APFED Good Practices Database

Adaptation of vertical shaft brick kiln (VSBK) technology

for Indian brick industry

Summary of the Practice

Keywords: brick making, technology transfer, energy efficiency, environmental pollution

Country: India
Province: States of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu
Area: States of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu
Sectoral Issues: Climate change, Air pollution
Cross-Sectoral Issues: Environmental Governance, Human Capacity Building,
Environmental Technologies
Implementation Level: Local level
Duration: 1995 - ongoing
Sponsors: Sponsors: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Costs: Rs1 200,000 to 250,000 per shaft2 of VSBK with a production capacity of 2500 to
4000 bricks per day
Actors Involved: International Organisation, Private Sector, Central Government

Description of the Practice

Background:
Most brick making in India is carried out as small-scale industry. The brick manufacturing industry
consists of nearly 100,000 kilns accounting for an estimated 140 billion bricks per year. They are highly
unorganized and dispersed throughout the length and breadth of the country. The status of their
technology has remained virtually stagnant over the last 100 years, with very few improvements in
brick making procedures.

At present, brick manufacturing is very labor-intensive, since bricks are usually hand-molded and
sun-dried before firing in the kiln. The firing of the bricks is most often done in traditional set-ups such
as in bull’s trench kilns (BTKs) and in clamps. BTKs are generally the choice of medium and large
projects and account for about 70 percent of the total production in the country, while clamps are often
used in operations with smaller production capacities. Coal and biomass fuels are used for firing the
bricks in the kilns. The estimated coal consumption in the brick sector of the country is about 24 million
tonnes per year. With such a large consumption of coal, the brick industry is the cause of significant air
pollution in terms of suspended particulate matter (SPM).

In April 1996, the Government of India announced that stack emission standards would be enforced by
the Ministry of Environment and Forests. They put a limit of 1,000 mg/Nm3 of emissions for small
capacity kilns and 750 mg/Nm3 for medium and larger kilns. These regulations also banned the use of
1
1 USD = Rs 48
2
Includes only hardware costs towards construction of VSBK

1
moving chimney BTKs after June 2002. However, emission standards for clamps have never been
specified and, for even smaller capacity brick kilns (at less than 15,000 bricks per day, there are no
technological standards whatsoever.
1A 1B

1C

Figure 1A. View of clamp

Figure 1B. View of BTK

Figure 1C. View of VSBK

Figure 1. View of different types of brick kilns

（Source：TERI）
With considerable pressure from the enforcing authorities, the industry has been looking for solutions,
which would help them meet these environmental regulations. Along with environmental standards,
increasing costs of fuel, lower operating margins and limited availability of resources such as the proper
soil are also forcing the industry to look for alternate solutions. Some of the options available are:
(1) Changeover from moving chimney BTK to fixed chimney BTK and installing pollution control
systems (gravity settling chamber). This would help the industry not only meet environmental
standards but would also contribute to reducing the energy consumption by about 10 percent.
(2) Adopting technologies such as the tunnel kiln or VSBK (vertical shaft brick kiln):
Tunnel kilns are capital intensive and suitable only for higher production levels. Since a large
portion of brick production in India is done in small and medium operations, tunnel kilns may
not be suitable. On the other hand, VSBK technology (mainly developed and used for
small-scale production in rural China) is probably more suited for the brick industry in India
due to its lower capital requirements and ability to meet emissions standards.

Objectives:
The objective of the programme is to transfer, adopt and disseminate VSBK technology on a wider
scale. This would result in energy savings and reduced pollution.

Outline of Practices/Actions:
Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) technology is an energy efficient type of set-up used for firing clay
bricks. It is particularly suited to the needs of developing countries – most of which are small in scale
and largely decentralized. The evolution and initial development of VSBK technology took place in
rural China. The first version of VSBK in China originated from traditional updraft intermittent kilns

2
during the 1960s. During the 1970s, this kiln became popular in several provinces of China. By 1997,
several thousand VSBKs were reportedly operating in China.

Attempts to encourage VSBK technology outside of China started in the early 1990s. Besides India,
VSBK technology was brought to several Asian countries such as Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Vietnam and Bangladesh. Compared to BTKs and clamps, VSBK technology offers advantages such as
(1) energy efficiency, (2) lower emissions and (3) adaptability to suit production demands.

Some transfer of VSBK technology spread to India with support from the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC). It started with an action research phase (1996–2000) whereby
the technology was presented in four different geographical locations to facilitate assimilation and
adaptation to local conditions. After several successful demonstrations, the next phase endeavoured to
create an overall plan conducive to large-scale replication. A view of each set-up (clamp, BTK and
VSBK) is shown in Figure 1 (1A, 1B & 1C).

The project trains technology providers who would help in the construction and operation of VSBKs.
It is also engaged in providing technological options to suit different regions of the country. It conducts
programs such as awareness seminars and study tours for interested entrepreneurs. There were no
government-supported demonstrations/subsidies for the adoption of VSBK technology. The project is
actively dealing with financial institutions so that they would match their resources with on-going
programs of the government. The project also deals with issues related specifically with VSBK. For
example, it is in the process of finalizing emissions norms for SPM regarding VSBK with support from
the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Results/Impacts

(1) Improved energy efficiency

VSBKs are about 20 percent more efficient than BTKs and 50 percent more efficient than clamps.
Figure 2 illustrates the energy consumption level of different types of brick kilns used in the country.
Other important advantages related to VSBK are uniformity of quality and lower breakage levels.
Specific energy consumption (MJ/kg of fired brick)

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
VSBK BTK fixed chimney Clamp

Figure 2. Comparison of energy consumption in Indian brick kilns.

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(2) Reduced air pollution
VSBK technology is environmentally friendly. SPM emissions from VSBKs are very low compared to
the environmental requirements (80 to 250 mg/Nm3 as against the standards of 750 for medium and
large capacity BTKs and 1,000mg/Nm3 for small capacity BTKs). Apart from the obvious stack
emissions, other fugitive emissions are also significantly lower. This is due to the fact that the
temporary roofing structure of BTKs becomes covered with a layer of ash, which generally leads to
higher concentrations of dust.

For clamp type kilns, the comparison with VSBK is even more dramatic. These kilns generally do not
have a stack for the dispersion of flue gases, which are usually let out into the surroundings. On a global
level, then, the energy savings resulting from VSBK (20 to 50 percent) would help considerably in
reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere if this technology were adopted on a wide scale.

Keys for success

VSBK is one of the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly options available, especially for
small capacity brick makers in India. The four most important instruments that were critical for the
success of this project were technology, awareness/ capacity building, regulation and partnerships.

Critical Instruments

Capacity building
Along with demonstrations of this new technology, the project ensured that the local technology
providers were given the opportunity to build up their personal knowledge and capabilities as an
integral part of the overall program. Different levels of training were provided to the network of
partners to acquire the skills necessary for construction and operation of the kiln. This was made
possible by the on-going presence of multi-disciplinary resource teams. These acquired skills are now
also being transferred to the next level of local technology providers. Along with built-in capacity
building, the project is now focussing on regional level workshops, seminars and meetings with
participation of different stakeholders to promote the general public’s awareness of VSBK technology.

Partnerships
Partnership was one of the most important instruments, which helped the project in successfully
adapting this technology from one country to another. The project team was composed of
multi-disciplinary resource persons including representatives from TERI, Development Alternatives,
Gram Vikas, Damle Clay Structurals Pvt Ltd, international consultants (Sorane sa and SKAT) as
project back-up, representation from the industry and local industry associations for VSBK adaptations.
The multi-disciplinary nature of the project team has helped secure a broader knowledge about this
technology.

Regulations
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national regulatory body, responsible for formulating
and enforcing environmental standards on a national level, took a major decision a few years ago by
banning the use of mobile chimney Bulls Trench Kilns (BTKs) for the manufacture of bricks. The
mobile chimney brick kilns were one of the major sources of emissions of SPM and the CPCB but the
various state pollution control boards are now enforcing the ban on this technology. While kilns in the
higher production levels had the option to changeover to fixed chimney type BTKs, small and medium
capacity brick makers are still anxiously waiting for other options to meet the enforced standards on

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SPM emissions. Nonetheless, government regulations have therefore been a vital instrument that
provided the right framework for the adoption and dissemination of VSBK technology for small and
medium brick makers.

Technologies
This case study is a very good example of South-South Cooperation wherein a technology that had its
origin in rural China was adopted and transferred successfully to India and other developing countries
under a bilateral cooperation project. The technology was demonstrated in different geographical
locations in India to take into account the varying factors such as quality of raw materials (soil and fuel),
quality of the product, climatic conditions, etc. The project also carried out continuous monitoring,
which helped in improving this VSBK technology, its environmental performance and its adaptability
to local conditions.

Lessons Learned

The important lessons learned during the demonstration and adaptation of VSBK technology in India
are summarized below:

(1) Dynamic technology transfer approach with emphasis on knowledge sharing and capacity
building
Adaptation of VSBKs and their dissemination in India under this project is a very good example of how
well the adoption of a dynamic new technology can advance knowledge and enhance the capabilities of
those involved. This project involved:
 Long-term commitment of the technology supplier: The Chinese team was involved over a period
of three years to ensure adequate knowledge and skill transfer to the Indian team.
 Capacity building: The capacity building of the local team took effect through regular
information exchanges amongst the team members in meetings, workshops and exchange of
reports as well as through their interaction with national and international experts in the area of
ceramics, brick industry, kiln technology, techno-commercial evaluation, etc. The success of a
technology transfer process depends to a large extent on the capacity of the recipient to absorb it.
Since it is difficult to bring in a single enterprise or institution having the capacity to absorb,
adapt and diffuse the technology when dealing with small-scale industries, a multi-disciplinary
team to anchor technology at the local level becomes imperative. In this case, such a team was
formed with representatives from industry, research organizations, technology developers and, of
course, people experienced in VSBK operation and technology. An international back-up team of
technical experts was also available.

(2) Importance of adapting research and technology to local conditions.

Adaptation of VSBK technology under local conditions was necessary because of the large number of
variables (soil properties, fuel, skill availability, local market conditions, quality requirements and
pricing), which had been identified as some of the pre-requisites. Besides the technology suppliers, a
pool of national and international experts on ceramics, energy and environment were also involved in
the process to help the local and regional partners.

(3) Demonstrations and phased exposure to market conditions.

India is a large country and its brick industry is subject to many variations in terms of raw materials
(quality and cost of clay and fuel), climatic conditions, technology, product quality, etc. Keeping these
variations in mind, technology demonstrations were carried out at four different geographical locations
with the involvement and participation of local institutions/ organizations. The first two demonstration
units were conducted and managed directly under the project. After proving the technological and
operational reliability of VSBK under controlled conditions in the demonstration plants, the technology
was slowly exposed to private entrepreneurs at other locations. This technology was thus anchored at
more than one place to (i) reduce the risk of failure and (ii) reduce the risk of monopolization by any

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one institution. This has also ensured the establishment of regional nodes to provide the dissemination
phase with sufficient stability.

Applicability

27 VSBKs presently operate as self-replicated units in different states such as Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The network provides backup support in areas
such as kiln construction, operation, troubleshooting and training on various issues. The project is also
developing technology providers who acquire the skills to help in technology replication. The potential
for VSBKs is in the whereabouts of 50,000, mainly in Peninsular India where a large number of clamps
are now in operation.

Contact

Mr. N. Vasudevan
Fellow
TERI
Darbari Seth Block
India Habitat Centre
Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110 003

Tel: 91–11–24682100/11
Fax: 91–11–24682144/45
Email: nvasu@teri.res.in

Provider of this information

Mr. N. Vasudevan, Fellow TERI; Email: nvasu@teri.res.in