BALCO signs MOU with VNIT Nagpur for green concrete
Balconagar, Korba, September 24, 2021: Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) Nagpur for using their green concrete solution for road construction inside the plant, as well as nearby areas.
Green concrete is an innovative solution developed by the institute to utilize industrial byproducts such as fly ash and bottom ash for construction purposes. VNIT’s research has shown that more than 500 kgs of ash could be consumed per cubic meter of concrete road, instead of current usage of 100 kgs by addition of high solid content super plasticizer admixture developed by them. This roughly translates to about 600 tonnes of ash consumption per km of a single lane road. As ash is a voluminous byproduct of thermal power generation, such an innovation will not only give rise to sustainable construction but also ensure environmental sustainability in the long run.
Speaking about BALCO’s approach towards waste-to-wealth, Mr. Abhijit Pati, CEO and Director, BALCO said, “We believe in leveraging next generation technologies to minimize, recycle and reuse byproducts and industrial wastes from our manufacturing process in innovative ways that are beneficial for people and environment. We have implemented novel solutions for environment management and to reduce our carbon footprint. We are proud to partner with VNIT Nagpur for implementing their green concrete solution for construction purposes at and beyond our plant premises.”
Vedanta Aluminium Business, of which BALCO is a part, has expressed interest for long-term collaboration with cement producers to manufacture low-carbon cement using fly-ash and bauxite residue. The Business is working on a wide range of waste-to-wealth programmes aimed at sustainable ad gainful utilization of industrial wastes.
Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) is India’s iconic aluminium producer. It is owned 49% by the Government of India and 51% by Vedanta Limited. Vedanta Limited is the world’s 6th largest diversified natural resources company and the largest producer of aluminium in India. BALCO operates a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is also a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelter and power plants, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
