Quantification of geographical proximity of sugarcane bagasse ash sources to ready-mix concrete plants for sustainable waste management and recycling

Abstract

As stated in the European Commission’s waste framework directive, the geographic proximity of wastes to the potential recovery/disposal site is of paramount importance in attaining an effective resource recycling paradigm. The global interest in achieving an end-of-waste scenario encourages the recovery of useful products/secondary raw materials from locally available waste materials. Sugarcane bagasse ash is an abundantly available waste (44,200 tonnes day–1) from sugar plants in India which has the potential to be used as a partial replacement to cement in ready-mix concrete plants. Although pozzolanic performance of sugarcane bagasse ash and its ability in reducing the carbon emissions associated with concrete production have been reported in earlier research studies, its use in concrete is hindered due to the lack of availability and accessibility data. In this study, the geographical distribution of sugar plants and the available quantity of sugarcane bagasse ash in India have been determined. In addition, a detailed network analysis using a geographic information system was conducted to quantify the geographic proximity of bagasse ash, fly ash and slag sources to ready-mix concrete plants. The study results indicate that for most of the ready-mix concrete plants in India, the probability of having a bagasse ash source in proximity is higher than the probability of encountering slag/fly ash sources.