The JKLC launch event marks the culmination of a journey that began in 2014. Around this time, TARA started looking for suitable clays in and around Gujarat to explore the feasibility of producing LC3 at the JK Lakshmi Cement plant. Various clays from multiple sites were collected and tested under different conditions. While some were found suitable, others were rejected, and continuous testing and processing were carried out both at TARA and at the JK Lakshmi Cement plant.

LC3 produced from the suitable clays was further used to develop different materials in order to evaluate its practical performance. Applications such as AAC blocks were produced, and even a section of road within the JK Lakshmi Cement plant premises was constructed using LC3 made from these clays. These exercises helped validate the behaviour of the material under real construction conditions and strengthened confidence in the technology.

During this phase, the absence of formal standards meant that significant work was also being undertaken at the national level to support the development of specifications for LC3. Extensive technical work, testing, and stakeholder engagement were carried out to enable the release of a standard that would guide industry adoption. In 2023, the Bureau of Indian Standards published IS:18189 for LC3. The release of this standard provided a major boost to the ongoing work and gave confidence to all stakeholders involved in taking the technology forward.

Following this milestone, extensive clay mapping activities were undertaken in 2025 in close consultation with JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd. A rigorous testing programme was carried out by TARA to identify clays that met the requirements specified in IS:18189:2023. Once suitable clays were identified, they were subjected to calcination at different temperatures. Multiple rounds of testing and several iterations were undertaken to optimise the process until successful calcination conditions were achieved.

The R&D and Quality Control teams of JK Lakshmi Cement then utilised this calcined clay to produce LC3 blends. Through a rigorous exercise involving several trials and blend variations, the final formulation for LC3 was developed by JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd. This extensive process of research, validation, and collaboration eventually led to the commercial launch of the product.

India’s low-carbon cement transition marked a defining milestone with the commercial launch of LC3 by JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd., signalling the movement of LC3 from research and pilot scale to mainstream market adoption and responding to the growing demand for sustainable construction materials.

Representing Development Alternatives and TARA Applied Research Centre at the launch were Dr. Ashok Khosla, Dr. Soumen Maity, Mr. Shrashtant Patara, and Dr. Arun Kumar.

LC3 offers a structural pathway for reducing carbon emissions in the cement sector by lowering clinker content while utilising widely available materials such as calcined clay and limestone. As infrastructure demand continues to grow, solutions like LC3 play an important role in aligning industrial expansion with long-term climate and sustainability goals.