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Cement: A Growing sector in India/but has a carbon footprint
● Global cement production has increased almost three fold from 1.4 billion tonnes in 1995 to
4.1 billion tonnes in 2014 and remained more or less stagnant since then.
● With more than half of the world’s cement production, China is the largest cement
producer. India is a distant second with a share of 8% as of 2020.
● In 2019-20, India’s overall production stood at 334 million tonnes with a capacity of 537
million tonnes.
● But cement, on which real estate and infrastructure is dependent, is a major contributor to
greenhouse gas emissions. As per the third biennial update report submitted to UNFCCC, in
2016, the cement sector of India contributed around 160 million tonnes or 5.63 percent of
country’s total emissions. In 2019-20, based on increase in production, CSE estimates it
reached 213 million tonnes.
● CSE estimates showed that top 5 cement companies in terms of production - Ultratech
Cement, ACC, Ambuja Cement, Shree Cement and Dalmia Cement - contributed almost 51
percent of the CO2 emissions from the sector in India as of 2019-20. These five companies
also produce almost half of the cement in the country. CSE believes this is a huge
opportunity for reducing emissions from the sector.
Cement Manufacturing and GHG Emissions
● More than 99 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted from the manufacturing process is
CO2.
● Limestone has been the main raw material for manufacturing cement and its conversion
process is responsible for more than half the share of CO2 emissions during manufacturing.
 The use of fossil fuels is the second biggest source of emissions during manufacturing
cement- Around 40% of the gases is emitted when fossil fuels such as coal and pet coke are
combusted for converting limestone into lime.
 The rest 10% of emissions is through electricity usage from the grid or captive power plant.
● Different types of cement are produced in India based on the amount and type of alternate
raw materials replacing limestone during manufacturing; four prominent cement types in
India are - Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Portland
Slag Cement (PSC) and Composite Cement (CC) - Out of these, 65 percent is PPC. Composite
Cement is still less than 1 percent. The BIS has made standards with respect to the
composition and usage of these four types of cement.
● You can see the average CO2 emissions per tonne of cement from each of these four types
of cement in the displayed figure as estimated by Global Cement and Concrete Association.
Future Emission Scenarios for 2030
CSE has projected four CO2 emission scenarios for the year 2030
o Business-as-usual (BAU) scenario: This is based on emission factors of 2019-20 and
estimated production of cement in 2030. As per this scenario, CO2 emissions from
the sector are projected to grow almost twice within this period.
o Low-carbon-growth scenario: This is based on past emission reduction intensity
achieved between 1996 and 2017 and estimated production of cement in 2030. As
per this scenario, the CO2 emissions will increase 1.6 times and show a reduction of
18% from the BAU scenario.
o Improved low-carbon scenario: This is based on voluntary emission reduction
targets set by large cement companies. As per this scenario, the CO2 emissions will
increase 1.5 times and show a reduction of 23% from the BAU scenario.
o Accelerated low-carbon scenario: This has been proposed by CSE for 2030, but
before we delve into this scenario, let's discuss the available pathways for the
sector’s decarbonization.
Recommendations: Way Forward
To be able to implement CSE’s 2030 proposal and to accelerate the decarbonization journey
of this sector in this decade in India, CSE recommends:
o Restrict or control OPC production and set clear targets for production of blended
cement in the country.
o Increase fly ash limit in BIS standards from 35 per cent to 45 per cent in PPC cement
o The government needs to come out with notified standards for refused derived fuel
to bring clarity
o Defining low carbon/ green cement and bring in fiscal incentives for green cement.
Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.