The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar: Bihar State Pollution Control Board

The Fly Ash
Brick Industry
in Bihar
Bihar State Pollution Control Board

The Fly Ash
Brick Industry in Bihar
An Analysis
November 2016
Bihar State Pollution Control Board

Team
Dr. Soumen Maity
Krishna Chandran
Suggested Citation
Maity, S., Chandran, K. The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar Development Alternatives, New Delhi
Contact Details
Development Alternatives
B-32, Tara Crescent
Qutub Institutional Area
New Delhi-110016
Tel: 011-26544100
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©Development Alternatives 2016

Acknowledgement
T he first edition of the Fly ash brick industry in Bihar” was published in
2014. The report has been appreciated by public and private
organisations in providing a true analysis of the fly ash brick industry.
Since then quite an appreciable change has happened in the sector which
prompted the second edition. We hope that this study will be very useful to
all concerned.
It would not have been possible for the project team of Development
Alternatives to undertake this analysis on the fly ash brick sector in Bihar
without the active involvement and assistance of a number of individuals
and organizations. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge
these invaluable contributions.
This study would not have been successful without the support of Shri.
Vivek Kumar Singh I.A.S, Chairman; Shri. Chandrasekar I.F.S; Member
Secretary and Dr. Naveen Kumar, A.S.O, Bihar State Pollution Control Board
who have taken a key interest in the study and have strategically guided and
supported us through the entire study. Special thanks are extended to
other members of the Task Force including National Thermal Power
Corporation, Eastern region and Kahalgaon plant Department of Mining
and Building Construction Department (BCD) for their support.
We would also like to thank Mascot Foundation who has supported the
team through the entire study. A special mention is due to the brick
entrepreneurs without whom the study would not have happened. We
thank you for sharing data and insights on your plants and the sector with
us. The openness and alacrity with which they shared information and
ideas was truly remarkable.
Last but definitely not the least, we would like to thank Shri. Kunal Sharma
and Ms. Arshpreet Kalsi, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation for their
guidance and support at every step.
We do hope that the study will provide an overall status of the fly ash brick
sector in Bihar and encourage the establishment of a favourable ecosystem
in Bihar to promote the large scale adoption of cleaner brick production
technologies like Fly Ash bricks.
v The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

Executive Summary
T he Bihar brick industry is currently based on decentralized production activity using energy intensive, resource depleting
and highly polluting technologies and production methods with Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCKs) being the predominant firing
technology. Fired clay bricks consume around 2-4 million tonnes of coal per year leading to emissions of 4-6 million
tonnes of carbon-dioxide (CO2) per year. The increasing emissions of greenhouse gases from the clay brick making industry
contribute massively to the climate change concerns. They also emit sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides, and suspended
particulate matter (SPM).
In order to ensure that the state’s economic growth is not at the cost of environment and public health, it is extremely necessary
to take initiatives for promoting cleaner brick production technologies and waste management. The optimal solution is to
encourage the production and usage of fly ash bricks. This offers an opportunity for productive utilization of waste while
preventing the emission intensity of the unit and providing decent jobs to the local community.
The first edition of the Fly ash brick industry in Bihar” was published in 2014. The report provides a true analysis of the fly ash
brick industry. Since then quite an appreciable change has happened in the sector which prompted the second edition. The
second edition of the study aimed at tracking the growth of the fly ash brick industry by tracking the number of enterprises in
the state and assess the status of these units through individual surveys from fly ash brick enterprises across the districts of
Bihar to estimate the supply of fly ash bricks and also to assess the quality of bricks produced by these units across the districts
of Bihar.
The fly ash brick units tracked during the survey were categorised into functional, non-functional, status unknown and virtual
depending on the operational status and other criteria. Analysis on the survey results revealed that despite the increase in the
total number of units compared to 2014, the total number of functional units in the state was found to be 46 and the other units
tracked were found to be non-functional due to lack of demand for the bricks produced by these units. The survey team were
unable to trace some of the units identified in the initial list due to non-availability of accurate information.
The rated production capacity of the total number of units (129) as per the initial list identified through data collected from
sources such as Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), members of the fly ash brick association and other secondary
sources is estimated to be 300 million bricks annually. Running at rated capacity they are projected to save 67,000 tonnes of coal
and 210,472 tonnes of CO2 and 914,400 tonnes of soil saved in 2016. This represents, on a per brick measurement, a 100
percent saving on directly burned coal, a 98.1 percent saving on CO2 , and a 100 percent saving on soil, by fly ash, over clay, per
brick.
Despite the initial success of fly ash bricks in Bihar, further steps need to be taken in order to help supplement the demand for
(clay) bricks, which are produced in over 6,000 kilns in Bihar. Fly ash brick makers face several barriers to entry, including a lack of
market demand, negative mindset regarding fly ash bricks, lack of fiscal incentives, problems with fly ash sourcing, and lack of
regulation, leading to market uncertainty and awareness. If Bihar is to grow its fly ash brick industry into one that occupies a
significant part of the market share and provides significant coal and CO2 savings, it will need to implement policies that can
facilitate the improved supply of fly ash bricks, and augmenting the demand through quality assurance of the bricks produced.
Policy push is a major driver for accelerating the uptake of the technology. The concerns of the government regarding the
management of fly ash is reflected in the policies and schemes formulated by the government. However, better enforcement of
these policies is required. The state needs to incentivise entrepreneurs to set up more units. Market is the most important
factor in facilitating a shift from the conventional resource inefficient technologies to fly ash brick technology. Increasing brick
demand presents an opportunity to shift towards low carbon and energy efficient fly ash brick technology.
Other drivers include heightened awareness among the entrepreneurs as well as consumers, ease of access of technology and
the active engagement of civil society organisations in promoting the technology. However, a few barriers like weak
enforcement of policies, lack of market demand of fly ash bricks, lack of access to finance and the lack of quality control needs to
be addressed to popularise the use of fly ash bricks in other parts of the country.
The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar vii

Key Messages
T he Bihar brick sector is dominated by the production of fired clay bricks which consume 2-4 million tonnes of
coal per year leading to emissions of 4-6 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide (Co2) per year contributing
massively to the climate change concerns.
90 percent of the brick making soil is procured from agricultural land with only 10 percent from river bed. This
rampant use of agricultural soil is leading to a loss of around 5,500 acres of fertile agricultural land per year.
The usage of fly ash bricks offers an opportunity for productive utilization of waste while preventing reducing the
emission intensity of the unit and providing decent jobs to the local community.
Field study conducted in Bihar to understand the present scenario of the fly ash brick industry indicate that the
sector has seen an upsurge of fly ash brick production units in the last four years. The number of fly ash brick
enterprises in the state has grown from 25 in 2014 to 129 in 2016.
Analysis from the survey reveal that only 46 out of the 129 fly ash brick enterprises remained functional units
(currently in operation) while the rest of the units were either non-functional or shutdown due to lack of market
demand
Fly ash brick makers face several barriers to entry, including a lack of market demand, negative mindset regarding
fly ash bricks, lack of fiscal incentives, problems with fly ash sourcing, and lack of regulation, leading to market
uncertainty and awareness.
Promotion and implementation of policies such as preferential procurement of fly ash bricks for use in public
construction along with quality assurance and control system in addition to the incentives to entrepreneurs is a
major driver for the accelerating the uptake of the technology.
Other drivers such as heightened awareness among the entrepreneurs as well as consumers, ease of access of
technology and the active engagement of civil society organisations can play a crucial role in the market uptake of
fly ash bricks chartering a Low carbon development pathway for the state of Bihar.
The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar ix

Highlights
Task Force on accelerating ‘Cleaner Production Systems’
Address by Chief Guest,

Shri Sushil Kumar Modi,
Hon’ble Deputy Chief
Minister, Bihar
Shri. Dipak Kumar Singh

Secretary
Wo rks h o p o n C lea n er B ric k Pro d u c t io n
Dept. of Environment
Technologies- Supporting Bihar’s Initiative Towards
and Forests
a Low Carbon Economy was organised by Bihar State
Pollution Control Board and Development
Alternatives in association with Shakti Sustainable
Energy Foundation on the 6th of December 2012 at
Hotel Pataliputra Ashok, Patna
Task Force on Clean Building Materials

The Government of Bihar, in association with DA has been actively
promoting the adoption of low carbon and resource efficient
technologies especially fly ash brick technology in the state. An
Inter Departmental Task Force on Accelerating ‘Cleaner
Production systems’ in the building material sector was setup in
2012. The Task Force aimed to streamline the efforts of the various
Government departments involved. Convened by the Bihar State
Pollution Control Board, its members include the Department
of Environment and Forests, Department of Building
Construction, Department of Industries and other organisations
like National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
The Mandate of Task Force is to recommend, monitor and advise
on accelerating production, availability, acceptability and use of
low-carbon technologies and building materials in Bihar. The
major objectives are:
• To ensure savings of natural resources like coal and soil
• Reduce pollution from the operation of existing technologies
DA provides technical and secretarial support to the Task Force. Over the last two years, the Task Force has
emerged as a key decision making venue where policy ideas are discussed and vetted.
Zoning of brick kilns

Due to increased infrastructure needs in the Patna
district, the demand for bricks has immensely
increased. As a result, there has been an upsurge in
number of red brick kilns on the either side of Ganga.
Realising the environmental implications, DA has
conducted an inventorisation of the red brick kilns in
the Patna district of Bihar. The aim of the initiative is to
assess the damage to the environment. It aims to
develop a Decision Support System to assess and
mitigate further damage to the environment.
x The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

140 129 The Fly Ash Brick Sector of Bihar
Number of Fly Ash Units
120
With the current and future increase in the production
100 of fly ash in Bihar, 4389 fly ash units can be set up. The
80 63 potential impacts of these fly ash units are:
60 • Annual production of fly ash bricks – 10.53 billion
40 25 • Annual savings of coal – 31.6 million tonnes
17 • Annual savings of carbon emissions – 7.27 million
20
1 2 2 2 3 5 6
0
tonnes
• Annual savings of fertile top soil – 31.6 million
tonnes
Policy Interventions
Through their policy interventions along with awareness generation activities, Task Force have managed
to:
• Enhance the rates of fly ash bricks in the state Schedule of Rates (SoR)
• Streamline the process of procurement of fly ash from NTPC, Kahalgaon.
Other intervention areas include:
• Development of a rating system for fly ash bricks
• Use of fly ash bricks in public construction
• Inclusion of fly ash brick production technology in the thrust area of Bihar Industrial Incentive Policy 2011
• Exemption of cleaner brick production technologies from the list of industries ineligible for incentives in
the Bihar Industrial Incentive Policy 2011
• Amendment of mining royalty structure on the basis of production capacity and soil use of different brick
production technologies
• Relaxation in the citing criteria of brick kilns owing to low pollution levels of these technologies
Workshop on Roadmap Towards Accelerated

Adoption of Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar, 23rd of
November 2016 at Hotel Pataliputra Ashok, Patna
Sri Vivek Kumar Singh, IAS

Chairman, BSBCP & Principal Secretary
Department of Environment & Forest, Govt. of Bihar
The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar xi

Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background 1

1. Introduction 1
2 The study 3
Chapter 2: Overview of Fly Ash Brick Industry of Bihar 5

1. Current status of fly ash brick units 5
2. Fly Ash capacity in Bihar 7
3. Size of the enterprises 7
4. Fly Ash generation and utilisation in Bihar 8
5. Use of Fly Ash in brick production 9
6. Source of Fly Ash 10
7. Technology trends 11
8. Business trends 15
9. Product quality trends 16
10. Market and financial trends 18
11. Impacts 21
Chapter 3: Drivers and Barriers 23

1. Growth perspective of the fly ash brick industry of Bihar 23
2. Market drivers 24
3. Barriers 24
Chapter 4: Current Initiatives of the Government of Bihar 27
Chapter 5: Recommendations 28
1. Improving supply side conditions 28
2. Enhancing demand side conditions 29
References 30
The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar xiii

List of Tables
Table 1: Category and definition of surveyed fly ash brick units 8
Table 2: Status of thermal power plants in Bihar 11
Table 3: Annual Impacts of fly ash brick units from 2016-2025 (PROJECTED) 24
List of Figures
Figure1a: Google earth map of Patna region showing Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCK) circled in red (2006) 4
Figure1b: Google earth map of Patna region showing Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCK) circled in red (2016) 5
Figure 2: Number of fly ash brick units 7
Figure 3: Status of fly ash brick units by category 8
Figure 4: Status of major fly ash brick clusters 9
Figure 5: Major fly ash brick clusters and thermal power plant location 9
Figure 6: Fly ash rated capacity by districts in Bihar 10
Figure 7: Brick enterprises in Bihar as classified by size 10
Figure 8: Modes of fly ash utilisation 12
Figure 9: Sourcing patterns of fly ash enterprises from NTPC’s in Bihar 13
Figure 10 : Units receiving fly ash directly from NTPC 13
Figure 11 : Fly ash sourcing pattern of units in Bihar 13
Figure 12: Technology providers share towards service and maintenance in Bihar 14
Figure 13: Market share of technology providers 15
Figure 14: Technology providers and their average compressive strength 15
Figure 15: Technology providers in major districts 16
Figure 16: Major reasons for setting up fly ash brick enterprises 16
Figure 17: Type of other businesses owned 17
Figure 18: Average compressive strength in selected districts of Bihar 17
Figure 19: Graph on quality testing results – Water Absorption 18
Figure 20: Graph on quality testing results – Compressive Strength 19
Figure 21: Nalanda Quality Cluster 20
Figure 22: Gaya Quality Cluster 20
Figure 23: Patna Quality Cluster 20
Figure 24: Average production costs of districts 21
Figure 25: Selling price of fly ash bricks (Rs) 21
Figure 26: Financial aspects 22
Figure 27: Banks providing loans to the entrepreneurs 22
Figure 28: Type of support needed from the government 22
Figure 29: Annual savings in coal consumption and Carbon emission 23
Figure 30: Soil saved annually 24
Figure 31: Jobs created per anum 24
Figure 32: Major buyers of fly ash bricks 26
Figure 33: Concerns raised by buyers 27
xiv The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

Introduction and
Background
1
concrete blocks are also being used, they only occupy a
1. Introduction tiny market share. However, there has been a relative
growth in the alternate building materials market over
the last ten years.
1.1 Background
Building materials, especially bricks, form the
backbone of the construction sector. India is the 1.2 An overview of Bihar brick
second largest producer of bricks after China. With sector
over 150,000 brick kilns, India produces an enormous
150-200 billion bricks annually . However, the Indian The entire brick industry of Bihar is based on burnt clay
brick sector is dominated by resource and energy bricks with very sporadic instances of any alternatives.
inefficient technologies like Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCKs) With around 6,000 kilns, the state of Bihar produces
and clamps with a very little signs of change to more approximately 18 billion bricks per year. Currently, the
energy efficient technologies. The clay brick sector brick sector is growing at the rate of 9 percent per year.
consumes nearly 35 million tonnes of coal annually , Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCKs), which are resource and
and its total carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions are energy intensive, are the predominant technology in
estimated at 41.6 million tonnes, accounting for 4.5 the state. They consume between 2 and 4 million
percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from tonnes of coal per year leading to emissions of 4 to 6
India. In addition to coal, the red brick sector also million tonnes of carbon-dioxide (CO2) per year.
consumes approximately 350 million tonnes of fertile Emissions of particulate matter and SO2 cause serious
top soil. Some of the major brick producing states in health issues, especially those related to the
India include Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar respiratory system.
and West Bengal.
Aside from coal, brick production in Bihar and most
Though alternative technologies such as fly ash bricks,
other states uses fertile top soil. Around 30 million
AAC blocks, compressed earth blocks (CEB) and
The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar 1

cubic meters of soil are consumed per year, 90 percent the production and usage of fly ash bricks. This offers
of which is procured from agricultural land . The loss of an opportunity for productive utilization of waste
fertile land translates to the loss of area equivalent to while preventing the emission intensity of the unit and
Patna every 3 years. The usage of agricultural soil in providing decent jobs to the local community.
brick making will adversely affect the food security of
Bihar, a state already affected by floods and droughts.
Brick production is slated to increase in the state, in 1.4 C o n v e n t i o n a l r e d b r i c k
order to address the urbanisation and growth production – Issues and Challenges
demands especially the housing shortage and
reconstruction activities due to the impacts of natural The brick sector in Bihar is dominated by the FCBTK
disasters. Current practices will only worsen the technology, and currently there are no cleaner and
impacts on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary resource efficient technology alternatives. FCBTK is a
to accelerate the adoption of cleaner brick production resource and energy intensive technology for brick
technologies. making and emits over 600 tonnes of CO2 per 1000
bricks in its firing processes, as compared to alternate
The usage of fly ash for the production of bricks
technologies that are upto 40% more energy efficient
presents a lucrative opportunity to reduce the
in their firing processes.
negative environmental impacts of clay brickmaking,
while also mitigating the land used in the disposal of fly Environmental issues - From the environmental point
ash, which is produced during coal burning at power of view, the brick industries have been exacerbated by
plants. cheap access to resources such as soil, coal, biomass
materials and labour. This results in irreversible
environmental damage in terms of loss of top soil,
continued wastage of energy which is a valuable
1.3 Environmental footprint of the
national resource and damage to property and crops
red brick sector in Bihar from high air pollution.
The production of red bricks in the state is the major Socio-Economic issues - The workers in the brick
cause for air pollution and increased CO2 emissions. industry are subjected to extreme working conditions
Several initiatives have been taken from time to time and poor remuneration. Currently in India, brick
to regulate these industries to control the negative manufacturing is a labour-intensive sector, with crude
impacts of such unsustainable production practices. techniques causing considerable worker drudgery.
For example, the recent notification by the Bihar State They are also exposed to high concentrations of
Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) has set an example to Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM),
the neighbouring states by issuing an order asking all during monitoring and regulating the fire, as the
brick kilns in Patna and adjoining districts to upgrade furnace chamber is covered with ash (ash acts as
to cleaner technologies and the order also states that insulator). Also, the seasonal nature of brick
the new licences to set up kilns in the state will now be production generates employment for a limited period
issued only if the owners are adopting to clean of six - seven months in a year. Majority of the
technologies. workforce has no option, but to engage generally as
agricultural labourers for the rest of the year.
In addition to consumption of fossil fuel,
approximately 30 million cubic metres of soil is Lack of financial regime and awareness to alternate
consumed by the sector per year. This rampant use of technology solutions - There is lack of access and tailor
agricultural soil is leading to a loss of around 5,500 made financial instruments to finance the
acres of fertile agricultural land per year. This land modernization and upgradation of the brick industry.
otherwise would have supported the production of Additionally, because of a lack of awareness, there are
7,000 tons of rice. Thus use of brick making through poor markets for new types of bricks such as fly ash
agricultural soil is making 1,10,000 people suffer due bricks or concrete bricks and a perception that bricks
to loss of food grain. This type of uncontrolled soil use from alternate technologies are of poor quality
will lead to a famine like situation in the near future if prevails. The benefits from the production of resource
alternate methods are not adopted accordingly. efficient bricks - such as energy savings, reduction in
top soil consumption and air pollution - are also not
In order to ensure that the State’s economic growth is
well known to entrepreneurs.
not at the cost of environment and public health, it is
extremely necessary to take initiatives for promoting Skills - The majority of brick kiln entrepreneurs use
cleaner brick production technologies and waste traditional methods of green brick production, brick
management. The optimal solution is to encourage firing and marketing. They lack capacities in regard to
2 The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

m o d e r n p ra c t i c e s i n m a r ket i n g , b u s i n e s s the production process and output. The following
opportunities and kiln management. There is also a categories of information were collected:
lack of trained manpower to cope with new ! Details of the fly ash brick making unit
technology changes. ! Financial details
! Service providers
! Production processes
!
2. The study !
Consents obtained
Details of fly ash sourcing
! Marketing efforts
2.1 Objectives ! Support sought from the government
! Quality of the bricks
The objective of the study is to:
• Track the total number of fly ash units in the state
and estimate the supply of fly ash bricks
2.4 Data collection
• Assess the quality of fly ash bricks produced by
these units across the districts of Bihar Once the survey was designed, actual data was
collected from the field. The list of entrepreneurs
The survey aimed at identifying the total number of fly obtained from BSPCB and the members of the fly ash
ash units in Bihar from the data collected from sources brick association was consolidated. The data was
such as Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) collected through the one to one surveys and through
and members of the Fly ash brick association. A list of observation during the site visits. In addition, brick
entrepreneurs who have been granted a No Objection samples were collected and tested for compressive
Certificate (NOC) was obtained through the Bihar State strength and water absorption as per IS 12894:1990 at
Pollution Control Board (BSPCB). The target was to a NABL accredited testing laboratory named Global
survey all the 129 entrepreneurs from the Testing and Research Laboratory (GTRL), Patna. The
consolidated list prepared. testing has been conducted at two phases where brick
batches from 30 fly ash enterprises were tested during
the Phase I and the Phase II testing involved 17 fly ash
2.2 Methodology brick batches collected from the other districts during
the tracking study.
The methodology aimed to gather resources
efficiently and quickly from entrepreneurs in the field.
2.5 Analysis and report
Survey Design Data Collection Analysis and Report The survey analysis covered the current status of
Bihar’s fly ash brick industry with an emphasis on the
following:
2.3 Survey design ! Current technology used
! Trends in business
A detailed questionnaire was designed in order to ! Financial and market trends
collect basic information about fly ash brick ! Quality of the products
entrepreneurs in Bihar. The core idea was to gather a ! Key concerns of the stakeholder
sense of the location, circumstances of establishment,
background of the entrepreneur and details regarding

2006
Figure 1a: Google earth map of Patna region showing Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCK) circled in red (2006)

2016
Figure 1b: Google earth map of Patna region showing Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCK) circled in red (2016)

Overview of Fly Ash
Brick Industry of Bihar
2
1. Current status of fly ash 140 129
Number of Fly Ash Units
120
brick units 100
80
The Bihar brick sector has seen an upsurge of fly ash 63
brick production units in the last four years. Initial 60
survey list gathered from BSPCB and fly ash brick 40 25

17
associations totalled to 129 units spread across 20
2 2 2 3 5 6
1
various districts. As anticipated during our survey in 0
2013, the numbers of fly ash brick enterprises have
surged from 25 in 2014 to 129 in 2016 as shown in
figure 2.
Figure 2: Number of fly ash brick units
The survey aimed to track these individuals units from
the initial list prepared to estimate the supply of fly ash
operations due to lack of demand for their bricks
bricks and assess the quality of bricks produced by
produced in the market. It is also to be noted that a few
these units in the state. The fly ash brick units tracked
of these non-functional units have moved to other
during the survey were categorised into functional,
lines of business such as manufacturing of paver
non-functional, status unknown and virtual depending
blocks. 31 units during the survey were untraceable
on the operational status and other criteria as defined
due to the non-availability of proper information such
in table 1.
as location and contact details. Physical presence of 18
Analysis on the survey results reveal that only 46 out of units was not found at their registered addresses
the 129 fly ash brick enterprises remained functional, which were defined as virtual units in this analysis
out of which most of them are found to be in the report. The status of the fly ash brick units in Bihar by
district of Patna. The number of non-functional units category is shown in figure 3.
counted to 34 which have completely shut down their

Table 1: Category and definition of surveyed fly ash brick units
Category Definition
Functional Enterprise currently in operation and continue the sale of bricks throughout
the year
(or)
Operating based on the demand of fly ash bricks in the market
Non functional Plant closure or complete shutdown of operation
Status unknown Untraceable due to unavailability of information
Virtual No physical presence found on the location registered
Patna, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Muzzaffarpur were

identified to be the four major fly ash brick producing
clusters of Bihar. Majority of the fly ash brick units in
18 Functional the state are situated in the region surrounding these
46
31 Non functional clusters. The operational status of enterprises in 4
34 Status unknown
major clusters is shown in figure 4.
Virtual The number of units in Patna cluster adds to 57 units,

contributing a share of 44% of the total number of fly
ash brick units in the state. The cluster also hosts the
maximum number of functional units (17) compared
to other major fly ash brick clusters. The number of
Figure 3: Status of fly ash brick units by category non-functional units in Bhagalpur is found to be very
less and the reason assumed is the proximity to the
Kahalgaon thermal power plant which gives an easy
access to sourcing fly ash with reduced distance of
transportation. An equal balance of functional and
non-functional units is found in the Begusarai cluster
with no specific reason identified for the operational
status apart from the lack of demand. Despite being
close to Kanti thermal power plant, the Muzzaffarpur
cluster has the least number of functional units where
the number of non-functional units totalled to 4 out of
the 6 units in the cluster.
These units form five major clusters around the power
plants. The clusters are defined within a 100 km radius
of the nearest thermal power plant. The cluster and
the nearest power plant location can be seen in figure
5. The present fly ash generation potential from the
operational power plants is estimated to be 10.6
million tonnes and this is expected to increase further
to 22.57 million tonnes as more power plants will
become operational by the year 2020.
a. NTPC, Kahalgaon, forming the Bhagalpur cluster
b. BTPS Barauni, forming the Begusarai cluster
c. MTPS, Kanti, forming the Muzzaffarpur cluster
d. NTPC Barh, forming the Patna cluster

Patna Bhagalpur
Functional Functional
3 4 8
17 Non Functional Non Functional
29 8 Status Unknown 2
Status Unknown
Virtual Virtual
Begusarai Muzzaffarpur
Functional Functional
1 1
Non Functional Non Functional
5 5
Status Unknown 4 Status Unknown
Virtual Virtual
Figure 4: Status of major fly ash brick clusters
Figure 5: Major fly ash brick clusters and thermal power plant location

2. Fly Ash capacity in Bihar
The cumulative capacity of the fly ash brick units in the
state has increased progressively since 2006. With the
increase in number of fly ash brick units across Bihar,
the production capability of the state is projected to
be approximately 300 million bricks per year.
Although the production capacity found to be high on
one end, the survey results reveals that the actual
production capacity to be one third of the total
production capability due to number of units that are
Rated brick capcity (per day) non-functional (shutdown) due to the lack of demand
262000 for the bricks produced.
It is also worthwhile to note that only the clusters of
89000 Patna and Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Nalanda
48000 44900 34200
20000 16500 15000 contribute a major share towards the total production
of fly ash bricks in the state.
3. Size of the enterprises

The fly ash brick units traditionally fall under the SME
category of industries. The Ministry of Micro, Small &
Figure 6: Fly ash rated capacity by districts in Medium Enterprises (MSME) defines the size of
Bihar enterprises by virtue of investment. Figure 7 shows
the distribution of the surveyed units in this
classification. The size of each unit was determined by
the capacity of the unit. Equipment and machine
market prices were used to build an estimate of the
investment that each entrepreneur made in his/her
business.
Hence, from Figure 7, it is clear that the size of units in
Bihar varies, and the micro enterprises are more
popular than small enterprises. As can be seen, micro
enterprises hold 80 percent of the market.
Investment in plant and machinery (Lakhs) Number of enterprises

Rated annual production capacity (Lakhs) 900
750
262.5 240 240

120
25 20 23.4 5 0 0
Micro Small Medium Large
Figure 7: Brick enterprises in Bihar as classified by size

Name of the Operational Installed Generation of Fly ash Fly ash
power plant status capacity flyash (MT) utilised (MT) utilised (%)
Muzaffarpur Active 220 MW 0.28 0.05 18.99
Kahalgaon Active 2340 MW 5.64 1.68 29.87
Barh Active 1320 MW 0.27 0.01 3.65
Barauni Active 220 MW 0 0 0
Table 2: Status of thermal power plants in Bihar
4. Fly Ash generation and Fly Ash: The finer, thinner ash that is produced in the
utilisation in Bihar burning of coal is known as fly ash. This is the ash
collected from the top of chimneys in thermal power
Over the years, fly ash utilisation across NTPCs has plants, and is the norm for usage in fly ash bricks. Fly
reached to about 55.69% (102.54 MT) in the year ash is best used in bricks which require its thin particle
2014-2015 as compared to less than 10% (6.6 MT) of size and fineness.
the ash generated during the year 1996-97 (CEA, Pond Ash: Pond ash or bottom ash contains larger
2015). The Ash Utilisation Division (AUD), set up in particles, and includes unburnt coal particles. Because
1991, strives to derive maximum usage from the vast of the larger particle size, particles of pond ash are
quantities of ash produced at its power stations. The generally heavier than particles of fly ash, and thus
ash is now being looked at as a commodity that could change the quality of the bricks in which they’re used.
generate wealth for the company in the long run. The Pond ash is currently used for agriculture and land
AUD proactively formulates policies, plans and development, rather than for bricks. It can also be used
programmes for ash utilisation. It further monitors the in mortar and concrete. Research is underway
progress in these activities and works for developing regarding minimizing strength loss due to high
new segments of ash usage. The fly ash generated at molecular size and finding the best method of utilizing
NTPC stations is ideal for use in the manufacture of pond ash for bricks.
cement, concrete, concrete products, cellular
concrete products, bricks, blocks and tiles.
The quantity of fly ash generated from NTPCs in Bihar
is 6.2 million tonnes with an utilisation rate equivalent the production of fly ash bricks. Fly ash consumes less
to 28 percent. The fly ash generation in the state is mortar during construction. Additionally, it conserves
progressively set to increase in the next five years due fertile top soil since no soil is used in the production of
to new power plants commencing operation by 2018 bricks.
to 2020. Currently, there are only a few power plants Of the four power plants in the state, the National
operational in the state. NTPC Kahalgaon has an Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Kahalgaon
installed capacity of 2340MV, generating 5.6 MT of fly produces five million metric tonnes (MT) of fly ash per
ash every year. The installed capacity of power plants annum, which is collected and available for use in brick
with details on the operational status, fly ash making However, the government is investing in more
generation and utilisation rates can be found in Table thermal/capacitive power plants, with plans of
2. expanding capacity by approximately 12,000 MW in
the next five years. With the increase in the capacity of
5. Use of Fly Ash in brick thermal power plants, the fly ash brick entrepreneurs
will be able to acquire almost 4.5 million tonnes of fly
production ash for free, assuming a 20 percent usage of the free fly
ash availability.
Fly ash is produced during the combustion of coal in
thermal power plants. It is suitable for use as raw Modes of fly ash utilisation
materials in various building materials, and is The opportunity is ripe for the promotion of fly ash
particularly suitable for use in bricks. Fly ash bricks are brick technology, especially in lieu of the upcoming
made from fly ash, lime, gypsum and/or cement. There thermal power plants. Recognising this, several
are no emissions of GHG, since coal is not burnt during entrepreneurs have set up fly ash brick production
units in Bihar. More than 100 units have been

Modes of fly ash utilisation
Mining & Fuel Research (CIMFR), Dhanbad for taking
1% up technology demonstration project for random
0% Cement filling of ash from NTPC Ramagundam with Mine over
2% Burden (MOB) at Medapalli Mines.
5% 7% Bricks & Tiles
Reclamation of low lying area
Mine filling
8% 42% Ash dyke raising
11%
Roads & flyovers 6. Source of Fly ash
Agriculture
Concrete There are only 4 major sources of fly ash in Bihar. These
11%
Hydro Power Sector are all existing thermal power plants in Kahalgaon,
13%
others Muzzaffarpur, Barh and Barauni.
Out of the total 46 functional units surveyed during the
Figure 8: Modes of fly ash utilisation tracking study, 15 units source fly ash from NTPC,
Kahalgaon. Surprisingly, entrepreneurs in the Patna
region are also sourcing fly ash from NTPC, Kahalgaon,
which is almost 280 km away. The fly ash is transported
established between 2006 and 2016. However, the to the location of the units through authorised
market uptake of such bricks is being hampered by transporters, who pack the fly ash in bags and ship it in
concerns regarding the timely supply and quality of trucks.
these bricks. Similar concerns were raised by
government departments involved in construction. It The lack of easy access to fly ash from NTPC Kahalgaon
is necessary to address these concerns to ensure the was a major issue for entrepreneurs. Consequently,
further dissemination of this technology. Realising the the NTPC revised its procurement process so that just
need to alleviate such concerns, Development three forms (an application form, an undertaking, and
Alternatives decided to track the fly ash brick a declaration of excise duty exemption) have to be
production and consumption in the state. The data on submitted in order to acquire fly ash. After the
fly ash utilization received from Thermal Power submission of the required documents and a site
Stations/Power utilities for the year 2014-15 has been inspection, NTPC signs an agreement with the
analysed to ascertain the modes in which fly ash was entrepreneurs.
utilized and the quantity utilized in each mode. The After the revision of the procurement process, the
modes in which fly ash were utilized during the year entrepreneurs source fly ash at frequent intervals,
2014-15 along with utilization can be found in the depending on their sales; Most of the enterprises
figure 8. source fly ash on a monthly basis. The amount of fly
Fly ash can be gainfully utilised in various way and ash procured varies with the size of the enterprise and
research studies show that the quality of fly ash the demand for the product; a vast range of 10 to 2300
produced at NTPC’s power stations is extremely good tonnes of fly ash per unit per month are currently
with respect to fineness, low unburnt carbon and has sourced.
high pozzolanic activity and conforms to the
requirements of IS 3812 – 2003 - Pulverized Fuel Ash
for use as Pozzolana in cement, cement mortar and
concrete. The fly ash generated at NTPC stations is 7. Technology trends
ideal for use in the manufacture of cement, concrete,
concrete products, cellular concrete products, 7.1 Te c h n o l o g y a n d s e r v i c e
bricks/blocks/ tiles etc. The important areas for this providers
utilisation are cement industry, bricks industry, road
embankment, mine filling, land development and ash A host of technology service providers provide
dyke raising. It is also a source of micro and macro- equipment and machinery for the production of fly ash
nutrients in agriculture. bricks. TARA Machines and Tech Services Pvt. Ltd.
(TMTS) and Neptune and Ashtech Coimbatore provide
NTPC is also looking at innovative ways to utilise the fly equipment and services and hold 20 to 30% of the
ash for development of new segments through market shares. Other technology service providers
partnerships with leading research institutions and include B&B machines, MEC Coimbatore, Bharat
organisations. Use of fly ash in the manufacture of pre- Hydraulic, Orbit Intelligent Engineering, Shree Hari
stressed railway concrete sleepers is demonstrated in Engineering, Navkar Engineers, Speed Sales, Shanthi
association with IIT Kanpur. In case of mine filling, a industries and Ashtech. The majority of these service
research study is being done by the Central Institute of

Frequency of sourcing per month
Daily
Weekly
Once in
Monthly
two days
No
49%
M/s. Maa Bhawani Fly ash Bricks
M/s. Madhav Industries
from NTPC
M/s. Maa Durgeshwari Metal Products/
Yes
51%
M/s. Magadh Enviro Industries Pvt. Ltd.
Units receiving fly ash directly

M/s. Nextgen Tech Impex Ltd.
No
Yes
M/s. Jagadamba Fly ash Bricks Industries
M/s. Srijan Materials & Engineering Pvt./
The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

M/s. Kumar Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.
M/s. Diamond Bricks Industries
M/s. Asha Bricks Udyog
NTPC (Name Unknown)

M/s. Bhubneswar Green Bricks Industries
M/s. Bihar Refractory Products
receiving fly ash

Figure 10 : Units
M/s. Shyama Fly ash Bricks
directly from NTPC
Kahalgaon
M/s. Urmila Industries
M/s. Moti Fly ash Bricks
M/s. Savera Fly ash Bricks
Koderma
M/s. Arya Bricks
M/s. Sindh Fly Asia Bricks
Tilaeya
M/s. Raj Fly ash Bricks Udyog
M/s. Beeconn Fly ash Bricks & Pawers
Kanti
M/s. Raghav CLC Bricks
M/s. Bimla Group of Industries
Fly ash sourcing patterns of Machine units

Godwha
M/s. B.N.S Industry
Figure 11 : Fly ash sourcing pattern of units in Bihar

M/s. SKL Fly ash Bricks
M/s. Hariom Fly Bricks Pvt. Ltd.
M/s. Synergy Ecotech Pvt. Ltd.
Figure 9: Sourcing patterns of fly ash enterprises from NTPC’s in Bihar
M/s. Kurshela Bricks

M/s. Lalita ash Bricks
M/s. Bhagwati Industries
M/s. Shri Sai Trading Company
M/s. Jai Bam Bhola Bricks and/
13
providers also provide troubleshooting services.
However, during the survey it is noted that a few
entrepreneurs were not satisfied with their after sales
service.
Analysis of the survey results revealed that technology
providers with in the state and other unknown players
hold a significant percentage (30% – 40%) of the
market share including service and maintenance of
the machines.
2% 2% Samarth Hydraulic group, Gujrat

2%
5%
MEC-Coimbatore
5%
Orbit Intelligent Engineering
5%
43% Ashtech
B&B Machine Coimbatore
Tara Machine
Unknown
36%
Local / Self
Figure 12: Technology providers share towards service and maintenance

Kailash Machine Tools
Flenan Tengfei Machine Manufacturing Ltd.
MEC-Coimbatore
Orbit Intelligent Engineering
2%2%2% Sri Hari Engineering, Ahmedabad
2% Manya Associate (Chattisgar Kurba)
2%
2% Samarth fly ash machine
29% 2% Buildwell (Sahjanad Fly ash Bricks Pvt. Ltd., Gujrat
2% Megha Engineering, Bilaspur
2%
Bharat Hydraulic
2%
Jayem Manufacturing Company
2%
Navkar Engineers
2%
Soni Automatic
2% Jodee Engineering Narsaraiganj
2% Janta (Morvee Gujrat)
2% Q. Green / Mahisana, Gujrat
2% Shanthi Industries (Asansol), West Bengal
10% 2%
Speed (Pune)
4% B&B Machine Coimbatore
Ashtech Coimbatore
8% 6%
Neptune
8% Tara Machine
Local / Other / Unknown
Figure 13: Market share of technology providers
Technology Providers by districts Vs Average compressive strength

20
18 17.4
16 14.7
14 13.1
11.8 12 11.8
12 10.8
10.2 10.2
9.5
Avg Compressive Strength(N/mm2)
10 8.9
8.14 7.8
8.5 8.5 8.4 8.1 8 8.3 8.3 8.6 7.9
8 6.95 6.6
5.9
6
4
2
0
Neptune
Neptune
Chinese Machine
Speed (Pune)
Sri Hari engineering, Ahmedabad
Megha Engineering, Bilaspur

Samarth fly ash machine
Ash tech
Local Assembled
Ashtech
Q. Green / Mahisana, Gujrat

Janta Machines, Gujarat
Janta (Morvee Gujrat)

B&B Machine,Coimbatore
Navkar Engineers
MEC, Coimbatore
Dharbanga (Dh) - Speed Sales Group (Pune)

Bharat Hydraulic
Jayem Manufacturing Company
East Champaran (EC) - Neptune industrial

Tara Machine
Tara Machine
Shanthi Industries (Asansol), West Bengal
Manya Associate (Chattisgar Kurba)

Flenan Tengfei Machine Manufacturing LTd
Machine
Patna Nalanda Gaya Begusarai Bhagalpur Vaishali EC Dh

Technology providers by districts
Figure 14: Technology providers and their average compressive strength

4
0
Patna Begusarai Bhagalpur Gaya Nalanda
! ! ! ! !
B&B Machine TARA Machines Buildwell (Sahjanad Ashtech TARA Machines
! ! ! !
TARA Machines Manya Associates Fly ash Bricks ) Neptune Local
! ! ! ! !
Kailash Machine Samarth fly ash Megha Engineering Jodee Engineering Neptune
! ! !
Tools machine Bharat Hydraulic Janta (Morvee Speed
! ! ! !
Ashtech Neptune Jayem Gujrat) Shanthi Industries
! ! ! ! !
Local Buildwell (Sahjanad Navkar Engineers Speed Chinese Machine
! !
MEC Fly ash Bricks) Soni Automatic
!
Flenan Tengfei
Machine
!
Orbit Intelligent
Engineering
!
Sri Hari
Engineering
Figure 15: Technology providers in major districts
8. Business trends
Entrepreneur profile
Reasons for Establishing
Majority of the entrepreneurs had previous business
40
experience and 22 percent of entrepreneurs reported
30 that their fly ash unit was their first business venture.
Amongst them, 40 percent had experience in the
20
construction sector. While the sector itself is new, it is
10 also attracting those with expertise in construction
and engineering.
0
Profitable Environment The major reasons for setting up new fly ash units were
cited:
! Profit through business
Experience as an Entrepreneur
! Positive impact on the environment
The majority of those surveyed cited profitability of

No, 16 the business as the reason to establish new units. 60
Yes, 22
percent of entrepreneurs viewed fly ash brickmaking
as a lucrative business opportunity. A few
entrepreneurs also referred to the environmental and
social benefits as the reason for setting up new units.
Several entrepreneurs mentioned that they saw the
Figure 16: Major reasons for setting up fly ash potential for success in the business model, and were
attracted to the idea that fly ash bricks were a
brick enterprises
relatively new technology that hadn’t been widely
seen on the market. Additionally, some entrepreneurs
mentioned that the recent law requiring new red brick
kilns to switch to cleaner technologies to attain
environmental clearance was hindering them from
setting up red brick kilns, thus encouraging them to set
up fly ash units.

Types of other business owned
Fire bricks/Clay bricks
4% Construction business
4% Contractor (Civil)
4% 22%
Govt. consturction work
4% Medicine
4% Transporter
Construction coftware, etc.
4%
Marketing of sanitary building materials
Financial service centre.
9% 18%
Photo lab
Agriculture
9% Builder
9% Factory of Iron doors/windows
9%
Figure 17: Type of other businesses owned
9. Product quality trends 20
15
Bricks from 47 units across Bihar were tested
according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 10
testing procedure (BIS 12894). Bricks were tested for 5 Avg Compressive
their compressive strength, water absorption, and 0
Strength
determination of efflorescence.
9.1 Brick quality

BIS 12894 classify the fly ash bricks on the basis of their Figure 18: Average compressive strength in
average wet compressive strength. The bricks are selected districts of Bihar
given a class designation from 3.5 (35 kg/cm2) to 30
(300 kg/cm2). The average compressive strength from
selected districts of Bihar is shown in figure 18. Only 6 10. Market and financial
out of the 47 enterprises tested did not meet the
quality set by IS standards. trends
The average compressive strength (kg/cm2) for 48
units was calculated, and is shown in figure 20. The 10.1 Production cost
average compressive strength was found to be 9.14 The production cost of fly ash bricks depends on the
N/mm2 ranging from 80 to 120 kg/cm2. cost of raw materials. The surveyed entrepreneurs
have disclosed that the cost of sand is between Rs. 40
and 50 per kg, and that of cement is Rs. 7 per kg, both
9.2 Quality by cluster of which stay approximately the same state-wide. On
the other hand, the cost of fly ash varies across the
From figures 21, 22 and 23, we can see the average state.
compressive strength per cluster. There is no definite
trend according to the clusters. However, Patna has According the notification of Ministry of Environment,
the highest average compressive strength with the Forests and Climate Change, 20 percent of fly ash
minimum standard deviation. should be provided free of cost to the entrepreneurs.
However, transport and bagging charges are borne by

Water Absorption in %
M/s, Shri Pitambra Bricks 15.1

M/SD&DEnterprises 17.4
Shri Sai Trading company 12.5
N.N Sang 17.8
Kaushik 14.1
M/S Raghav CLC Brick 6.2
Jai bam Bhola Bricks and cont pvt ltd 7.9
M/S Bharmeshwar Green Bricks Industries 10.8
Asha Bricks Udhog 7.9
Bihar refractory Products 10.6
Vikahs Co. & Bricks 13.1
M/S Diamond Bricks Industries 16.9
M/S Bhagwati Industries 6.4
Shyama Flyash Bricks 6.6 Requirement
BNS Industry 8
20 Max
Kurshela Brciks 12.5
Janki Industries 3.8
Map Industries 7
SKL Fly Ash Bricks 6.4
R K Pavers & Block Industries 14.6
Durgeshwari 13.9
Name of Enterprises
M/S Kuswaha Bricks 14.9

M/S Moti Fly Ash 14.8
M/S Akriti-Sharghati 15.6
Maa Bhavani 13.7
Raj 14.7
Sindhu 14.6
Savera 16.3
Sri Ram IMT Udyog 15.9
Arya Bricks 14.7
UPS 15.7
Beeconn 14.8
M/S Baba Fly Ash Brick 13
M/S Kumar Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd 10.9
M/S Sai Bricks 17.1
Nextgen Tech lmpex Ltd 14.8
M/S ECO Paver & Brick 10.8
Madhav Industries 15
Synergy Eco Tech Pvt. Ltd. 14.4
Magadh Enviro Industry Pvt lts 8.2
M/S Jagdama Fly Ash Bricks Industries 17.6
M/S Ganpati Blocks 16.7
M/S Hariom Fly Ash Bricks Pvt. Ltd. 17.5
Bimla Group of Industries 18.7
Sugam Infra Enterprises 13
Savar Infra Pvt Ltd 8.8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Water Absorption
Figure 19: Graph on quality testing results – Water Absorption

Compressive Strength (N/mm 2)
M/s, Shri Pitambra Bricks 8.3

M/SD&DEnterprises 7.7
Shri Sai Trading company 11.8
N.N Sang 15.5
Kaushik 8.7
M/S Raghav CLC Brick 14.7
Jai bam Bhola Bricks and cont pvt ltd 17.4
M/S Bharmeshwar Green Bricks Industries 10.2
Asha Bricks Udhog 15.4
Bihar refractory Products 8.9
Vikahs Co. & Bricks 8.2
M/S Diamond Bricks Industries 7.9
M/S Bhagwati Industries 12
Shyama Flyash Bricks 13.1
BNS Industry 10.2
Kurshela Brciks 6.6
Janki Industries 12.1
Map Industries 9.3
SKL Fly Ash Bricks 7.8
R K Pavers & Block Industries 8.6
Name of the Enterprises
Durgeshwari 8.1
M/S Kuswaha Bricks 8.4
M/S Moti Fly Ash 8.3
M/S Akriti-Sharghati 7.8
Maa Bhavani 8.3
Raj 10.8
Sindhu 8
Savera 8.1
Sri Ram IMT Udyog 8.3
Arya Bricks 8.4
UPS 8.3
Beeconn 8.5
M/S Baba Fly Ash Brick 6.5
M/S Kumar Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd 8.3
M/S Sai Bricks 5.3 Min requirement
Nextgen Tech lmpex Ltd 8.7 7.5 N/mm2
M/S ECO Paver & Brick 8.2
Madhav Industries 8.1
Synergy Eco Tech Pvt. Ltd. 8.5
Magadh Enviro Industry Pvt lts 7.8
M/S Jagdama Fly Ash Bricks Industries 5.9 Average compressive
M/S Ganpati Blocks 7.9
M/S Hariom Fly Ash Bricks Pvt. Ltd. 7.4 strength 9.1 N/mm2
Bimla Group of Industries 5.8
Nextgen Tech lmpex Ltd 8
Sugam Infra Enterprises 8.7
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Compressive strength (N/mm2)
Figure 20: Graph on quality testing results – Compressive strength
Key findings from testing results

! 89.79% of the fly ash brick enterprises tested have conformed to the compressive strength requirements
mentioned as per IS :12894: 2002
! 100 % of the fly ash brick enterprises have conformed to the requirements of water absorption
mentioned as per IS :12894: 2002
! Average compressive strength of the bricks produced across the state of Bihar is found to 9.14 N/mm2

R K Pavers & 14.6
Raj 14.7 Block Industries
10.8 8.6
Savera 16.3
8.1 13.7
Maa Bhavani
Sri Ram IMT 8.3
15.9
Udyog 8.3 Water
Water
absorbtion test
14.7 14.8 absorption
Arya Bricks 8.4 M/S Moti Fly Ash
Compressive 8.3
strength
UPS 15.7
8.3 M/S Akriti- 15.6
14.8 Sharghati 7.8
Beeconn 8.5
0 10 20
0 10 20
Figure 22: Gaya quality cluster
Figure 21: Nalanda quality cluster
Bimla Group of Industries 5.8 18.7

M/S Ganpati Blocks 7.9 16.7
M/S Jagdama Fly !sh Bricks< 5.9 17.6
M/S ECO Paver & Brick 8.2 10.8
M/S Kumar Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd 8.3 10.9
Nextgen Tech lmpex Ltd 14.8 Water absorbtion test
8.7
Nextgen Tech lmpex Ltd 15.3 Compressive Strength
8
Nextgen Tech lmpex Ltd 8.3 15.2
Sugam Infra Enterprises 8.7 13
Savar Infra Pvt Ltd 8.810.2
Savar Infra Pvt Ltd 8.8 12.2
0 5 10 15 20
Figure 23: Patna Quality Cluster
the brickmaking unit. Hence, the total cost of fly ash entrepreneurs to produce. Additionally, fly ash bricks
depends on the distance of the brickmaking unit from do not suffer the fluctuations and increases in coal
the source of fly ash. For example, in Patna, which is cost.
the furthest from NTPC Kahalgaon, which is the source
of fly ash for majority of the enterprises, the price of fly It is surprising that producers in Patna and clusters far
ash is around Rs. 1300 per tonne. Bhagalpur, which is away from Bhagalpur continue to produce bricks; this
nearest to the power plant, obtains fly ash for Rs. 200 is indicative of the profitability of fly ash bricks. The
per tonne. producers in Patna are continuing to produce in
anticipation of supply of fly ash in a full-fledged
manner from NTPC Barh power plant, yet still manage
to make a profit even when having to pay high
10.2 Trends in selling price production costs for the transport of fly ash.
The price of red bricks has been increasing over the
years, due to rising coal costs; however, the price of red
bricks has risen less than the increase in their 10.3 Financial trends
production costs, thus reducing their profit margins.
Because of this increase in production costs for clay Discussions with the brick entrepreneurs revealed that
bricks, fly ash bricks currently have a competitive majority availed bank loans for establishing new units.
advantage, making them more attractive for Very few entrepreneurs set up new units through

7
6.4
6.13
5.84 5.9
6 5.7
5.47
5.20
5.00
5 4.68 4.56 4.65
4.4 4.27 Raw material (Rs)
4 3.43
Labour (Rs)
3
Facilities (Rs)
2 Average Production
1.02 cost (Rs)
0.9 0.75 0.80 0.80 0.85
1 0.55 0.71
0.42 0.38 0.49 0.40
0.10 0.2
0
Patna Begusarai Bhagalpur Gaya East Vaishali Nalanda
Champaran
Figure 24: Average production costs of districts
Nalanda 6
Vaishali 7
East champaran 6.5 Patna

Begusarai
Gaya 5.9
Bhagalpur
Gaya
Bhagalpur 5.21
East champaran
Begusarai 6.6 Vaishali

Nalanda
Patna 6.6
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Figure 25 : Selling price of fly ash bricks (Rs)
independent finance. A mix of banks gave loans to

entrepreneurs for setting up their units. Some of the 11. Impacts
major banks include State Bank of Baroda, State Bank
of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank and Bank 11.1 Conservation of soil, carbon
of India. The reason that the SBI has a major share is dioxide and coal
because it is part of the State Level Banking Committee
(SLBC), and is the nodal bank, and so is mandated to The impact of establishing new fly ash units on the
allocate some funds to the fly ash brick sector. environment can be measured in terms of conserved
However, many entrepreneurs complained about the natural resources like coal and soil and reduction in
delays in the approval of bank loans. carbon emissions. With the increase in number of fly
ash units, the amount of coal saved increases

Entrpreneurs availied bank loans to
setup their unit
No
21%
Yes
79%
Figure 26: Financial aspects
IOB Bank Banks providing loans to entrepreneurs for setting up units

Dena Bank
Andhra Bank
State Bank Bikaner
Uco Bank
Allahabad Bank Number of enterprises
Indian overseas Bank
United Bank of India
Central Bank of India
Canara Bank
Bank of Baroda
State Bank of India
Bank of India
Punjab National Bank
Central Bank of India
0 2 4 6 8 10
Figure 27: Banks providing loans to the entrepreneurs
Use of Fly ash bricks in Govt. construction

projects 19
Easy availabilityof Fly ash and other raw materials 9
Implementation of existing laws regarding fly ash
use 6
Spreading awareness 5
Financial support 4
Tax rebate 2
Subsidy clearance (Capital goods) 2
Banning of conventional red brick kilns 2
Govt. should design the system reponsible for
monitoring and evalaution 1
Fly ash subsidy 1
0 5 10 15 20
Figure 28: Type of support needed from the government

proportionally. Similarly, the tonnes of carbon 11.3 Future impacts
emissions saved has also increased. Approximately
67,000 tonnes of coal and 210,427 tonnes of carbon In terms of future projections, if we assume that all
emissions could be saved in 2016 if all of the fly ash seven of Bihar’s power plants – NTPC Barh, Navi Nagar
bricks enterprises remained functional and continue Aurangabad, Jas Infrastructure, BTPS Barauni, MTPS
to sell bricks throughout the year. Kanti, and NTPC Railway, in addition to the only power
plant that supplies fly ash to brick makers, in NTPC
Fertile top soil is also conserved since it is not used for Kahalgaon – are producing fly ash that can be used for
the production of bricks. Approximately 914,400 brick making, then fly ash brick makers will be able to
tonnes of soil can be saved in 2016, assuming that acquire almost 15.8 million tonnes of fly ash for free,
around 300 million fly ash bricks are produced. assuming a 70 percent usage of the available free fly
ash (which would be an increase on the 20 percent
usage currently taking place). This means that there is
11.2 Creation of jobs the potential for 4,364 new fly ash units to be
established once all power plants are operational and
In addition to environmental benefits, various social producing consumable fly ash. With a total of 4,389 fly
benefits are also associated with the commissioning of ash units, it is possible to produce 10.53 billion bricks
new fly ash units. The establishment of new units annually, saving more than 31.60 million tonnes of top
creates new employment opportunities. It has a soil, 7.27 million tonnes of CO2, and 2.32 million tonnes
potential to create 1935 jobs given all the 129 units of coal annually.
were commissioned and remained operational during
the study. A majority of workers are employed as
labourers and operators, and work in save
environments that do not witness high temperatures
and dangerous conditions.
250,000.00
200,000.00
Tonnes Saved
150,000.00
Tonnes of coal saved
100,000.00 Tonnes of CO2 saved
50,000.00
-
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Figure 29: Annual savings in coal consumption and carbon emission

1,000,000.00
900,000.00
800,000.00
700,000.00
600,000.00
Tonnes
500,000.00
Total Annual Soil Savings
400,000.00
300,000.00
200,000.00
100,000.00
-
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Figure 30: Soil saved annually
2500
2000
Number of Jobs
1500
1000
500
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Figure 31: Jobs Created per annum
Table 3: Annual Impacts of fly ash brick units from 2016-2025 (PROJECTED)
Brick Soil saved (in Coal saved CO2 avoided

Year Market share
produced tonnes) (in tonnes) (in tonnes)
2016 (129 units) 0.3 Billion 0.4 Million 0.06Million 0.21Million 1.69%
2025 (Projected
10.53 billion 31.60 million 2.32 million 7.27 million 58.2%
4389 units)

Drivers and Barriers 3
Bihar”- with around 6,000 kilns, the state of Bihar
1. Growth perspective of produces approximately 18 billion bricks per year.
the Fly Ash brick industry of Fixed Chimney Kilns (FCKs), which are resource and
energy intensive, are the predominant technology in
Bihar the state.
It is extremely important that initiatives are taken
The increasing demand for cement and bricks in the
towards promoting cleaner brick production
housing and infrastructure projects is exerting a huge
technologies and waste management. Support from
pressure on the resources for raw materials,
the Bihar government has come in the form of its
presenting us with a key challenge: Sustainable
initiative towards becoming a low carbon economy by
infrastructure development. The economic growth
adopting cleaner construction technologies. In
driven by conventional red brick industry has negative
partnership with Development Alternatives, the Bihar
impacts on the environment and public health and
State Pollution Control Board has organised several
necessitates the need for developing eco-friendly
workshops to spread awareness and encourage the
building materials which can yield huge benefits to the
production and usage of fly ash bricks in the state.
environment and the economy. The use of fly ash brick
offers an opportunity for productive utilization of Through Development Alternatives, TARA Machines
waste while preventing the emission intensity of the has been involved in policy decisions at the
unit as well as providing jobs to the local community. government level in the states of Orissa and Bihar.
This has helped the company to understand the shift
Development Alternatives (DA) has been working in
taking place towards green technology leading to a
several states of the country towards the development
growing market and increased engagement with the
of fly-ash brick industry. These include Bihar, Odisha,
state. In the case of Orissa, certain policy decisions by
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Delhi,
the government have helped further in creating the
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Haryana. According to
demand for eco-friendly building materials. The
DA’s recent report, “The Fly Ash Brick Industry in

Orissa government’s stringent coal norms and the ban Additionally, 60,000 tonnes of wood per year are
on use of laterite stone have given an impetus to TARA used rick making in the state, causing
Machines’ technology and material. The company has deforestation in the state
also received support from an order mandating all ! Labour costs in the state of Bihar are increasing
government buildings within a 100 km radius of a and shortages of certain types of labour are
power station to use fly ash bricks. leading to pressure on the brick business
! High level of pollution: The brick sector not only
The establishment of fly ash brick making units since
emits high amount of carbon emissions but also
2006 has achieved the following in Bihar:
other harmful gases such as Sulphur Dioxide
! Produced 91.2 million bricks (SO2), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Carbon Monoxide (CO)
! Saved approximately 274,000 tonnes of soil and particulate matter that is harmful for health
! Saved 20,000 tonnes of coal as well as surrounding agricultural land, orchards
! Saved approximately 63,000 tonnes of CO2 etc.
The current market share of fly ash bricks has

decreased drastically due to the lack of demand. The 3. Barriers
scenario is likely to be reversed if a ban is imposed on
the existing FCBTKs which cost the environment and Surveyed entrepreneurs raised several concerns
public health. This could lead to acquiring 60 percent regarding issues that hamper the operation of current
of today’s clay brick market share. The increased units. The issues, such as a lack of market demand,
production will have a positive impact on the delays in availing subsidies and loans, and the
environment and economy if rigorous implementation increased cost of fly ash through transportation, also
of pro-fly ash policies is in place. hinder the further proliferation of fly ash brick
technology.
Currently, fly ash brick units across Bihar have the
capacity to produce approximately 300 million bricks
per year. The policy notifications mandating all
government buildings to use fly ash for construction 3.1 Concerns of entrepreneurs
purposes can play a key role towards the growth of the Lack of Demand
fly ash brick industry. Since the growth of the industry
has been exponential till now, it can lead to a A negative and false mindset is prevalent among the
phenomenal growth of 5000 units in the next ten consumers regarding the poor quality of fly ash bricks.
years. The major reason for this mindset is the lack of
awareness about these bricks. Concerns of quality
reduce the market demand of fly ash bricks. Despite
2. Market drivers being included in the state Schedule of Rates (SoR) and
Bihar needs over 7500 million bricks over the next five tenders of the Building Construction Department, fly
years just to meet the rural housing gap of 1.1 million ash bricks are still not used widely in Government
dwellings per year. The increased use of construction projects. Currently, the bricks are used
environmental friendly products is also seen as a primarily by private builders. Private builders and
major driver behind setting up the enterprises by individual home owners constitute to more than 70
entrepreneurs across districts of Bihar. Another major percent of the consumers of fly ash bricks. (See Figure
driver comes in the form of support from government 31).
through initiatives such as banning existing brick kilns Major Buyers of fly ash bricks
and conversion to cleaner brick production 8%
18%
technologies. In addition to the potential savings of
CO2 emissions, the following were seen as the key Govt Dept
drivers: private Developers

! Trends in coal price which is increasing the total
individual home owners
production cost of bricks and reduced the profit
44%
margins for brick makers 30% others
! Resource and energy intensive brick making: In
the Bihar brick sector, there are various source of
energy consumption like soil excavation, raw
material transportation, brick making and firing,
Figure 32: Major buyers of Fly Ash bricks
however firing consumes the most energy.

In fact, because of a lack of demand and production of FCBTKs into Zigzag kilns), but that is not the case
problems, fly ash makers are only operating at 53 universally. Small- and medium-size operators would
percent of their rated production capabilities, which is need access to financial services for kiln retrofits.
an immense opportunity cost to the government and Further, entrepreneurs interested in setting up large
fly ash manufacturers. This is also extremely modern brick manufacturing facilities would also need
discouraging to producers and aspiring producers, access to finance. At present, there are several
who would only join the market were they sure, that constraints that make conventional bank financing
they could make a maximal profit on their inaccessible to the brick-makers. Some of the main
investments. constraints are listed below.
! Most brick-kiln entrepreneurs operate on leased

3.2 Concerns of buyers land and hence the land cannot be used for
Consumers had two key concerns on the timely supply providing collateral security for availing loans.
! A large part of the brick trade takes place in cash,
of fly ash bricks and the lack of adequate quality. As can
be discerned from previous section, several brick which means that tax compliance is poor and the
makers are producing substandard bricks, which need profit and loss accounts and balance sheets of brick
to be remedied through a quality control and enterprises do not reflect the true picture of the
assurance system. Additionally, some consumers are trade and in establishing credit worthiness.
! Many brick-kiln entrepreneurs lack financial
concerned that they cannot discern the quality of a fly
ash brick visually as they do with red bricks. knowledge and the ability to prepare business
plans and the documentation needed to apply for a
The main concern for both entrepreneurs and loan.
consumers is that there exists a mindset problem, ! Commercial banks have limited experience lending
where fly ash bricks are thought of as poor quality due to the brick sector and do not currently offer
to their lack of penetration in the market, due to their financial instruments tailored to this sector.
relatively unheard-of technology, and due to the lack
of a regulatory system regarding the product.
3.3 Financial barriers

Some relatively large brick-kiln owners may be in a
position to self-finance kiln upgrades (e.g. retrofi tting
Concerns raised by buyers

Unsure about strength 15
Plastering issue 8
Longevity of bricks 5
Credit quality 3
Unsure how it compares with the life of cement 3
Cost 2
How it reacts to dampness/waterlogging 2
Need for trial Run 1
Unfamiliarity about bricks 1
Sharp edge breakage 1
Govt. buildings need to set the example of using fly ash 1
Bricks are non traditional 1
Lack of trust among consumers 1
Figure 33: Concerns raised by buyers

Current Initiatives of
the Government of Bihar
4
The government of Bihar has taken steps to accelerate ! Increasing awareness among entrepreneurs
the adoption of green brick production technologies in through workshops and seminars
the state. Bihar will need over 7500 million bricks over ! Facilitating policy support for large scale adoption
the next five years just to meet the rural housing gap of by providing incentives to green technology
1.1 million dwellings per year. Potential savings of 2.8 enterprises
million tonnes of CO2 emissions are possible while ! Facilitating increased and easy finance support for
creating livelihoods for 0.35 million people by small entrepreneurs through banks and other
introducing cleaner production systems. financial institutions for uptake of green
technologies
In order to capitalise on this potential, the Bihar ! Accelerating service delivery through capacity
government has formed an inter-departmental task
building of technology providers
force (Box 1) on accelerating cleaner brick production.
In conclusion, the three cornerstones to successful
The Development Alternatives Group and Shakti
adoption of green technologies are favourable policy,
Sustainable Energy Foundation are supporting this
easy access to finance and efficient service. If the triad is
initiative. The Task Force is working towards
in place, the true potential of green technology to
introducing improvements in the sector with an aim to
mitigate environmental damage can be met.
reduce pollution and the consumption of coal and
fertile top soil. The four major areas that the Task Force
will be looking at are as follows:

Box 1. Inter-departmental task force for cleaner brick production in Bihar
The Government of Bihar under an initiative towards low-carbon economy formed an inter-departmental task
force involving various stakeholders for improving the brick sector in terms of pollution reduction, coal
consumption, and use of top soil for brick production. A workshop was organized on 6 December 2012 by the
Bihar State Pollution Control Board on cleaner brick production in Patna. The workshop was inaugurated by the
Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of the state and was attended by more than 170 brick-kiln entrepreneurs,
service providers, and various government officials. The formation of the task force was facilitated by
Development Alternatives, an NGO, under an initiative of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. The task force
has proposed several actions to promote cleaner brick production.
Banning of existing brick kilns and

conversion to cleaner brick production
technologies
Patna is being listed by WHO as one of the top ten most
polluted cities in the world. The Bihar State Pollution
Control Board (BSPCB) has recently issued notifications
not to grant consent-to-establish (CTE) new bricks kiln in
five blocks of Patna Sadar, Danapur, Phulwarisharif,
Maner and Fatuha of Patna district and to convert the
existing bricks kilns into new cleaner technology by 31st
of August 2016.

Recommendations 5
It is quite clear that the fly ash brick making industry provide information to those unaware of the
needs incentives and support in order for it to deliver advantages of fly ash bricks; this is most likely to be
the benefits that it promises, but on a large scale. If done under the purview of the Department of
Bihar is to grow its fly ash brick industry into one that Industries and Department of Environment and
shares a significant part of the market and provides Forests. An information campaign targeting potential
significant coal and CO2 savings, it will need to entrepreneurs and producers would increase market
implement policies that favour a two pronged awareness of fly ash bricks. This campaign must
approach: ensuring the quality of the bricks produced promote bricks based on their financial and social
merits: that fly ash bricks are cheaper to produce,
equal or better in quality to clay bricks, do not require
traditional brick kilns which produce harmful
1. Improving supply side emissions, and pose less risk to workers through less
dangerous machinery.
conditions Several existing as well as potential entrepreneurs are
also unaware of the subsidies and other incentives
1.1. Creating awareness offered by the government. This campaign must also
Many entrepreneurs are unaware of fly ash bricks, and summarize the incentives that the state is offering for
do not know about the profitability and superiority of fly ash brick manufacturers. In summary, creating
fly ash bricks in comparison to clay bricks, thus awareness takes the form of an information campaign
preventing the expansion of the fly ash brick sector. through flyers, advertisements, and information
There needs to be a major mindset change in order to sessions, which need to emphasize the merits of fly
counter the existing perceptions of fly ash bricks and ash bricks and the incentives that the government is
their lack of quality, in the brick industry. providing them.
In order to counter the lack of awareness, Bihar must The use of these bricks in government construction
will also aid in popularising them among other

consumers. Department of Building Construction can A major issue expressed by brick makers is the
play a crucial role in promoting fly ash bricks by perception that their bricks are of poor quality. In
utilising them in their own construction. addition to that perception, there are several brick
makers who do not follow the right method for
producing bricks, and there is no effective assurance
that the bricks are of above-par quality. While there
1.2. Incentives to producers and are standards for strengths, dimensions, and water
entrepreneurs absorption by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS),
there is no system of quality control or of quality
As has been mentioned before, almost 80 percent of
assurance. The lack of any kind of quality check and
the entrepreneurs surveyed required loans in order to
assurance mechanism leads to spurious products
set their firms up. Additionally, only 20 percent of
flooding the market, and the entire technology
surveyed entrepreneurs availed subsidies. The
acquiring a bad name. The use of such substandard
remaining did not, for various reasons, including a lack
products also compromises the structural stability of
of awareness and delays in government response. This
buildings. This would impact the market demand of fly
means that the existing system of providing subsidies
ash bricks. Therefore, it is necessary to address these
needs to be streamlined, and that the government
concerns to ensure the further dissemination of this
needs to improve its response time, which needs to be
technology.
implemented by the Department of Industries and
through Industrial Incentives Policies.
Banks were also averse to giving loans out to
entrepreneurs, since the fly ash brick making sector is
2.2 Rating system for quality
not viewed as financially sustainable. This means production
additional delays in financing and commencing
A quality assurance and control system through a brick
production. The state needs to incentivise these banks
rating system, which will be upheld by the government
through subsidies and legal action in order to ensure
and tested by independent laboratories, should be
low-interest loans; it can also aim to change the image
implemented. This will give a positive incentive to
of the fly ash brick industry through the
brick makers to maximize the quality of bricks, and will
aforementioned awareness campaign.
reward those who follow the correct procedures
While the state does offer a single window, many through incentivised sales. This would have to be done
entrepreneurs are not aware that such a single through the Department of Building Construction and
window exists. This needs to be made clear through Bihar State Pollution Control Board as well.
the awareness campaign. The subsidies need to be
easy to understand by entrepreneurs from rural areas
who may not be able to understand complicated
paperwork because of a lack of education.
2.3 Preferential procurement
However, a point of intervention could be the One of the major flaws in the campaign for the support
involvement of service providers in acquiring the for fly ash is that the government has not yet
subsidies of Department of Industries. The subsidies implemented preferential procurement. As has been
could be claimed by the service providers in bulk thus shown in Figure 10, the private sector procures a
reducing transaction cost and time and pass on majority of fly ash bricks on the market. The
benefits to entrepreneurs. government does not purchase a large amount of fly
ash bricks, which entrepreneurs have noted and are
Additionally, efforts must be made in order to improve complaining of. Because of the noted benefits of fly
the means and methods by which producers source ash bricks, the government should be buying and
the fly ash. 25 percent of those surveyed explained utilizing these bricks in the construction projects of the
that they had difficulties acquiring fly ash, because of booming housing industry. This demand from the
transportation and cost issues. government will encourage entrepreneurs to set up in
such a profitable industry, and will provide
reassurance to the current entrepreneurs that their
product will be bought. This preferential procurement
2. Enhancing demand side should be implemented through the Building
Construction Department.
conditions
2.1 Quality assurance and control

References
1. Development Alternatives (2012). Status of Brick Sector in the State of Bihar- A Baseline Study.
Development Alternatives, New Delhi
2. Lalchandani, Dheeraj, and Sameer Maithel (2013). Towards Cleaner Brick Kilns in India. A Win-Win
Approach Based on Zigzag Firing Technology. Greentech Knowledge Solutions Pvt., Chennai
3. Mathiel et al. (2012). Brick Kilns Performance Assessment & a Roadmap for Cleaner Brick Production
in India. United Nations Environmental Programme
4. Ministry of Finance (2013). Economic Survey 2012-13. Ministry of Finance, Government of India,
New Delhi
5. Planning Commission (2013). Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) Economic Sectors. Rep. Vol. II.
Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi
6. http://www.devalt.org/newsletter/apr13/lead.htm
7. http://www.gkspl.in/reports/energy_efficiency/Towards%20Cleaner%20Brick%20Kilns%20in
%20India.pdf

Endnotes
1 Economic survey of Bihar, 2016
2 Bihar Baseline Study. Ecobrick. Ecobrick, n.d. Web. 26 June
2014.http://www.ecobrick.in/resource_data/KBAS100069.pdf>
3 ibid
4 Senapati, Manas R. (2011). Fly Ash from Thermal Power Plants – Waste Management and Overview. Current
Science 100.25: 1791-794. Web. 03 July 2014.
5 Accounts for electricity consumption
6 http://www.tradingeconomics.com/india/gdp-growth-annual
7 Ministry of Finance (2013). Economic Survey 2012-13. Rep. New Delhi: Ministry of Finance, Government of
India. Print.
8 Planning Commission (2013).Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) Economic Sectors. Rep. Vol. II. New Delhi:
Planning Commission, Government of India. Print.
9 Mathiel et al. (2012) Brick Kilns Performance Assessment & A Roadmap for Cleaner Brick Production in
India. Rep. N.p.: United Nations Environmental Programme. Print
10 Lalchandani, Dheeraj, and Sameer Maithel (2013). Towards Cleaner Brick Kilns in India. A Win-Win
Approach Based on Zigzag Firing Technology. Rep. Chennai: Greentech Knowledge Solutions Pvt. Print.
11 Development Alternatives (2012). Status of Brick Sector in the State of Bihar- A Baseline Study. Rep. New
Delhi: Development Alternatives. Print.
12 Based on calculations by DA.
13 http://www.ntpc.co.in/en/environment/ash-utilisation
14 http://cea.nic.in/reports/others/thermal/tcd/flyash_final_1415.pdf
15 http://www.ecobrick.in/indian_Brick_Sector.aspx
About Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation was established in 2009 to
support India’s developmental objectives. We seek to facilitate India’s
transition to a sustainable energy future by promoting policies that
encourage energy efficiency, renewable energy and the adoption of
sustainable transport solutions.
Advancing smart energy policies will be key to meeting the defining
challenge of the next generation—how to provide millions of Indians
with reliable, affordable, secure access to energy in a sustainable
manner.
We support the development of research and analysis to provide
policy makers with concrete and practical policy recommendations
for an energy secure future.
The energy choices that India makes in the coming years will be of
profound importance. Meaningful policy action on India’s energy
challenges will strengthen national security, create jobs and keep our
environment clean.
About Development Alternatives Group

Development Alternatives (DA) is a premier social enterprise with a
global presence in the fields of green economic development, social
equity and environmental management. It is credited with numerous
technology and delivery system innovations that help create
sustainable livelihoods in the developing world. DA focuses on
empowering communities through strengthening people’s
institutions and facilitating their access to basic needs; enabling
economic opportunities through skill development for green jobs and
enterprise creation; and promoting low carbon pathways for
development through natural resource management models and
clean technology solutions.
B-32, Tara Crescent, Qutub Institutional Area
New Delhi 110016, India
Tel: +91-11-2654-4100, 2654-4200, Fax: +91-11-2685-1158
Email: mail@devalt.org, Website: www.devalt.org

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The Fly Ash

Bihar State Pollution Control Board

Bihar State Pollution Control Board

©Development Alternatives 2016

v The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar vii

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar ix

Address by Chief Guest,

Shri. Dipak Kumar Singh

Task Force on Clean Building Materials

Zoning of brick kilns

x The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

Workshop on Roadmap Towards Accelerated

Sri Vivek Kumar Singh, IAS

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar xi

Chapter 1: Introduction and Background 1

Chapter 2: Overview of Fly Ash Brick Industry of Bihar 5

Chapter 3: Drivers and Barriers 23

Chapter 4: Current Initiatives of the Government of Bihar 27

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar xiii

xiv The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar 1

2 The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar 3

4 The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar 5

survey list gathered from BSPCB and fly ash brick 40 25

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar 7

Patna, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Muzzaffarpur were

Virtual The number of units in Patna cluster adds to 57 units,

8 The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

Figure 4: Status of major fly ash brick clusters

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar 9

3. Size of the enterprises

Investment in plant and machinery (Lakhs) Number of enterprises

262.5 240 240

Micro Small Medium Large

Figure 7: Brick enterprises in Bihar as classified by size

10 The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar 11

12 The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

Units receiving fly ash directly

The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

NTPC (Name Unknown)

receiving fly ash

directly from NTPC

Fly ash sourcing patterns of Machine units

Figure 11 : Fly ash sourcing pattern of units in Bihar

M/s. Kurshela Bricks

2% 2% Samarth Hydraulic group, Gujrat

B&B Machine Coimbatore

Figure 12: Technology providers share towards service and maintenance

14 The Fly Ash Brick Industry in Bihar

Figure 13: Market share of technology providers

Technology Providers by districts Vs Average compressive strength

Megha Engineering, Bilaspur

Q. Green / Mahisana, Gujrat

Janta (Morvee Gujrat)

Dharbanga (Dh) - Speed Sales Group (Pune)