ENOUGH INFO ABOUT THE FLY ASH BRICKS AND RELEVANT DATA REGARDING FLY ASH BRICKS.

1. Asad Ashfaq
PRESENTS
FLYASH BRICK – AN
ENTREPRENEUR’S APPROACH
FROM :
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES, PHASE 7 HAYATABAD PESHAWAR.

2. Material science is a complex
composite, arising out of in-built
judgment in orienting the
characteristics and constituents of
various products to serve the human
race; and depending on the nature’s
gift, tapping the same for the
application of human need.

3. Bricks made out of clay is one such product
which proved its credence since the dawn of
civilization. Brickwork is established as an
age-old construction media right from the
thatched house to multi-storeyed buildings.
Nature’s kind-heartedness in gifting the
humankind with its bountiful resources, of
course, has a threshold limit and the
utilization of clay has reached such a point in
construction.

4. This potential resource has been over
tapped, unmindful of the consequences,
as a result of which (except in limited
pockets of some river delta regions)
barren lagoons have replaced vast
stretches of erstwhile fertile land. Added
to that, soil degradation and
disturbances in ecology are threatening
the very rudimentary pillars of welfare.

5. In countries like India, where about 65%
of the population is still living in
economically weaker and rural segments,
clay is unanimously the cost effective
building material to make the walls and
floors of their huts. But irreparable
exhaustion has taken place for such
versatile product, leaving no chances of
replenishment for millennia to come.

13. In West Bengal, the industry estimate of registered clay brick
manufacturers stands at around 8,000 in numbers. There is
almost an equal number of unregistered brickfields taking the
State level aggregate to approx. 15,000 brickfields.
Considering that the minimum annual production of a
brickfield is around 30,00,000 pieces, the total clay brick
production of the State works out to approx. 4,500 Crore
pieces.
Taking into account that 10% of this production is carried out
using silt available along the river banks, approx. quantity of
clay bricks manufactured through excavation of top soil may
be assumed at approx. 4,000 Crore pieces, which destroys
9.77 Crore cum top soil annually as under :-
4000 Crore pcs x 0.08632 cft/brick = 345.28 Crore cft or
9.77 Crore cum of top soil weighing 12.80 Crore MT.

14. For converting this estimated volume to flyash bricks, the
minimum quantity of flyash required annually would work
out to :-
4000 Crore pcs x 0.0033 MT/brick x 50% (by weight) = 6.60
Crore MT
Therefore, daily requirement of flyash is envisaged at =
1,80,000 MT
So, even theoretically, most of the flyash can be recycled by
brick manufacturers, which in turn would save precious top
soil as well as abate carbon di-oxide emission, the process
being devoid of sintering.

19. DISTRICT WISE
ESTIMATED NO.
OF FLYASH
BRICK UNITS IN
WEST BENGAL
DISTRICT WISE
ESTIMATED NO.
OF FLYASH
BRICK UNITS IN
WEST BENGAL
40 Units
12 Units
5 Units
2 Units
15 Units
7 Units
5 Units
8 Units
10 Units
15 Units
10 Units
5 Units
4 Units
2 Units
ESTIMATED TOTAL NO. OF UNITS = 140ESTIMATED TOTAL NO. OF UNITS = 140

22. Properties of Fly Ash brick / block
Compressive strength : 50 - 160 kg/sq.cm.
Water absorption : 10 – 15 percent
Density : As pure mix : 1.4 gm/cc.
As mortar brick: 1.6 – 1.8 gm/cc.
Coefficient of softening (depending
on water consistency factor) : 2 -15 percent

23. Durability
Once the hydrated compounds and related mineralogies
form out of flyash constituents upon activation with
cement or lime and gypsum, no further reactivity is
evident either internally or with extraneous media like
ground and air laden chemicals. This results in
dimensional stability and enhanced weather resistance of
pozzolanic products.
Pozzolanic applications have been well established as
durable materials of construction for the last 2 – 3
millennium and Fly Ash Concrete is nothing but an
improved version of this established pozzolanic chemistry.

24. Environment Friendly
Notwithstanding the techno-economic virtues,
Fly Ash bricks comply with the criteria for
environmentally friendly products and eligible for
Carbon Emission Reduction earnings in terms of
Kyoto Protocol on account of the main raw material
being an industrial by-product and the
manufacturing process being devoid of sintering or
auto-claving is totally energy conservative.

25. What made Fly Ash brick/block attractive?
a) Fly Ash bricks do not lose strength unduly even on
soaking in water continuously. Hence plastering is optional
rather than necessary.
b) On account of size accuracy, plastering can be rationalized
adding additional savings on cement.
c) Well cured fly ash bricks absorb 4 – 12% of water only.
d) On account of less absorption, rationalization of plastering &
mortar, a finished fly ash brick wall is lighter and cheaper in
comparison to finished clay brick wall.
e) Fly ash bricks can be made to order with engineering
properties comparable to cement concrete, befitting for
specialized applications such as canal lining, dam construction,
water tanks, etc.

26. Why the Ministry of Environment & Forests,
Government of India published the notification no :
S. O. 763 (E) dated : 14th
. September, 1999 ?
“ Whereas it is necessary to protect the environment,
conserve top soil and prevent the dumping and
disposal of flyash discharged from coal or lignite
based thermal power plants on land ;
And whereas, there is a need for restricting the
excavation of top soil for manufacture of bricks and
promoting the utilization of flyash in the manufacture
of building materials and in construction activity.”

27. How flyash bricks and blocks are suitable alternative
to ordinary burnt clay bricks ?
The manufacture of flyash bricks and blocks does not
require excavation of top soil and utilizes flyash
generated by thermal power stations instead.
Flyash as all knows has its own problems of disposal
and is otherwise a social menace with recycling
through production of building materials being the
preferred utilization.

28. Flyash bricks and blocks being chemically
bonded does not require sintering and
dispenses with the need for coal – a non-
renewable fossil fuel. Further, as need for
burning the bricks and blocks is absent, the
manufacturing process is totally environment
friendly and contributes substantially to
reduction of carbon di-oxide emission - a
harmful greenhouse gas which is responsible
for global warming.

29. Flyash bricks and blocks have the following
advantages over ordinary burnt clay bricks :-
Better finish
High Strength
Less water absorption
No efflorescence
Lower unit weight and less load on foundation
Reduced energy consumption
No excavation of top soil – which is otherwise suitable
for cultivation
Lower cost of bricks and blocks
Less mortar consumption

30. Why is the flyash brick/block industry suffering in the
State of West Bengal ?
The notifications published by the Ministry of
Environment & Forests, Government of India for
100% utilization of flyash bricks, blocks and tiles for
all construction works within a radius of 100
kilometres of a coal/lignite based thermal power
plant is not being adhered to by both the
Government and private construction agencies in the
absence of monitoring by statutory authorities
and/or imposition of penal provisions as provided by
law. Even thermal power plants generating the flyash
do not use flyash bricks, blocks and tiles mandatorily
in all its construction works.

31. The flyash bricks and blocks industry is
burdened with unfair tax regime vis-à-vis the
clay brick manufacturers, who can get away
with evasion of VAT, Central Excise, ESI, PF
and other statutory duties or taxes inspite of
doing enormous harm to the environment
through excavation of top soil, consumption
of non-renewable coal and emission of
carbon di-oxide.

32. Some other bottlenecks that are acting as
hurdles to the development of this sun-rise
industry in West Bengal are as under :-
a) Entrepreneurs are entering the business on
a hype of making “fast money” devoid of
knowledge about the process technology and
marketing constraints.
b) There is less consciousness and focus on
product quality leading to a wide variation in
attributes amongst different manufacturers.

33. c) Cannibalisation amongst manufacturers due
to inadequate demand for the product and
very slow evolution of market in absence of
use by Government departments and
agencies under their control.
d) Buyers need to be realistic while drawing up
specification and price so that manufacturers
are not compelled to compromise on the
binder, which constitutes 60 – 70 percent of
raw material cost of the product.

34. Nature always summons for transformations in material
science and that is how balance is atoned in resource
availability to fulfill the varietal needs of human race.
Though talk of habits and attunements are popular
arguments, particularly in countries like India while
responding to advent of innovative products, need forces
to compromise first and get appeased next.
The availability and use of clay is exactly at such crossroads.
Lack of technological and material alternates held up clay
users all these years inspite of dire necessities and
pressures. The profuse availability of fly ash on one hand
and FAL-G technology on the other have emerged to offer
respite on clay front. Hence it is time to say good-bye to
clay bricks and welcome flyash brick manufacturing with a
big hand for its techno-economic virtues.

35. THANK YOU