Cement plants closed, waste piles up at Solan, Shimla sites

Ambika Sharma

Solan, February 8

Refuse-derived fuel (RDF), produced from municipal solid waste (MSW), is accumulating at various disposal facilities in Solan and Shimla after the closure of the two cement plants at Darlaghat and Barmana.

Selected waste and byproducts with recoverable calorific value are used as fuel in cement kilns, replacing some of the conventional fossil fuels like coal.

The RDF from solid waste disposal plants at Solan and Shimla is sent to Ambuja Cements plant at Darlaghat while waste from Mandi and Kullu is sent to ACC’s cement manufacturing plant at Barmana. The two plants are lying closed since December 15.

The waste was now accumulating at the disposal plant sites at Salogra in Solan district and Bhariyal in Shimla district as there was no other place to dispose of this waste. This waste has to be scientifically disposed of as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Manmohan Sharma, Director, Urban Development Department, said, “The RDF has piled up at various municipal waste disposal facilities like Salogra in Solan district and Bhariyal in Shimla district since the two cement plants at Barmana and Darlaghat are closed for the last about two months.”

He added that alternatives like sending this waste to other cement plants like Ultra Tech were being explored so that the waste didn’t pile up at the disposal facilities. Ultra Tech cement plants were already taking the RDF from other civic bodies for use as a fuel.

The State Pollution Control Board has authorised the cement plants to use this RDF as fuel as per the directions of the Central Pollution Control Board to ensure its scientific disposal. It is derived from non-recyclable plastics and is separated by processing steps like screening, air classification, ballistic separation, separation of ferrous and non-ferrous materials, glass, stones, etc. and shredded into a uniform size or pellets to be used as substitute for fossil fuels in cement plants or as reduction agent in steel furnaces.

Rajiv Kaura, Deputy Mayor, Solan, Municipal Corporation, said that there was about 20 tonnes of legacy waste at Salogra-based waste dumping facility. “A private company which was engaged to clear the waste has disposed about 8 tonnes but the RDF has piled up for the last two months as the cement plant at Darlaghat was not operational since December 15.”

Apart from the transporters and ancillary service providers, the operators of municipal solid waste plants were also hoping for an early solution to the dispute between the two cement plants and the transporters.

Used as fuel in cement kilns

• Selected waste and byproducts with recoverable calorific value are used as fuels in cement kilns, replacing some of the conventional fossil fuels like coal
• The waste was now accumulating at the disposal plant sites like at Salogra in Solan district and Bhariyal in Shimla district as there was no other place to dispose this waste
• This waste has to be scientifically disposed of as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016