in the laboratory to clear doubts of the delegation on
compressive strength of FaL-G bricks.
Universal Testing Machine; INSWAREB
Laboratory
Testing Results; Cube
Testing Results; Bricks
By the end of first day, the study tour delegation was introduced to three different brick making
machines, the machines were operated to showcase manufactured samples and the entire brick
making process in practical. They were also made familiar with the sourcing and management
of fly ash and construction sites which are making use of FaL-G bricks in construction activities.
Day2: 09th June, 2015; Vishakhapatnam
Classroom session:
The second day of the study tour focused mainly on the technical aspects of Fal-G brick making
process. These aspects were covered in detail by the technology developer, Mr. N. Kalidas, in a
dedicated class room session for the Bangladesh delegation. These technical aspects covered
the flowing areas:
1. Significance and functionality of different technologies in use
2. Lime and Gypsum routes of fly ash brick manufacturing
3. Stoichiometry and composition of raw materials for different strength grades
4. Classification fly ash and their qualities & characteristics
5. Cost economics of setting up and operating a fly ash brick manufacturing facility
6. Marketing strategies to promote fly ash bricks
7. Do’s and Do not’s of FaL-G
Class room session on Fal-G technology
The delegation also walked through the FaL-G mansion in which the technology developer has
used different composition of raw mix for different structural purposes. The delegation was also
provided with necessary technical papers and other relevant documents like technology
brochures and quotations, cost economics calculation, marketing brochures for FaL-G and
demonstration documentaries. The faculty also provided information on BIS standards in India
along with supporting documents.
Press Meet:
INSWAREB also organized a press meet to highlight the project activity and one of its kind
bilateral study tour for the BBMOA delegation. The local industry association representatives
and entrepreneurs in fly ash brick manufacturing
also joined the press meet.
In the beginning of this event, Mr. N Kalidas,
INSWAREB, made a presentation on the FaL-G
technology. After his presentation, Mr. Sadrul
Islam, Advisor, BBMOA also expressed his views on
this initiative. He mentioned about the existing
brick making practices in Bangladesh and their
impact on food security and environment
deterioration. He expressed various difficulties being faced by brick manufacturers in
Bangladesh. He also extended his gratitude towards the project for facilitating this knowledge
transfer on the new fly ash brick technology
2: Presentation by Mr. N. Kalidas, INSWAREB 1: Interactive discussion; BBMOA delegates and Industry
Association representatives from Vishakhapatnam
Day 3: 10th June, 2015; Kolkata
The study tour delegation arrived in Kolkata on 10th June afternoon and proceeded for site visits
post lunch. The first site was located at around 40 km from Kolkata city. The delegation was also
joined by representatives of Flyash Bricks & Blocks Manufacturers Federation (FABMAFED)
along with industry owners.
Site 1: Jhanwar Bricks, Kolkata
The first site Jhanwar Bricks visited in Kolkata manufactures fly ash bricks using FaL-G
technology. The plant has installed one Hydraulic Flat Bed brick making machine (without
vibrations). The Pan mixer used in fly ash manufacturing is similar in design for all the sites with
different capacities. This plant had an installed capacity of manufacturing 3000 bricks/hour and
actual production is around 2000 bricks/hour. The plant operates for one shift only and duration
of the shift is 10 hours. The total connected load of the plant is 27 H.P. One batch processed by
the brick making machine equates to 12 bricks, the cycle time is around 12 seconds. The
composition of raw mix is 45 % fly ash, 45 % sand and 10 % cement.
The delegation had concerns over branding of fly ash bricks because industries in
Vishakhapatnam were not used to stamping brand names on bricks, which is a common practice
in clay bricks. In Kolkata, this concern was resolved as they saw that the flyash brick
manufacturers were branding the bricks manufactured by stamping their name on the bricks.
1: Semi-Automatic Flat Bed Hydraulic Machine 2: Branded, Made Bricks for Curing
The same day Bangladesh delegation also visited construction sites nearby the city. These
construction sites include, high risers, commercial buildings and infrastructures and
construction sites of housing board etc. These visits helped the delegation in believing the level
of acceptance for fly ash bricks in the real estate market. Some of the pictures from the
construction sites are presented here:
Day 4: 11th June, 2015; Kolkata
Site 1:
The fourth day of the study tour started early at 8 a.m. since the manufacturing site to be visited
was far from the city at a distance of more than 80 km and reached the site at around 11 a.m.
The fly ash brick manufacturer Onkar Infracon Private Limited is a mammoth facility producing
1.5 lakh bricks per day. The process from collection and receipt of raw material to stacking of
made bricks is completely automated. The automation involved hydraulically actuated mould,
belt conveyors separate hoppers for different raw materials, mixing drum (pan mixer), manually
operated cranes and use of pellet trucks and hand trucks. This plant manufactures a variety of
products which include bricks and blocks, hollow bricks and blocks, blocks used for pavements
and block of intricate shape which are used in commercial buildings and I.T infrastructures.
Construction site visited by the Delegation
1: Raw material collection hoppers 3: Raw mix feeding to flatbed machine
2: Pan Mixer receives material from hoppers
automatically
4: PLC based operation in flat bed brick
making machine
5: Manually operated crane for made bricks
stacking
6: FaL-G Complex shape blocks for
pavements
The site visit to Onkar Infracon Pvt. Ltd. helped the delegation in realizing the flexibility in
operation and product variety offered by FaL-G technology. This plant was one of the few biggest
fly ash brick manufacturing in Kolkata. In order to complement the higher plant capacity the
level of automation is also advanced and a workforce of 20-25 workers is required in the entire
plant.
Site 2:
This site was one of the most attracting and relevant site for the Bangladesh delegation, since
the unit was earlier involved in red clay brick manufacturing and has shifted to FaL-G in last
couple of years. The FaL-G set up has also been installed in the same premises. The process of
manufacturing was similar to previously visited units and the only difference was the product
range and capacity.
The plant representative
mentioned that the FaL-G
as compared to the
conventional clay brick
process is hassle free and
smooth. The supply chain
of FaL-G has also improved
over the time, however the
concerns in supply chain of
clay are still dominant. FaL-
G also runs for the entire 1: Interaction with plant owner
year long duration as compared to clay bricks which operates for 6 months only and the owner
suffers for the remaining duration to balance the supply and demand of bricks. The overall
management of fly ash brick manufacturing facility is headache free as compared to the clay
brick manufacturing.
Day 5: 12th June, 2015; Kolkata
Meeting with Fabmafed:
On the last day of study tour, a small informative session for the delegates on carbon credits
mechanisms was organized in which expert on carbon credits and gold standards were invited
to deliver an overview of the carbon trading mechanisms.
FABMAFED delivered the welcome address in which it mentioned about the contribution of Fly
ash brick in maintaining the ecological balance of the area or region. Mr. N.Kalidas mentioned
that every one million flyash bricks in comparison to conventional clay bricks, avoid the usage
of 4500 tons of fertile top soil improving agricultural output and better food security. These brick
also consume around 3700 tons of industrial byproducts some of which affect the environment
2: President BBMOA inspecting the fine finishing
of the bricks at site 2
3: Belt conveyor from pan mixer to brick making machine
quality if not treated and left out to the surroundings. In addition, these bricks are non-fired and
hydraulically bonded bricks and hence it avoid the use of around 260 tons of coal or any
equivalent fuel. The carbon dioxide mitigation contribution is around 240 tons for one million
fly ash bricks.
The above characteristics of FaL-G technology make it eligible to claim carbon benefits. Keeping
this is mind an introductory session for BBMOA delegates was delivered by Mr. Ajoy Gupta,
Manager, Climate Change Program, SGS India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Gupta gave an overview of carbon
credit mechanisms and also included the following:
1. Benefits of carbon credits
2. Relevance to Fly Ash Brick Making Industry
3. Process of registration
4. Level of discipline and regularity
5. Mandatory compliances
6. Models of carbon credit mechanisms
7. Gold Standard Verification
Feedback Session:
In the end an interactive concluding session was organized with the study tour delegation. The
objective of the session was to gather feedback of delegates on the study tour and their
understanding of technology and products. BBMOA representatives mentioned that the study
tour was very informative in which they not only understood the technological aspects but also
the different scale of operation. They also appreciated the flexibility offered by the technology
over the choice of composition, product range and technology cost. They offered to pilot
demonstrate the technology in Bangladesh to convince other members of BBMOA and create
awareness among the policy makers & financial institution by helping the project map the
benefits of the pilot demonstration and partnering in dissemination of the impacts to the
concerned stakeholders.
I
Study Team Delegation
Annexure 1
Name of the participants of the Exposure cum Study Tour
1. Mizanur Rahman, President, Bangladesh Bick Owners Manufacturers Association
(BBMOA)
2. Md. Abu Bakar, General Secretary, BBMOA
3. Mohammad Asadur Rahman Khan, Vice President, BBMOA
4. Md. Abdur Razzak, Advisor & Member, BBMOA
5. Md. Osman Goni, Member BBMOA
6. Md. Sadrul Islam, Advisor & Member, BBMOA
7. N. Kalidas, Director, INSWAREB
8. Sushant Anand, Research Associate– Knowledge Partnership Program (KPP), IPE Global
9. A.K.M.Mazharul Islam, Country Coordinator, IIP, Bangladesh
10. Gaurav Sharma, Program Officer, IIP
Annexure 2
Program for Exposure cum Study Tour for Bangladesh Brick Industry on Production of
Resource Efficient Brick
7th to 12th June, 2015
Date Time Planned activity
7th June
Sunday
17:05 Depart Dhaka at 10:10 AM by Jet airways flight. Arrive Vizag at
5.10 PM by AI flight; Proceed to hotel
19:30 Interaction with Fly ash Brick Manufacturers’ Association
Welcome Dinner
8th June
Monday
09:00 Plant visits: INSWAREB Building Centre to see Vibro Table and
Egg-laying machines.
11:00 Visit to Simhadri (NTPC) power plant to explain the method of
fly ash collection.
12:00
noon
Visit to two units to see Rotating Hydraulic Press and Flat-Bed
Hydraulic Press.
14:00 Lunch at Ramachandra, Gajuwaka
15:00 Class room lectures at INSWAREB labs on raw materials, process
and plant selection; QC procedures of FaL-G technology, cost-
benefit analysis.
9th June
Tuesday
09:00 Visit to construction sites where FaL-G brick/blocks are used.
12:30 Lunch
14:30 Visit to construction sites where FaL-G brick/blocks are used.
10th June
Wednesday
07:00 To Airport
Departure to Kolkata 6E 511 Dep: 08.50 Arr: 11:15
14:00 Plant visits.
19:30 Interaction with members of ‘FABMAFED’ (Flyash brick and
block Manufacturers Federation) followed by Dinner
11th June
Thursday
09:00 Plant/site visits.
12th June
Friday
10:00 On to One meeting with local Manufacturers
14:00 Lunch
Site visit/ local marketing
