Operation of Brick Kilns in Bangladesh— A Comparative Study
This paper presents an investigation on current use of brick kiln technologies in Bangladesh. There are around five thousand established and numerous make-shift brickfields of various capacities all over the country. Most of the kilns in Bangladesh are fixed chimney (FCK) type, which are somewhat old technology and sources of pounding pollutions. Recently the Department of Environment (DoE) of the Bangladesh Government has directed brickfield owners to switch to comparatively better environment friendly technologies like Zigzag, Hybrid Hoffman (HHK) and Vertical Shaft (VSK) kilns. Most of brickfield owners are not familiar with these kilns and thus reluctant to make over due to lack of industrial knowledge and financial support. However few companies have implemented these technologies on pilot-scale and are yet to demonstrate their full financial viability. As such, broad range technical information along with financial analysis of these technologies is presented here.
A set of recommendations are prepared in relation to these technologies suited to their investment opportunity, land accessibility, energy and raw-material supply, labour availability and other requirements. Amongst the three technologies, HHK is the most suitable one for large-scale production whereas FCK if modified and converted into Zigzag kiln will be relatively fuel efficient and less polluting. On the other hand VSK, which are comparatively smaller in capacity, can be made popular in rural Bangladesh. The payback periods of these three kilns are 3.14, 3.27 and 2.62 years respectively, whereas CO2 emission potentials are 22.20, 15.86 and 28.54 tCO2e, respectively compared to 38.06 tCO2e for FCK.
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) (2011). Population and housing census 2011, Preliminary results, Statistics division, Ministry of Planning (MOP), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) (2007). Small study on air quality of impacts of the North Dhaka brickfield cluster by modeling of emissions and suggestions for mitigation measures including financing models. Prepared by Chemical Engineering Department, BUET.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) (2007). Improving kiln efficiency of the brick making industry in Bangladesh. Project Design Document Form (CDM-SSC-PDD). Date 24-10-2007, Version 02. World Bank. Washington D.C.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) (2009). Improving kiln efficiency in the brick making industry in Bangladesh. Project Design Document Form (CDM-SSC-PDD), Version 02/17/2009. World Bank, Washington D.C.
Clean Energy Alternatives (CEA) (2011). Feasibility study of Banalata Refractory Ltd, Dhaka. Submitted to UNDP.
Department of Environment (DOE) (2007). Government of Bangladesh Notification. Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF), Bangladesh.
Department of Environment (DOE) (2010). Ministry of Environment of Forest (MOEF). Bangladesh Government, Memo No: DOE/Enforcement/37.
Development Alternatives – Practical Action (DA – PA) (2010). Introduction of vertical shaft brick kiln in Bangladesh. CASE Project, Funded by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank, Final Project Report.
Guttikunda, S. (2009). Impact analysis of brick kilns on the air quality in Dhaka, Bangladesh. SIM-air paper series: 21-2009.http://www.llanymynech.org.uk/html/hoffman_kiln.html.
Industrial and Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IIDFC) (2009). Improving kiln efficiency in the brick making industry in Bangladesh. Hybrid Hoffman kiln project, Environmental Management Framework.
Kynaston, H. (1984). A study of limestone quarrying at Llanymynech.
Maithel S., Vasudevan, N. and R. Johri (2003). Status report on VSBKs in India. The Energy Resources Institute
(TERI), New Delhi.
Maithel, S. (2003). Energy utilization in brick kilns. PhD thesis, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.
Maithel, S., Uma, R., Johri R., Kumar A. and N. Vasudevan (1999). Energy conservation and pollution control in brick kilns. Tata Energy Research Institute, New Delhi.
Pandit B., Basnet, P. and I.B. Joshi (2004). Stack energy monitoring of pilot demonstration VSBK in Kathmandu Valley. Institute of Environment Management Report- ES1/47/004.
Practical Action (2010). Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) – A green technology for red brick production. Brochure.
Ross, S.A., Westerfield, R.W. and B.D. Jordan (2008). Fundamentals of corporate finance. Eighth Edition. McGraw-Hill.
World Bank (2008). Introducing energy-efficient and cleaner technologies and practices in the brick making sector in Bangladesh. Concept Note.
World Bank (2011). Improving kiln efficiency in the brick making industry in Bangladesh. Project design document form. CDM-SSC-PDD, Version 04/03/11, Washington D.C.
World Bank (2011). Introducing Energy-Efficient Clean Technology in the Brick Sector of Bangladesh. Energy Sector Management Assistance Program. Report No. 60155-BD.