This document provides an overview of the effects of emissions from brick kilns on land, water, and agricultural production. It discusses the various pollutants emitted from brick kilns including particulate matter, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals. The emissions negatively impact soil properties like bulk density, water holding capacity, pH, organic matter content, and heavy metal concentrations. Water quality in areas near brick kilns is also adversely affected through increased turbidity, electrical conductivity, and pollution of ponds and wetlands. Plant growth and crop yields are reduced due to decreased photosynthesis and increased heavy metal accumulation. Steps to mitigate the impacts include installing pollution controls, banning hazardous fuels, and developing green belts around brick kilns.

1. Welcome

2. Effect of Brick Kiln Emissions on Land, Water and
Agricultural Production
Presented by
Jyotirmay Roy
Roll No. 21713
Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute
New Delhi-110012

3. Outline
• Introduction
• Types of emission
• Various pollutants emitted from brick kiln
• Impact on soil properties
• Impact on water properties
• Impact on plant growth and crop production
• Steps to mitigate the impact of emissions
• Conclusions
• Path ahead

4. Introduction
 Brick : A small rectangular block typically
made of fired clay, used in building.
 Kiln : A thermally insulated chamber , or
oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to
complete some process, such as hardening,
drying, or chemical changes.
 Brick kiln : A kiln in which bricks are baked
or fired.
 The brick kiln industry is an important small
scale industry of India, it provides employment
to people in rural areas where agriculture is
not enough to sustain all the people.
Jeet et al. (2021)

5. Brick production in Indian scenario
 2nd largest brick producer after China
 India accounts for 13.33% of total global brick production
 Annual brick production growth: 5-10%
Brick making enterprises 1,40,000
Land occupied 0.7 million hectares
Annual brick production 250 billion
Brick making fuel used Coal & biomass
Annual coal consumption 35-40 million tons
Annual CO2 emissions 66 million tons
Nath et al. (2018)

6. Characteristics of Indian brick industry
Indian
brick
industry
Traditional
firing
technologies
Environmental
pollution
Reliance on
manual labour
Low
mechanization
rate
Dominance of
small scale
brick kilns
Single raw
material
(Clay)
Wanjule et al. (2015)

7. Materials required for brick production
Raw material Consumption
(kg/tonne)
Consumption
(%)
Water 1218.82 46.8
Minerals (Clay) 1196.24 46.0
Minerals (Sand) 94.12 3.6
Biomass (Rice husk) 42.33 1.6
Fossil fuel (Coal) 46.69 1.7
Others (including diesel
and petrol) 0.43 0.03
Annually around 600 million tonnes of clay soil are used for making of bricks.
Brick kilns are the third biggest industrial consumer of coal in India.
Dominik et al. (2015)

8. Brick making process
Clay mixing
Moulding
Drying
Firing
Brick
Water
Sun drying or
artificial drying
Fuel

9. Types of emission
Stack
emission
Fugitive
emission
Kamyotra (2015)
During firing of bricks
During charging of fuel
Crushing of coal
Clay excavation
Loading and unloading of
bricks
Laying and removal of
ash layer over brick setting
Cleaning of bottom
trench
During high winds

10. Emissions by different brick kilns
Traditional brick kilns
with coal as a fuel
Traditional brick kilns
with rubber as a fuel
Emissions
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Carbon monoxide(CO) Carbon monoxide(CO)
Nitrogen oxides(NOX) Nitrogen oxides(NOX)
Particulate matter Particulate matter
Carcinogenic Dioxin Fluoride
Compounds
Khan et al. (2019)

11. Estimated production of pollutants
1000
bricks
6.35-12.3
kg CO
0.52-5.9
kg SO2
0.64-1.4
kg PM
Le and Oanh (2010)
PM : Particulate matter

12. Distribution of different types of pollutants with
distance from brick kilns
•Distribution of NOX , SOX , COX and Particulate matter (PM) (g/m3) from source point to a 5 km distance in
wind direction
NOx SOx COx
Hassan et al. (2012)
Distance from brick kiln (km)
Concentration
of
pollutant
(g/m
3
)

13. Impact on soil properties

14. Impact on physical properties of soil
Chowdhury and Rasid (2020)
Values in the same column followed by the same letter(s) are not significantly different at p<0.05 according
to ANOVA.
BD : bulk density; WHC : Water holding capacity
Soil Texture
Sand
(%)
Silt
(%)
Clay
(%)
BD
(g cm-1)
WHC
(%)
Soils of crop
fields near
brick kiln
cluster
Sandy clay
loam
48.66x 25.24x 26.10x 1.43x 44.07x
Reference soil
(2.5 km far
from brick
kiln site)
Sandy clay
loam
46.74x 24.55x 28.71x 1.39y 52.14y
Study area : Hathazari, Chittagong District, Bangladesh

15. Impact on pH level of soil
Suwal (2018)
Location : Duwakot, Bhaktapur
district, Nepal
Value of pH decreases with
decreasing distance from brick
kiln

16. Impact on electrical conductivity of soil
Islam et al. (2015)
Electrical Conductivity (μS cm-1)
Burnt soil 42.02±16.48
Unburnt soil 21.52±3.43
Burnt soil: soil from area close to brick kiln
Unburnt soil : soil from far area of brick kiln
Study area : Shingair, Tangail District, Bangladesh

17. Impact on organic matter content and nitrogen
availability of soil
Khan et al. (2007)
Sampling site Organic matter (%)
Available N
(mg/kg)
Burnt soils
Dinajpur 0.54 7.40
Rangpur 0.46 6.80
Rajshahi 0.56 10.00
Khulna 0.50 15.60
Patuakhali 0.51 15.20
Mean 0.51 11.00
SD 0.04 4.20
Unburnt soils
Dinajpur 1.32 29.60
Rangpur 1.33 24.60
Rajshahi 1.17 21.00
Khulna 1.52 32.00
Patuakhali 1.61 31.40
Mean 1.39 27.72
SD 0.18 4.75
IOAC (%) -63 -60
IOAC : Increased over
average content of
unburnt soil
Study area : Five agro-
ecological zones in the
western regions of
Bangladesh

18. Impact on phosphorus and sulfur content of soil
Sikdar et al. (2016)
Study area : Mawna, Gazipur; Noyadingi, Manikganj; Kalampur, Dhaka

19. Impact on micronutrient status of soil
Sikdar et al. (2016)
Accumulation of Fe and Mn are found within 500 m distances from brick kilns.

20. Impact on micronutrient status of soil (cont.)
Sikdar et al. (2016)
Sampling
sites
&
distance
from
kilns
Mawna
Noyadingi
Kalampur
Accumulation of Zn and Cu are found within 1000 m distances from brick kilns.
Total Zn and Cu concentration are crossed maximum permissible limits.

21. Impact on heavy metal concentrations in soil
Distance Pb (mg/g) Cr (mg/g) Cd (mg/g)
100 m 0.054±0.012 0.045±0.015 0.006±0.015
200 m 0.048±0.010 0.041±0.020 0.009±0.012
300 m 0.037±0.025 0.039±0.080 0.007±0.015
400 m 0.028±0.020 0.034±0.045 0.005±0.075
Ishtiaq et al. (2022)
Study area : Bhimber AJK, Pakistan

22. Impact on water properties

23. Impact on water bodies around kiln areas
Parameter
Pre-production Production Post-production
Mean ± SD Mean ± SD Mean ± SD
Water
temperature(OC)
25.82±0.90 33.42±0.64 31.95±1.22
pH 6.66±0.54 6.55±0.44 7.15±0.37
Dissolved oxygen
(mg/l)
4.10±0.67 1.27±0.22 2.42±0.48
Saha and Mostafa (2021)
Study area: Gazipur District of Bangladesh
24 water samples collected from ponds and wetlands surrounding the brick kiln clusters.

24. Impact on water bodies around kiln areas (cont.)
Parameter
Pre-production Production Post-production
Mean ± SD Mean ± SD Mean ± SD
Total dissolved
solids (mg/l)
72.57±9.6 412.65±11.8 113.113.22±25.9
Turbidity (NTU) 21.35±8.08 41.70±10.76 35.27±9.86
Colour(pt-co) 37.5±5.32 79.5±5.07 59.0±9.83
Saha et al. (2021)
Saha and Mostafa (2021)
NTU : Nephelometric Turbidity Unit
 pt-co: Platinum-Cobalt Scale

25. Impact on water quality
Saha et al. (2021)
Dey and Dey (2015)
Sampling site
Transparency
(cm)
EC
(μS/cm)
FCO2
Pond from
vicinity of brick
kiln
5.8±0.5 25±0.04 7.8±0.3
Control site 12.02±0.7 24±0.03 5.2±0.1
EC : Electrical conductivity; FCO2: Free carbon dioxide
Control site is 15 km away from brick kiln.
Study area : Bariknagar, Cachar District, Assam

26. Impact on water quality (cont.)
Saha et al. (2021)
Dey and Dey (2015)
Sampling site
DO
(mg l-1)
Nitrate
(mg l-1)
Phosphate
(mg l-1)
Pond from
vicinity of brick
kiln
3.3±0.16 0.63±0.08 0.52±0.02
Control site 7.6±0.17 0.23±0.12 0.35±0.02
DO: Dissolved oxygen
Control site is 15 km away from brick kiln.
Study area : Bariknagar, Cachar District, Assam

27. Impact on plant growth and crop
production

28. Impact on photosynthetic pigments, proteins and
carbohydrate content of Brassica oleracea L.
Skinder et al. (2015)
Parameters Site-I Site-II (Control) % decrease
Total
chlorophyll
29.42±3.09 40.76±2.23 27.81
Carotenoids 11.42±1.50 14.13±0.45 19.22
Proteins
(mg%)
38.89±4.20 41.78±3.97 6.94
Carbohydrate
(mg%)
57.64±4.76 60.15±4.71 4.18
 Site 1 : Brick kiln site (app. 50 m vicinity from brick kiln)
Site 2 : Control site with similar ecological condition
Leaf samples are collected from both site
Study area: Panzan, Budgam District, Kashmir Valley

29. Impact on physiological activities of wheat
Adress et al. (2016)
Control site
Ayub
Agriculture
Research
Institute
LP (Low
pollution)
Small Estate
Industry (in
vicinity of 1
brick kiln)
HP (High
pollution)
Sidar Bypass
(in vicinity of
3 brick kiln)
Study area : Faisalabad, Pakistan
Reduction in
Stomatal conductance-40%
Transpiration rate – 33%
Net photosynthetic rate –29%
at HP as compared to control

30. Impact on heavy metal accumulation in wheat
LP : low pollution
HP : high
pollution
Increase in
Ni concentration – 88%
Pb concentration – 81%
Co concentration - 83%
at HP as compared to control Adress et al. (2016)

31. Impact on yield of wheat
LP : low pollution
HP : high pollution
Reduction in
Plant height – 27%
Straw yield – 52%
Grain yield-41%
at HP as compared to
control
Adress et al. (2016)

32. Comparison of crop yield under abandoned brick
kiln and adjacent agricultural site
Crop yield
(Mg ha-1 yr-1)
Brick kiln
abandoned site
(A)
Managed
agricultural site
(B)
% Yield
reduction
Rice 1.6 (0.2)a 4.2 (0.08)b 62
Mustard 0.1 (0.01)a 1.1 (0.02)b 91
Potato 2.2 (0.05)a 6.8 (0.09)b 68
 A : 6-year-old abandon brick kiln site
B : control site ( 300-500 m away from brick kiln site)
Study area: Barak valley, North East India
Nath et al. (2018)
a, b: values within parentheses are standard error of means

33. Impact of on production of agricultural and
horticultural crops
Crop Distances of agricultural field from the boundary of
brick industry (m)
<100 101-500 501-1000 1001-2000
Boro 5.3±0.2 5.7±0.2 6.2±0.2 6.8±0.1
Amon 6.2±0.1 6.5±0.1 6.8±0.1 7.2±0.1
Chili 1.3±0.2 1.8±0.2 2.3±0.1 2.9±0.1
Potato 9.0±0.1 10.5±0.1 12.0±0.1 13.7±0.1
Mustard 1.0±0.1 1.1±0.1 1.4±0.1 1.7±0.1
Tomato 1.0±0.1 1.1±0.2 1.4±0.1 1.7±0.1
Yield
(t/ha)
Study area: Different farms located at various distances from brick
industries in Raozan Upazila, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Sarkar et al. (2021)

34. Steps to mitigate the impact of emissions
 Mechanical feeders should be used for coal feeding as these would
ensure most effective burning of the coal.
 Air pollution control equipment may be installed in the kiln to
reduce emission.
 Imposing ban on rubber tyres or other rubber by-products to be
used as fuel.
 Rules and regulations for the brick field management must be
developed by the government and related authorities.
 Development of green belt around the brick kiln may be an effective
mitigation mechanism for fugitive emissions.
 Restoration of organic material and nutrient status so as to offset
the negative impact of brick burning operation.

35. Conclusions
 Production of brick results in environmental degradation due to
emissions of significant quantity of particulates and gaseous
pollutants.
 The conventional brick manufactured by burning coal and ruining
invaluable topsoil has a devastating effect on agricultural production,
water quality and achieving sustainable production.
 Undesirable gaseous emission from kilns alter the physicochemical
characteristics of soil, soil moisture content, and nutrient content of
soil.
 The organic matter and nutrient contents were found very low while
the soil pH and heavy metal concentration were relatively higher in
brick kilns area.

36. Path ahead
 Further investigation on effect of brick kilns on water bodies is
required for effective management of water quality.
 Effect of brick kilns on soil biological properties should be investigated.
 To overcome the negative effect of emission, remedial measures and
technological interventions should be developed.

37. Thank
You
Thank You