Start a Clay Brick (BTKs) Plant

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(192)Start a Clay Brick (BTKs) Plant

Common fired clay brick is one of the important building materials in India. Bricks are used as
walling material in most residential and commercial buildings. They are also used for other
applications, e.g. road and canal construction. India is the second largest producer of bricks in the
world, and is next only to China in terms of brick production. An estimated 140 billion bricks were
produced during the year 200001. Brick production is estimated to be growing at a rate of 4% per
year. Bricks are produced at village and rural enterprise levels. The sizes of brick units are much
smaller in the rural areas. However, in peri-urban areas, the size of brick producing units is much
larger, and clustering of brick making units is quite common. Regional variations are also observed in
the size and scale of the brick production units. The total number of brick making units is estimated at
around 100,000.
Traditional technologies are used for brick production. In general, bricks are hand moulded, sun dried
and fired in a kiln. The entire process of brick making is manual and estimated to provide
employment to 8 million workers.

Technologies used

Bulls trench kilns (BTKs) and clamps are two prominent firing technologies used for brick making in
India. The BTK is a continuous type kiln and has higher production capacities (15,00050,000 bricks
per day). It also has better energy efficiency compared to clamps. BTKs account for 70% of the total
brick production in the country. Coal is the main fuel used in BTKs. The specific energy consumption
in firing bricks in BTKs ranges between 1.1 and 1.6 MJ/kg of fired brick. Clamps are used for smaller
production levels. A variety of fuels such as coal, firewood, various types of agricultural residues and
dung cakes are used in clamps. Large variations are observed in the shape, size, stacking of bricks
and firing techniques in clamps. Generally, energy efficiencies of clamps are lower. The specific
energy consumption of clamps ranges between 1.5 and 3.0 MJ/kg of fired brick.

Energy use in brick firing

Brick firing is an energy-intensive process. The annual estimated coal consumption by the brick
industry is 24 million tonnes, which represents around 8% of the total coal consumption in India.
Besides coal, the Indian brick industry also consumes a large quantity of biomass fuels. The share of
fuel in the total production cost of bricks is in the range of 35% to 50%. The total estimated
expenditure on fuel by the Indian brick industry is in excess of one billion USD (1 USD= Rs 50).

Concerns in the brick sector

Stack emissions are a major source of air pollution by the brick industry. The brick industry also uses
up good quality top soil from agricultural fields. The unplanned and unregulated exploitation of good
quality agriculture soil for brick making is a major area of concern. Production of 140 billion bricks
per year (year 2000-01 estimates) requires around 540 million tonnes of soil. The depth of
excavation is shallow and usually ranges from 0.5 2 metres. Assuming an average depth of
excavation of 0.75 m, around 500 sq. km of agriculture land is adversely affected by brick production
every year.
The Indian brick industry produces mainly one product, i.e. red coloured, hand moulded, solid bricks.
For long-term sustainability of the industry, it is important to diversify the product range and move
towards products that are less resource intensive and fulfil market requirements. Production of less
resource intensive clay products and use of alternate building materials can result in significant
conservation of top soil.

Barriers
The barriers that are responsible for stagnation of the Indian brick sector are also inhibiting
technology upgradation. The major barriers identified in the Indian brick sector are as follows:
(i) Policy
The existing codes and specifications for building materials are based on traditional brick making and
do not meet modern practices and technologies. With the availability of new building materials, these
codes and specifications need to be reviewed and modified for large scale production and end-use.
(ii) Financial
There is lack of awareness and knowledge among brick kiln entrepreneurs necessary to prepare
project reports/ documents for seeking loans from financial institutions/ banks. The credit-worthiness
of brick kiln entrepreneurs is also not very favourably viewed by banks. At present, there is no tailormade financial instrument available to brick kiln entrepreneurs for investing in technology
upgradation. Higher transaction costs are envisaged by individual brick kiln entrepreneurs for
developing markets for resource efficient bricks. These financial barriers are responsible for brick kiln
entrepreneurs not investing in technology upgradation and by banks related activities.
(iii) Business skills
The majority of the brick kiln entrepreneurs use traditional methods of green brick production, brick
firing and marketing. They lack capacities in regard to modern practices in marketing, business
opportunities and kiln management. There is also lack of trained manpower to cope with new
technology changes.
(iv) Technology
There is limited availability of technology know-how for
resource efficient bricks, as very few technology
providers are available in the country. With brick kiln
operations in India generally being carried out at the
small scale level, individual brick kiln entrepreneurs find it
difficult to access such know-how.
(v) Awareness barrier
The present level of awareness of entrepreneurs and
end-users on modern technologies (machineries) and
building products is low. The benefits from the production
of resource efficient bricks - such as energy savings,
reduction in top soil consumption and air pollution - are
also not well known to brick entrepreneurs. The endusers such as builders, architects, etc. too lack
information on the benefits of using REBs in building
construction (insulation properties of REBs, saving in mortar during construction, etc.).

Project Rationale

Use of obsolete technologies and use of solid bricks with traditional practices are seen as major
threats to the Indian brick industry. Under the business-as-usual scenario, Indian brick industry will
continue to operate with traditional technologies and practices, which are poor in energy efficiency
and environmental performance as well as resources-intensive. The following have been identified
as major problems faced by the Indian brick industry:
Limited information on resource efficient technologies
Lack of resource efficient model brick kiln units at cluster levels
Non-availability of trained manpower
Limited access to finance
Unexplored market for alternate building products
Old specifications and codes for building material
Non-availability of institutional mechanism.
The project preparatory phase clearly indicated several opportunities in the Indian brick industry to
improve resource efficiencies and promote production of resource efficient bricks such as
perforated bricks, hollow blocks and fly ash bricks. This would require significant changes and
upgradation in the existing brick making processes, for which ready-made solutions are not
available.

Project Strategy
The project has planned to undertake interventions in all regions of the country, i.e. North, East,
West, South, and North East. The project interventions would help in introducing Resource
Efficient Brick (REB) products such as hollow blocks, perforated bricks and fly ash bricks in
different regions of the country. This will lead to switch over from the traditional hand moulding
method to the use of machinery (mechanization or semi-mechanization) by the brick kiln units.

What are REBs?

REBs are products that consume less energy and resources for their production than traditional
fired clay bricks, and also have better quality and insulation properties. There are different types of
REBs, such as perforated bricks, hollow blocks and fly ash bricks.

Project Implementation
In order to reach out to various regions and brick clusters, the project has set up Local Resource
Centres (LRCs) in different regions of the country, i.e. North, South, East, West and North-East.
The activities of the LRCs encompass the following:
Create awareness among architects, builders, other end-users and government
departments in order to facilitate the uptake of REBs.
Prepare and disseminate promotional material on REBs.
Establish facts such as strengths and properties of various REB products.
Facilitate adoption of REB technologies (both mechanization and semi-mechanization) by
interested entrepreneurs
Prepare DPRs (detailed project reports) for availing loans from financial institutions and
banks.

Why REBs are Important?

Traditional brick manufacture uses up huge quantities of top soil and fuels. It is becoming
increasingly difficult for brick entrepreneurs to tackle the challenges posed by the growing scarcity
or non-availability of top soil in their vicinity, escalating fuel prices, and difficulty in finding workers.
At the same time, the construction sector is witnessing an increasing use of products such as
REBs that offer better qualities than traditional bricks in certain parameters. Present day
constructions usually have RCC (reinforced concrete cement) columns, with bricks mainly used as
partition walls. Unlike earlier, bricks are no longer being used as load bearing walls in the majority
of buildings.
Traditional brick manufacture uses up huge quantities of top soil and fuels. It is becoming
increasingly difficult for brick entrepreneurs to tackle the challenges posed by the growing scarcity
or non-availability of top soil in their vicinity, escalating fuel prices, and difficulty in finding workers.
At the same time, the construction sector is witnessing an increasing use of products such as
REBs that offer better qualities than traditional bricks in certain parameters. Present day
constructions usually have RCC (reinforced concrete cement) columns, with bricks mainly used as
partition walls. Unlike earlier, bricks are no longer being used as load bearing walls in the majority
of buildings.

Advantages of REBs

REBs offer a number of advantages in production as well as end-use applications. These include
the following.
Uniform product size and better finish
Low water absorption (<10%)
Improved crushing strength of extruded products (300 to 350 kg/cm2)
Resource savings energy (up to 20%), and top soil (up to 30%)
Reduction in masonry costs and plaster requirements
Reduced cooling/heating load requirements.

Project Outcomes

The following outcomes are envisaged through the various activities proposed under the project:
Enhancing public sector awareness on resource-efficient products
Access to finance for brick kiln entrepreneurs
Improved knowledge on technology, including marketing
Availability of resource efficient technology models in five clusters through Local Resource
Centres
Improved capacity of brick kiln entrepreneurs

Project Outputs
Higher energy efficiency in brick production
Improved resource efficiency and reduced land degradation
Reduced local and cluster level pollution
High level of awareness among various stakeholders
Additional benefits:
Improvements in building efficiency with reduction in heating and cooling loads, due
to the air gaps in resource efficient bricks
Reduced drudgery and improved health of moulders and other workers.

The addresses shown below do not represent a complete list. This list will be
updated on a regular basis.

Indian manufacturers
De Boer Damle (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Anant, Plot No. 98, Lane 5, Natraj Society, Karvenagar, Pune 411 052
Maharastra, India
Tel: +91 20 25446127 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
+91 20
25446127
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
E-mail: dbdindia@gmail.com
Fax: +91 20 25446127 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
+91 20
25446127
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Brochure
Fortune Engineers
GLOBAL BIZ LINKS
C-403 Shrinandnagar V
Vejalpur, Ahmedabad-380051
Contact:
Mr Neeraj Arora
Tel: 91 79 26823411 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
91 79
26823411
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Mob: 91 9558818695
Email: neerajarora66@skype.com
Lakshmi & Co
30, Amman Kovil Street
Venkatapuram, GCT Post
Coimbatore 641013
Tamil Nadu, INDIA
Tel: 91 422 2436129 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting

91 422

2436129
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 91 422 2452104
Email: nanda_bricktech@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.lakshmiandco.com
Neptune Industries Limited
Office:
1A, First floor, Ankur complex
Behind Town Hall, Ellis Bridge
Ahmedabad 380 006
Gujarat, INDIA
Tel: 91 79 26576234 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
91 79
26576234
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 91 79 26576234 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
91 79
26576234
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Email: info@neptune-india.com
Website: http://www.neptune-india.com
Works:
297, G I D C Phase-2
Modhera Road, Mehsana-384004
Gujarat, INDIA
Tel: 91 2762 224551 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
91 2762
224551
end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 224331
Fax: 91 2762 252070
Contact:
Mr Sandeep Dave
Email:sandeep@neptune-india.com
Mr Dhaval Patel
Email: dhp@neptune-india.com
Vijaya Prakash Industries
NH-17, Near Sarada Mandiram
P O Kolathara Calicut - 673655, Kerala
Contact: Mr K K Vijayan
Tel: 91 495 2482542 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
91 495
2482542
end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 91 495 2485373
begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
91 495
2485373
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Mob: 91 9447075373
Walter Craven Ceramic Products (India) Limited
Office:
1, G T Road, Bhadrakali,
Uttarpara, Hooghly 712232
West Bengal, INDIA
Works:
18 & 19-B, G T Road
Uttarpara, Hooghly 712232
West Bengal, INDIA
Tel: 91 33 64517357 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
64517357
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 91 33 26632764
Email: waltercravencal@sify.net
Contact: Mr M k Banerjee

Foreign manufacturers

91 33

BEDESCHI spa
Via Praimbole, 38
25010 Limena (Padova), ITALY
Contact:
Tel : 39 49 7663100
Fax : 39 49 8848006
Website: http://www.bedeschi.it
Email : sales@bedeschi.it
Ceratech SA/ NV
Rue du Touquetstraat 228
B-7782, Ploegsteert
BELGIUM
Tel: 32 56 565758, 32 56 565653
Fax: 32 56 565505
E mail: hendrik.vancolen@ceratec.be
Website: http://www.ceratc.eu
Craven Fawcett Limited
Belle Vue, Wakefield
West Yorkshire WF1 5EQ
ENGLAND
Tel: 44 1924 375444
Fas: 44 1924 290245
Web: http://www.cravenfawcett.com
Email: mark.ridgway@grouprhodes.co.uk
HAENDLE GMBH Maschinen und Anlagenbau
Industristrasse 47
75417 Muehlacker, GERMANY
Tel: 49 7041 891-1 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
49 7041 8911
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Hotline : 49 171 7323636 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
49 171
7323636
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Telefax : 49 7041 891-232
Website: http://www.haendle.com
Email: info@haendle.com , T.Wagner@haendle.com
KELLER HCW GmbH
POB 2064 - 49470
Ibbenbren-Laggenbeck
Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 54 51 85-0 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
0
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax +49 (0) 54 51 85-3 10
Website: www.keller-hcw.de
Email: info@keller-hcw.de
Brochure [1] [2] [3]
TALLERES FELIPE VERDES, SA
Ctra. Igualada, P O Box 172
08788 VILANOVA DEL CAMI,
Barcelona, SPAIN
Email: commercial@verdes.com
Website : http://www.verdes.com

+49 (0) 54 51 85-

Kusum Brick Field

Kusum Brick Field is located in Hapur,
Kusum Brick Field
Distt. Ghaziabad (UP) and is owned by
Mr Sanjay Dadoo, a 3rd generation
brick entrepreneur. His brick kiln unit
has a production capacity of about
50,000 bricks per day, with the brick
production season usually extending
from December to July each year. Shift
from moving chimney to fixed
chimney design
Till 1997, Mr Dadoo had a moving
chimney brick kiln. With environmental
regulations being enforced on the brick
industry by the Ministry of Environment
and Forests (MoEF), he switched over
to a fixed chimney kiln equipped with gravity settling chamber (pollution control
system), based on the design provided by the Central Building Research Institute
(CBRI), Roorkee. The switchover helped in better kiln operation, which eventually
yielded fuel savings of about 10%. This motivated Mr Dadoo to explore other
technology options that he could adopt to improve the market for his products.
Adoption of semi-mechanization for production of perforated bricks and hollow
blocks
Kusum Brick Field was producing only solid bricks. Mr Dadoo visited a number of
places like Malur (Karnataka), Baliapatam (Kerala), Morvi (Gujarat) and Vietnam to
assess the technology options available in the Indian market and abroad. He acquired
semi-mechanized brick moulding machinery from Gujarat, which he himself modified to
suit the local conditions. From 2005, he began to produce perforated bricks in his unit
(along with traditional bricks). Slowly and steadily, he increased the share in production
of perforated bricks (Table 1).
Table 1 Production of perforated bricks of Kusum Bricks Field
Year

Annual brick production

2005-06

8 lakh

2006-07

12 lakh

2007-08 15 lakh
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2008-09 20 lakh
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Some of the challenges faced by Mr Dadoo while adopting semi-mechanization
include:
No previous experience in extruder operation and handling of perforated bricks
No trained operator/ labour
Controlled drying is required for drying of extruded products, which otherwise
will lead to cracks, wastage and production losses.
Mr Dadoo has successfully solved the issues faced in technology adoption. Now, he
has plans to diversify his production to include other products such as hollow blocks.