Concrete

CCUS capacity needs to be ramped up 190-fold

Published

5 years ago

April 1, 2022

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Carbon capture is the imperative action that the cement industry needs to take in order to honour its pledge for a net zero future. Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carbon Clean, speaks about carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) entails across the globe and its role in the green evolution of the cement industry.

Carbon Clean, headquartered in London, provides all the services needed by companies to achieve net zero carbon footprint, including technology licence and end-to-end systems. Their solutions help industries capture over 90 per cent of CO2 emissions, and be a part of the global circular carbon economy. Its CCUS applications are designed for verticals such as cement, steel, refinery, bio gas and energy from waste. In this interaction, Aniruddha Sharma, CEO, Carbon Clean, speaks to ICR about the importance of CCUS.

What are the current estimates for CCUS worldwide?
To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, CCUS capacity needs to be ramped up 190-fold and urgent steps are needed to ensure CCUS is available to contribute to net zero goals, according to the International Energy Agency.
This presents a challenge but also an opportunity. Demand for CCUS solutions is unprecedented, especially from the hard-to-abate industries such as oil and gas, cement, steel and chemicals. These sectors expect over 20 per cent of their total emissions to be captured via carbon capture technology by 2030. Our latest CCUS solution, CycloneCC, will play an important role in servicing this demand, with independent third-party research suggesting that the technology’s market opportunity is set to expand by 60 per cent per year this decade.

What role does Carbon Clean play in helping cement companies with carbon capture?
Carbon Clean is a global leader in cost-effective industrial carbon capture technologies and services. We are working with several cement companies to capture the carbon dioxide from their emissions.
For example, we are partnering with CEMEX on a ground-breaking carbon capture project at its Rüdersdorf plant in Germany. The initial aim is to capture 100 tonnes of CO2 per day at the plant, combining it with hydrogen from renewable sources to produce greener synthetic hydrocarbons that can be used in other industries. We are also currently commissioning a 10 tonnes per day carbon capture plant with Taiheiyo Cement Corporation in Japan.
Meanwhile, in Spain, we are demonstrating how carbon capture can provide cement companies with a new revenue stream as part of the circular carbon economy. Our project with LafargeHolcim Spain will take carbon captured from the Carboneras cement factory and use it in greenhouses in the region to improve crop productivity.
Our latest modular industrial carbon capture technology – CycloneCC – is set to offer huge benefits to the cement industry. Some of the biggest barriers to widespread carbon capture adoption have been the size and cost of existing technology. CycloneCC uses equipment that is up to ten times smaller than conventional solutions, reducing capex and opex by up to 50 per cent.

What is your outlook on the net zero commitment pledged by cement companies, targeted at 2030?
The cement sector is a big emitter, accountable for around 8 per cent of global CO2 emissions, but carbon capture will play a significant role in ensuring the sector decarbonises and achieves its ambitious targets. The solutions are already available – it’s now time to act.

How can cement manufacturers effectively reduce carbon emissions and work on CCUS for long term impact?
Carbon capture is vital for the decarbonisation of cement manufacturing. Up to 70 per cent of CO2 emissions come from the calcining calcium carbonate chemical process, which can’t be reduced with other methods. Industrial carbon capture solutions must be deployed in the near term to start many manufacturers on the path to net zero.

What advice would you like to give to companies, especially Indian ones, regarding KPIs for carbon capture?
There is huge interest in carbon capture solutions from the cement industry. Today, historical barriers to adoption like cost and onsite space are being overcome by advances in carbon capture technology.
Carbon Clean’s latest modular technology, for example, uses equipment that is ten times smaller than conventional carbon capture solutions and has a five times smaller onsite footprint. It is prefabricated, deployable in less than eight weeks, and can be scaled over time to suit a company’s decarbonisation trajectory. This breakthrough solution reduces capex and opex by up to 50 per cent compared to conventional carbon capture, driving down the
cost of carbon capture to $30/tonne on average. At this cost, the economic case for carbon capture becomes undeniable.
We are working with cement companies across the globe to demonstrate the potential for carbon capture to meet decarbonisation targets.
The solutions today are accessible, affordable and already in use.

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Concrete

CII Calls for Greater Alternative Fuel Use in Cement Industry

Published

16 hours ago

October 29, 2026

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The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), through its Green Business Centre and Energy Efficiency Council, inaugurated the 16th Conference on Alternative Fuel and Raw Material Usage (AFR) in Goa on 27 October 2026. The two-day conference brought together more than 350 industry leaders, policymakers, waste management experts and technology providers to explore strategies for accelerating alternative fuel adoption in India’s cement industry.

Held under the theme ‘Preparation for Net-Zero: Alternative Fuels & Raw Material in Cement Manufacturing’, the conference focused on reducing dependence on conventional fuels, improving waste utilisation and strengthening circular economy practices across cement manufacturing operations.

E R Raj Narayanan, Chairman, AFR Conference 2026, and Business Head and Chief Manufacturing Officer, UltraTech Cement, highlighted the industry’s progress in alternative fuel adoption. He emphasised the need to scale implementation, strengthen supply chains and extend circularity beyond fuel substitution to alternative raw materials through technological innovation and industry collaboration.

Harish Adconkar, Managing Director, Goa Waste Management Corporation, highlighted Goa’s progress in scientific waste management and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production. He stated that approximately 765,000 tonnes of RDF had been supplied to cement plants, contributing to an estimated displacement of 320,000–560,000 tonnes of coal. He emphasised the importance of consistent RDF offtake and stronger coordination between urban local bodies, waste management agencies and cement manufacturers.

Dr L P Singh, Director General, National Council for Cement and Building Materials, identified AFR as an important opportunity for decarbonisation and resource efficiency. Drawing parallels with the industry’s successful utilisation of fly ash, he stressed the need to address quality, technological and economic challenges to expand alternative fuel adoption.

Dr Sharad P Kale, Special Advisor to the Chief Minister of Goa and former Head of Technology Transfer and Collaboration at BARC, emphasised treating waste as a resource. He highlighted decentralised biodegradable waste processing, reduced food waste and improved resource recovery as essential measures for minimising landfill dependence.

Kiran Ananth, Executive Director, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Green Entrepreneurship, CII-Green Business Centre, noted that India’s cement production reached approximately 491 million tonnes in FY2025-26, while the industry’s thermal substitution rate (TSR) stood at 7.5 per cent, with around 7 million tonnes of alternative fuels utilised annually.

He added that the industry had invested over Rs 12 billion in co-processing infrastructure during the past six years. Improving RDF supply reliability and quality assurance would be crucial to maximising the utilisation of existing infrastructure and accelerating industrial decarbonisation.

The conference also featured discussions on advanced AFR co-processing technologies, waste pre-processing solutions and industrial best practices for improving fuel substitution and resource recovery.

A publication titled ‘From Waste to Kiln: Scaling the Use of MSW-Derived RDF in Indian Cement Plants’ was launched during the inaugural session. The report identified inconsistent RDF supply and quality as major barriers to achieving higher thermal substitution rates.

According to the publication, many cement kilns already possess the technical capability to achieve higher alternative fuel substitution. However, variations in RDF availability, moisture content, particle size and calorific value continue to limit utilisation. The report emphasised the need to strengthen waste segregation, pre-processing and aggregation systems to establish reliable RDF supply chains.

The conference’s second-day agenda includes discussions on innovative domestic and industrial waste management solutions, alternative raw materials for low-carbon cement and strategies to increase alternative fuel utilisation across India’s cement manufacturing sector.

Concrete

Sameera Group Enters Industrial and Logistics Real Estate

Rs. 1.5 bn project to support manufacturing and supply-chain firms

Published

2 days ago

October 28, 2026

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Sameera Group has entered the industrial and logistics real estate segment with a 450,000 sq ft development in Sriperumbudur, Chennai. The group will invest Rs. 1.5 bn in the project, expanding beyond residential plotted developments into business-to-business real estate.

The proposed park will serve light manufacturing, e-commerce, third-party logistics and other supply-chain businesses. Building plan approvals have been secured, with construction expected to begin shortly. The development is scheduled to become operational within 12 to 15 months.

Sameera Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Jayakumar Murugesan said the project marked the next stage of the company’s growth after nearly four decades in land acquisition and real estate development. He attributed the choice of Sriperumbudur to its industrial activity and growth prospects.

The Grade A development will include internal movement routes and shared infrastructure for modern manufacturing and logistics operations. The group is pursuing Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Platinum certification and plans to provide rooftop solar readiness, rainwater harvesting, wastewater recycling, energy and water monitoring, and electric vehicle charging facilities.

The project is being developed amid increased demand for industrial and warehousing space in Chennai. Knight Frank’s India Warehousing Market Report 2026 recorded 8.3 mn sq ft of warehousing transactions in the city during 2025, up 42 per cent from the previous year, with manufacturing accounting for 59 per cent of demand. The Sriperumbudur-Oragadam cluster contributed 77 per cent of transactions.

Sameera Group plans to develop 5 to 6 mn sq ft across a larger industrial and logistics portfolio over the next five years, involving an estimated investment of Rs. 18 bn. Land has been acquired for projects in Chennai, Hosur and Bengaluru. Established in 1982, the group has developed more than 900 acres, sold over 13,700 residential plots, and currently has 35 projects under development and 28 in its pipeline.

Concrete

UltraTech Cement Expands in Andhra Pradesh with Rs. 26.5 bn

Petnikota plant adds 3.6 MTPA cement dispatch capacity

Published

7 days ago

October 23, 2026

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UltraTech Cement has expanded its manufacturing footprint in Andhra Pradesh with the commissioning of Petnikota Cement Works, an integrated cement plant built with an investment of around Rs. 26.5 bn. The facility is located in Petnikota village in Kolimigundla mandal of Nandyal district, in the Rayalaseema region.

Construction of the plant began in May 2025. The facility has a clinkerisation capacity of 3.3 MTPA and a cement dispatch capacity of 3.6 MTPA, strengthening the company’s production and distribution presence in the State.

The plant is expected to provide direct employment to 650 people and indirect employment to another 2,000. It has been designed to operate entirely on green energy and does not have a captive thermal power plant. The project also uses no groundwater, according to information released by the Andhra Pradesh Government.

Nara Lokesh, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information Technology, said in the release that the facility was taken from groundbreaking to commissioning in 14 months. He described the project as a state-of-the-art addition to the company’s operations in the State and said it would create 2,650 direct and indirect employment opportunities.

Petnikota Cement Works adds to UltraTech Cement’s manufacturing capacity in Andhra Pradesh while supporting industrial activity in Nandyal district. The plant’s energy design and stated groundwater-use policy are also intended to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. The company has identified the facility as part of its continuing capacity expansion in the Indian cement market.