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Greening the
Brown: Mobile Crushing Technologies
T he transition to a green economy is based on two concepts - ‘Greening the Brown’ and "Growing the Green". In recent years, many efforts have been made to create closed loop, circular production systems and adopt new business models. A greater emphasis is being placed on cleaner production technologies, ranging from low or even no cost solutions to high investment in advanced clean technologies while shifting from a brown economy to a green economy.Construction sector is one of the most energy intensive sectors in the Indian economy and lot of efforts are going into greening this sector. Proper management of C&D waste and the mainstreaming of it in the construction sector is one of the focus areas for greening this sector. Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste processing in India Construction and demolition activity is a significant waste producer all over the globe. In recent times, it is gaining priority across cities in India in the view of stringent environmental laws being enforced and the changes being made to the MSW management rules in the country. Setting up standalone C&D waste processing plants in this context is seen as an ideal solution and this can be witnessed easily from the recent issuance of tenders by the city level municipal authorities in different parts of the country. The stakeholders involved in the C&D waste ecosystem are open to change and are willing to accept new concepts if the technology is proven to them to be technically and financially viable. Current technologies for C&D waste processing in India A C&D waste processing unit is basically an assembly of devices or a single device used for processing of raw C&D waste into aggregates. In the usual scenario, the processed C&D waste aggregates are used as raw material for construction and for laying roads and pavers. The C&D waste processing unit is very much similar to a quarry stone crushing unit and does the process of segregation, crushing and sieving out desired products. At present, there are two C&D crushing units in India – one is in Delhi and the other is in Ahmedabad. Mobile crushing units for C&D waste recycling Mobile C&D waste crushing units are not so common in India today. However, with rapid urbanisation, these are poised to gain a lot more popularity. The concept of a mobile C & D waste crushing unit involves integrating all the crushing equipment on one truck which has a customised chassis and body compared to conventional trucks. This kind of design provides flexibility to ensure that the crushing station can be easily transported and moved to crushing sites so the mobile crusher plant is able to achieve on-site crushing without the transfer of materials from one place to another, saving significant transportation costs and dramatically reducing exhaust and dust emissions. On-site crushing also helps to conserve resources; as crushed materials can be reused on-site. Advantages of mobile crushing units • Reduces transportation cost of C & D waste as it works on the construction site. • Onsite processing of C&D waste into secondary aggregates usable for construction. • Better onsite management of C&D waste. • Most suitable for ULBs in regions where quantities of C&D waste generated is uncertain. • Eliminates the need for large infrastructure instalments and space. • Inbuilt dust suppression system resulting in minimised pollution. Challenges faced • Lack of awareness among stakeholders. • Lack of regulation for onsite management of C&D waste. • Unlike a stationary unit, it is not able to add on to its capacity. q Krishna Chandra References: 1. OECD (2009), sustainable manufacturing and eco-innovation framework, Practices and Measurement, Synthesis report.2. Indian Concrete Institute (ICI) (2015), Recycling, Use and Management of C&D wastes. |
