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Achieving Net Zero is an inspiring challenge

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Jayaram S Reddy, CMD, Promac India delves into their pioneering technologies, sustainability initiatives and their role in driving decarbonisation within the cement industry while aligning with the Net Zero mission.

Your collaboration has been long-standing. How has it impacted EPC solutions, and what has been its broader impact on the cement industry?
Our collaboration began in 1987, making it nearly 35 years of a productive partnership. This long-standing relationship has allowed us to bring world-class, cutting-edge technologies to Indian projects as well as international markets. By manufacturing all our equipment in India, in alignment with the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, we ensure that our solutions are both technologically advanced and cost-effective. This has not only benefited Indian customers but has also supported our exports to regions like the Middle East and Africa, providing these markets with affordable yet state-of-the-art equipment.
Our collaboration has had a transformative impact on the cement industry by offering efficient, reliable, and sustainable solutions. This partnership ensures that our clients access innovative and economically viable technology, improving their operations while contributing to global industrial advancements.

Could you highlight any specific features of the bioprocessing units you offer and explain how they benefit the cement industry, particularly in the context of decarbonisation?
Decarbonisation in the cement industry can be achieved through several approaches, with the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels being the most effective. Our bioprocessing solutions, such as the Taiheiyo Thermal Reactor (TTR), play a crucial role in this process. The TTR technology allows for the efficient use of alternative fuels, such as waste materials from other industries with calorific value. These fuels, including plastics, paper waste, and Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), are gassified in the TTR to harness their energy potential.
This process not only substitutes traditional fossil fuels like coal, oil, or natural gas but also optimises the burning conditions in the pyroprocessing unit. By reducing fossil fuel dependency and utilising waste, the TTR significantly aids in decarbonisation efforts while ensuring process efficiency.

How does your technology adapt to the evolving use of alternative fuels and raw materials in the cement industry?
Our TTR technology is designed with inbuilt adaptability, making it compatible with various types of alternative fuels. Whether it’s plastics, paper waste, or RDF, the system efficiently handles these materials. A key advantage of the TTR is its ability to pre-dry these fuels, enhancing their calorific value before they enter the pyroprocessing stage.
This flexibility ensures that cement plants can effectively transition to new fuel sources as they become available, maintaining operational efficiency and environmental compliance. The adaptability of our system helps clients respond to the evolving demands of the industry while continuing to prioritise sustainability.

What contributions do vertical roller mills and triangle mills make to energy and production efficiency?
Vertical roller mills (VRMs) serve two critical purposes in cement production. First, they efficiently grind materials, reducing large lumps of raw material into the fine powder necessary for processing. Second, they handle materials with high moisture content, drying them during the grinding process. This capability is particularly advantageous in regions with high rainfall or during the monsoon season, where raw materials often have elevated moisture levels. Compared to traditional ball mills, VRMs are significantly more energy-efficient, reducing power consumption while maintaining high productivity. This dual functionality—grinding and drying—makes VRMs an indispensable tool for improving both energy and production efficiency in cement plants.

Could you elaborate on your sustainability initiatives, particularly those contributing to the Net Zero mission?
Sustainability is central to our operations, and we address it through multiple avenues. One of our primary efforts is the use of alternative fuels to replace conventional fossil fuels. Additionally, we focus on minimising fuel consumption in our pyroprocessing systems through highly efficient designs for cyclones, calciners, and combustion systems.
Our vertical roller mills contribute by enhancing grinding and drying efficiency, reducing overall energy consumption. Moreover, our efforts to optimise the clinker-to-cement ratio include integrating supplementary materials like fly ash and slag, which reduces the reliance on raw clinker. These measures collectively help us align with the Net Zero mission by decreasing energy use, emissions, and natural resource consumption.

What makes Tahiyo Engineering’s designs and technologies unique compared to your competitors?
The primary differentiator is that Taiheiyo Engineering is part of Taiheiyo Cement, Japan’s largest cement company. This affiliation gives us a unique perspective, allowing us to develop technologies tailored to the specific needs and goals of cement producers. Our solutions are not only innovative but also practical, as they are tested extensively in our own plants before being offered to the market.
This approach ensures that every technology we provide is proven, reliable, and effective, giving customers confidence in its performance. Unlike traditional equipment manufacturers, we prioritise client needs, offering customised solutions instead of generic products.

What are your individual perspectives on the Net Zero mission and the innovations required to achieve it?
Achieving Net Zero is an inspiring challenge, particularly for foundational industries like cement, steel and power. As one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions, the cement industry is focused on reducing its environmental impact through various measures. These include improving the raw material-to-clinker ratio, using industrial by-products like fly ash and slag, and adopting alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels.
From our perspective, innovations like the Taiheiyo Thermal Reactor (TTR), which enhances the use of alternative fuels, and ongoing developments in carbon capture and clinker factor reduction technologies are essential. By rigorously testing these technologies in our plants before market deployment, we ensure their efficacy and contribute meaningfully to the industry’s decarbonisation efforts.

– Kanika Mathur

Concrete

India Sets Up First Carbon Capture Testbeds for Cement Industry

Five CCU testbeds launched to decarbonise cement production

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The Department of Science and Technology (DST) recently unveiled a pioneering national initiative: five Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbeds in the cement sector, forming a first-of-its-kind research and innovation cluster to combat industrial carbon emissions.
This is a significant step towards India’s Climate Action for fostering National Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets and to achieve net zero decarbonisation pathways for Industry Transition., towards the Government’s goal to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2070.
Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) holds significant importance in hard-to-abate sectors like Cement, Steel, Power, Oil &Natural Gas, Chemicals & Fertilizers in reducing emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes and converting it to value add products such as synthetic fuels, Urea, Soda, Ash, chemicals, food grade CO2 or concrete aggregates. CCU provides a feasible pathway for these tough to decarbonise industries to lower their carbon footprint and move towards achieving Net Zero Goals while continuing their operations efficiently. DST has taken major strides in fostering R&D in the CCUS domain.
Concrete is vital for India’s economy and the Cement industry being one of the main hard-to-abate sectors, is committed to align with the national decarbonisation commitments. New technologies to decarbonise emission intensity of the cement sector would play a key role in achieving of national net zero targets.
Recognizing the critical need for decarbonising the Cement sector, the Energy and Sustainable Technology (CEST) Division of Department launched a unique call for mobilising Academia-Industry Consortia proposals for deployment of Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) in Cement Sector. This Special call envisaged to develop and deploy innovative CCU Test bed in Cement Sector with thrust on Developing CO2 capture + CO2 Utilisation integrated unit in an Industrial set up through an innovative Public Private Partnership (PPP) funding model.
As a unique initiative and one of its first kind in India, DST has approved setting up of five CCU testbeds for translational R&D, to be set up in Academia-Industry collaboration under this significant initiative of DST in PPP mode, engaging with premier research laboratories as knowledge partners and top Cement companies as the industry partner.
On the occasion of National Technology Day celebrations, on May 11, 2025 the 5 CCU Cement Test beds were announced and grants had been handed over to the Test bed teams by the Chief Guest, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in the presence of Secretary DST Prof. Abhay Karandikar.
The five testbeds are not just academic experiments — they are collaborative industrial pilot projects bringing together India’s top research institutions and leading cement manufacturers under a unique Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Each testbed addresses a different facet of CCU, from cutting-edge catalysis to vacuum-based gas separation.
The outcomes of this innovative initiative will not only showcase the pathways of decarbonisation towards Net zero goals through CCU route in cement sector, but should also be a critical confidence building measure for potential stakeholders to uptake the deployed CCU technology for further scale up and commercialisation.
It is envisioned that through continuous research and innovation under these test beds in developing innovative catalysts, materials, electrolyser technology, reactors, and electronics, the cost of Green Cement via the deployed CCU technology in Cement Sector may considerably be made more sustainable.
Secretary DBT Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Dr Ajai Choudhary, Co-Founder HCL, Dr. Rajesh Pathak, Secretary, TDB, Dr Anita Gupta Head CEST, DST and Dr Neelima Alam, Associate Head, DST were also present at the programme organized at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

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Concrete

JK Lakshmi Adopts EVs to Cut Emissions in Logistics

Electric vehicles deployed between JK Puram and Kalol units

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JK Lakshmi Cement, a key player in the Indian cement industry, has announced the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in its logistics operations. This move, made in partnership with SwitchLabs Automobiles, will see EVs transporting goods between the JK Puram Plant in Sirohi, Rajasthan, and the Kalol Grinding Unit in Gujarat.
The announcement follows a successful pilot project that showcased measurable reductions in carbon emissions while maintaining efficiency. Building on this, the company is scaling up EV integration to enhance sustainability across its supply chain.
“Sustainability is integral to our vision at JK Lakshmi Cement. Our collaboration with SwitchLabs Automobiles reflects our continued focus on driving innovation in our logistics operations while taking responsibility for our environmental footprint. This initiative positions us as a leader in transforming the cement sector’s logistics landscape,” said Arun Shukla, President & Director, JK Lakshmi Cement.
This deployment marks a significant step in aligning with India’s push for greener transport infrastructure. By embracing clean mobility, JK Lakshmi Cement is setting an example for the industry, demonstrating that environmental responsibility can go hand in hand with operational efficiency.
The company continues to embed sustainability into its operations as part of a broader goal to reduce its carbon footprint. This initiative adds to its vision of building a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
JK Lakshmi Cement, part of the 135-year-old JK Organisation, began operations in 1982 and has grown to become a recognised name in Indian cement. With a presence across Northern, Western, and Eastern India, the company has a cement capacity of 16.5 MTPA, with a target to reach 30 MT by 2030. Its product range includes ready-mix concrete, gypsum plaster, wall putty, and autoclaved aerated fly ash blocks.

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Concrete

Holcim UK drives sustainable construction

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Holcim UK has released a report titled ‘Making Sustainable Construction a Reality,’ outlining its five-fold commitment to a greener future. The company aims to focus on decarbonisation, circular economy principles, smarter building methods, community engagement, and integrating nature. Based on a survey of 2,000 people, only 41 per cent felt urban spaces in the UK are sustainably built. A significant majority (82 per cent) advocated for more green spaces, 69 per cent called for government leadership in sustainability, and 54 per cent saw businesses as key players. Additionally, 80 per cent of respondents stressed the need for greater transparency from companies regarding their environmental practices.

Image source:holcim

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