Vedanta Aluminium to supply fly ash for 5 years and spent pot lining for 3 years to Dalmia Cement

Vedanta Aluminium will reportedly supply industrial wastes like fly ash and spent pot lining to Dalmia Cement for manufacturing low-carbon cement. The two companies have formed a partnership, noting Vedanta’s mega aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda will send around 20 rakes of fly ash per month for five years and spent pot lining for three years to Dalmia Cement’s manufacturing units in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, and Assam.

Vedanta Aluminium has collaborated with India’s many leading cement producers to supply high-quality fly ash for low-carbon cement production. Fly ash is a by-product produced in coal-fired power stations. Owing to inherent cementitious properties, fly ash is a sought-after raw material in the cement industry, improving the overall quality of the cement produced, conserving energy and other valuable resources, and reducing the industry’s carbon footprint.

In the cement industry, every tonne of fly ash can help save 700-800 kg of carbon emissions, 4.2 million KJ of energy, and 341 litres of water.

Spent pot lining, generated during the de-lining process of electrolytic pots, can be co-processed in cement plants as raw material or replace natural mineral resources and fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and gas in industrial processes. In cement plants, using SPL has significant benefits, like reducing carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and reliance on natural mineral resources.

Sunil Gupta, CEO of Vedanta Limited, said: “In our pursuit of promoting circular utilisation of industrial wastes and by-products, Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda is proud to partner with Dalmia Cement for effective management of industrial waste streams. Given the nature of the industry, a large-scale aluminium producer like Vedanta is a long-term reliable circular-economy partner for the cement industry. Strategic collaborations such as this will provide multiple benefits in terms of enhanced quality, sustainability and cost benefits to cement manufacturing, while helping us in gainful waste management. Our waste-to-wealth initiatives are designed to develop thriving value-chains for converting our by-products into resources for complementary industries and is a significant step forward in our journey towards becoming a leader in sustainable development.”

The spokesperson for Dalmia Cement said, “Dalmia Cement is one of India’s pioneering homegrown cement companies. As a prominent Indian cement manufacturer and thought leader, Dalmia Cement continues to aspire to enhance value in a sustainable way for all its stakeholders. Our partnership with Vedanta Aluminium demonstrates the commitment of both the companies towards supporting the sustainability agenda of both the cement and aluminium industry. We are delighted to partner with Vedanta in this initiative which will contribute towards our climate action targets.”

Last year, Vedanta signed a long-term contract with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to supply fly ash for building greener roads. To explore innovative ways of utilising this by-product, Vedanta Aluminium also conducts technical and business workshops with global waste utilisation experts to create greater awareness of the benefits of using fly ash in cement production or similar product manufacture.