India Launches First CCU Testbed Cluster to Cut Cement Industry Emissions

Under a large initiative aimed at lessening the carbon footprint of one of the country’s most polluting industries, the Government of India has launched five Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbeds dedicated to the cement sector. Revealed on National Technology Day, May 11, 2025, the initiative is led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and is India’s first independent CCU testbed cluster.

The testbeds are created under a Public-Private Partnership framework, working together with top-tier academic institutions and leading cement manufacturers. The goal: to pilot in a scalable way carbon capture technology close to industrial conditions and to accelerate the transition towards Net Zero by 2070.

Why It Matters

The cement industry is a hard-to-abate sector, with nearly 8% of global CO₂ emissions. As the world’s second-largest cement-producing nation, India views this as a war at the frontlines against climate change.CCU technology has the potential to significantly reduce emissions while generating new green products by capturing and recycling industrial CO₂.

The five testbeds target different CCU strategies ranging from catalysis and mineralization to vacuum swing adsorption. Each is jointly developed by an industry partner and an academic:

• Ballabhgarh, Haryana (JK Cement + NCCBM): Trapping 2 tonnes of CO₂ per day through oxygen-enhanced calcination, turning emissions into concrete blocks and olefins.
• IIT Kanpur + JSW Cement: Mineralizing CO₂ to solid carbonates a carbon-negative process.
• IIT Bombay + Dalmia Cement: Utilizing catalysts for CO₂ capture at a commercial cement plant.
• CSIR-IIP, IIT Tirupati, IISc + JSW Cement: Utilizing vacuum swing adsorption to isolate and recycle CO₂.
• IIT Madras & BITS Pilani, Goa + Ultratech Cement: Pilot-testing novel carbon-reduction processes with scope for industrial application elsewhere.

Broader Impact

This project is a model for industry-academia collaboration and provides the foundation for the scaling of CCU technologies throughout India’s industrial base. It also facilitates research in green cement, sustainable materials, and commercial CO₂ use aligning with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate pledges.