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Both historically and currently, India’s economy has long been one of the largest in the world. Maintaining such a status requires a country to embrace innovation, and Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi has made that a focus for national policy over the past 10 years, starting with the Make in India initiative (launched in 2014) and most recently the Viksit Bharat 2047 initiative (launched in 2023).
A common goal of all these initiatives is to transform India into a self-reliant economy, meaning it can produce most goods and services domestically and thus reduce dependence on imports. To accomplish this goal, India like many countries must turn its attention to an increasingly heated topic: critical minerals.
India has substantial mineral reserves of some basic raw materials, such as titanium ores and limestone, but currently the country lacks facilities to process these minerals into the high-purity powders and precursors necessary for advanced manufacturing. So, India must build up domestic mining and processing capabilities to reduce reliance on imports of critical minerals.
In response to these market pressures, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), a nongovernmental business and industry organization headquartered in New Delhi, India, recently constituted a Task Force on Advanced Materials. In July 2024, the task force released a report called “Addressing National Strategic Needs: CII Report on Advanced Materials, Critical Minerals, and Metals,” which considers gaps in the supply chains for several critical material markets and offers recommendations to fill these gaps.
Below are highlights from the “Ceramics” chapter of the CII report.
Ceramics in India: Global outlook and major applications
According to the CII report, India plays a significant role in the traditional ceramics sector, which includes everything from tiles and sanitaryware to refractory bricks and cement. Specifically, India is responsible for 7% of the global production of ceramic tiles, sanitaryware, and tableware, with a large portion produced in the “Ceramic Capital” of Morbi. On the other hand, India lacks domestic production of many raw materials needed for refractories production, so the country must rely on imports in this sector.
Regarding advanced ceramics, membrane filters based on alumina, titania, zirconia, and silicon carbide can be used for water purification. The Indian and Middle East ceramic membrane market is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 10.2% between 2021–2028.
Additionally, India is cognizant of its role as a dominant consumer of glass for industrial, automotive, and construction purposes. As a result, the domestic commercial glass market is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 12% between 2019–2027, which should help meet demands from domestic consumption.
Specialty glass is also needed for applications such as fiber optics, which are used for telecommunications, military, and aerospace applications. The CII reports that India currently has nearly 28 million kilometers of optical fiber network, with additional kilometers added throughout 2024.
The semiconductor industry is rather underdeveloped in India due to constraints such as the lack of ultrahigh-pure raw materials and clean environment. However, the Indian government has been working to push domestic semiconductor production, and Indian manufacturer Tata Electronics is constructing a semiconductor assembly and test facility in Assam, which is slated to become operational in 2025.
Energy sector
One highlight for the energy sector is the National Green Hydrogen Energy Mission. Formed by the Government of India in 2021, this initiative aimed to encourage production of high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzers for green hydrogen production. Additionally, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, have made strides in developing highly water-stable “layered” Na-TM-oxide cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries, which are an alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
Aerospace sector
The International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials was established in India in 1997 to fabricate low-expansion glass-ceramics based on lithium aluminosilicate. These thin glass-ceramics, which are 380 mm x 350 mm x 150 mm in size, can be used for applications such as satellite sensors, space mirrors, astronomical telescopes, and laser gyroscopes.
Defense sector
Ceramics have many uses in the defense sector, including armor for combat vehicles, infrared and piezoelectric sensors, and antennas and waveguides for communications systems, among others. India continues to explore new ceramic and glass materials that can be used in these applications. For example, glasses doped with thulium, lanthanum, neodymium, and erbium are all of interest for laser and lens applications.
Gap areas and recommendations
According to the CII report, the need for ceramic materials on a larger scale arises from infrastructure, energy generation, transportation, and defense and aerospace initiatives. However, India faces limitations in accomplishing these initiatives due to supply chain challenges, such as lack of raw materials availability and processing facilities, and shortage of personnel.
The CII’s report outlines recommendations to help close the gap in these areas. Regarding raw materials, the Indian ceramic industry should develop industry clusters as well as a national-level nodal agency to coordinate supply chain efforts. Mineral processing should be strongly encouraged, as well as the adoption of fiber synthesis.
Manufacturing in the ceramic industry can require process-specific equipment, as well as skilled personnel, and this area could also benefit from improvement. One manufacturing recommendation includes adopting processes that are not water or energy intensive.
New incentives could encourage domestic manufacturers to invest in processing and testing equipment, as well as adopt certain advanced manufacturing techniques such as atomization, microwave sintering, and additive manufacturing. Emerging tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning could be used as well to improve these manufacturing processes.
Despite India being one of the largest manufacturers of ceramic products, it lacks cohesion between industry and academia to meet market demands to its full potential. The CII report recommends a complementary ecosystem that focuses on collaboration between academic and industrial institutions, as well as strengthening industry through techno-entrepreneurship and capacity-building. Fostering engagement at the undergraduate level through academic programs could be a potential solution as well to help increase the number of skilled individuals entering the workforce.
Because India is a rising player in the global ceramics market, the CII report recommends government support to solidify the country’s place in the market. One recommendation involves a national-level advanced ceramics program that emphasizes the expansion of raw materials, many of which are needed for advanced ceramic applications.
The Indian government can also support ceramic industry clusters and encourage an anti-dumping duty on ceramic products from China, which would prevent domestic Indian ceramic products from being overshadowed by cheaper imports. Another way that the government could help support the ceramic industry is by implementing more specific certifications or standards for quality and safety of ceramic products.
Sustainability in the ceramics sector
According to the CII report, India aims to secure a carbon-neutral economy by 2075, and this goal will be achieved by implementing sustainable manufacturing processes, especially in energy-intensive, carbon-emitting industries such as ceramics.
To improve sustainability in the ceramics sector, India plans to lower usage of carbon-containing additives, increase usage of optimized clay mixes, and rely on more advanced manufacturing techniques. Other post-processing techniques such as electric discharge machining, ultrasonic machining, or air/water jet machining can also be implemented.
Read the whole “Ceramics” chapter by downloading the full report at this link.
