In a significant step toward achieving its net-zero goals, India has launched its first cluster of Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbeds, aimed at decarbonizing the cement industry. This marks a major academia-industry collaboration facilitated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), under a special national initiative.
The initiative seeks to tackle direct CO©ü emissions from the cement sector, which is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the country after the power industry. Through a Special Call for Proposals, DST has invited consortium-based projects involving premier academic institutions and industrial partners. A key requirement is that industrial collaborators must contribute at least 25% of the total project cost in cash, reinforcing the public-private partnership model.
One of the flagship projects under this initiative will be hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). The institute is setting up India¡¯s first CCU testbed facility for sustainable concrete at its Thaiyur campus. The project, developed in collaboration with Schwing Stetter India, will focus on the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) sourced from construction and demolition waste to replace natural aggregates in structural-grade concrete.
Earlier this year, NITI Aayog also organized a national workshop titled ¡°Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in the Indian Cement Sector¡± at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The workshop brought together stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to explore technology pathways and policy frameworks for reducing CO©ü emissions in the cement sector.
With India¡¯s cement industry being the second-largest globally, such initiatives are seen as vital to meeting the nation¡¯s climate commitments, including the target of net-zero emissions by 2070.