India launched first cluster of CCU testbeds for cement industry

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.

A press statement issued by the DST read: “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.”

Advertisement

The CCU technology is crucial for the reduction of emissions from carbon-intensive industries, including Cement, Steel, Power, Oil and Natural Gas, and Chemicals & Fertilizers. If adopted, it has the potential to trap carbon dioxide from industrial processes and convert it into a high-value product such as synthetic fuels, urea, soda, ash, chemicals, food-grade CO2, or concrete aggregates.

The Energy and Sustainable Technology Division of the Department called for collaborative Academia-Industry proposals to deploy CCU technology to decarbonise the Cement Industry, a hard-to-abate sector. The Potential of Public Private Partnership (PPP) funding model was tapped for expanding industrial setups with combined units that can trap and perform both the function, carbon capture and its utilisation.

DST-approved five CCU testbeds will be established in Academia-Industry collaboration to foster research and development efforts. In this partnership, the premier research laboratories will act as knowledge partners, and top Cement companies will serve as the industry partner.

The grants for Cement Test beds were announced and handed over to the teams by the Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on this year’s National Technology Day celebrations held on May 11.

Highlighting the move, the department stated, “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.”

The test beds are expected to make the cement industry sustainable through continuous research and innovation, enabling the development of innovative catalysts, materials, electrolyser technology, reactors, and electronics. Thus bringing down the cost of green cement manufacture.

The programme organised at Ambedkar International Centre, Delhi was attended by  DBT Secretary Rajesh Gokhale, Co-Founder HCL, Ajai Choudhary, and a few other heads of scientific bodies within the Ministry.

The approved test beds have been set up in five different states and UTs, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and lastly in Goa, with the pilot in the Ballabgarh district of Haryana.