Carbon Capture and Utilisation testbeds in the Cement sector

The Department of Science & Technology (DST) under India’s Ministry of Science and Technology is in the process of considering five carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) testbeds in the cement sector in different parts of the country.

The objectives of these carbon capture and utilisation testbeds are to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from cement manufacturing and convert them into value-added products such as synthetic fuels, urea, soda ash, concrete aggregates, and food-grade CO₂.

These testbeds are going to act as a platform for validating and demonstrating CCU technologies at a small scale in real industrial settings through Industry-Academia collaborations.

This initiative has significant relevance, enabling industrial decarbonisation in the country, with special focus on emissions-intensive sectors like cement by promoting a circular carbon economy, thereby aligning well with India’s overarching target of net-zero by 2070.

The Expert Panel constituted by DST has recommended five CCU testbeds, and the Department is in the process of considering the recommendations of the Expert Panel for further processing and financial sanctions.

The site-wise details of Institutions and Industry partners involved in the recommended CCU testbeds, along with proposed technological solutions to be deployed, are given below:

Site location

Institutions

Industry

Partner

Technological Solutions

Chittorgarh,

Rajasthan

National Council for Cement and Building Materials,

Ballabhgarh

and

Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee

Cement

Limited

Oxygen-based Calcination to capture 2 TPD

(Tonnes Per Day)

of CO2 and its utilisation (0.4 TPD)

in lightweight concrete products and olefins.

Sundergarh,

Odisha

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

JSW

Cement

Limited

Carbon-negative using solvent-based

carbon capture technology

at a scale of 1 TPD and utilising captured CO2

for mineralisation into concrete using

ICCM (Integrated Carbon Capture and

Mineralisation technology)

Rajganjpur,

Odisha

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay,

Mumbai

Dalmia

Cement

(Bharat) Ltd

Water-based catalyst‑driven CO2 capture process,

at a scale of 2 TPD, designed for integration

within a live cement plant, enabling conversion of

captured CO2 into calcium carbonate,

sodium bicarbonate and formic acid.

Kurnool,

Andhra Pradesh

CSIR Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun,

Indian Institute of Technology, Tirupati,

and

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

JSW

Cement Ltd

Vacuum Swing Adsorption Process for

CO2 capture (1 TPD) from

Cement Kiln Gas and its utilisation

within the construction material value chain.

Reddipalayam,

Tamil Nadu

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

and

Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani,

Goa

Ultratech

Cement

Ltd

New kiln burning technology based on

oxygen-enriched burning,

capture using adsorption/absorption, and

mineralisation of captured CO2 (2 TPD)

using concrete blocks, waste concrete fines, and

concrete plant sludge.

The cement industry is considered a significant polluter primarily due to its substantial emissions of carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and other harmful gases.

The process of producing cement is both energy-intensive and chemically transformative. Limestone is heated to high temperatures in kilns, which not only burns large quantities of fossil fuels but also releases CO2 through the chemical breakdown of limestone itself.

Emissions occur at nearly every stage of cement production, including mining, processing, and packaging, making it a persistent source of environmental pollution. The carbon capture and utilisation testbeds are expected to lower carbon dioxide emissions within India’s cement sector, which constitutes approximately 7-8% of the country’s industrial carbon emissions.

These recommended CCU testbeds are envisaged to demonstrate carbon capture and utilisation at a small scale, i.e. up to 2 TPD (Tonnes Per Day).

Apart from reducing CO₂ emissions, these testbeds are expected to generate valuable by-products, such as synthetic fuels and construction materials, and thereby contribute to the circular carbon economy.

Moreover, the successful implementation of testbeds can enable other industries in India to adopt carbon capture and utilisation technologies and scale them up to a full commercial level.

These modular solutions have the potential to replicate in other hard-to-abate sectors, including power, iron & steel, oil & natural gas, chemical industry, etc., through customised engineering into a pre-existing industrial framework.