UltraTech Cement Limited signs a collaboration agreement with the Institute for Carbon Management (ICM) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to build a first demonstration plant at one of UltraTech’s integrated cement manufacturing units. The agreement aims to pilot a new technology ‘The Zero Carbon Lime’ (ZeroCAL) developed by ICM that can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cement production.
The Zero Carbon Lime (ZeroCAL) process, developed by ICM researchers, can eliminate nearly 98% of carbon dioxide emissions associated with limestone decomposition in cement manufacturing.”UltraTech is fully committed to realising its Net Zero Goal by 2050. As an industry leader UltraTech is constantly exploring partnerships to overcome the technological barriers to decarbonise cement manufacturing.We are excited to collaborate with UCLA on this groundbreaking project,” said K C Jhanwar, Managing Director at UltraTech.
According to a release, UltraTech’s demonstration plant, which will generate multiple metric tons of zero-carbon lime daily, will make it the first company in the world to use the ZeroCAL method at scale. UltraTech’s collaboration with UCLA is in line with its overarching sustainability objectives and its emphasis on creating and implementing cutting-edge solutions to reduce its carbon footprint..
“The ZeroCAL approach is a powerful solution to eliminate carbon emissions associated with the process of cement production within the existing industrial paradigm of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) clinker production and without a need for carbon capture and storage. It effectively eliminates the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from limestone’s decomposition while providing clean hydrogen and oxygen to heat the cement kiln,” said Professor Gaurav Sant, ICM director and the study’s corresponding author and the Pritzker Professor of Sustainability at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.
