74624 INNOVATIONS IN DEVELOPMENT Fly Ash Bricks Reduce Emissions 8 The FaL-G Brick Technology and Carbon Finance Project 2012 ISSUE 8 Summary 2 The FaL-G Brick Technology and Carbon Finance Project Environmental and Social Benefits of Fly Ash Bricks Two Indians have invented a climate-friendly projects such as roads and pavements, dams technology that produces bricks without and bridges. using any coal whatsoever. The new fly Given the numerous benefits of the new ash brick technology has the potential to fly ash brick technology, the inventors are completely eliminate carbon emissions providing the technology without invoking from India’s large brick-making industry the patent. The Government of India has also which burns huge amounts of coal and issued a number of notifications encouraging emits millions of tons of carbon dioxide its use. In addition, a World Bank Project each year. is helping to promote the new method by Another significant benefit of the new enabling entrepreneurs to earn carbon credit technology is that unlike clay bricks that use revenues to offset some of their initial costs. valuable top soil as raw material, the new Over 16,000 FaL-G brick plants are now in method uses fly ash, an unwanted residue operation throughout the country, up from from coal-fired power plants. This fly ash is just 100 in 2000. Fly ash bricks account presently dumped on acres of land, damaging for about one sixth of India’s annual brick both the environment and the health of production, putting over 20 million tons of fly populations around power plants. The use of ash to productive use each year. fly ash is particularly important as, with India’s plans to use coal to expand power production, So far, the World Bank project has enabled the generation of fly ash is set to increase 108 fly ash brick plants to earn about $ 3.2 while the availability of top soil is bound to million, or approx Rs. 14.5 crores, in carbon decrease. credit revenues. About 12 percent of these revenues have been allocated for improving A further advantage is that fly ash bricks the working conditions of fly ash brick plant can be produced in a variety of strengths laborers. and sizes. This means that apart from their conventional use in building walls etc. fly However, pro-active government policies are ash bricks can also be used for the needed to further spread this environment- construction of a variety of infrastructure friendly technology. 3 Innovation L ast year, 200 billion bricks were produced Moreover, unlike traditional clay bricks whose in India. Almost all of them were fired in quality is deteriorating day-by-day due to the kilns that burnt huge amounts of coal depletion of good quality soil, FaL-G bricks are and emitted 76 million tons of carbon dioxide. strong. They can also be produced in a variety In 1990, two Indian inventors developed a new of strengths and sizes to suit a number of climate-friendly technology that produces infrastructure projects ranging from roads and bricks without using any coal whatsoever. The pavements, to dams and bridges. Large size fly ash technology has the potential to eliminate carbon bricks and blocks also help save mortar and speed emissions altogether from India’s brick-making up the construction process. industry, which consumes as much as 40 million Another important aspect is that traditional tons of coal a year. coal-fired brick kilns do not provide a stable The new method, known as FaL-G or Fly ash- source of income for workers. The kilns close Lime-Gypsum, also saves huge quantities of down during the monsoon, forcing the workers valuable top-soil that is traditionally used in clay to move away to look for other work. This leaves brick production. It replaces soil with fly ash, an their children unable to attend school; in fact, unwanted residue from coal-fired power plants many children end up working alongside their that currently occupies over 125,000 acres of parents in these kilns in contravention of laws land. Putting fly ash to productive use thus not prohibiting child labor. By contrast, FaL-G brick only reduces water, air, and soil pollution, but also plants operate throughout the year, providing year- improves the health of populations living near round employment. these plants, who often complain of respiratory problems. Encouraging fly ash brick Almost all the bricks produced in India are fired in kilns that burn technology huge amounts of coal and emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide Given the numerous environmental and social benefits of using fly ash, the Government of India has mandated thermal power plants to provide fly ash free of cost to brick manufacturers and stipulated time-bound targets to achieve high levels of ash utilization. However, the wider adoption of FaL-G brick technology is proving to be a challenge. Clay brick production remains a popular family business in India, with no incentives to innovate or modernize. Moreover, manufacturers still have to bear the cost of transporting fly ash to their production sites. In 4 The FaL-G Brick Technology and Carbon Finance Project contrast, top soil for making clay bricks is easily with the low cost of clay bricks in the rural areas. available around production sites. In such instances, fly ash brick manufacturers often dilute the quality of their bricks by compromising To encourage the widespread adoption of this on inputs to compete with the clay brick market. environment-friendly technology, the inventors Carbon credits help to overcome this problem in of FaL-G are providing their technology without addition to supporting manufactures with their invoking the patent. (They filed a patent for FaL-G brick technology in 1996.) They also provide marketing expenses. microenterprises that opt for this technology with Improved working conditions technical assistance on production techniques, skills training for workers, and advice on the marketing So far, the project has enabled 108 FaL-G brick of bricks. plants to earn about $ 3.2 million, or approx Rs. 14.5 crores, in carbon credit revenues. About Tapping carbon credits 12 percent of these revenues have been allocated From 2006, the World Bank’s FaL-G Brick for improving the lives and working conditions of Technology and Carbon Finance Project has FaL-G brick plant laborers. Workers are covered been helping fly ash brick enterprises to earn by health and accident insurance and provided carbon credit revenues. These revenues provide with protective gear for use at the workplace. In microenterprises with an additional incentive and addition, HIV awareness programs are conducted. enable them to offset some of their initial costs.This Toilets, showers, and drinking water facilities - all is because fly ash brick making, although a viable of which are rarely found in rural India - have also industry in urban areas, is often unable to compete been installed at FaL-G production sites. Unlike clay bricks that use thermal energy, the new FaL-G technology Women workers spray water to cure FaL-G blocks, achieves strength through hydraulic bond under tropical temperatures Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh 5 Impact T he inventors’ decision not to invoke the „„ Until March 31, 2012, Rs. 1.6 crores had been patent to facilitate the diffusion of FaL-G spent for the benefit of workers’ communities. technology has paid off: „„ Interestingly,a sizeable number of women „„ Over 16,000 FaL-G brick plants are now in entrepreneurs are setting up FaL-G brick operation throughout the country, up from manufacturing plants. just 100 enterprises in 2000. „„ Fly ash bricks account for about one sixth of Spreading the Innovation India’s annual brick production. Today, the manufacture of clay bricks is becoming „„ Fly ash brick plants use over 20 million tons increasingly unviable given the spiraling costs of of fly ash which would otherwise have been the clay (land) and fuel. On the other hand, ample dumped into hazardous ash mounds and opportunities exist for the growth of Fal-G brick ponds. technology for fly ash output is bound to spiral „„ The timely flow of carbon revenues as a result of India’s planned increase in coal-fired through the World Bank project has power plants. helped in increasing the participation of Carbon credit revenues can also be expected to microenterprises. continue to facilitate the deployment of FaL-G „„ FaL-G technology is providing workers a technology even after the end of the Kyoto stable year-round income nearer their homes Protocol’s first commitment period (2008-2012), and allowing their children to attend regular because many potential carbon credit buyers school, giving them reason not to migrate to value the social, environmental and developmental a city. impacts generated by such projects. Women workers stacking FaL-G bricks Pavement constructed with FaL-G bricks in Parawada, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh 6 The FaL-G Brick Technology and Carbon Finance Project Need for Proactive Government sector clay brick industry, Fal-G bricks incur all the Policies fiscal burdens of the organized sector such as sales tax, excise duty, service tax etc., making it difficult However, pro-active government policies are for fly ash brick entrepreneurs to compete with needed to help spread this new technology in their informal sector counterparts. order to reap its considerable environmental and social benefits. This is because unlike the informal Books being distributed among FaL-G brick workers’ children HIV/AIDS awareness program being conducted among FaL-G in Narsapur, Andhra Pradesh brick plant workers in Tamil Nadu Mosquito nets being distributed to fly ash brick workers as part Brick factory workers’ children attend regular school at of an employee benefits program at Bhimadole in Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh 7 The FaL-G Brick Technology and Carbon Finance Project Contributions N. Bhanumathidas and N. Kalidas Inventors of FaL-G Brick Technology Eco Carbon Pvt. Ltd. Institute for Solid Waste Research & Ecological Balance Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh Akiko Nakagawa www.macrographics.com Senior Environmental Specialist The World Bank