The 18th NCB International Conference and Exhibition on Cement, Concrete and Building Materials was a melting pot of innovative ideas, designed to help the Indian cement sector achieve its Net Zero goals. The event witnessed participation from the varied stakeholders of the cement industry, from manufacturers and raw material providers to logistics partners and researchers. ICR presents a comprehensive event report.

The Yashobhoomi Convention Centre at IICC Dwarka, New Delhi, was the epicentre of innovation, cutting-edge technology and forward-looking ideas, as the 18th NCB International Conference & Exhibition on Cement, Concrete, and Building Materials, brought together though leaders, innovators, inventors and researchers under one roof, with the common intention of making cement carbon neutral. The Conference and Exhibition was organised by National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB), an apex R&D organisation under the administrative control of DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
As the Indian cement sector is speeding towards its Net Zero goals, industry stalwarts are working relentlessly on making its path smoother and more efficient. The event, regarded as the Maha Kumbh of Cement and Concrete Industry, was successfully organised from 27 – 29 November 2024 and offered knowledge-exchange and business opportunities to the participants and visitors alike with its conference, exhibition and awards function.
The conference was inaugurated by Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India in presence of Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT; Neeraj Akhoury, Chairman-NCB, President-Cement Manufacturers’ Association and MD-Shree Cement; and Mahendra Singhi, Member of Board of Directors and Strategic Advisor, Dalmia Cement (Bharat). The concurrently held Technical Exhibition with the conference was also inaugurated.
In his inaugural address, Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia Secretary-DPIIT complimented the Indian cement industry for being one of the best in the world in terms of energy efficiency and role played by cement industry in circular economy framework in our country.
Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT was the guest of honour on the occasion, requested cement industry to support startups working in the field of cement, concrete and building materials sector.
Akhoury and Singhi also addressed the gathering on achievements of Indian cement industry and challenges faced to achieve the target of Net Zero by 2070. Speaking on the occasion, Dr L P Singh, DG-NCB, highlighted the role of research and development in tackling the issues of Indian cement industry such as decarbonisation, circular economy and sustainability.
The conference saw participation of 1100+ delegates, 600+ visitors, 140+ students, 16 session keynote addresses, 155 oral presentations and 70 poster presentations of technical papers, 133 exhibitors including 09 startups and 204 exhibition stalls.

Industry sessions
There were plenary sessions on each day of the conference covering the following five presentations from industry stalwarts:

• ‘Carbon Conscious Concrete and Nanotechnology’ by Prof S P Shah, Presidential Distinguished Professor, University of Texas at Arlington, USA, Walter P Murphy, Professor (Emeritus) Northwestern University, USA
•  ‘‘Automated’ to ‘Autonomous’ Process for Cement Production: How Distant is the Destination?’ by Dr A K Chatterjee, Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering and Chairman-Conmat Technologies
•  ‘The role of cement hydration in decarbonising cement-based materials’ Professor Karen Scrivener, Professor and Head, Laboratory of Construction Materials, Department of Materials, Swiss Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
• ‘Binding the Future – From Calcined Clays to Extrusion’ by Professor Dr-Ing. Thomas Matschei, Chair of Building Materials, Institute of Building Materials Research, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
• ‘Innovation at Holcim, an industrial point of view about progressively tackling the challenges for cementitious materials players: reaching Zero CO emissions and Zero natural resources’ by Christophe Levy, Scientific Director, Holcim Innovation Centre, Lyon, France

The two panel discussions on contemporary topics like ‘Cementing the Net Zero by 2070: Leadership Perspectives from Indian Cement Industry’ and ‘Transforming Indian Standards to Performance Based Design of Concrete’ involving leaders of Indian Cement Industry and Industry, Research and Academic Experts were the highlight of the conference.

During the conference, NCB Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of Cement and Concrete Sector was conferred on Padma Shri Dr H C Visvesvaraya, Ex-CDG, NCB.

During the Conference, the following five NCB publications were released: Insert image 3

• Conference Souvenir
• Conference Proceedings
• 4th edition of Compendium
• Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials for Indian Cement Industry
• 7th edition of NCB Guide norms for cement plant operation
• During the conference, the following three Short Films made by the National Council for Cement and Building Materials were also released:
  • 200 Glorious Years of Cement and Concrete Construction Industry
  • NCB Corporate Video
  • NCB International Conferences – A Maha Kumbh of Cement and Concrete Industry

Collaborations for Growth
On the second day of the conference, two MOUs were signed for Research in the areas of De-Carbonisation and Application of Plasma Technologies in Cement Production. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between NCB and with GCCA, India for the promotion of Research in the area of de-carbonization of the Indian Cement Industry. The MoU was signed by Dr L P Singh (Director General-NCB) and Manoj Rustagi, Director-GCCA, India. This MoU will boost the ongoing efforts in making Indian Cement Industry ‘Net Zero’ by 2070.
Also, another MoU was signed between NCB and AIC-Plasmatech Innovation Foundation in the application of Thermal Plasma Torch Technology in Cement production. The MoU was signed by Dr Singh and Dr Nirav Jamnapara, Director-AIC Plasmatech. This MoU will explore the potential applications of Thermal Plasma Technologies in Cement Manufacturing Process.
The 18th NCB International Conference & Exhibition on Cement, Concrete, and Building Materials, concluded successfully on 29th November 2024. The valedictory session was chaired by Arti Bhatnagar, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. She complimented Indian cement industry for being water positive and plastic negative. She also presented the National Awards to the best participating cement plants in the field of energy excellence, improvement in energy performance, environment excellence, total quality excellence and achieving circular economy in integrated cement plants and energy and environment excellence in cement grinding units. These awards emanated from suggestion at the first NCB International Seminar in 1987, and at the insistence of Ministry of Industry, the scheme of National Award for Energy Efficiency was started from the year 1986-87.
Bhatnagar released the Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND), an Indian Certified Reference Material of Gypsum Standard produced by NCB in collaboration with NPL, NMI of India. The BND plays a pivotal role in fulfilling the ambitions of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ and will substitute the import of international CRM and help in saving foreign Exchange. Bhatnagar also visited the technical exhibition concurrently held with the conference and interacted with startups exhibiting in the conference.

Special Merit Certificates
Mahendra Singhi, Member of Board of Governors and Strategic Advisor, Dalmia Cement (Bharat), Guest of Honour on the occasion presented certificates to the papers of Special Merit presented during the conference. DG-NCB also informed that NCB will be quantifying the carbon footprint of the conference with the help of NCB incubated startup ‘Zero Cabon’ and will be offsetting the CO2 emissions.

Conclusion
The 18th NCB International Conference and Exhibition on Cement, Concrete, and Building Materials demonstrated the cement industry’s unwavering commitment to innovation, sustainability, and collaboration in achieving India’s Net Zero goals. Held at the state-of-the-art Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, the event brought together industry leaders, researchers, innovators, and policymakers to exchange knowledge and forge partnerships critical to the sector’s transformation. The conference not only celebrated the industry’s achievements but also set the stage for continued progress through technology, research, and policy alignment. By offsetting the carbon footprint of the event, the organisers underscored their commitment to environmental responsibility.
As the Indian cement industry continues its journey toward Net Zero by 2070, NCB’s International Conference and Exhibition will remain pivotal in driving collective action, inspiring innovation, and uniting stakeholders in the shared mission of sustainable growth and environmental stewardship.

Sr. No. List of Papers of Special Merit selected from
Poster Presentation
1. Sustainable Modernisation Solutions for Cement Plant Productivity Enhancement: Case Studies, Vikram Kancharidasu and Sitaram Sharma. Humboldt Wedag, India [P-219]
2. Adoptation of Technology to Enhance Refractory Life & Cost Optimisation, Vivekkumar V K, Shyamal Roy, Sanjeev Srivastava and Raju Goyal. UltraTech Cement [P-211]
3. Innovative Boiler Feed Water Treatment for Energy Conservation and Boiler Reliability inTPP/WHRS, Pawan Mathur, Sunil Shah and Raju Goyal. UltraTech Cement
4. Influence of Cement Grinding Temperature on Material Characteristics and Performance of Cement, A Kumar, D Sen, A K Rai and N Akhoury. Shree Cement [P-190]
5. Total Productivity Enhancement and Process Optimisation, Tanmoy Ghosal, Aditya cement works (UltraTech Cement) [P-271]
6. Exploring the Potential of Stubble Waste Biochar as Cementitious Composite for Sustainable Construction and Carbon Sequestration, Sarmad Rashid, Arpit Goyal, A B Danie Roy and Manpreet Singh. Thapar Institute of Engg. and Technology
7. Studies on Utilization of Industrial Waste for Carbon Capture, Varsha Liju, Diksha Rana, Gaurav Bhatnagar and S K Chaturvedi, National Council for Cement and Building Materials
8. Carbon Capture by Electrification of Calciner in the Cement Industry, Prateek Sharma, Ashish Gautam, Vinaykant and K P K Reddy. National Council for Cement and Building Materials [IP-26]
9. Durability Concerns in Alkali Activated Low Calcium Fly Ash: Influence of Sodium Content on Chloride Ion Penetration, Mude Hanumananaik and K V L Subramaniam. IIT-Hyderabad [P-202]
10. Influence of Green Reagent on Enhancing Recycled Aggregate Mortar Properties, Santha Kumar G, S K Singh, P K Saini. CSIR-Central Building Research Institute [P-114]

List of Recipients of National Awards for Indian Cement Industry

S. NO. Awards Plant Name
I. Awards for Energy Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants
1. Best Award for Energy Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants Sree Jayajothi Cements (100 per cent Subsidiary of My Home Group Industries), Nandyal, AP
2. Second Best Award for Energy Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants RCCPL, Maihar, Satna, MP
II. Awards for Improvement in Energy Performance in Integrated Cement Plants
1. Best Award for Improvement in Energy Performance in Integrated Cement Plants Dalmia Cement (Bharat), Belgaum Cement Plant, Karnataka
2. Second Best Award for Improvement in Energy Performance in Integrated Cement Plants UltraTech Cement, Nathdwara Cement Works, Sirohi, Rajasthan
III. Awards for Environment Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants
1. Best Award for Environment Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants UltraTech Cement, Andhra Pradesh Cement Works
2. Second Best Award for Environment Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants Dalmia Cement (Bharat), Belgaum Cement Plant
IV. Awards for Total Quality Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants
1. Best Award for Total Quality Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants M/s Shree Cement, Ras, Bangur City, Rajasthan
2. Second Best Award for Total Quality Excellence in Integrated Cement Plants M/s UltraTech Cement, Aditya Cement Works
V. Awards for Achieving Circular Economy in Integrated Cement Plants
1. Best Award for Achieving Circular Economy in Integrated Cement Plants UltraTech Cement, Reddipalayam Cement Works
2. Second Best Award for Achieving Circular Economy in Integrated Cement Plants UltraTech Cement, Rawan Cement Works
VI. Awards for Energy Excellence in Cement Grinding Units
1. Best Award for Energy Excellence in Cement Grinding Units UltraTech Cement, Arakkonam Cement Works
2. Second Best Award for Energy Excellence in Cement Grinding Units J K Cement Works, Jharli
VII. Awards for Environment Excellence in Cement Grinding Units
1. Best Award for Environment Excellence in Cement Grinding Units UltraTech Cement, Ginigera Cement Works
2. Second Best Award for Environment Excellence in Cement Grinding Units ACC, Madukkarai Cement Works

List of Orally Presented Papers selected as Papers of Special Merit in the Conference

Technical Session IA
Belite Calcium Sulfoaluminate Ferrite Cement: Synthesis, Performance Evaluation and Hydration Studies, K Suresh, Manish Kuchya, Mohan Medhe, Bhavik Patel and Raju Goyal. UltraTech Cement [P-225]
Technical Session IB
Maximizing Solid Alternative Fuel Quality by the A TEC Rocket Mill and A TEC Flash Dryer, S Kern. A TEC Production & Services GmbH, Austria [P-236]
Technical Session – I C
Effect of Period of Exposure to Fire on Mechanical Properties of TMT Bars, Brijesh Singh, Amit Trivedi, Amit Sagar, P N Ojha, Rohit Kumar and Amit Prakash. National Council for Cement and Building Materials [IP-1]
Technical Session IIA
Overcoming Barriers to Alternative Fuels in the Indian Cement Industry Technology and Solutions for Enhanced Thermal Substitution Rates, Kiranmai Sanagavarapu FLSmidth Cement A/S, Green Innovation [P-164]
Technical Session – II B
Energy-Efficient MVR Vertical Roller Mill Systems, Caroline Woywadt and Kunal Jain. Gebr. Pfeiffer SE, Germany & Gebr. Pfeiffer, Noida, India [P-107]
Technical Session – II C
Development of Activated Biochar and its Application in Concrete, Sahana C M and Souradeep Gupta. IISc Bangalore [P-251]
Technical Session IIIA
Mineral Carbonation of Artificial Lightweight Aggregates Developed from Municipal Solid Waste Incinerated Ashes Through Autoclaving Process, Humaira Athar, Deepika Saini, Kishor S Kulkarni, L P Singh, Usha Sharma, Srinivasarao Naik B and Madhusudhan Bolla. CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, National Council for Cement and Building Material and IIT-Roorkee [P-144]
Technical Session – III B
Raw Meal Beneficiation Silica Removal from Cement Raw Meal Resulting in LSF Increase, Farah Diab. Fives FCB, France [P-198]
Technical Session – III C
Comparison of Modulus of Elasticity for Structural Light Weight Concrete using Compressometer, Linear Variable Displacement Transducer and Extensometer, Brijesh Singh, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, S K Barai, P N Ojha, Rohit Kumar and Puneet Kaura. National Council for Cement and Building Materials and Birla Institute of Technology Pilani [IP-2]
Technical Session – IV A
Reactive Potential Assessment for Efficient Utilization of Fly Ash in Alkali-Activated and Cementitious Binders, G V P Bhagath Singh and Kolluru V L Subramaniam. SRM University-AP and IIT-Hyderabad [P-176]
Technical Session – IV B
Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning in Sustainable Cement Manufacturing, Amit Kumar Kanojia. Ambuja Cement India [P-110]
Technical Session – IV C
Roller Press Technology a boon for Existing Plants to Transform into Efficient and Greener Venkatesh Vanam, Prakash Patil and Ashok Kumar Dembla. Humboldt Wedag India, India [P-314]
Technical Session – V A
Energy Conservation and Condition Monitoring Through Innovative Ultrasound Technology, Pawan Mathur, Sunil Shah and Raju Goyal. UltraTech Cement [P-188]
Technical Session – V B
Engineered Special Pre-Cast Refractory
Solutions from Wahl-Fosbel for Critical Cement Plant Applications, Gilles Mercier and Dipankar Banerjee. Fosbel India / Wahl Refractory
Solutions [P-153]
Technical Session – V C
Influence of Mix Proportions on the Engineering Properties of One-Part Alkali-Activated Composite, S K Singh, Yasmeen Qureshi and Biswajit Pal. CSIR-Central Building Research Institute [P-148]
Technical Session – VI A
Why is Calcium Carbonate Required for LC3?, Anuj Parashar and Vineet Shah. Wiss, Janney Elstner Associates, Inc., USA & Callaghan Innovation, New Zealand [P-289]
Technical Session – VI B
7-Stage Preheater Working in Cement Industry: New Innovation, Sarada Yasarapu, Amar Kant Pandey, Dinesh Kumar and Manish Kumar Singh. Prism Johnson [P-221]
Technical Session – VI C
Delivering SCMs with Large-Scale Potential in the Context of the Indian Market, Lars Kuur. FLSmidth Cement, Denmark [P-182]
Technical Session – VII A
Successful Conversion of Electrostatic Precipitator into Bag Filters, Mansi Garg. Intensiv-Filter Himenviro Technology GmbH, Velbert, Germany [P-270]
Technical Session – VII B
Property Assessment During the Early Age Hydration of Alkali Activated Binders Using Embedded PZT Sensors, Murali Duddi1, Amarteja Kocherla and Kolluru V L Subramaniam. New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE and IIT Hyderabad [P-313]
Technical Session – VII C
Evaluation of Biochar as a Potential Additive in Concrete to Lower its Carbon Footprint, K S T Chopperla, R Akhil, K Bharadwaj, A Kumar, A K Jha and R Susmita. IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Delhi, IISc Bangalore, NIT Trichy and NIT Jamshedpur [P-296]