This document discusses the cement manufacturing and clay bricks making industries in Sri Lanka and their environmental impacts. It describes the various processes involved in cement production and brick making and identifies the negative environmental impacts of each step such as air and water pollution. It also discusses some positive environmental practices adopted by local cement and brick manufacturers like using renewable energy sources, green certification, and introducing blended cement and eco-friendly brick alternatives. The document provides an overview of the size and locations of these industries in Sri Lanka and categorizes the different players in the cement industry based on their value addition within the country.

1. Sri Lanka’s cement manufacturing and
clay bricks making industry
and
environment
W.M.K.Kalhara 12329
Business and environment Theme
Dept. of Zoology and Environmental science
Faculty of Science
University of Colombo
06.08.20181

2. Sri Lanka’s cement manufacturing and clay bricks making
industry and environment
Cement manufacturing
industry
Clay bricks making industry
Sri Lanka’s
cement
manufacturers
vs. positive
environmental
practices
Sri Lanka’s clay
bricks making sub
processes vs.
negative
environmental
impacts
Sri Lanka’s clay
bricks making
industry and it’s
positive
environmental
practices
Available some green products in Sri Lanka’s cement
manufacturing and
clay bricks making industry
Sri Lanka’s cement
manufacturing sub
processes vs.
negative
environmental
impacts
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3. Sri Lanka’s cement manufacturing industry
• Categorized into four categories on the local value
creation each company effects by bringing a bag of
cement to the local market.
1. Local Manufacturers
2. Local Clinker Grinders
3. Bulk Cement Importers
4. Bag Cement Importers
Insee cement plant in Puttalam, Sri Lanka 3

4. Company category Roles
Value
addition in
Sri Lanka
Number of
companies
Examples
1. Local Manufacturers producing their own
clinker to grind
cement, bag it and
bring it to market
>80% 1 Insee cement
2. Local Clinker Grinders importing clinker to
grind cement, bag it
and bring it to market
~33% 3 Insee cement, Tokyo super
cement and Lanka cement
(Government venture)
3. Bulk Cement
Importers
importing bulk
cement, bag it in Sri
Lanka and bring it to
market
<10% 5 Tokyo super cement,
Insee-Lafarge Mahaweli
Marine, Ambuja Cements,
Ultratech cement and
International Cement
Traders
4. Bag Cement Importers importing bagged
cement to Sri Lanka
negligible 10 Lanka
cement(Government
venture) etc.
Table - Categorization of cement industry of Sri Lanka (Holcim (Lanka) annual review and sustainability report, 2007)
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5. Locations of major cement
manufacturing local plants
within Sri Lanka.
Kankasnthurai Cement Factory
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6. Sri Lanka’s cement manufacturing sub processes vs.
negative environmental impacts
Cement production
sub process
Inputs Outputs Identified possible
significant environmental
impacts
1. Extraction of
raw materials/
quarrying
limestone
Electricity, explosives
and fuel
extracted limestones,
Greenhouse gases emission
(GHGs) emissions, dust,
SO2, NOX, cut down trees,
removed top soil, noise and
vibrations
deforestation and loss of
forest cover,
biodiversity disturbance,
air pollution,
global warming,
visual and sound pollution,
acid rains, land degradation
2. Limestone
crushing
Extracted limestones,
clay and other
additives, electricity
crushed limestones, noise,
vibrations, GHGs emissions,
dust
air pollution,
global warming,
sound pollution
3. Homogenizing crushed limestones,
electricity, compressed
air
dust, indirect GHGs
emissions due to high
electricity usage, noise
air pollution,
sound pollution,
global warming 6

7. 4. Preheating homogenized materials,
electricity, waste heat
from kiln, compressed air
Indirect GHGs emission, dust,
noise, heat
air pollution,
noise and vibrations,
global warming
5. Burning raw meal mixture, kiln
fuels, electricity
clinker, direct and indirect
GHGs / CO2 emission, other
gaseous emissions (PM, SO2,
NOX), cement kiln dust, noise,
vibrations, heat
air pollution,
global warming,
sound pollution,
water or soil pollution,
visual pollution
6. Clinker grinding locally produced or
imported clinker,
gypsum, cement
enhancers, clinker
substitutions, electricity
cement powder/different
cement types, cement dust,
indirect GHGs emissions,
noise, vibration, used
chemical containers
air pollution,
global warming,
sound pollution,
visual pollution,
disturbance to vegetation due
to dust
7. Cement packing
and dispatch
cement powder, paper
bags, electricity
packed cement, cement dust,
damaged cement bags,
vehicular emissions, noise,
rejected materials
air pollution,
global warming,
sound pollution,
disturbance to vegetation due
to dust
Cement production
sub process
Inputs Outputs Identified possible significant
environmental impacts
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8. • Currently, majority of the local cement manufacturers have
already made lot of environmental measures to minimize
environmental impacts.
• Sometimes indirectly it shows competition among local cement
manufactures and clinker grinders.
• Certified their process, products and services under ISO
standards and eco labels.
Eg:
Sri Lanka’s cement manufacturers vs. positive
environmental practices
• Insee cement
 ISO 9001:2000
 ISO 14001:2004
 Green labeling certification by the
green building council
 Gold Award from the Ceylon
Institute of Builders (CIOB) or the
Green Mark Certifications
• Tokyosuper cement
 ISO 9001: 2015
 ISO14001:2015 pending
 Green Mark (Singapore) 2015
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9. • Insee Siam City Cement (Lanka) Limited
converting industrial waste into material
compatible with the cement production
process via ecocycle.
Rehabilitating quarry, by the
reforestation of over 7000 trees
annually.
Biodiversity conservation at limestone
quarry partnership with IUCN.
Plantation of coral growth structures in
the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka. 9

10. • Tokyo super Cement Company (Lanka) PLC
Tokyo Cement’s biomass plant in
Trincomalee, run by using biomass energy is
generated primarily using Paddy husk sourced
from rice mills in the Trincomalee.
Planting 10,000 new mangrove saplings along
the Eastern coastline through mangrove
cultivation project.
Rehabilitating damaged and destroyed coral cover
along the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka .
Positioning dust monitoring machineries
in strategic locations to keep track of
particle properties.
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11. • The primary building blocks of urban homes and
commercial buildings.
• Brick making industry
– cottage industry(frequent),
– large scale factory level (limited and some factories in
Dankotuwa area)
• Major problem - very limited attention is paid to abate
the pollution in brick making industry in Sri Lanka due to
lack of awareness and enough finance. (specially cottage
level industry)
Sri Lanka’s clay bricks manufacturing industry
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12. Hanwella
Distribution of Clay bricks
manufacturing works
within Sri Lanka.
cottage brick making
industry
large scale level brick making
industry
Dankotuwa
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13. Sri Lanka’s clay bricks making sub processes vs. negative
environmental impacts
Bricks making
sub process
Inputs Outputs Identified possible significant
environmental impacts
1. Clay
extraction
electricity and fuel for
excavators
extracted clay with
impurities like gravel and
sand, removed top soil
and vegetation, direct or
indirect GHGs emissions
soil and water pollution,
soil erosion, deforestation,
biodiversity disturbance,
global warming, visual pollution,
land degradation,
agricultural land reduction,
causes to natural disasters like
landslides and floods
2. Clay
preparation
extracted clay, water,
sand, electricity (large
scale industrial level)
prepared clay, impurities,
muddy water, indirect
GHGs emission
water pollution,
global warming
3. Clay mixing prepared clay, waste
fuel, sand,
carbonaceous
materials, electricity
mixed clay, wasted clay,
indirect GHGs emission
global warming
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14. Bricks making
sub process
Inputs Outputs Identified possible significant
environmental impacts
4. Brick
forming /
molding
prepared clay,
electricity or fuel for
extruding machine or
moulding table
newly formed clay
bricks/green bricks, wasted
clay, indirect or direct
GHGs emission
global warming
5. Brick drying green bricks, electricity
for dryer (large scale
industrial level)
dried bricks, indirect GHGs
emissions, evaporated
water
global warming
6. Brick firing dried bricks, fuel
wood/fuel, electricity
(large scale industrial
level)
fired clay bricks, bricks kiln
dust, direct and indirect
GHGs/ CO2 emissions, fuel
wood ash, Fluorine
emissions, Substandard
bricks and the rest of
cinders
global warming,
air pollution,
visual pollution due to dust and
ash,
disturbance to vegetation due to
fluorine,
deforestation and loss of forest
cover due to fuel wood supply,
Solid Waste Generation
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15. • In Sri Lanka, the small scale brick industry uses simple
technologies than other regional countries.
• Fine clay is treated manually or by using buffaloes which is
greener and cost effective options.
• Basic energy sources,
– woods from home gardens (58%),
– paddy husks (20%),
– rubber woods from rubber plantations (14%),
– wood off cut from timber mills (8%) and Sawdust etc.
of which majority are reusable brown materials or wastes result from
another industry.
(Brick and Ceramic Sectors - Small and Medium scale Industries in Asia:, 2003)
Sri Lanka’s clay bricks making industry and it’s positive
environmental practices
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16. • Some large scale factories have implemented the following
measures to improve the efficient use of electricity;
– switched off the electric kilns for few hours to manage
electricity demand during peak hours,
– fixing polished aluminum reflectors light fittings in the office,
– fixing hanging switches to most light fittings: Working staff were
observed, switching off lights when leaving their workstations
for meal break,
– the factory was designed to maximize the use of day lighting
through transparent roofing materials.
(Brick and Ceramic Sectors - Small and Medium scale Industries in Asia:, 2003)
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17. • Both industries are identified as the main air pollution
contributors in Sri Lanka, except coal power station.
• Currently, majority of the local manufacturers have already
made lot of direct and indirect effort to minimize identified
significant environmental impacts.
• Occur high probability for
– integrating preventive action plans into their corporate strategic
action plans.
– introducing and innovating new eco friendly building materials to
the local market. 17

18. • Blended cement - Insee cement is the first blended cement
launched in Sri Lanka.
– the clinker/cement ratio is reduced by replacing a part of the
clinker with other substitution like calcium carbonate etc.
• Eco-bricks - The “lead engineering solution (PVT) Ltd”
which introduce smart eco-bricks to Sri Lankan construction
sector.
– interlocking blocks and manufactured with properly selected
soil and cement mixers, compacted using a suitable machine.
Available some green products in Sri Lanka’s cement
manufacturing and clay bricks making industry
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19. References
 (2003). Brick and Ceramic Sectors - Small and Medium scale Industries in Asia:. Regional
Energy Resources Information Center (RERIC),Asian Institute of Technology.
 (2007). Holcim (Lanka) annual review and sustainability report.
 (2017). Economic and social statistics of Sri Lanka. Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
 Bogahawatte, V. (1993). Building material in Sri Lanka.
 Dunuweera, S., & Rajapakse, R. (2017). CEMENT TYPES, COMPOSITION, USES,
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
 Fernando, K. (2011). LCA analysys towards sustainable cement inductry for Sri Lanka.
University of Moratuwa.
 www.world cement.com. (n.d.).
 Zainudeen, N., & Jeyamathan, J. (2004). Cement and its effect to the environment.
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Thank you!
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