The circularity of materials is a priority for UltraTech in tackling the issue of overutilization of resources, the rising cost of natural raw materials and disposal of waste generated from it. UltraTech has developed systems at its unit locations utilize waste materials safely and efficiently following the principles of circular economy.
UltraTech uses municipal solid waste and other industrial waste as alternative fuel in its kilns through co-processing. Dedicated teams are working constantly to procure such waste materials from Municipal Corporations.
Some of the key advantages of using waste as a fuel are:
UltraTech is on a constant lookout for techniques to replace natural limestone. We use waste materials like fly ash, gypsum, slag, red mud in lieu of naturally occurring limestone. We have used more than 28 Million Tonnes of recycled material for making cement. The quantity of recycled material used has increased significantly over the past few years. Recently, our R&D teams patented the process of making cement from aluminium industry waste. We have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with our Group company, Hindalco Industries Ltd., a global leader in aluminium and copper, where Hindalco will deliver 1.2 million metric tonnes of red mud (also known as bauxite residue) annually to UltraTech's plants. Red mud generated in the alumina manufacturing process is rich in iron oxides, along with alumina, silica and alkali. Our R&D team has developed the capability to process red mud as a replacement for mined minerals such as laterite and lithomarge in its process.
UltraTech focusses on using fewer natural resources across its value chain and promotes the same at the industry level. We vehemently support a low-carbon economy where raw materials are consumed judiciously. In our operations, we follow a dual approach for efficient waste management: First, we generate less waste by using raw materials judiciously so that the waste can be managed effectively. Second, we substitute fossil fuels and raw materials with waste material generated not only from our plants but also from other industries which helps us to reduce our carbon footprint.
