Action plan for enhancing the use of alternate fuels and raw materials in the Indian cement industry

India is the second largest cement producer in the world. Being an energy intensive industry, meeting its energy demand is a formidable challenge. While the Indian cement industry has achieved significant achievements in terms of improvement in energy efficiency, use of alternate fuels and raw materials (AFR) still remains a major area of concern. At present, the TSR (Thermal Substitution Rate) of the Indian cement industry ranges between 0.5-1%, while in some developed countries, this figure is as high as 60%. Use of Alternative fuels for meeting energy requirement is a sustainable initiative which can not only help save fossil fuel and mitigate GHG emissions, but also facilitate the intimidating task of waste disposal in an environmentally sound manner.