Parliament Question: Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbeds

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 663 ANSWERED ON 23/07/2025 CARBON CAPTURE AND UTILISATION (CCU) TESTBEDS

663. SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA:

DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a) the objectives and significance of establishing five CCU testbeds in the cement sector and manner in which this initiative supports India’s net-zero target by 2070;

(b) the details of institutions and industry partners involved in the CCU testbeds and the distinct technological solutions being developed at each site; and

(c) the expected impact of these CCU testbeds on CO₂ reduction in the cement industry and their potential for scaling to other hard-to-abate sectors? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH) विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी तथा पथ्ृ िी विज्ञान मंत्रालय के राज्य मंत्री (स्ितंत्र प्रभार) (डॉ. जितेंद्र स हं )

(a) The Department of Science & Technology (DST) is in the process of considering the recommendation of the Expert Panel for five Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) testbeds in the Cement sector in different parts of the country. The objectives of these CCU testbeds are to capture Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emission from cement manufacturing and convert it into value-added products like synthetic fuels, urea, soda ash, concrete aggregates, and food- grade CO₂. These testbeds are going to act as a platform for validating and demonstrating CCU technologies at small scale in real industrial settings through Industry-Academia collaborations. This initiative has significant relevance to enable Industrial decarbonisation in the country with special focus on emissions-intensive sectors like Cement by promoting circular carbon economy, thereby aligning well with India’s overarching target of net-zero by

2070.

(b) The Expert Panel constituted by DST has recommended five CCU testbeds, and the Department is in the process of considering the recommendations of the Expert Panel for further processing and financial sanctions. The site-wise details of Institutions and Industry partners involved Page 1 of 3in these recommended CCU testbeds along with proposed technological solutions to be deployed, are given below:

Sl. Site location Institutions Industry Technological Solutions No. Partner

1. Chittorgarh, National Council for JK Oxygen-based Calcination Rajasthan Cement and Building Cement to capture 2 TPD (Tonnes Material, Ballabhgarh Limited Per Day) of CO and its 2 and Indian Institute utilization (0.4 TPD) in of Technology, lightweight concrete Roorkee products and olefins.

2. Sundergarh, Indian Institute of JSW Carbon-negative using Odisha Technology, Kanpur Cement solvent-based carbon Limited capture technology at a scale of 1 TPD and utilizing captured CO for 2 mineralisation into concrete using ICCM (Integrated Carbon Capture and Mineralization) technology

3. Rajganjpur, Indian Institute of Dalmia Water-based Odisha Technology Bombay, Cement catalyst‑driven CO 2 Mumbai (Bharat) capture process, at a Ltd. scale of 2 TPD, designed for integration within a live cement plant, enabling conversion of captured CO into calcium 2 carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and formic acid.

4. Kurnool, CSIR-Indian Institute JSW Vacuum Swing Adsorption Andhra Pradesh of Petroleum, Cement Process for CO capture (1 2 Dehradun, Indian Limited TPD) from Cement Kiln Institute of Gas and its utilization Technology, Tirupati, within the construction and Indian Institute material value chain.

of Science, Bengaluru

5. Reddipalayam, Indian Institute of Ultratech New kiln burning Tamil Nadu Technology Madras Cement technology based on and Birla Institute of Ltd. oxygen-enriched burning, Technology and capture using Science (BITS) adsorption/absorption, Pilani, Goa and mineralization of captured CO (2 TPD) 2 using concrete blocks, waste concrete fines and concrete plant sludge.

Page 2 of 3(c) The Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) testbeds are expected to lower Carbon Dioxide (CO ) emissions within India's cement sector, which constitutes 2 approximately 7-8% of the Nation's industrial carbon emissions. These recommended CCU testbeds are envisaged to demonstrate the carbon capture and utilization at small scale i.e. up to 02 TPD (Tonnes Per Day). Apart from reduction in CO emissions, these testbeds are expected to generate valuable 2 by-products, such as synthetic fuels and construction materials, and thereby contributing to the circular carbon economy.

Further, the successful implementation of testbeds is going to enable Indian industries to adopt the technologies and scale up them to a full commercial level. These modular solutions have the potential to replicate in other hard-to- abate sectors, including power, iron & steel, oil & natural gas, chemical industry, etc., through customized engineering into pre-existing industrial frameworks.

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