Holcim India, Ambuja Cements and ACC commission bubble barrier project to remove plastic in Himachal Pradesh

Ambuja Cements and ACC Limited, through its in-house waste management arm, Geocycle announced commissioning of its second phase of bubble barrier technology in Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Lake located in Sunder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh.

Bubble Barrier is a smart and non-invasive technology that is used to remove plastic from the water bodies, reducing the problem of marine plastic pollution. The Company has received a NOC from BBMB to install this innovative technology which will remove approximately 1,500 tonnes per year of waste from the lake.

The BBMB Lake has been floating with light organic material which has been accumulated over the years resulting of choking at the discharge point of the lake. The Company’s Geocycle Bubble Barrier technology will not only collect plastic but also lighter materials like floating debris, organic wastes, etc. from the lake, thus, reducing the chances of choking.

This technology has been installed in Himachal Pradesh with ACC Gagal Plant, which will serve as the co-processing center for the plastic recovered from the lake. The aim of this project is to co-process only non-recyclable portion of the material collected, thus, moving it to the existing waste disposal site of Sunder Nagar. The recyclable plastics will be sent to recycling facilities, while the non-recyclable plastics will be taken to Geocycle’s facility for pre-processing followed by co-processing in ACC cement kilns at Gagal plant.

Neeraj Akhoury, CEO India Holcim and Managing Director & CEO of Ambuja Cements said, “Our efforts and expertise in co-processing has created a unique solution to sustainable disposal of the marine plastic waste that creates pollution. This initiative will also contribute towards promoting circular economy. Taking this mission ahead, we will continue our efforts to implement this innovative technology across the country.”

The collection of plastics from leaking into the rivers will help the local community around the plant. Furthermore, the Company has commissioned its pilot project in Agra which has already removed 500 tonnes of plastic waste from the Yamuna River. Recently, the Company has also received a NOC from Varanasi Municipal Corporation to install another bubble barrier technology.