New Delhi, March 12 The National Council for Cement and Building Materials has partnered with TraceXero Technologies to support the development and technical validation of carbon capture and utilization technologies for the sector, an official statement said on Thursday.
TraceXero Technologies is a start-up focused on industrial decarbonization and carbon capture solutions.
The cement sector contributes about 7 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions and is considered a difficult-to-abate sector due to its process-related emissions. Carbon Capture and Utilization has been identified as one of the critical levers to support the goal of Net Zero in the cement industry, the commerce and industry ministry said.
The Council (NCB) and the startup's "collaboration aims to support the development, technical validation, and potential commercialization of advanced Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies for the cement and construction materials sector," it said.
TraceXero has been developing a technology that captures carbon dioxide using a proprietary solvent process and converts it into graphitic carbon and eventually graphene, turning emissions into a potentially valuable material resource rather than a waste stream, it said.
NCB has been working in research, technology development, and industrial services for the cement and construction materials sector.
The move is important as the European Union is imposing a carbon tax (carbon border adjustment mechanism) on certain sectors.
Commenting on CBAM, Anup Garg, Founder and Director, World of Circular Economy (WOCE) said the implementation of the EU's regulation from January represents a structural competitiveness challenge for Indian steel exporters.
"While CBAM is framed as a climate-aligned trade measure, its immediate implication is cost escalation and margin compression," he said.
Garg suggested setting up a national CBAM compliance enablement programme with steel-specific calculation templates, EU-aligned monitoring, reporting and verification guidance, and a technical helpdesk for MSMEs.
He also asked to strengthen technology-enabled emissions data systems so verified Indian plant-level data is accepted internationally, reducing exposure to punitive default values; and fast-tracking a credible domestic carbon market framework and ensure transparent accounting of carbon price paid in India within CBAM filings.
"CBAM is not only a trade barrier; it is a competitiveness signal. India's response must integrate policy clarity, data credibility and accelerated industrial decarbonisation," he said.