MP Ganesh SIngh Urges Govt. To Launch Pilot Project For Production Of Potash From Cement Kiln Dust
He emphasized that this is not merely an issue of fertilizer availability but a matter of national importance concerning India’s agricultural, food, and fertilizer security. He further informed the House that large quantities of Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) are generated in major cement clusters across the country, including his constituency Satna
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party’s Member of Parliament from Satna and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Other Backward Classes, Mr Ganesh Singh, on Friday urged the government to launch a pilot project for the production of potash from Cement Kiln Dust (CKD).
Raising the matter under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha, Mr Singh said this will promote agricultural self-reliance by converting ‘Waste to Wealth’, and reduce India’s dependence on potash fertilizer imports. At present, CKD is treated as hazardous industrial waste due to the presence of heavy metals and is disposed of.
Mr Singh stated that India continues to depend heavily on imports to meet its potash fertilizer requirements and during 2023-24, the country imported nearly 4.2 million tonnes of Muriate of Potash (MOP). He pointed out that the Russia–Ukraine conflict and sanctions imposed on Belarus in 2022 led to an unprecedented surge in global potash prices, placing an additional financial burden on Indian farmers.
He emphasized that this is not merely an issue of fertilizer availability but a matter of national importance concerning India’s agricultural, food, and fertilizer security. He further informed the House that large quantities of Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) are generated in major cement clusters across the country, including his constituency Satna.
He highlighted that a carbon dioxide (CO₂)-based technology being developed in South Korea enables the separation of heavy metals from CKD to recover fertilizer-grade potash. This innovative process simultaneously addresses industrial waste utilisation, carbon management, and domestic fertilizer production.
Mr Singh urged the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change to initiate a pilot project based on this technology in the Satna Cement Cluster and to undertake a comprehensive scientific and technical feasibility study. He also called for promoting research and innovation in collaboration with CSIR, IITs, and the cement industry.