The Hindu Business Line : RCF’s phospho-gypsum wall panel to earn carbon credits

Green initiative
A Rs 75-crore panel-making unit would be set up in Trombay for the project.
A 36-sq-metre phospho-gypsum wall panel could replace 3,960 bricks.
It would also save on 10,000 litres of water and 2.9 tonnes of carbon emission.

Rahul Wadke

Mumbai, March 10 Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd plans to earn carbon credits from phospho-gypsum, a by-product of its manufacturing process.

The company intends to manufacture construction material — prefabricated wall panels — with the waste generated for which it has tied up with Rapidbuilding Systems of Australia.

A Rs 75-crore panel-making unit would be set up in Trombay for the project, which is expected to earn 1.1 lakh credits per year worth € 1.65 million.

A methodology is being formulated for claiming the credit rating. The World Bank has shown interest in buying up to 10 lakh such credits.

The Australian company has developed a process to turn the waste gypsum into high-quality plaster, which can be used to make ‘rapidwall’.

The patented load-bearing walling system is approved in Australia, India and China for construction of 10-storey buildings.

Saving on bricks

Mr M. Sundararaman, Finance Director, RCF, said the use of wall panel could help save on brick and mortar. A 36-sq-metre phospho-gypsum wall panel could replace 3,960 bricks. Additionally it would save on 10,000 litres of water and 2.9 tonnes of carbon emission. The carbon emission relates to brick manufacturing.

“Such environmental advantages will make the unit eligible for carbon credits. RCF will seek the approval of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for the purpose,” Mr Sundararaman added.

The Trombay unit will produce 14 lakh sq meter of wall panel annually. The company is also working out a tripartite arrangement with Rapidbuilding Systems and The Fertilizer and Chemicals Travancore for another panel unit.

Mr Kishore Butani, co-founder of Carbon Yatra, a carbon advisory service, said such unique projects would stand out in the global carbon credits market.

Phospho-gypsum (calcium sulphate) is produced while making phosphoric acid. For every tonne of acid made about five tonnes of phospho-gypsum is produced which fertiliser companies are increasingly finding difficult to dispose of.

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