Towards Cleaner Technologies : A Process Story In The Firozabad Glass Industry Cluster

The small-scale glass industries cluster located in Firozabad, near Agra, produces an estimated 50 million bangles each day. Traditionally, units in the cluster burned coal in low-efficiency furnaces, leading to high levels of emissions. Following the Supreme Court verdict in the famous ?Taj Trapezium Case?, the Firozabad units came under pressure to switch from coal to natural gas as fuel. In 1994/95, SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) and TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) entered into partnership to find solutions to the energy and environmental problems of select SMiE (small and micro enterprise) sub-sectors through technology upgradation and human and institutional development. Four sub-sectors were selected for intervention: foundries, sericulture, glass industries, and brick manufacture. This book narrates, in a brief and simple way, the process by which the partners developed and demonstrated two clean, energy-efficient, technologies for the small-scale glass units in Firozabad: the gas-fired recuperative pot furnace, and the gas-fired muffle furnace. In particular, it highlights the experiences of project staff and other stakeholders, and the challenges faced and tackled by them in the course of their work. This book is primarily intended as a guide for researchers, policy-makers, NGOs, donor organizations, academic institutions and others involved in the small-scale sector, particularly in developing countries.