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

JK Lakshmi Cement to Expand EV Fleet to 120 Vehicles by March 2027

JK Lakshmi Cement has deployed more than 70 EVs across its logistics network.

Published

19 hours ago

October 30, 2026

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JK Lakshmi Cement has deployed more than 70 electric vehicles (EVs) across its logistics network and plans to increase the fleet to 120 vehicles by March 2027. The expansion is part of its decarbonisation strategy, which aims to reduce transport-related emissions and improve operational efficiency.

The company has achieved nearly 100 per cent EV-based clinker dispatches from its Sirohi plant in Rajasthan to the Kalol Grinding Unit in Gujarat. The transition marks an increased use of electric mobility for long-haul cement transportation and is intended to lower the environmental impact of logistics operations.

The existing fleet operates on routes connecting the Sirohi plant with the Kalol Grinding Unit, Palanpur Unit and Surat Grinding Unit. JK Lakshmi Cement is working with electric vehicle logistics providers SwitchLabs and Billion E to support fleet deployment and manage transportation requirements across these routes.

The company expects the planned expansion to increase the use of electric mobility throughout its logistics network for moving cement and clinker. Chairperson and Managing Director Vinita Singhania said the programme reflected the integration of sustainable practices with the company’s focus on long-term business efficiency, while describing the Sirohi–Kalol transition as an important step in its wider decarbonisation strategy.

The EV programme forms part of JK Lakshmi Cement’s green logistics and sustainability roadmap, alongside initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce emissions across its value chain. The company has set a long-term target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2047. It is part of the JK Organisation and operates integrated cement plants in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, along with grinding units in Gujarat, Haryana and Odisha. The company has an annual turnover of more than Rs. 60 bn, combined cement capacity of approximately 18 mn t per annum and a target to raise capacity to 30 mn t by 2030. Its portfolio includes ready-mix concrete, gypsum plaster, wall putty, primer, adhesives and fly ash blocks.

Concrete

Martin Engineering Appoints Ashwini Khunte as India General Manager

Published

1 day ago

October 30, 2026

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Martin Engineering names Ashwini Khunte India General Manager to strengthen operations and drive growth across key bulk material handling sectors.

Pune

Martin Engineering, a global provider of bulk material handling solutions, has appointed Ashwini Khunte as General Manager of its India business, strengthening its leadership as the company expands its presence across the country’s cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure sectors.

Khunte brings more than a decade of experience with Martin Engineering, having joined its Indian operations in 2013 as a Design Engineer, shortly after the company established its presence in the country in 2012.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, she spent her initial five years developing bulk material handling solutions in collaboration with the company’s operations team. During this period, she gained extensive experience addressing operational challenges in the steel, cement and coal industries. She subsequently moved into project engineering, managing major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) projects from initial enquiry to commissioning. Her responsibilities later expanded to overseeing Martin Engineering’s conveyor product portfolio in India, involving customer engagement, technical presentations and site visits across heavy industries.

In 2024, Khunte was promoted to Head of Sales & Marketing for the company’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) region. The position broadened her international market exposure and strengthened her strategic and commercial leadership capabilities.

Commenting on her appointment, Ashwini Khunte, General Manager, Martin Engineering India, said: “India represents a tremendous opportunity for Martin Engineering. The country’s continued investment in cement, mining, steel, power and infrastructure is creating increasing demand for safer, cleaner and more productive bulk material handling, and that’s exactly what we do. My priority will be to build on the strong foundations already established in India, while continuing to develop our people, strengthen customer relationships and bring practical solutions to the challenges faced by our industry.”

Robert Whetstone, Area Vice President – EMEAI, Martin Engineering, highlighted Khunte’s technical expertise, market understanding and leadership experience.

“Ashwini brings an exceptional combination of technical understanding, customer knowledge and commercial leadership. She has grown as Martin Engineering has grown, and has consistently demonstrated outstanding capability to transform her expertise into practical solutions. Her knowledge of the Indian market, together with her international experience, makes her ideally suited to lead our India business through its next stage of growth for years to come.”

Since establishing its Indian business in 2012, Martin Engineering has expanded its local workforce, manufacturing capabilities and dealership network. The company supplies conveyor products, transfer point solutions, material flow aids, training and technical support to bulk material handling industries. Khunte’s appointment positions the company to further strengthen customer relationships and expand its solutions portfolio in India’s growing industrial and infrastructure markets.

Concrete

CII Calls for Greater Alternative Fuel Use in Cement Industry

Published

2 days 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.