Environment
Alternative Fuels: Trends and Prospects
Published
13 years agoon
By
admin
Increasing population and industrialization have created dual problem of energy crisis and waste disposal. B K Modi and L R Rajasekar examine the trend towards using incinerable wastes as fuel in cement kilns in lieu of fossil fuels.With rising population, rapid industrialization and improvement in living standards, the demand for energy is growing continuously. This has put a huge burden on our country’s resources with increasing import bills of crude oil. India has the third largest coal reserves in the world and yet the country depends upon coal import to meet its internal requirement. At present, the country consumes almost 70 per cent of domestic coal for electricity generation and the rest for other usage. It is expected that at the current rate of coal consumption, the reserves in India will be exhausted in the next 70 years. To tackle the situation, we must look for alternative substances that can be used as fuel. The Government of India has recently announced new policies focusing on improving energy efficiency through the "Perform – Achieve – Trade" scheme and the compulsory usage of renewable energy through regulation on Renewable Purchase Obligation.Using waste generated in our urban centres and by our industries, is one of the ways in which we can tackle the issue of fuel shortages in India. The quantum of waste generated varies across urban centres, depending upon several factors like lifestyle, population density, industrialization, etc. It is estimated that 11 Indian cities generate more than 1,000 tonnes of wastes daily and Mumbai alone generates more than 5,000 tonnes of solid waste daily. A significant portion of the waste contains organic matter, paper, cardboard, plastic, rubber, etc. These materials have good calorific value and therefore, present the option of using the waste as an alternative fuel. In addition, there are hazardous industrial wastes like paints, sludge, oil etc. that can be used as alternative fuel. The existing mechanism of disposal for municipal wastes is mostly through land-filling that is difficult, costly and associated with long-term health hazards. At the same time, most of the industrial wastes from different sectors are land-filled or find their way in alternate applications within the unorganized sectors posing significant health risk to the society.Thus with increasing industrialization and population we have on one hand an ever increasing demand for energy and on the other, we are confronted with the problem of tackling wastes. A status report by IEA Coal Research shows that the worldwide trend is to find alternate ways of disposing wastes in useful manner, and burning them in cement kilns is one of the best and the safest ways.Use of Municipal and Hazardous WastesTraditionally, the burning of wastes started in specifically designed incinerators, which were sometimes equipped with power generating units. Over the years, the cement kiln emerged as a better alternative to the incinerator because of some of its inherent characteristics. The concept found wide acceptability in developed countries. The following sections show the feasibility of burning wastes in Indian cement kilns.Technical FeasibilityThe developed countries have been using wastes for over two decades to generate energy. Based on their experience, it has been found that the cement kilns are highly suitable for burning wastes. This is mainly due to the following reasons:??High flame temperatures (2000oC) – ensures complete destruction of harmful pollutants.??Residence time of combustion gases above 1000oC in excess of 3 – 4 seconds – ensures complete destruction of pollutants.??Complete scrubbing of exhaust gases due to countercurrent flow of raw material – resulting in trapping of heavy metals, sulphur and other pollutants within the clinker.??Inclusion of ashes and residual metals from the wastes within the clinker crystal structure.??Kiln lines are equipped with ESPs/Bag Filters – ensuring negligible particulate emission.??Intense contact between solid and gas phases – ensures condensation of volatiles, absorbs SO2 and neutralizes acid gases.Cement kilns present an opportunity where burning waste is a recovery operation. This is because of the fact that the combustible parts of the waste replace fossil fuels and the non-combustible parts replace raw materials like silica, iron, etc. The environmental impact is negligible and the energy efficiency is the highest compared to incineration equipped with power generation. At the same time, the option offers benefits to the society in the following form:??Conservation of non-renewable fossil fuels like coal/gas. ??Reduction in environmental impact related to coal mining ??No need for investment in incinerators.??Overall lower CO2 and methane emissions by replacement of fossil fuel – Otherwise leading to burning of hazardous wastes in incinerators and fossil fuel in kilns. ??Conservation of raw materials for cement industry as hazardous wastes partially replaces some of the materials like silica, iron, etc.The process problems associated with burning wastes in cement kilns can be tackled by adopting suitable technological changes and through process mastery.Impact on EnvironmentThe most important aspect is the likely impact of burning wastes in cement kiln. The results do not show any significant negative impact. The emission results measured in cement kiln burning wastes to the extent of 75 per cent of total fuel value have been reproduced in Table 1.It can be seen from the table that the stringent emission limits are met for all the harmful substances in spite of the wastes constituting up to 75 per cent of fuels in some of the kilns. These results are comparable with measurements with 100 per cent fossil fuels. Thus, the burning of wastes in kiln is environmentally compatible and technically sound, where organic matter is destroyed at high temperatures and inorganic matter is trapped in clinker. The added advantage comes from the overall lower emissions of green house gases due to replacement of fossil fuels.Impact on Product QualityThe users of waste reported that there is no problem with regard to clinker or cement quality with waste as fuel. However, it is of utmost important to adjust raw mix, process conditions and fuel rate to stabilize clinkerisation. In addition, before burning the waste, it is necessary to study the compatibility of waste with existing raw mix and desired product quality.A comparison between product quality with 100 per cent fossil fuels and with waste is reproduced in Table 2. There does not appear to be any significant difference in product quality, which can affect the end applications.Indian ScenarioUltraTech took the initiative in the cement industry in India for burning waste in cement kilns in 2004. The company started taking trials at its facilities at Malkhed in Karnataka and Reddipalayam in Tamil Nadu as early as 2005, in collaboration with Central and state pollution control boards and waste generators. The trials were conducted at different facilities of the companies involving wastes like effluent treatment plant sludge, paint sludge, plastic, tyre chips, pharmaceutical waste, etc. The results showed no impact on environment and product quality. After getting the clearance from pollution control boards, the company has been using the approved wastes as fuel substitutes.The plant located at Reddipalayam in Tamil Nadu uses agricultural wastes (rice husk, cashew nut shells, corn waste, groundnut husk, coconut coir etc), tyre chips, refuse derived fuels and industrial wastes. This facility has successfully used up to 10-14 per cent wastes as fuels over the last 5 years.In a commendable example of public-private partnership, UltraTech Cement (at that time the legalities were completed by Grasim Industries) entered into an agreement with Jaipur Municipal Corporation to set up MSW processing plant at Langriyawas village, about 26 km from Jaipur in Rajasthan. Spread over 25 acres of land, the plant is based on German technology that converts MSW into refuse-derived fuels (RDF). Commissioned in January 2007, the plant is capable of extracting 150 tonnes of RDF per day from 500 tonnes of municipal waste, which is supplied by the Jaipur Municipal Corporation daily. The processed RDF is successfully disposed off at UltraTech’s cement facility located at Khor, Madhya Pradesh. This unique initiative has helped in containing the ever-increasing problem of dealing with municipal waste by saving on landfill sites and creating a healthy pollution-free environment for future generations.Apart from the above, several other cement facilities of UltraTech located in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have been working with local pollution authorities and waste generators to dispose of wastes in cement kilns. For the last two years, the company has been disposing over 69,000 tonnes of waste successfully substituting around 1.15 per cent of its fossil fuel requirement and thus saving around 0.1 million tonnes of CO2 emission annually.ChallengesThe cement industry has been closely working with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and other stake holders. The trials for burning several types of waste started in 2004-05 under the guidance of pollution control boards. After several trials across different plants, CPCB finally released the co-processing guidelines in Feb 2010, which provide a framework for burning of wastes in cement kilns.The entire concept of waste disposal in developed countries is based on "Polluters’ Pay" principle, where the waste generators either pay heavy land-fill taxes for land-dumping of wastes or dispose off incinerable wastes in cement kilns by paying a service charge to cement plant. The "Polluters’ Pay" principle is yet to be institutionalized in India in its true spirit by way of discouraging the waste generators to opt for land-filling.Win-win situationWith increasing population and industrialization, India is facing the dual problem of energy crisis and waste disposal. UltraTech has been trying to turn this problem into an opportunity and win-win-win situation for waste generators, society and the company, as has been done globally. The incinerable wastes generated from various industrial segments and municipalities can be used as fuel in cement kilns by replacing fossil fuel. It is worthwhile to note that 1,000 tonnes of municipal waste can meet the energy requirement of a one million tonne cement plant.UltraTech has been providing this service to waste generators over the last five years and some of its cement plants have successfully disposed off wastes to the tune of 15 per cent of fuel requirement. However, the long-term success lies in cohere policy on the subject to discourage land-filling along with creation of suitable infrastructure in accordance with the principles of "Polluters’ Pay".
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The Indian cement industry has reached a critical juncture in its sustainability journey. In a landmark move, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has, for the first time, announced greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity reduction targets for 282 entities, including 186 cement plants, under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, 2023. These targets, to be enforced starting FY2025-26, are aligned with India’s overarching ambition of achieving net zero emissions by 2070.
Cement manufacturing is intrinsically carbon-intensive, contributing to around 7 per cent of global GHG emissions, or approximately 3.8 billion tonnes annually. In India, the sector is responsible for 6 per cent of total emissions, underscoring its critical role in national climate mitigation strategies. This regulatory push, though long overdue, marks a significant shift towards accountability and structured decarbonisation.
However, the path to a greener cement sector is fraught with challenges—economic viability, regulatory ambiguity, and technical limitations continue to hinder the widespread adoption of sustainable alternatives. A major gap lies in the lack of a clear, India-specific definition for ‘green cement’, which is essential to establish standards and drive industry-wide transformation.
Despite these hurdles, the industry holds immense potential to emerge as a climate champion. Studies estimate that through targeted decarbonisation strategies—ranging from clinker substitution and alternative fuels to carbon capture and innovative product development—the sector could reduce emissions by 400 to 500 million metric tonnes by 2030.
Collaborations between key stakeholders and industry-wide awareness initiatives (such as Earth Day) are already fostering momentum. The responsibility now lies with producers, regulators and technology providers to fast-track innovation and investment.
The time to act is now. A sustainable cement industry is not only possible—it is imperative.
Concrete
It is equally important to build resilient building structures
Published
3 weeks agoon
May 13, 2025By
admin
Manoj Rustagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW Cement, discusses how the adoption of ‘green’ practices in cement manufacturing could reshape the future of sustainable construction worldwide.
Cement is one of the most carbon-intensive materials in construction — but innovation is changing that. As sustainability becomes central to infrastructure, green cement is emerging as a viable low-carbon alternative. In this detailed interview with Manoj Rustagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, JSW Cement, we explore what makes cement ‘green’, its performance, and its future. From durability to cutting-edge technologies, here’s a look at the cement industry’s greener path forward.
What exactly is green cement, and how does it differ from traditional cement?
At this point in time, there is no standard for defining green cement. A very simple way to understand ‘Green Cement’ or ‘Low Carbon Cement’ is the one which emits much lower greenhouse gasses (GHG) compared to conventional cement (Ordinary Portland Cement – OPC) during its manufacturing process.
In India, there are many existing BIS Standards for different types of cement products. The most common are OPC; Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC); Portland Slag Cement (PSC) and Composite Cement (CC). While OPC emits maximum GHG during its manufacturing (approx 800-850 kg CO2/MT of OPC), PSC emits least GHG (approx 300-350 kg CO2/MT of PSC). As PSC is having close to 60 per cent lower CO2 emission compared to OPC, it is the greenest cement available in the Indian market.
There is already work happening at the central government level to define green cement, like it has been recently done for green steel, and hopefully in the next one year or so the standard definition would be available.
What are the key environmental benefits of using green cement?
The primary environmental benefits of green or low-carbon cement are:
- Reduced CO2 emissions
- Lower energy and power consumption
- Conservation of limestone and fossil fuels
- Utilisation of industrial by-products
- (slag/fly ash)
Can green cement match the durability and strength of conventional cement?
PSC is much more durable than any other type of cement product. It has lower heat of hydration; the strength keeps on improving with time; and it has much higher resistance to chloride and sulphate attacks. Most of the concrete failures are because of chloride and sulphate attacks, which corrode the steel reinforcements and that is how cracks get initiated and propagated resulting in eventual concrete failures. For coastal applications, marine structures, seaports, and mass concreting, PSC is most suitable. Due to the intrinsic durability characteristics of PSC; it is a green and resilient cement product.
Usually everyone talks about lower GHG emissions, but it is equally important to build resilient building structures that can withstand natural calamities and have much longer lifespans. PSC is one cement type that is not only lowest in CO2 emissions but at the same time offers durability characteristics and properties (RCPT, RCMT, Mercury Intrusion, long term strength and flexural strength), which are unmatched.
What innovative technologies are being used to produce green cement?
To further reduce the CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process; some of the innovative technologies which are commercially viable are:
- Alternative raw materials: Use of steel slag, red mud and other industrial by-products to substitute limestone
- Alternative fuels: Use of RDF/MSW, pharmaceutical wastes like biomass etc., to substitute coal/pet-coke
- Waste Heat Recovery (WHR): Power plants to generate electricity from waste heat
- Renewable energy: Solar and wind energy instead of state grid
How cost-effective is green cement compared to traditional options?
All of the above innovative technologies do not increase the cost of manufacturing. There are some future technologies like Carbon Capture, Utilisation and/or Storage (CCUS), which are not commercially viable and would increase the cost of cement. As such, the options available today for low-carbon cement (like PSC) are not expensive.
The Government of India has recently notified Indian Carbon Market (ICM), which also includes the cement sector. Hopefully, this would help progressive companies to further reduce their carbon footprint.
What challenges does the industry face in adopting green cement on a large scale?
There is absolutely no incentive/motivation for builders/contractors to use green cement products and therefore there is practically no demand. While the industry has taken many steps. In fact the Indian cement industry is believed to be most energy efficient globally and has approximately 10 per cent lower GHG emissions compared to global average. But due to lack of awareness and lack of performance based standards; the demand for low carbon cement or green cement has not picked up in India.
Are governments and regulators supporting the shift to green cement?
In India, in the last couple of years, there have been many policy interventions which have been initiated. One of them, namely the carbon market is under notification; others like Green Public Procurement, Green Cement taxonomy and National CCUS Mission are in the advanced stages and are expected to be implemented in the next couple
of years.
How do you see the future of green cement in global construction?
Globally the built environment accounts for 40 per cent CO2 emissions; and the maximum embodied emissions come from cement and concrete. There is a lot of innovation happening in cement, concrete and construction. Basically, how we build and what material we use. And this is to do with both carbon mitigation as well as adaptation as the built environment is so important for sustainable living. Precast and pre-engineered buildings/structures, 3D concrete printing, ultra high performance concrete, digital and AI/ML interventions in construction, admixtures/improved concrete packing; and circularity in cement manufacturing are some examples. Low-carbon cement or green cement eventually will lead to ‘Net Zero CO2 emission’ cement, which would enable a ‘Net-Zero’ built environment that is needed for long term sustainability.

Milind Khangan, Marketing Manager, Vertex Market Research, looks at how India’s cement industry is powering a climate-conscious transformation with green cement at its core, aligning environmental urgency with economic opportunity.
The cement industry produces around eight per cent of the world’s total CO2 emissions. Process emissions, largely due to limestone calcination, contribute 50 to 60 per cent of these emissions and produce nearly one ton of CO2 per ton of cement produced.
India is a leading cement producer with an installed capacity of around 550 million tons (MMT) as of 2024. As the Government of India advances toward its 2070 net-zero target, green cement is becoming a major driver of this shift toward a low-carbon economy. It offers environmental sustainability as well as long-term operating efficiencies at scale. With the fast-paced urbanisation and infrastructure development across the nation, the use of green cement goes beyond environmental imperatives; it is also a strong strategic business opportunity. Indian cement players are some of the most sustainable and environmentally conscious players in the world, and indigenous cement demand in India is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10 per cent until 2030.
Innovating sustainably
Green cement is an umbrella term that includes multiple advanced technologies and processes aimed at minimising the environmental footprint, and CO2 emissions of conventional cement manufacturing. This shift from traditional practices targets minimising the carbon footprint throughout the whole cement manufacturing process.
- Clinker substitution: Substitution of high-carbon clinker with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in order to considerably lower emissions.
- Alternative binders: Developing cementitious systems that require minimal or no clinker, reducing reliance on traditional methods.
- Novel cements: Introducing new types of cement that depend less on limestone/clinker, utilising alternative modified processes and raw materials.
- Energy efficiency and alternative fuels: Optimising energy utilisation in production and substituting fossil fuel with cleaner alternatives coming from waste or biomass.
- Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS): Trapping CO2 emissions at cement plants for recycling or geological storage.
Drivers and strategic opportunities
Robust infrastructure development pipeline: The government’s continued and massive investment in infrastructure (roads, railways, housing, smart cities) generates huge demand for cement. Crucially, there is a growing preference and sometimes direct requirement under public tenders for sustainable building materials, including green cement, which is giving a significant market stimulus.
India’s national climate commitments (NDC and Net Zero 2070): India’s commitments under the Paris Agreement (NDCs) and the long-term goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070 have set a clear direction for industrial decarbonisation. This national strategy necessitates action from high-emitting sectors such as cement to adopt green cement technologies and carbon-reducing innovations across the construction value chain. Notably, the Indian cement industry alone is expected to generate nearly 400 million tonnes of GHG emissions by 2030.
Regulatory mandates for fly ash utilisation: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released a number of binding notifications that promote the use of fly ash from thermal power plants. These guidelines seek to reduce environmental impact by enhancing its extensive application in cement production, particularly in Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC). Fly ash acts as a pozzolanic material, reacting with calcium hydroxide to produce cementitious compounds, hence decreasing clinker consumption, a high-energy component contributing to high CO2 emissions. Through clinker substitution facilitation, such mandates directly enable the production of low-carbon green cement.
Promotion and utilisation of blast furnace slag: Steel plant slag utilisation policies provide a ready SCM for manufacturing Portland Slag Cement (PSC). This is advantageous in terms of the supply of another key raw material for green cement manufacturing.
Increased demand due to green building movement
The larger adoption of green building codes and certification systems such as GRIHA and LEED India by builders and developers promotes the use of materials with reduced carbon content. Cement products with a higher SCM content or produced through cleaner processes are preferred. A step in this direction was achieved in October 2021 when Dalmia Cement achieved the distinction of being the first Indian cement producer to be granted the Green Product Accreditation of GRIHA.
The Indian industry is actively investing in R&D for new binders such as geopolymer cement, alkali-activated materials and limestone calcined clay cement (LC3). Research institutions including IIT Madras are collaborating with industry to scale these technologies. Although Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) is still at a nascent stage in India, it represents a potential frontier for long-term decarbonisation in the cement sector.
The MoEFCC has published draft regulations under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023, in the form of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Target Rules, 2025. The draft notification requires 186 cement units in India to lower their GHG emission intensity from FY 2025-26. Non-compliant manufacturers will have to purchase carbon credit certificates or face penalties, creating a clear regulatory and financial incentive to adopt cleaner technology. The CCTS will promote technology and practice adoption that reduces the carbon intensity of cement manufacturing, potentially resulting in the use of green cement and other low-carbon substitutes for cement.
India’s leading cement companies like UltraTech, Shree Cement, and Dalmia Bharat have made science-based targets and net-zero emissions pledges in line with the GCCA 2050 Cement and Concrete Industry Roadmap. These self-declarations are hastening the shift towards clean cement manufacturing technology and renewable energy procurement.
Challenges and complexities in India’s green cement transition
Economic viability and cost challenges: High production costs associated with low-carbon cement technologies remain a significant hurdle. The absence of strict carbon pricing and poor financial incentives slow down rapid uptake on a large scale. Although green cement is currently costlier than conventional options, greater market adoption and scale-driven efficiencies are expected to progressively narrow this price gap, enhancing commercial viability over time. As these technologies mature, their broader deployment will become more feasible.
Inconsistent supply chain of SCMs: A dependable supply of high-quality Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs), such as fly ash and slag, is crucial. But in the course of decarbonisation of India’s power generation and industry sectors, SCMs reliability and availability may become intermittent. Strong, decentralised logistics and material processing units must be developed in order to provide uninterrupted and economical SCM supply chains to cement producers.
Gaps in technical standards and performance benchmarks
Although PPC and PSC are well-supported by existing BIS codes, standards for newer materials such as calcined clay, geopolymer binders and other novel SCMs require timely development and updates. Maintaining steady performance, lasting robustness, and usage dependability in varying climatic and structural applications will be key to instilling market faith in other forms of cement formulation. Market stakeholders are also supporting separate BIS codes for the green cement sub-categories for helping to build and sustain standardisation and trust.
Scaling of emerging technologies
Scaling promising technology, especially CCUS, from pilots to commercial scales within the Indian context involves significant investment of capital, technical manpower, and a facilitating regulatory environment. The creation of infrastructure for transportation and long-term storage of CO2 will be critical. While these facilitative systems are implemented, cement makers will be well-placed to decarbonise their operations and achieve national sustainability goals.
The way ahead
The Indian cement industry is poised to enter a revolutionary era, where decarbonisation and sustainability are at the heart of expansion. Industry players and the government need to join hands in an integrated manner throughout the cement value chain to spearhead this green revolution. Cement companies must embrace new technologies to lower the emissions like the utilisation of alternative fuels like biomass, industrial wastes, and recycled materials and utilisation of waste heat recovery systems to make energy efficient. The electrification of logistics and kilns, investigation of high-heat alternative products, and CCUS technology investments must be made to decarbonise production. Sophisticated additives such as polymers can improve cement performance with reduced environmental footprint.
At the policy level, the government has to introduce support measures such as stable carbon pricing, tax relief, viability gap funding, and initiatives such as the PLI scheme to encourage the use of renewable energy in cement manufacturing. Instruments such as carbon contracts can stabilise carbon credit prices and reduce market risk, encouraging investment in low-carbon technologies. Updating BIS standards for newer green cement formulations and SCMs is also critical for market acceptance and confidence. Green cement mandates in public procurement and long-term offtake contracts have the potential to generate stable demand, and green financing windows can guarantee commercial viability of near-zero carbon technologies. Cement greening is not a choice, it is a necessity for constructing a climate-resilient, sustainable India.
About the author:
Milind Khangan, Marketing Manager, Vertex Market Research, comes with more than five years of experience in market research and lead generation. He is responsible for developing new marketing plans and innovations in lead generation, having expertise in creating a technically strong website that generates leads for startups in market research.

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