India–Sweden Ties to Pioneer Breakthrough Decarbonisation Projects in Steel and Cement Sector

As India advances toward its target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, India and Sweden are partnering to accelerate decarbonisation efforts across key industrial sectors. The collaboration focuses on using hydrogen for rotary kilns in steelmaking, recycling steel slag for green cement, and deploying artificial intelligence to support cement decarbonisation.

Leading Indian companies in the steel and cement industries have announced partnerships with Swedish technology innovators on multiple projects. The feasibility studies are expected to support the development of scalable low-carbon technologies that align with India’s net-zero ambitions and strengthen global efforts toward sustainable steel and cement production.

Seven projects have been selected to conduct pre-pilot feasibility studies in India under the LeadIT industry transition partnership, with funding from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and the Swedish Energy Agency, according to a joint statement issued by LeadIT and the Embassy of Sweden on Tuesday.

Key participants in the seven projects include industry leaders such as Tata Steel, JK Cement, Ambuja Cements Ltd., Jindal Steel and Power, Prism Johnson, Cemvision, Ecometrix AM, Höganäs AB, Höganäs India Ltd., Captimise AB (Andritz Group), Kanthal, and Swerim. Academic partners include IIT Bombay, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Hyderabad, and Datta Meghe College of Engineering.

“The match between Swedish and Indian organisations and companies, supported by key public institutions on both sides, is leading the way on how to model modern industrial partnerships,” said Per Andersson, Head of the LeadIT Secretariat.

The Seven Projects

• Steel Slag Reborn – Tata Steel, Cemvision, IIT-ISM Dhanbad, and JK Cement aim to enable high metallic recovery and the production of sustainable supplementary cementitious materials, creating industrial symbiosis between the steel and cement industries.

• Microwave Plasma-Assisted CO₂ Conversion – Tata Steel, IIT Hyderabad, and Green14 will explore converting blast furnace off-gas CO₂ into CO, which can be reinjected as a reducing agent.

• Carbon Capture and Utilisation at Cement Facilities – IIT Bombay, Ambuja Cements Ltd., and EcoTech Solutions will study integrated carbon capture and utilisation units for cement plants.

• AI-Optimised Concrete Mixes – Ecometrix AM, Prism Johnson, and Datta Meghe College of Engineering will evaluate the AI-based ACORN platform for low-carbon concrete mix optimisation.

• Electric Heating for CO₂-Neutral Steel Production – Kanthal, Swerim, and Jindal Steel & Power will assess electric gas-heating concepts using hydrogen and process gases.

• Electrified Green Ironmaking Pilot via Rotary Kiln – Metsol AB, Höganäs AB India Ltd., and IIT Bhubaneswar will assess a hydrogen-based electrified rotary kiln ironmaking pilot.

• Carbon Capture in Cement Production – Captimise AB (Andritz Group) and My Home Industries Pvt Ltd (Maha Cement) will evaluate three carbon-capture technologies: amine absorption, hot potassium carbonate, and membranes.

“These initiatives reflect a strong India–Sweden alliance committed to building the foundations of a cleaner industrial future,” the statement said.