Siam Craft Industries Turns Cement Slag into Concrete Blocks via MTEC Partnership

Key summary

Siam Craft Industry Co., Ltd. has developed a process to convert fly ash and bottom ash from its energy production into concrete hollow blocks, replacing natural cement and sand. The project, supported by the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC) under Thailand's Science Academy (NSTDA), aligns with the company's Zero Landfill policy and the government's BCG economy strategy. After laboratory testing confirmed the ash's chemical and physical properties matched those of cement and sand, the company adjusted its fuel mix to biomass, refined the formula, and obtained permission from the Department of Industrial Works to use the ash commercially. The resulting blocks exceed standard Thai Industrial Standards (MOK) for strength due to the lack of a specific MOK for biomass ash, utilizing a self-declared standard instead. Market trials in Ratchaburi province over 3–6 months validated the product's durability and acceptance. The initiative reduces waste disposal costs, lowers natural resource consumption, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, and supports ESG goals through a Waste-to-Value approach.