Make more profit by using less fuel in rural brick kilns

A Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln (VSBK) in East Uttar Pradesh.

In India there are over 100,000 brick kilns employing over 8 million people, mostly in rural areas. These are the types of kilns used:

• Clamp kilns of various designs are used in central India.
• Bull's Trench Kilns (BTK) with either moveable or fixed chimneys are used in the northern parts of the country.
• Down-draught kilns are used in Karnataka.

Brick manufacturers in rural China developed the VSBK technology in the 70's. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi along with other agencies helped transfer this technology to India. In 1996, the first pilot kiln was established at Datia in Madhya Pradesh. There are now several hundred in successful operation in various parts of India.

• The VSBK technology requires only about 105 tonnes of coal per million bricks, while BTK requires 160 tonnes of coal per million bricks.
• However, the VSBK requires a higher initial investment of 2.1 million rupees as against 1.5 million rupees for the BTK technology (2001 estimates).
• This technology is best suited for medium-sized brick kilns, about 8000 bricks per day.
• Can be operated round the year as the kiln’s roof protects it from rain.
• Requires less land.
• Produces higher quality of bricks because the kiln fires so evenly, with no over or under-fired bricks.
• More efficient use of fuel leads to lower polluting gases and lower dust emissions.

You can get design details here.