Transition from traditional brick manufacturing to more sustainable practices

Abstract

Brick manufacturing in many Asian countries is predominantly a cottage industry and employs traditional kilns, which are energy-inefficient and polluting. In Bangladesh, about 4500 brick kilns are in operation, producing about 9 billion bricks per year. Of the 4500 kilns, more than 4000 are of the Bull's trench kiln (BTK) type. The BTK employs an extremely crude technology to fire bricks. There are also about 400 fixed chimney kilns, 15 zigzag kilns, 25 Hoffman kilns and 5 modern tunnel-type kilns currently in operation in the country. Other than the Hoffman kiln, which uses natural gas, the other three types of kiln use low-grade coal and firewood as fuel. The pollution from these kilns has reached alarming proportions. There is an urgent need to make a transition from these polluting technologies to more environment-friendly technologies. The two such technologies that can readily be employed are the Hoffman kiln and the vertical shaft brick kiln (VSBK). The replacement of the existing technologies will result in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emission, especially if the coal-based technologies can be replaced by natural gas-based technologies. Calculations show that these technologies are able to reduce GHG emissions by 42 and 29 % respectively compared to the existing BTK technology. The existing technologies are simple, require low capital investment, yield very good returns and employ a large number of people. As a result they are enormously popular with small-time entrepreneurs. The alternative technologies are complicated and expensive. The governments in the countries where traditional brick-making is employed face an uphill task in trying to bring about a transition because all alternatives require higher initial investments, and existing brick industryowners cannot afford them. Loan schemes administered through banks are also not working out because BTK owners have no creditworthiness. A solution that preserves the good points of the existing industry and addresses the pollution problem is proving difficult to achieve through regulatory control alone. A rapid transition, if it introduces modern brick-making, will wipe out the numerous existing brick kiln-owners and replace them with a much smaller number of wealthier entrepreneurs. Further, consumers will have to buy costlier bricks and greater pressure will be exerted on the country's balance of payments. The brick industry in Bangladesh brings out quite poignantly the sustainable development challenges facing a developing country. Preserving the ecosystem and reducing unsustainable use of natural resources while preserving jobs and alleviating poverty can indeed prove insurmountable in some cases.