Concrete

We focus on delivering ‘solutions’ rather than ‘products’

Published

3 years ago

August 21, 2023

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Anant Pokharna, CEO, Unisol Inc, speaks at length about bespoke grinding aid formulations that are helping cement companies meet their carbon emissions targets.

Tell us about the cement additives,grinding aids and construction chemicals provided by your organisation to the cement industry.
Our product range includes bespoke grinding aid formulations, quality improvers and other relevant high-impact chemical additives that find application in cement manufacturing. Our products help cement producers in a range of applications including:

Increased cement mill throughput and reduced specific power consumption
Reduced clinker factor (content) in blended cements and corresponding increment in ecologically friendly and cheaper substitutes such as fly ash, slag, pond ash etc.
Increased cement quality and strengths
Special application premium cements
Hydrophobic cements
Increased raw mill throughput and reduction on power consumption
Substitution of mineral gypsum with chemical / phosphor gypsum

Leveraging our extensive research and domain expertise, we design products that precisely meet our customers’ strategic and technical objectives.

How does your bespoke approach help your clients bring efficiency in their operations?
Every cement plant is a unique case, when it comes to its requirement for grinding aids and/or chemical additives. Before proposing the right chemical additive / grinding-aid, we comprehensively understand specific needs of each plant covering aspects
such as:

Strategic and business needs
Mineralogy, chemical, and physical properties of input materials such as clinker, gypsum, fly ash, slag etc.
Baseline quality parameters such as compressive strengths, setting times, PSD, blaines and residues
Process parameters and underlying process equipment etc.

Subsequently, an initial hypothesis is developed and multi-component blends (grinding-aid formulations) are prepared. Extensive trials and iterations are undertaken for assessing the impact of these formulations.
The best formulation(s) is/are tested at plant scale and validated for the impact in a full scale environment. Optimisations and fine-tuning efforts are undertaken to ensure maximum value delivery at plant scale. In a nutshell, we focus on delivering ‘solutions’ rather than ‘products’.

Why does your organisation pioneer the concept of open-sourcing of chemicals and on-site blending?
On-site blending is a leaner, better and more flexible approach to delivering grinding-aids and such chemical additives to remote cement factories.
Most legacy grinding aids (commercially available chemical additives typically supplied to cement producers) contain > 50 per cent water. Such high content of a low-value, high-volume ingredient, as water, leads to significantly higher costs associated with freight, duties and handling of pre-blended liquid solutions.
In addition, such pre-blended, ready-to-use chemical additives offer considerably diminished possibility of modifying concentration and formulation for different cement grades or for different objectives or for different process conditions.
The concept of on-site blending allows for a significantly improved model that involves:

Delivery of chemical components of grinding-aid formulations to the cement factories in concentrated form (zero to very low water content)
Addition of water on-site (at the cement factory)
On-site blending of chemical components and water using mixing tanks
Dosing of blended solutions into cement (or raw) mills

The above model allows for:

Reduced costs of freight, packaging and handling
Lower carbon footprint
Higher transparency
Greater flexibility in modifying products and formulations for mapping to different needs and objectives

What are the key factors of your products that help the cement industry reduce their carbon emission?
The most significant and primary contributor to CO2 and GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions during the cement manufacturing process is clinker production. Each tonne of clinker emits 800-890 kg of CO2 during the production process.
Clinker content in cements varies from 98 per cent in pure OPC (ordinary portland cement or pure cement) to 30 per cent in PSC (portland slag cement or blended slag cement).
Our grinding-aids and high-impact-strength-enhancers can help reduce clinker content in cement by 3 per cent to 10 per cent (depending on the compatibility and conditions). This reduction can therefore help lowering CO2 emissions between 30 kg to 80 kg per tonne of cement.
Assuming a total cement production of 400 million tonnes in India and about 4 billion tonnes worldwide, bespoke grinding aids with the right impact can help reduce carbon footprint by >10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in India alone and >100 million tonnes per annum worldwide.

What role does technology play in providing better solutions to your clients?
Technology underpins our entire approach to design, delivery, and deployment of solutions for cement producers. Designing of these products is undertaken at our cutting-edge research centre in Noida, where we focus on developing advanced and bespoke products for our customers. Our dedicated team of cement scientists, engineers and chemists are conducting >100 trials (lab and plant scale) every year, in the process developing an in-depth domain and technology know-how.
Further, the deployment of these products / solutions at the cement plants in an optimised manner involves extensive experience in cement manufacturing process as well as the know-how around interaction of various chemical additives with the regular input materials and cement plant equipment.

How can your product help in achieving cost efficiency in the cement manufacturing process?
Our products help cement manufacturers in achieving greater cost efficiency through one or more of the following ways.
a) Reducing clinker factor in blended cements: Clinker contributes most significantly to the variable cost of cement production. One tonne of clinker ranges between Rs 2,200 to 3,500 in variable costs. Our products can help reduce clinker content in blended cements by 3 per cent to 10 per cent without affecting the strength and quality of final cement. The more expensive clinker can be replaced with cheaper ingredients such as fly ash (Rs 400-1200 per tonne) and slag (Rs 600-1500 per tonne).
b) Reducing specific power consumption: Our grinding aids help increase cement mill throughput with the same power consumption, in turn delivering reduced specific power consumption per tonne of cement. This helps reduce 2-3 KWH/tonne of cement production, leading to significant cost savings in the long run.
c) Replacement of expensive mineral gypsums with cheaper chemical / phospho gypsums: By increasing cement compressive strengths and accelerating setting times, our products allow for reducing / eliminating usage of mineral gypsums while increasing / replacing with chemical / phosphor gypsums that are much cheaper.

What are the major challenges you face while providing solutions to the Indian cement industry?

Remote locations of the cement plant sites: Involves extensive travel by our team and
associated hardships.
Constantly changing quality of input materials, leading to a possible change in impact of our products and subsequent modification of the formulations to keep aligned with the objectives of the customer.
Ever evolving needs of the customers: Strategic objectives keep changing and it is imperative for us to keep evolving with the needs of the customers.
Cost-value trade-off: Not all cement plants have a direct use case of deployment of premium chemical additives. In such instances we have to ensure that the trade-off between cost and value delivery is appropriately balanced.

Tell us about ongoing innovations and research that the Indian Cement industry can look forward to?
One of the most significant research exercises that we are undertaking currently is development of high impact chemical additives, which would eventually help reduce clinker factor by up to 15 per cent in certain blended cements (such as PSC and PCC) without any reduction in final cement quality. The work is being undertaken not just for the Indian cement industry but for the global industry and we are keen on taking these solutions to our
clients worldwide.

How do you envision your contribution to the cement industry in the years to come?
We envision ourselves as a significant player in the cement manufacturing ecosystem, where all stakeholders would aggressively work towards a more sustainable and carbon neutral industry. Our products, solutions and approach will help the cement industry in producing leaner, greener and better cements, sustainably.
As the limestone reserves across the country face sustained pressure in terms of both life of the deposits as well as the quality of limestone being mined, there would be an ever-increasing role that we would need to play in deriving more cements with limited resources. Sustainability in cement production would be driven by increasing usage and deployment of chemical additives.
Additionally, pressure on cement producers will continue to grow exponentially to reduce their CO2 and GHG emissions. This in turn, would also enhance the potential contribution of our products and solutions in the ecosystem.

-Kanika Mathur

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Concrete

Cement Makers Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Published

5 hours ago

June 5, 2026

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World Environment Day spotlight on innovation and circularity

On World Environment Day, the Indian cement industry reiterated its commitment to supporting India’s climate ambitions through sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and the adoption of cleaner technologies.

The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) said the sector remains aligned with the Government of India’s Net Zero commitments and is accelerating efforts to reduce its environmental footprint while supporting the country’s infrastructure and development agenda.

Parth Jindal, President, CMA and Managing Director, JSW Cement, said the industry is increasingly adopting cleaner technologies, improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of alternative fuels and raw materials. He also highlighted the growing importance of circular economy practices, where industrial by-products and waste streams from one sector are utilised as resources in another.

“The Indian Cement Industry is aligned to the Government’s commitments on carbon mitigation and is accelerating the adoption of cleaner technologies, resource efficiency and circular economy practices while actively exploring the potential of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a critical pathway for deep decarbonisation,” said Jindal.

He added that coprocessing industrial waste and by-products helps conserve natural resources, reduce disposal requirements and lower the environmental footprint across multiple sectors.

According to Jindal, sustainability is no longer limited to manufacturing processes but is increasingly influencing investment decisions, innovation strategies and long-term growth plans within the industry.

Echoing similar views, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Vice President, CMA and Managing Director, JK Cement, said sustainable development extends beyond emissions reduction and must also focus on responsible resource utilisation and waste minimisation.

“Sustainability in the built environment cannot be measured by emissions alone. It is equally about how efficiently we use resources, how effectively we minimise waste and how responsibly we create the infrastructure that will serve future generations,” said Singhania.

He noted that the cement industry is advancing its sustainability agenda through greater resource efficiency, increased circularity, technological innovation and continuous improvements in manufacturing practices. As a key contributor to India’s infrastructure development, the sector has a critical role to play in balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, industry leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting India’s climate goals while delivering the materials required for resilient, durable and sustainable infrastructure.

Concrete

Building a Greener Future Together

Published

24 hours ago

June 4, 2026

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Environmental sustainability requires immediate action, not just long-term commitments and discussions. Recycling, circular economy practices, and technology-driven waste management can help industries reduce environmental impact while supporting sustainable growth.

Author: Jignesh Kundaria, Director and CEO, Fornnax Technology

World Environment Day serves as an important reminder that environmental sustainability can no longer remain confined to discussions, reports, or long-term commitments. The environmental challenges facing the world today demand immediate, measurable, and collective action. Across industries and communities, waste generation continues to outpace our ability to process it responsibly, placing increasing pressure on ecosystems, natural resources, public health, and the well-being of future generations.

One of the most significant shifts required today is a change in how society perceives waste. Rather than being viewed as a material to be discarded, waste must be recognised as a valuable resource that can contribute to both economic growth and environmental protection when managed through the right technologies and systems. This mindset forms the foundation of the circular economy model that countries across the world are increasingly adopting to reduce landfill dependence, recover valuable materials, and create more sustainable industrial ecosystems.

India has made meaningful progress in strengthening awareness around sustainability, recycling, and environmental responsibility over the past decade. Significant efforts are being made to formalise the recycling sector through improved infrastructure, technology adoption, policy implementation, and broader stakeholder participation. These developments are creating a stronger foundation for responsible waste management and resource recovery across the country.

However, achieving long-term environmental impact requires collaboration from all stakeholders. Industries, policymakers, technology providers, and communities must work together with greater accountability to strengthen recycling ecosystems, encourage responsible waste management practices, and create sustainable outcomes through consistent execution rather than temporary interventions.

As someone closely associated with the recycling industry, I firmly believe that technology will play a decisive role in addressing future environmental challenges. Advanced recycling systems have the potential to recover valuable resources, reduce pollution, minimise landfill burdens, and conserve energy, creating a more sustainable future for generations to come. This belief is deeply reflected in Fornnax’s motto, “Committed to Create a Green Future,” which embodies our commitment to building long-term environmental value through innovation and responsible action.

At the same time, technology alone cannot deliver meaningful change. Real progress requires intent, awareness, participation, and a shared sense of responsibility. Sustainable development can only be achieved when innovation is supported by collective action and a genuine commitment to environmental stewardship.

On this World Environment Day, let us move beyond conversations and take meaningful steps towards creating a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable planet. By embracing innovation, strengthening recycling ecosystems, and acting responsibly today, we can create lasting environmental impact and secure a better future for generations to come.

Concrete

JK Lakshmi Advances LC3 Cement Expansion

Company highlights commercial production and research partnerships

Published

4 days ago

June 1, 2026

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The meeting reviewed progress in limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) technology and its commercial adoption in India’s cement sector, focusing on low-carbon alternatives to conventional binders. JK Lakshmi Cement noted that limestone calcined clay cement can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40 per cent compared with conventional cement and said this reduction supports industry decarbonisation. The company highlighted that it was among the first two cement manufacturers in India to move LC3 into commercial production after the Bureau of Indian Standards approved the technology as a cement standard.

Vinita Singhania said the transition of LC3 from research to commercial production reflected collaboration between industry, academia and international institutions. Maya Tissafi acknowledged JK Lakshmi Cement’s role in advancing LC3 adoption in India and its contribution in taking the technology from laboratory trials to commercial implementation. Both representatives underlined the growing relevance of sustainable construction materials as India expands infrastructure and urban development.

The meeting explored continued collaboration with Swiss research institutions such as EPFL, EMPA and ETH Zurich alongside Indian academic partners and development organisations. JK Lakshmi Cement has been associated with the LC3 initiative since 2014 and worked with EPFL, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, Development Alternatives and Technology and Action for Rural Advancement. The company conducted one of the earliest industrial trials of LC3 and recently announced commercial production of Green Pro LC3 cement from its Jaykaypuram plant in Rajasthan.

India remains the world’s second-largest cement producer and expansion of infrastructure, urbanisation and housing demand continue to support long-term sector growth, increasing interest in low-carbon technologies. The company reported an annual turnover of more than Rupees (Rs) 60 bn and current cement capacity of about 18 million (mn) tonnes (t) per annum, with a target of reaching 30 million (mn) tonnes (t) by 2030. Apart from grey cement, the company also makes ready-mix concrete, gypsum plaster, wall putty, primers, adhesives and fly ash blocks, and both sides concluded on the need for continued collaboration to develop sustainable construction solutions.