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Raj Bagri, CEO, Kapture, discusses the role of technology in decarbonising cement production.

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) can fast track zero emission goals of the cement sector, provided it is made scalable and cost-effective. In this insightful conversation, Raj Bagri, a climate tech entrepreneur, shares how CCUS can transform the cement industry’s decarbonisation efforts. Additionally, she offers advice for innovators tackling emissions in hard-to-abate sectors.

How do you envision CCUS transforming the cement industry’s approach to carbon emissions?
CCUS can fundamentally transform the cement industry’s approach to decarbonising in a cost-effective way. CCUS can play a key role in decarbonising cement plants and generate byproducts that are low carbon alternatives to aggregate filler or Portland cement.

Kapture’s technology integrates CO2 sequestration into concrete. How scalable is this solution?
Kapture’s product could be used as a filler or Portland Cement replacement with no green premium. Kapture will be generating thousands of tonnes by 2030.

What unique challenges have you faced in retrofitting carbon capture technology to existing systems, and how have you overcome them?
Our primary challenge was designing a carbon capture system for diesel generators that operates without generating back pressure on the diesel engine. It took several years of R&D to develop a system that will not impact the performance.

How does Kapture’s innovation eliminate the green premium and make CCUS more accessible to the cement industry?
Kapture’s ability to eliminate the green premium is due to low-cost hardware and a low-cost carbon capture process. The byproduct can go directly into the cement and concrete production process without any post-processing required and with no green premium.

What role do you see for startups like yours in collaborating with major cement manufacturers to achieve meaningful carbon reductions?
Kapture can play a transformative role in helping accelerate the cement industry’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future by offering scalable, cost-effective solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing operations that can be scaled within the next few years.

How can the cement industry leverage CCUS to balance environmental impact with economic viability?
The cement industry can leverage CCUS to capture process and fuel emissions and by using byproducts to replace existing carbon intensive products like aggregate filler or Portland Cement.

As a diverse female leader in climate tech, what advice would you offer to other innovators looking to address emissions in hard-to-abate sectors like cement?
My advice to other innovators tackling emissions in hard-to-abate sectors like cement would be to focus on innovating, collaborating with partners and improving resilience. It is important to work with industry partners to understand the processes, challenges and economics. It is important to develop solutions that require no change to existing processes and with little to no green premium, ensuring solutions are scalable and affordable for the end user.

Concrete

Molecor Renews OCS Europe Certification Across Spanish Plants

Certification reinforces commitment to preventing microplastic pollution

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Molecor has renewed its OCS Europe certification for another year across all its production facilities in Spain under the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) voluntary initiative, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The renewal underlines the company’s continued focus on preventing the unintentional release of plastic particles during manufacturing, with particular attention to safeguarding marine ecosystems from microplastic pollution.

All Molecor plants in Spain have been compliant with OCS Europe standards for several years, implementing best practices designed to avoid pellet loss and the release of plastic particles during the production of PVC pipes and fittings. The OCS-based management system enables the company to maintain strict operational controls while aligning with evolving regulatory expectations on microplastic prevention.

The renewed certification also positions Molecor ahead of newly published European regulations. The company’s practices are aligned with Regulation (EU) 2025/2365, recently adopted by the European Parliament, which sets out requirements to prevent pellet loss and reduce microplastic pollution across industrial operations.

Extending its sustainability commitment beyond its own operations, Molecor is actively engaging its wider value chain by informing suppliers and customers of its participation in the OCS programme and encouraging responsible microplastic management practices. Through these efforts, the company contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14 ‘Life below water’, reinforcing its role as a responsible industrial manufacturer committed to environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.

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Concrete

Coforge Launches AI-Led Data Cosmos Analytics Platform

New cloud-native platform targets enterprise data modernisation and GenAI adoption

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Coforge Limited has recently announced the launch of Coforge Data Cosmos, an AI-enabled, cloud-native data engineering and advanced analytics platform aimed at helping enterprises convert fragmented data environments into intelligent, high-performance data ecosystems. The platform strengthens Coforge’s technology stack by introducing a foundational innovation layer that supports cloud-native, domain-specific solutions built on reusable blueprints, proprietary IP, accelerators, agentic components and industry-aligned capabilities.

Data Cosmos is designed to address persistent enterprise challenges such as data fragmentation, legacy modernisation, high operational costs, limited self-service analytics, lack of unified governance and the complexity of GenAI adoption. The platform is structured around five technology portfolios—Supernova, Nebula, Hypernova, Pulsar and Quasar—covering the full data transformation lifecycle, from legacy-to-cloud migration and governance to cloud-native data platforms, autonomous DataOps and scaled GenAI orchestration.

To accelerate speed-to-value, Coforge has introduced the Data Cosmos Toolkit, comprising over 55 IPs and accelerators and 38 AI agents powered by the Data Cosmos Engine. The platform also enables Galaxy solutions, which combine industry-specific data models with the core technology stack to deliver tailored solutions across sectors including BFS, insurance, travel, transportation and hospitality, healthcare, public sector and retail.

“With Data Cosmos, we are setting a new benchmark for how enterprises convert data complexity into competitive advantage,” said Deepak Manjarekar, Global Head – Data HBU, Coforge. “Our objective is to provide clients with a fast, adaptive and AI-ready data foundation from day one.”

Supported by a strong ecosystem of cloud and technology partners, Data Cosmos operates across multi-cloud and hybrid environments and is already being deployed in large-scale transformation programmes for global clients.

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Concrete

India, Sweden Launch Seven Low-Carbon Steel, Cement Projects

Joint studies to cut industrial emissions under LeadIT

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India and Sweden have announced seven joint projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the steel and cement sectors, with funding support from India’s Department of Science and Technology and the Swedish Energy Agency.

The initiatives, launched under the LeadIT Industry Transition Partnership, bring together major Indian companies including Tata Steel, JK Cement, Ambuja Cements, Jindal Steel and Power, and Prism Johnson, alongside Swedish technology firms such as Cemvision, Kanthal and Swerim. Leading Indian academic institutions, including IIT Bombay, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bhubaneswar and IIT Hyderabad, are also participating.

The projects will undertake pre-pilot feasibility studies on a range of low-carbon technologies. These include the use of hydrogen in steel rotary kilns, recycling steel slag for green cement production, and applying artificial intelligence to optimise concrete mix designs. Other studies will explore converting blast furnace carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for reuse and assessing electric heating solutions for steelmaking.

India’s steel sector currently accounts for about 10–12 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, while cement contributes nearly 6 per cent. Globally, heavy industry is responsible for roughly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes around one-third of total energy.

The collaboration aims to develop scalable, low-carbon industrial technologies that can support India’s net-zero emissions target by 2070. As part of the programme, Tata Steel and Cemvision will examine methods to convert steel slag into construction materials, creating a circular value chain for industrial byproducts.

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