Utilise hazardous waste as supplementary fuel: Experts

They appealed to the pollution control boards (PCBs) and the governments to come up with a new set of rules facilitating the inter-state transportation and use of such waste materials.

Speaking on the industrial ecology in the cement industry, Dominique Bernard, the senior vice-president of Lafarge Cement Division, France, said that the practice of fuel replacement or fuel supplementation using hazardous and non-hazardous waste material in the cement industry in Europe and America was very much prevalent. "While the fuel replacement ranges from 25 per cent to 70 per cent in the developed world, it is 50 per cent in France," he informed.

"The cement industry directly benefits from using waste material as a supplementary fuel as it has high calorific value and comes at a very low price. It also serves the purpose of disposing environmentally-hazardous waste material which is otherwise very difficult. AP ranks among the top five states -- Karnataka, AP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat -- in hazardous waste generation.

Explaining the environmental impact of using industrial waste, Sen Gupta, the member-secretary of Central Pollution Control Board, advised the cement industry to come forward to replicate the western model of fuel supplementation.

"Seventy per cent of the hazardous industrial waste material generated in the country comes from Andhra, Karnataka, TN, Gujarat and Maharashtra. So, the major responsibility lies with these five states in terms of safe disposal of the hazardous wastes and using it for fuel purpose," he said.

Earlier, Tishya Chatterjee, the AP principal secretary (environment, science & technology), inaugurated the meet.