Concrete

Paving the Way for a Carbon-Negative Cement Industry

Published

4 years ago

March 1, 2022

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Sanjay Wali, National Sales, Marketing & Logistics Head, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd, discusses the in-roads the company has made in making production processes more sustainable and in making cement a greener product.

For 80 years, we followed a growth path that mirrored India’s promise and growth opportunities. Our philosophy of ‘Clean and Green is Profitable and Sustainable’ has helped us deliver on the expectations of our stakeholders, create sustained value for the larger ecosystem and show the way for responsible growth to others. Our focused product strategy has been a critical factor propelling us to the leadership position in the manufacturing of green cement.
We are the only cement manufacturer part of the UN Leadership Group on heavy industry net-zero transition. Moreover, we have been ranked #1 in the global cement sector on business readiness for low carbon economy transition by CDP in 2018. As we learn new methods to enhance sustainability, we are confident that our journey to decarbonise our business will pave the way for a carbon negative reality and at the same time inspire others to adopt the same path.

Leading the sector’s green movement
Sustainability led growth has always been our top priority. We are committed to becoming carbon negative by 2040, and for this very purpose, we created a roadmap to bring down our carbon footprint. Our carbon footprint at 492 kg CO2/ tonne of cement (specific net CO2) is one of the lowest group averages in the global cement sector. We installed 9.90 MW of solar and 21.70 MW of Waste Heat Recovery based power generation systems and plan to significantly increase solar and Waste Heat Recovery power generation to run our operations with more fossil-free electricity by the end of FY23. Through our continuous efforts and by proposing to use 100 per cent renewable energy by FY30, we are well on our way to leading the green movement within the sectors we operate in.

Responsible production and consumption
We understand that with leadership, comes responsibility. Therefore, as a leading proponent of ‘Green Cement’, we consume the waste produced by other industries and ensure that the waste produced at our facilities, both hazardous and non-hazardous is disposed-off as per legal requirements and in a responsible manner. In FY21 we utilised 7.83 million tonnes of alternative cementitious material and 0.2 MnT alternative fuels, which includes industrial wastes, for the pyro process. Both these waste categories were sourced from other companies. In comparison to this, the waste generated and disposed of by us stands at a mere 10,245 tonnes.
Our environment discipline is encapsulated in the principle of ‘Producing maximum cement with minimum resources. In FY21, we made a bold commitment to become a 100 per cent blended cement company over the next five years. Currently, our facilities in Eastern India are dedicated to producing 100 per cent blended cement and we now aim to maximise blended cement production across all our operations.

Energy efficiency and energy productivity
Cement production is an energy-intensive process, therefore, responsible use of energy is key to reducing environmental impact. We invest in low carbon technologies to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and better manage energy usage across the production value chain. Our newly commissioned plants are constantly setting industry benchmarks in the adoption and use of energy efficiency measures and our growing network of captive power plants allows us to wheel surplus power across our facilities in different parts of the country to optimise costs further.

Developing greener solutions for a better tomorrow
We are steadfast about our products causing minimal harm to the environment while delivering the highest quality. Our low porosity of Dalmia Infragreen enhances the durability of the product. It does not require any other chemical admixtures and delivers high strength, durable and waterproof concrete. It uses lesser heat in hydration than OPC large and mass concreting and can control thermal linked cracks of large sections better. Dalmia Infragreen has superior water ingress resistance and provides long-term durability against atmospheric carbonation, harmful chlorides and sulphates from groundwater usage. Our product can get runways, highway stretches and metro sections operational in three days, whether used for building, maintenance or repair.

Encouraging stakeholder partnership towards a net-zero pathway
We recognise the importance of reducing carbon emission causing global warming and are committed to climate protection to become a carbon negative cement group by 2040. We are one of the first few cement companies to commit to the Mission Possible Partnership setting science-based targets, and join the First Mover’s Coalition as founding members. Our defined ambition is to become carbon negative by 2040, beyond net-zero and well before the cement sector roadmap’s 2050 targets. We are proud to declare that as of FY21, we are already well below the current global Net Zero pathway target for the cement sector.
To foster greater adoption of this environmentally friendly building material, we have undertaken stewardship to create awareness of the product across our customers, institutional or individual. We encourage the use of blended cement and contribute to protecting our planet. Our dealers and distributors are the critical last-mile link to encourage customers to buy green cement for their building needs. Together, we will propagate the consumption of sustainable products such as our green product line to advance a negative carbon reality. Our efforts have already borne fruit as we recently became the first cement company in India to receive a green accreditation from the Green product rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) council, and we were also awarded the prestigious GreenPro Ecolabelling Certificate by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), a part of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). We will continue to drive awareness and understanding of the benefits of green cement across our distribution chain.

We are committed to becoming carbon negative by 2040, and for this very purpose, we created a roadmap to bring down our carbon footprint. Our carbon footprint at 492 kg CO2/ tonne of cement (specific net CO2) is one of the lowest group averages in the global cement sector.

Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

1 week ago

April 1, 2026

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The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

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Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

1 week ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.