The Pollution Control Board of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has dispatched 20,000t of sludge generated by textile units in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Perundurai to cement units in Ariyalur district for use as raw material.

The cement industries are understood to have started accepting industry effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge from the dyeing industry after success of a trial run that indicated no variation in the strength and quality of cement.

Since the lime content in sludge is a valuable raw material for constructions, textile industries exude hope that the cement industries would by themselves start sourcing the several thousands of tonnes being generated by ETPs.