CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has been selected as one of the five locations in India to host a pioneering Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbed aimed at lower Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions within the cement sector, which constitutes roughly 7-8% of the country’s industrial carbon emissions, in a step towards the country’s 2070 net-zero target.
The testbed will be set up at Ultratech Cement’s Reddipalayam plant in Ariyalur district, with technical support from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Goa campus.
The initiative is part of a national programme spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to validate and demonstrate CCU technologies by capturing CO₂ emissions and convert it into value-added products like synthetic fuels, urea, soda ash, concrete aggregates, and food- grade CO₂.
The testbed to be set up at Reddipalayam test a new kiln burning system based on oxygen-enriched combustion, where the captured CO2 of up to 2 tonnes per day can be mineralised using concrete blocks, waste concrete fines, and concrete plant sludge.
Apart from Tamil Nadu, other CCU testbeds are being established in Chittorgarh in Rajasthan, Sundergarh and Rajganjpur in Odisha, and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh to test different technological solutions. In Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, JK Cement will collaborate with IIT Roorkee to trial oxygen-based calcination and convert captured CO2 into lightweight concrete products and olefins. In Sundergarh, Odisha, JSW Cement and IIT Kanpur will focus on solvent-based carbon capture and mineralisation using ICCM technology.
Meanwhile, in Rajgangpur, Odisha, Dalmia Cement will work with IIT Bombay to develop a water-based catalyst-driven process that converts CO₂ into formic acid and sodium bicarbonate. The Kurnool testbed in Andhra Pradesh will feature a Vacuum Swing Adsorption process developed by CSIR-IIP, IIT Tirupati, and IISc Bengaluru.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, these testbeds will not only help reduce carbon emissions but also generate valuable by-products such as synthetic fuels, formic acid, and sodium bicarbonate, offering both environmental and economic benefits. If successful, the technologies are expected to be scaled up and adapted for use in other high-emission sectors like power, steel, chemicals, and oil and gas.
Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said the DST was currently processing financial sanctions for the projects, and full-scale implementation is expected in the coming months.