The 14th Cement Expo and 9th Indian Cement Review Conference 2023, held at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, marked a significant milestone in the Indian cement industry’s pursuit of sustainability through technological innovation. With a theme centred on ‘Driving Sustainability Through Technology,’ the conference hosted thought-provoking discussions, panel sessions, and presentations, showcasing the industry’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge solutions. Here’s a special report.

In a landmark event at the prestigious Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, the 14th Cement Expo and 7th Indian Cement Review Conference 2023 unfolded a two-day symphony of innovation and collaboration. Inaugurated by Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), and Ali Emir Adiguzel, Founder and Director, World Cement Association, and Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST Construction Council (FCC), the conference aimed to propel the Indian cement industry into a sustainable future marked by technological advancements.
The 7th Indian Cement Review Conference 2023 served as a hub of ideas and discussions on technological innovations essential for the industry’s sustainability journey, focusing on the theme ‘Driving Sustainability Through Technology.’ In his welcome address, Padode said, “All the big players of the Indian cement industry are focussing on increasing their capacity, with an estimated projection of 200 million tonnes of fresh capacity to be added in the coming years. Emphasis is also laid on being the lowest-cost cement producer in India. In fiscal 2023, 30-32 MT (inclusive of grinding and integrated units) capacity addition is reportedly expected. Given that the higher input costs have moderated we could see capacity addition picking up pace in fiscal 2024 at over 30-32 MT leading up to the addition of 150 MT by fiscal 2027. Considering this speed of expansion, the tug of competition and a buoyant demand from infrastructure and housing segments, the Indian cement sector is poised to take a giant leap.”
Luminaries such as Dr Vibha Dhawan and Ali Emir Adiguzel expressed their confidence in the Indian cement industry’s commitment to ‘Driving Sustainability Through Technology.’
The event garnered support from esteemed entities like the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India (GoI).
Dr Dhawan addressed the issue of climate change: “Nearly two-third of infrastructure development in India is still pending. Cement and steel are materials that are required in bulk to support this kind of development. This gives an insight into a higher demand, leading to the need of higher production, which is an opportunity for cement manufacturers to grow their business and develop the nation.”
She added, “The unfortunate part of climate change is that it was established that a 1.5oC increase in temperature is acceptable as per norms, but that is slowly shifting to 2.5oC. Temperature above 52oC will not support human life. It will also impact biodiversity and climate change will bring along with itself a plethora of diseases known and unknown. The impact will not be uniform across the globe. Countries like ours will be impacted more as we are already affected by climate change.”
In his speech, Adiguzel said, “The power of Indian Cement industry goes beyond its sheer size. It is a catalyst for economic growth driving employment, investment and innovation, creating job opportunities directly or indirectly. The question is – are global Net Zero policies colliding with economic growth in India? Navigating the interplay between Net Zero policies, economic policies and emission targets in the cement industry is a global conversation.”
“India is a growing, emerging country witnessing a dramatic increase in cement demand that will continue for a foreseeable future. India will make the high production capacity increase in the world in the next 24 months with more than 100 million tonnes in capacity will be executed. However, it is a fact that cement production accounts for 7 per cent for global carbon emissions and we must be honest that there is no feasible technology to avoid carbon emission yet.
The path to sustainability demands innovation, collaboration and collective acknowledgement of the hurdles that lie ahead. Indian cement industry has been at the forefront of adapting sustainable practices,” he added.
Jaxay Shah, Chairperson, Quality Council of India, emphasised the dynamic nature of the cement industry at the event through a video message. He acknowledged the significance of the Cement Expo, highlighting its role as a testament to the industry’s adaptability. Shah stressed the importance of integrating ideas, best practices, and technology to shape the future of cement and construction.
Dr LP Singh, Director General, National Council for Cement and Building Material (NCB), emphasised the holistic definition of sustainability in cement and concrete, with the organisation working on every aspect to ensure future development while protecting the environment.
He explained, “If one searches for Climate Action Tracker and looks for India, the overall rating is highly insufficient. Our actions and policies are still not sufficient to achieve our targets. This tracker is essential to understand where India stands on a global scale in achieve its carbon reduction and sustainability goals. NCCBM is so closely associated with the Indian cement industry and we have observed that this industry is one of the best in the world for decarbonisation. Indian cement industry through research, AFR and technology is steadily moving towards its goals of achieving Net Zero by 2070 and this is a continuous effort and we need to aggressively work towards it.”
Kaustubh Phadke, India Head, Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), lauded the Indian cement sector as the most energy-efficient globally, reducing over 40 per cent of CO2 intensity at the national level. The industry aims to deliver Net Zero concrete by 2050, aligning with global sustainability goals.
“With respect to India, GCCA is working with TERI and CMA on developing an India specific roadmap to Net Zero for Indian Cement and Concrete sector highlighting the path towards Net Zero 2050 and scenario 2070. This roadmap will showcase various technological inputs and policy ask required by the sector form the government. It is a collaborative effort and support in terms of technology, policy and finance will be required to achieve our goals,” he elaborated.

Presenting Green Solutions
Global consultant Ulhas Parlikar presented a technical paper on ‘Circular Economy Practices in Cement Production’ emphasising the significance of embracing circular economy principles for a sustainable cement industry.
Dr SB Hegde, Prof Jain University & Visiting Professor Pennsylvania State University, USA, presented a paper on ‘Alternative Raw Materials and Supplementary Cementitious Materials’, in which he explained how waste from other industries can be repurposed as raw materials for the cement sector.
Dr Singh’s presentation was centred on the topic of ‘Role of CCUS in Decarbonising the Indian Cement Industry,’ wherein he focussed on the challenges faced and probably solutions for capturing, storing and utilising carbon.
Presentations were also made by partner companies such as Flender, Gebr. Pfeiffer, Loesche India, ATS Conveyors, TAIHEIYO Engineering Corporation, KHD Humboldt and ISGEC.

Engaging Panel Discussions

Driving sustainability: Challenges and opportunities in cement industry

The panel discussion explored collaboration, innovation and knowledge-sharing as essential drivers for a more sustainable future. Different aspects such as challenges and opportunities and emphasising the need for collective efforts were discussed.
Rustagi opined, “OPC is opted for as default. We don’t exercise our option of selecting the best suitable and best quality cement for a particular application. On the demand side, it’s important to give the value proposition for blended cement. We need to accelerate the pace at which the shift to blended cement is happening.”
“We have to emphasise on the reprocessing of RDF as currently we are getting raw MSW, which we shred and put in the kiln. In one of our plants, we have gone up to 30 per cent with substitution but beyond that it is difficult to sustain the kiln. When we separated inert and RDF fraction, we found 48 per cent ash content in that RDF. So, when you say you are feeding 20 tonnes of material to the kiln, 6-7 tonnes is ash and 5-6 tonnes is water. This is what deteriorates your combustion efficiency,” said Sameer Bharadwaj, Head Manufacturing Excellence, JK Cement.
“As a technology supplier, when we supply an equipment, we inform the customer on what is the CO2 emission level and the secondary way of doing energy savings. It is important to focus on secondary methods of energy efficiency such as renewable energy, electric vehicles and solar panels. Government needs to make the rules more stringent and only then can we meet our Net Zero target by 2070,” added Naveenthakrishna.
Elaborating on the above discussed points, Maheshwari added, “Net Zero targets cannot be achieved without the contribution of cement, steel and petrochemical industries. The Indian cement industry has reduced its carbon emissions by 40 per cent in the last two decades, and there’s a target to reduce 20 per cent more in the next 5-10 years. Additional factors that are helping reduce CO2 emissions are energy efficiency, shift from wet to dry kilns, use biomass as alternative fuel, green hydrogen etc.”

Alternative Materials and Technologies

This panel delved into exploring alternative materials and technologies for sustainable cement manufacturing. The discussion highlighted the importance of innovation in materials and processes to enhance sustainability.
Dr Mohapatra set the tone of the discussion with his observation: “During my tenure with NCCBM, 70 materials were inventorised from industrial waste, which can be successfully utilised in the cement industry as part replacement for the raw materials. Materials such as red mud which were refused 15 years ago are not only accepted today but have become a requirement now. Among industrial waste, certain materials are used as alternative fuel and others are used as raw materials, additives and supplementary materials. Although the cement industry is producing CO2, it is helping other industries by assimilating their wastes.”
“India is likely to reach 1500 mtpa in cement production. With the push from Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan in 2014, some plants have hit 30-40 per cent of thermal substitution rate (TSR). But that’s not the national average, which is still below 10 per cent. India will reach 25 per cent TSR by 2030. This is a quantum jump that we are looking at
and the industry has taken this responsibility very seriously. However, the aspiration is to have 50 per cent TSR by 2050. We can bring down the CO2 emissions from fuels by almost 60 per cent,” said Rao.
Pahuja added, “As far as low carbon cement is concerned, the Indian cement industry is already producing composite cement with clinker content of 45-50 per cent, and slag cement with clinker content of 35-40 per cent. Availability of slag is, however, a limitation. Development of LC3 is already underway, wherein utilisation of calcine clay and combination of limestone, with clinker factor coming down to as low as 40 per cent. Currently, the BIS has limited the clinker factor at 50 per cent. In a year or so, we will see low clinker, low carbon cement being produced in plants across the country.”
“As far as ultra fine grinding is concerned, yes, it is possible. We have a reference plant where we are able to grind fly ash, 100 per cent. We are also able to do the same with slag. We have a technology for LC3, too, which includes both flash calciner and kiln solution. Our degasifiers control the temperature within the circuits and also take care of the ash that’s generated due to alternative fuels. With so much construction work going on, there is demolition also that’s happening, which leads to concrete waste. This concrete waste can be recycled in our mills to separate cementitious materials, which can be sent back to cement plants or ready-mix concrete plants,” elaborated Khanna.

Revolutionising Cement Manufacturing: Technology and Automation

This panel revolved around the many tools of automation deployed by cement companies to make the manufacturing process more efficient and sustainable.
In his opening address, Ghawri pointed out: “The Indian cement industry is increasingly adopting Industry 4.0 technologies, through automation, AI and data analytics, to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance the product quality. It is important to maintain accuracy through process control and automation technology. Automation is also used to control the entire production flow, from raw material processing to finished product packaging.”
“We need to have a real-time tracking system to help convert inefficiencies into efficiencies. In order to control costs, we need a mechanism that can monitor the KPIs properly. We also need to figure out how to monitor and reduce the logistics costs by 35-40 per cent with the help of automation,” suggested Mohanty.
Jain said, “First and foremost, we are considering process automation to optimise the efficiency of the equipment, reduce downtime and improve reliability. And secondly, we would like to consider predictive maintenance instead of breakdown maintenance in order to manage the production process more efficiently.”
“Reliability is an issue that is not properly addressed in the industry and that needs to be rectified. Optimisation of the process and the interlinked aspects of production and finished product should also be looked at. While looking at the input process, it is important to have the right raw mix, which can be done with AI and ML. Similarly, energy efficiency during the clinkerisation process and the output quality can be improved with AI and ML,” added Aiyer.
Henrich opined, “It is important to focus on less downtime and optimisation of processes. Augmented reality (AR) can be used for the purpose of training and re-training. Every supplier installs equipment with a heavy instruction manual but the worker always starts with low level of information. AR can help in that. Also, camera systems, together with AI and ML, can be used to determine raw material and product quality.”
“We should leverage Internet of Things (IoT) as a technology. You can use it for three basic things – enhancing your supply chain, improving your quality and ensuring safety. Technologies like Digital Twin can help you replicate the process and simulate the equipment, allowing you to monitor and improve the process without having a downtime,” said Mathur.
Chordia observed, “There needs to a system akin to an auto pilot in the control room. With a tool such as our Ability Expert Optimizer, the controller is at a liberty to focus on data analytics. If human productivity is improved with such a system, it indirectly helps improve plant productivity, too. With advanced solutions, the use of alternative fuels should be increased in order to reduce carbon emissions.”

Future Trends and Innovations in Cement Industry: A Sustainability Outlook

This panel was devoted to crystal-ball gazing of innovations in the pipeline, and the areas of cement manufacturing that need sustainable solutions.
Kejriwal highlighted, “As we all are aware, there are two major issues that the cement industry is facing – one is the process-based emissions and the other is emissions from allied activities such as electricity consumption, logistics, etc. In terms of upcoming technologies, we are looking at carbon capture technology, which still has a long way to go. More innovations will be required to fully capture the CO2 that’s being emitted. We are already working on alternative raw materials but we need more work on electricity consumption. A combination of two or three such technological development will lead to reduction in CO2 emissions.”
Narwekar underscored certain key elements. He said, “There are 3-4 themes that stand out in future technology. One is carbon capture, utilisation and storage, wherein intent is there but a lot of investment is required. In a hard-to-abate industry like cement, capturing CO2 and what we do with it, is critical. Other themes that are coming up are alternative clinker production, clinker-fee binders, novel kiln technology, low carbon products, carbonation of concrete and geopolymer cement.”
“Speaking from the logistics point of view, since cement industry involves logistics movement of raw material and finished products, and that’s where carbon emissions matter. About 75 per cent of the current cement output is moved along the roadways. The rail coefficient is only 25 per cent. So, if you have to reduce CO2 emission for transportation of cement, you have to increase the rail coefficient to at least 50 per cent. Same is applicable for movement of raw materials,” said Garg.
Gupta spoke at length about the immediate challenges that the Indian cement industry needs to tackle with the help of technology. He said, “Carbon capture and storage is crucial but the technology is not fully developed and it also requires huge investment. So, we require support of technology suppliers as well as the government’s support. This is because capturing carbon, utilising it and storing it are three different aspects. There is still no clarity on how carbon can be utilised and by which industries. Carbon storage requires a huge infrastructure. CCUS is important as without it we cannot achieve Net Zero target by 2050. Another important factor is green energy. Holistically speaking, 20-25 per cent of energy used by the cement sector is sourced from non-fossil fuels. We clearly have a long way to go. We need to look at WHRS, solar energy, wind power, hydel power, composite power, etc. For instance, to use solar energy, we need batteries that require a huge investment. This is where we need government’s support or we need to find a technology supplier who can install a battery bank at lower cost. Apart from CCUS and green energy, circular economy is also a major part of this roadmap. In the Indian cement industry, TSR is 6-7 per cent only, and this is related to the volumes. Technology is available and we have to utilise it to scale up to 40 per cent and then to 80 per cent. We have to invest in R&D as it is an important factor in reducing carbon emissions.”

Conclusion
The 9th Indian Cement Review Conference set the stage for a transformative journey, steering the Indian cement industry from challenges to opportunities through technological advancements. As the industry focuses on sustainability, innovation, and global collaboration, the conference stands as a testament to the sector’s commitment to driving positive change and achieving net-zero targets.