IES Global - Delhi, India - Globe partner for India, active in Environmental Education, Biodiversity Conservation, Information Dissemination, Solid Waste Management, Eco-Technology & Heritage Conservation.

Recycling of Marble Slurry Waste for Environmental Improvement at Udaipur

IES has been working on the problem of Marble Slurry for the last few years in Udaipur, Rajasthan – one of the tourist cities of Rajasthan. It has emerged with a new technology of using marble slurry for manufacturing of bricks. IES has implemented a small-scale project Recycling of Waste by setting-up of a demonstration centre at RIICO Industrial Area of Amberi, Udaipur. The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate and validate the technology for manufacturing of marble slurry bricks.

Background and Objectives

The Indian Environmental Society is implementing a project on Recycling of Marble Slurry to demonstrate and validate the technology for manufacturing marble slurry bricks and thus creating a comfortable environment to live in. The project is supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India. The Society has set-up a demonstration centre at RIICO Industrial Area of Amberi, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to recycle the marble slurry to manufacture bricks by mixing it with cement and construction sand. The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate and validate the technology for manufacturing marble slurry bricks. The slurry bricks are of good quality as compared to the traditional bricks (tested by PWD, CBRI, Roorkee, and Engineering College, Kota). These slurry bricks were found to have the potential as an excellent construction material and also offer a viable option to replace the traditional bricks.

The objectives of the programme are as follows:

To demonstrate the feasibility of using solid waste (marble slurry) as a resource.
To improve environment, reduce health hazard due to marble slurry pollution, and support sustainable industrial growth.
To help in the establishment of similar brick manufacturing units by providing technical, material and monetary support.
To train the local community in the process of brick manufacturing to encourage self-employment and income generation.
To strengthen demonstration and training activities

IES started a pilot project on Recycling of Marble Slurry for manufacturing of bricks at Udaipur in 1973. At the project location, IES promotes environmental awareness and concept of recycling of Marble Slurry. The Society has set up brick manufacturing plants and is a live example of demonstrating environmental friendly technology.

The project focuses on the sustainable utilization of marble slurry and its management. It aims at bringing about change in the mindset of the entrepreneur, community, and policy makers through commercial demonstration of technology, so that environmental considerations become an integral part of the industrial activities, and to encourage entrepreneurs to adopt environmental friendly technologies in the marble industries.

Achievements

IES has upgraded the technology and established a pilot plant for brick manufacturing, in association with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India. The slurry bricks were found to have potential as an excellent construction materials and offer a viable option to replace the traditional bricks. Local marble industries are very keen to promote environmental improvement as well as profit through waste recycling and willing to contribute for marble slurry recycling. These industries are demanding support from IES and have shown positive interest to adopt and commercialise the technology.

The Society has organized following two Workshops on recycling of marble slurry:

1. Workshop on ‘Waste as Resource’
2. Workshop on ‘Recycling of Marble Slurry’

Back