Dirk India plans to double production

Fly ash-to-partial cement replacement product maker, Dirk India, is planning to double production from November.

The company uses fly ash from Eklahare thermal power station (situated near Nashik) for its product, branded as Dirk Pozzocrete. Currently, it produces 1,200 metric tonne of cement replacement product per day.

The company, which is part of the international Dirk group, is the first ash recycling plant in the country.

The power station generates approximately 2,500 metric tonne of dry fly ash per day. Dirk India's fly ash recycling plant transforms most of it into partial cement replacement product, which improves the quality of concrete.

About 50 per cent of its product is exported to the Gulf and Middle East while the rest is sold in India. The cement substitute product has a good demand in Nashik too, accounting for nearly Rs 50 lakh per annum of sale in the district alone.

"Fly ash, in itself is a waste product and its disposal is a huge problem. India produces around 110 million tonne of fly ash per year. From each power station, fly ash is first pumped into ash lagoons. These fly ash lagoons are occupying millions of acres of agricultural land all over the country. But fly ash could be turned into a national asset. To promote its use by recycling, we started this plant at Nashik in 2001 at an investment of Rs 30 crore creating job opportunities for 300 local people. The production of cement substitute will be doubled at this plant from November 2005," said Georg Dirk, chairman of the Dirk group, after inaugurating the Fly Ash Information Centre at its Nashik plant.

"Pozzocrete has proved itself on various projects including nuclear power stations, bridges, commercial and non-commercial buildings. It is a new sector to invest for Indian industrialists and will also create employment opportunities," he said.

Meanwhile, Dirk India has made operational a fly ash information centre at its plant for disseminating beneficial use of fly ash to construction firms, power generation industry. This centre will also organise seminars and workshops for this purpose.