Coal Ash Institute of India: Newest Member of WWCCPN

Kolkata, India

AsianCAA welcomes the membership and participation of the Coal Ash Institute of India (CAII) to the World Wide Coal Combustion Products Network. The induction took place in December 2016. “We are very pleased to be working with Dr. Chatterjee and his team to enhance collaboration and exchange across the region,” stated Mr. David Harris, Chairman of AsianCAA.

Coal Ash Institute of India’s mission is to promote eco-friendly and gainful use and management of coal ash generated from thermal power plants. They support technical research and host meaningful exchanges regarding coal ash research concerning utilization and production in India. CAII will be hosting the third Asia-Pacific Conclave this March 17-19, at the Hotel Pride Plaza in Rajarhat, Kolkata. The conclave will address dry extraction and effective utilization of bottom ash. It will also cover technological advances in other coal combustion products and emissions in thermal power plants.

AsianCAA is planning a sizeable delegation in support of this conclave, and Mr. David Harris will be contributing an oral presentation on Coal Ash processing and utilization in China to the proceedings. For more information about this event, please view the event brochure,

Please visit our contact page to submit any inquiries about the upcoming event.

Odd-Even Road Rationing: Phase Two in New Delhi

New Delhi-

The first phase of New Delhi’s odd-even road-rationing scheme was completed in January of this year, the second phase of which will be initiated in mid April. The project aims to properly measure the amount of pollution caused by traffic on any given day. Weather plays a crucial part in measuring carbon emissions with certain times of year being more problematic than others. Winter weather poses issues with irregularity in weather conditions. In cold weather, the polluting particles remain close to the surface of the road and contribute to smog. In the hotter months, unstable hydrocarbons and other compounds create a photochemical reaction with NOx emissions and create ozone. Officials are hoping that the second phase will give more accurate readings and help to support local taxation for polluting automobiles and restructuring of public transportation to include 1000 more busses on the road. The safety limit for emissions of this nature is 100 micrograms per cubic meter. Last year from the middle to the end of April saw ranges from 120-250 micrograms per cubic meter.  

Restricting vehicles on the road is one component in the cavalcade of changes and reforms being encouraged by industry specialists. A further step in reducing automobile pollution would be to impose discouraging taxation on private vehicles and encourage use of public transport. Fining visibly polluting vehicles and implementing parking curbs have also been tabled at recent government meetings

The Central Pollution Control Board’s focuses their monitoring on roadside emissions when calculating annual pedestrian pollution. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, head of the clean air program at the Centre for Science and Environment says that the odd-even approach of having half of private vehicles off the roads at any given time can be assessed effectively through the CPCB model. She went on to emphasize the importance of a newly defined pedestrian and cycle based infrastructure and taxation that discourages vehicles and drives pollution out of key areas like Okhla industrial area in East Delhi.

IIT Kanpur releases an annual report on national air quality relied on by the government to assess practices regarding pollution control. Private vehicles make up the majority of emissions in populated areas. However, the report also identified other components that make up for 40% of the matter that pollutes in hot weather. These particles are made up of road dust and soil as well as airborne fly ash. The report addresses the issue of poor maintenance when concerned with proper storage and transport of fly ash. Whether in use or not, the summer months dries the fly ash, making it more likely to become airborne.

Fly Ash and Affordable Housing in India's Newest 'Smart CIty'

New Delhi-

With only 1% of the population being able to afford housing at Rs 10 lakh (approx. $22,000 USD) or more, the government aims to provide affordable housing to the public for an estimated Rs 5 lakh.

To make housing more affordable for New Delhians, The Modi government has begun using waste materials in construction as well as furnishing for recent housing projects. With the object of creating ‘smart cities’, reliant on being environmentally and cost efficient, the government is experimenting with steel structures that will use 70% fly ash. These 450 sq foot houses rely on solar powered energy and consist of furniture made of fly ash.

Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport Highways and Shipping Minister asserts that providing housing at this price will allow for a third of the population to afford housing. This is a big step towards financial independence for the poor. The housing will be provided with a subsidy that will also help with affordability.

Due to utilization and shipping logistics concerned with fly ash, the major port cities will be the target of these new ‘smart’ buildings. Gadkari went on to encourage investors to engage in public private partnerships (PPPs) in the twelve major India ports, as governments become increasingly keen on providing land in these areas for eco-friendly construction. Handling approximately 61% of India’s total cargo traffic are it’s twevle major ports - Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia). 

Gold Coal and Abandon Mines: New Ash Utilization Methods in Most Polluted Cities in the World

India- Delhi tops the list as one of the most polluted cities in the world. India, in fact, is home to thirteen out of twenty most polluted cities (World Health Organisation). Pollution here is caused by inefficiencies in the industrial sector (dust and carbon emissions), and the transportation/automobile population in India’s densely populated cities. 

A main contributing factor to industrial emissions depends on the quality of fuel being burned. Choosing competent technology and efficient coal is critical in curbing emissions. The top 13 cities, and surrounding regions are under great pressure to adapt said measures. Reutilization and sustainability has been the goal of power stations and regulators for approximately the past two decade. Current strategies for coal ash reutilization include substituting more expensive ingredients in building materials such as concrete/cement, porcelain, bricks/blocks, and adhesives.

The majority of these cities operate their stations using domestic coal, which is burned unprocessed. This coal has an ash content of 38-45%, which is a directly linked to the environmental issues of: industrial dust and land consumption for the dumping of coal ash. 

The city of Mumbai uses cleaner coal by washing it before entering boilers (gold coal), reducing ash output to 3% in some stations. Mumbai has also implemented upgraded electrostatic precipitators and FGD units, unseen in any of the 13 cities on the list. The city has positioned itself at the head of the cleaner coal energy movement. The calorific value (Kcal) of the coal being burned in Mumbai is also significantly higher and possesses a much lower sulphur dioxide content. This brings down the quantity of coal being used for every unit of power generated.

Recent studies explore the possibility of using fly ash waste as a means to fill up abandon mines. This method is being approached by many coal-fired power plants including NTPC Korba Station, located in Chhattisgarh, who began exploring this option for its ash this past December.  The company will conduct the study on 4 abandon mines in Banki fields just outside the city, planning to publish results by the end of 2016. 

NTPC power has had a division of the company dedicated to ash reutilization since 1991. NTPC stations overall have switched to higher grade coal since then to combat the amount of ash burned in their stations, and also the quantity of coal burned. Success in this new study could lead to NTPC meeting the countries 100% utilization initiative. 
NTPC appears to be at a higher level of efficiency when compared to their competitors, as they make up for 16 percent of India’s total installed capacity, yet contribute a quarter of the total electricity generated in the country.  

A current memorandum of understanding between NTPC and Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand governments vow to improve the transportation and utilization of coal. 

India, Institute for Solid Waste Management and Ecological Balance: Fly Ash used in higher performance and energy efficient road construction

Nellore, India - November 29, 2015
Springtime brings flooding to many parts of southern India. Roads made of tar or bitumen are commonly subjected to this flooding, especially near water causeways, as has happened recently between Nellore and Tada. In road construction, cement concrete is superior but is an expensive alternative and therefore cannot be implemented widely. Road construction companies are now experiencing an industry wide change to address this issue. Coal fly ash aggregates are being implemented to improve the quality of roads with increased maneuverability and cost efficiency.

The Institute for Solid Waste Management and Ecological Balance, among other institutes of it’s kind, widely advocate for the utilization of fly ash for road construction. Due to several of its physical and chemical properties, fly ash makes a choice material for road construction. During construction, it settles less than 1%. When properly compacted, fly ash does not exhibit any long-term settlement issues and can be compacted easily while utilizing sufficiently less water than its industry alternatives. With the use of regular construction equipment, it can be mixed with lime to spread along soil providing significant strength unmatched by its competitors.

Its hardening property is useful for road embankment/pavement construction necessary to reduce pressure on retaining walls. When used as filler, expansive properties of soil can be reduced considerably. It stabilizes well with lime and cement, facilitating its use as filler material. The high permeability factor of fly ash eases free drainage during rainfall and afterwards.

Fly ash provides a cost-effective solution, saving approximately 75% of costs. Its use in construction leads to numerous environmental benefits. Notably it helps with the disposal of fly ash, generally viewed as a waste material. And of course, it reduces fossil fuel burning that otherwise would have needed for producing more cement and other road construction materials.