Dalmia Bharat Cement develops new chemically modified cement

Dalmia Bharat Cement on Friday claimed to have developed a chemically modified and environment-friendly variant of cement for infrastructure projects.

The company has already filed a patent for engineered speciality cement, Executive Director Sujit Ghosh said.

"We have come out with engineered cement, which is chemically modified and targeted at high performance infrastructure projects that would require only three days of curing instead of three-four weeks," Ghosh said on the sidelines of an ICC-organised conference on cement.

Curing is a process to maintain the correct moisture level in concrete to achieve a desired strength and durability.

"We have already filed for patent for this variant of cement. It will benefit infrastructural as well as large-scale housing construction in the country, as completion time for these projects can be reduced by a month," he said.

The company has put to use this variant of cement in the Chennai airport.

Ghosh said the modified variant would require "30 per cent less cement and less water," making it a greener option.

The engineered cement - Infra Green - is manufactured at the 4 million tonne per annum Dalmiapuram plant in Tamil Nadu, the 2.5 mtpa plant in Belgaum and the 4 mtpa plant in Rajgangpur in Odisa.

In the household space, Ghosh said Dalmia Bharat Cement has introduced a wall putty that does not require prima and lowers paint consumption by 15-20 per cent, translating to an overall cost saving of 30 per cent.

The company has invested Rs 120 crore in developing the two speciality products and its manufacturing capabilities.

The construction chemicals and additives segment in the country is estimated at around Rs 1,390 crore, growing at a rate of 12-25 per cent, he said.

Meanwhile, the cement maker is raising its capacity in the 1.3 million tonne plant in West Bengal to 4 mtpa, and at the Rajgangpur plant in Odhisa by another 3 mtpa.

The expected outgo on account of these brownfield projects is around Rs 3,500 crore.

The company is also exploring a greenfield grinding unit in north Bengal, the official said.

Dalmia Bharat Cement's total installed capacity is likely to go up from 26 mtpa to nearly 33 million mtpa.