{"id":128444,"date":"2026-10-11T10:40:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T05:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=128444"},"modified":"2026-10-11T12:48:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T07:18:38","slug":"making-cement-greener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/making-cement-greener\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Cement Greener &#8211; Decarbonising India\u2019s Construction Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Cement Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India aims to become a developed country by 2047 and achieve <\/span><b>net-zero<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> emissions by <\/span><b>2070<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decarbonising the construction sector is essential to meeting both objectives, as <\/span><b>construction <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">depends heavily on <\/span><b>energy-intensive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> materials such as cement and steel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The construction sector accounts for an estimated <\/span><b>35\u201340%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, considering the broader built environment and its supply chains.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cement <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">alone contributes approximately 7\u201311% of global CO\u2082 emissions, making it one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>India\u2019s Cement Industry<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Overview<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is the <\/span><b>2nd-largest<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cement producer in the world, with an installed capacity of roughly 668 to 700 million tonnes per annum (<\/span><b>MTPA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cement became the dominant <\/span><b>construction binder<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> following the development of Portland cement in Britain in the 1820s.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its popularity stems from its versatility, availability, ease of use and relatively rapid strength development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Key facts:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Production volume<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Reached ~490 million metric tonnes in FY26, showing an 8.6% year-on-year growth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Demand drivers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Housing (accounting for about 65% of demand), commercial real estate, and large-scale public infrastructure projects like PM Gati Shakti.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Per capita consumption<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Roughly 280 to 290 kg per year, which is lower than the global average.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Core industry:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is designated as one of India&#8217;s eight core industries, carrying a weight of <\/span><b>5.37%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Index of Industrial Production (<\/span><b>IIP<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Regional distribution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> South India holds the largest share of installed capacity at approximately 32%.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Key limestone-rich states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Major cement companies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: UltraTech Cement (largest player in India with a market share of around 22%\u201328%); Adani Cement (Ambuja Cements &amp; ACC); Shree Cement, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Understanding Cement\u2019s Environmental Footprint<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Energy-intensive manufacturing:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Limestone <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is extracted through mining, often involving the removal of vegetation and topsoil. It is then mixed with clay and heated in kilns to approximately 1,450\u00b0C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditionally, coal, petroleum coke and natural gas have supplied the required heat. The high energy demand generates substantial emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Process emissions:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During <\/span><b>calcination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, limestone (calcium carbonate) decomposes into lime (calcium oxide) and carbon dioxide. This chemical reaction releases CO\u2082 independently of the fuel used.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The resulting material is processed into clinker, which is ground with gypsum and, depending on the cement type, other supplementary materials.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Wider environmental impacts:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cement&#8217;s environmental footprint extends<\/span><b> beyond factory <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emissions and includes &#8211;<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Land degradation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Limestone mining can destroy vegetation, disturb habitats and alter landscapes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Air pollution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Manufacturing releases nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter, affecting air quality and human health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Transportation emissions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Moving raw materials and finished cement over long distances adds to the carbon footprint.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Loss of carbon sinks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Deforestation and vegetation loss reduce natural carbon sequestration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Resource depletion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Intensive extraction places pressure on mineral resources and local ecosystems.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, a <\/span><b>life-cycle approach<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is necessary to assess the environmental costs of cement production, transportation, construction and subsequent building use.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>India\u2019s Cement Decarbonisation Challenge<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India&#8217;s cement industry emits approximately 0.62 tonnes of <\/span><b>CO\u2082<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> per tonne of cement. A decarbonisation roadmap must identify the following targets &#8211;<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduce emissions intensity to 0.56 tonnes of CO\u2082 per tonne of cement by 2030.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further reduce it to 0.51 tonnes by 2047.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, cement production is projected to increase to 1,546 million tonnes by 2070, reflecting India&#8217;s expanding infrastructure and urbanisation needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This creates a <\/span><b>major policy challenge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; reducing emissions intensity while preventing rising production volumes from undermining absolute emission reductions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Existing and Proposed Solutions<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cleaner fuels and energy:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrification, renewable energy and alternative fuels can reduce dependence on fossil fuels in cement manufacturing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Refuse-derived fuel (<\/span><b>RDF<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), produced by processing combustible fractions of municipal solid waste, can partially replace coal and petroleum coke in cement kilns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>NITI Aayog&#8217;s roadmap<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> recommends achieving a 20% thermal substitution rate using RDF by 2030, potentially reducing cumulative emissions by approximately 80 million tonnes of CO\u2082-equivalent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, this requires effective <\/span><b>waste segregation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at source, reliable waste-processing infrastructure and quality control.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reducing clinker content:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India&#8217;s clinker-to-cement ratio is around 67.5%, already below the global average of 77%, but further reductions remain possible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Builders often prefer <\/span><b>Ordinary Portland Cement <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(OPC contains more than 95% clinker), because of its established performance and faster early-strength development.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Replacing a portion of clinker with supplementary cementitious (gypsum and fly ash) materials can substantially reduce emissions (Replacing one tonne of clinker can avoid approximately 0.83 tonnes of CO\u2082 emissions &#8211; IEA).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Green cement adoption<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can be encouraged through government procurement, revised construction specifications, performance-based standards and awareness among developers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cement cannot be fully decarbonised through fuel substitution alone because calcination generates process emissions. CCUS may therefore be necessary to address residual emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, its large-scale deployment will require technological improvements, investment, suitable transport and storage infrastructure, and effective monitoring.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sustainable building design:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reducing cement demand through better architectural planning can complement cleaner manufacturing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Climate-responsive buildings<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that minimise heat gain and heat storage can reduce cooling requirements and operational energy consumption.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Traditional Material and Indigenous Construction<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India&#8217;s diverse climatic and geographical conditions have produced construction techniques that can <\/span><b>reduce dependence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on conventional cement-based systems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>For example,<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Compressed earth blocks and rammed earth<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Used in parts of southern India, often with small quantities of cement or lime.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Lime-surkhi mortar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Combines lime with finely powdered burnt clay or brick material.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Natural binders:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cactus-derived mucilage, lime and mud, and certain industrial by-products such as marble powder can be explored in suitable applications.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Kath Kuni architecture<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Traditional Himachal Pradesh construction uses alternating timber and dry-stone masonry, often supported by a raised stone plinth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Elevated timber and bamboo houses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Found in flood-prone and earthquake-prone regions, particularly parts of northeastern India.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These methods can offer locally appropriate, resource-efficient solutions. However, they are not universally suitable and may require <\/span><b>adaptation <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to meet modern requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The objective should be to reduce cement use wherever technically appropriate, rather than eliminate it indiscriminately.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthen circular economy practices<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Improve waste segregation and utilise suitable industrial by-products, including fly ash and slag (Example, <\/span><b>PPC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>PSC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improve regulatory and market incentives<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Encourage low-carbon building codes, green public infrastructure and transparent disclosure of embodied carbon.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Balance sustainability with affordability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Ensuring that low-carbon materials remain accessible and using cement more efficiently.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressreader.com\/india\/the-hindu-international-9bn2\/20261008\/281925959963021?srsltid=AU7gw4XoDLynWUfEuB9bdLaLOHCaZacUAM4MhxqXSVFepqz3zSP6RJdb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>TH<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cement alone contributes approximately 7\u201311% of global CO\u2082 emissions, making it one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":128477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[10802,60,22,59],"class_list":["post-128444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-cement","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128444"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128471,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128444\/revisions\/128471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}