Keeping in view the rapid deforestation, CPWD has banned the use of wood in building constructions. It is, hence, necessary to develop wood substitutes for construction to replace the requirement of timber.
 
Technology
At RRL, Bhopal, work has been carried out to explore the possibilities of utilising natural fiber based composites using red mud which are available in Aluminium industries and Fly ash, a thermal power station waste. These waste by-products can fruitfully be used in combination with a polymer to produce substitutes for wood, thus reducing pollution hazards and deforestation to a considerable extent. This composite is made of red mud, fly ash, polymer and natural fiber. The properties are comparable with conventional wood and, thus, cover a wide spectrum in housing applications.
 
Product
The R-wood door shutters have been approved for use in all buildings of the CPWD, Urban Development Ministry, Government of India. They conform to CPWD specification TADS: 1,1992 and IS4020: 1994. The developed product was subjected to field trials at CPWD and RRL, Bhopal, and was found to be satisfactory. The estimated cost of production of R-wood is Rs.800/sq.mt. Estimated sale price is Rs.1000/ sq.mt.
 
Response
The product has been displayed and its technology highlighted at many national and international seminars and conferences. There was overwhelming response from many entrepreneurs all over India who were invited for interactive meetings. As the technology developed was innovative and novel, RRL was selective in its commercialisation only to those entrepreneurs who could promote the technology successfully .
 
Incentives
Fiscal incentives were provided by Government to encourage the entrepreneurs, like 100% excise duty exemption on finished goods using a minimum of 25% red mud and 100% exemption of import duty on critical machinery and equipment for finished goods, containing a minimum of 25% fly ash. Red mud, one of the raw materials, is available free of cost.
 
Entrepreneurship
Under the Home grown Technology scheme, TIFAC has financially assisted Dual Built Tech. Ltd., for commercialisation of R-wood technology and an agreement was signed by RRL, Bhopal , TIFAC New Delhi, and Dual Built Tech Ltd., for the same. The commercial production of R-wood material has started at Dual Built Tech Ltd., Pondicherry – a company in Southern India, which has installed state-of-art infrastructure to manufacture R-wood Red mud/fly ash polymer door shutters and tiles.
 
As the entrepreneur faced practical difficulties to procure the polymer polyester resin (one of the raw materials) from other companies, it had submitted a proposal to BMTPC through RRL, Bhopal, to set up a pilot plant for the manufacture of polyester resin, which was approved and it has now started producing the raw material- polyester resin.
 
Now at RRL, Bhopal, a project has begun on ‘Pilot Plant Study on manufacture of R-wood Door Shutters’ to encourage more and more entrepreneurs for commercialisation of the product and this project is financially assisted by MOEF and BMTPC. 

The Author is the Assistant Director of the regional research laboratory,
Bhopal (M.P).