Displaying items by tag: UK
UK: SigmaRoc subsidiary CCP has launched Greenbloc Standard, Ultra and Premium. The new designations correspond to 50%, 80% and 100% cement substitution. Professional Builder News has reported that Using Greenbloc Standard reduces structures’ CO2 emissions by 77% compared with structures built with conventional ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based blocks. For an average semi-detached house, this is equivalent to 2.7t of CO2.
CCP general manager Phil Rotheram said “The expansion of our Greenbloc range continues our commitment to sustainable alternatives to our product offering as we fully commit to the challenges of removing embodied carbon from the built environment.”
Greenbloc Ultra featured in a gold medal-winning garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 in May 2023.
Tarmac joins UK logistics Route to Net Zero
01 June 2023UK: CRH subsidiary Tarmac has pledged its support to the Route to Net Zero initiative to decarbonise the UK's logistics sector. Under the initiative, companies involved in transportation will implement changes aimed at achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Tarmac already transports 9Mt/yr of materials around the UK by rail.
Tarmac's logistics director Graham Waters said “Signing up to Logistics UK’s Route to Net Zero pledge marks a further step for our business, underscoring our commitment to eliminating carbon emissions from our extensive UK-wide logistics networks and accelerating this process through collaboration with our haulier partners and the wider industry."
Cemex UK upgrades rail depots
31 May 2023UK: Cemex UK has completed upgrades of its Dove Holes, Selby and Bletchley depots in partnership with MLP Railway Maintenance. As a result of the upgrade, the Selby depot in North Yorkshire can now receive an increased number of wagons per train, and complete turnarounds more quickly. Meanwhile, the producer relayed two reception lines at the Dove Holes depot in Derbyshire and installed new walkways, CCTV and a waterproof display screen for offloading at the Bletchley depot in Buckinghamshire.
Cemex UK’s rail and sea manager Mark Grimshaw-Smith said “It’s important that we continue to invest in our railheads across the UK. This not only ensures that the safety and wellbeing of those who work on our sites is enhanced on an ongoing basis, but it also provides further resilience in the operation, transporting more materials by train and thus taking more trucks off the road.”
US: Continental Cement has ordered a Fuelflex Pyrolyzer alternative fuels combustion system from Denmark-based FLSmidth for installation at its Davenport plant in Buffalo, Iowa. The supplier says that its product offers a lower capital expenditure compared to competing systems, can control NOx emissions without the need for ammonia water and can be installed without a long shutdown period. This is the first commercial installation of the Fuelflex Pyrolyzer system following a pre-commercial installation at the Mannok cement plant in Northern Ireland, UK, in 2022.
David Loomes, the president of Continental Cement, said “We’re very excited about what the Fuelflex Pyrolyzer will do for our process.” He added, “We’re planning to achieve 55% fossil fuel replacement across the plant, utilising non-hazardous waste that would otherwise go to landfill or incinerators. The economic and environmental benefits of this technology are very significant and a key element of executing our carbon reduction commitment.” Continental Cement, a subsidiary of Summit Materials, has been incorporating waste materials as fuels for more than 30 years.
Jens Jonas Skov Larsen, Head of Capital Sales at FLSmidth, said “Mannok has called the Fuelflex Pyrolyzer a game-changer for the cement industry.” He continued, “This system effectively rearranges the order of the combustion process to make use of hot preheater meal, which is the heat source for the waste fuel pyrolysis. It’s a more efficient way of burning alternative fuels and it comes with a host of benefits, including reduced emissions and a more stable process.”
The installation at Davenport cement plant is expected to start operation in 2024. The full commercial launch for the system is scheduled by 2025. No value for the order has been disclosed.
UK: Breedon Group has acquired concrete block producer Broome Bros., construction firm Minster Surfacing and concrete block and aggregates producer Robinson Quarry Masters. Breedon Group said that the businesses will strengthen its presence around Doncaster in South Yorkshire, in Antrim, Northern Ireland, and 'from the Midlands to London.'
CEO Rob Wood said “Many of our transactions come to us through our local knowledge and personal engagement with the owners. As a result, our active mergers and acquisitions pipeline has continued to yield high quality, earnings-enhancing opportunities that will enable us to progress our sustainable growth strategy." He added "Each of these independent family-run businesses is aligned with our vertically-integrated operating model, providing further opportunity to pull through upstream building materials while extending our downstream footprint to deliver profitable growth.”
Business Live News has reported that the group has also completed its transition to the London Stock Exchange from the AIM exchange. Breedon Group said that this will enhance its corporate profile by helping to attract greater international investment.
UK: Aggregate Industries, Breedon, Lhoist and Tarmac have announced the launch of the Peak Cluster, a carbon capture and storage cluster of cement and lime plants. The partners aim to eliminate 3Mt/yr of emissions from operations across their plants in Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire by capturing 100% of their CO2 emissions. Progressive Energy will oversee the capture and transportation of CO2 from the plants for storage below the Irish Sea. Possible storage partners for the cluster are Liverpool Bay CCS or the upcoming Morecambe Net Zero storage project. When operational, the Peak Cluster will eliminate 40% of emissions from UK cement and lime production. Participating cement plants are Aggregate Industries' 1Mt/yr Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire, Breedon's 1.5Mt/yr Hope plant in Derbyshire and Tarmac's 0.8Mt/yr Tunstead plant in Derbyshire.
Mineral Products Association (MPA) energy and climate change director Diana Casey said “The launch of the Peak Cluster is an exciting and vital step forward in the journey of the cement and lime sectors towards net zero. The region is a historic heartland for cement and lime production providing highly skilled jobs for local communities, and a secure supply of essential materials to the UK economy." She concluded "The UK Concrete and Cement Industry Roadmap to Beyond Net Zero highlighted the importance of carbon capture for the decarbonisation of the cement and concrete supply chain, and the Peak Cluster is an essential part of that transition. This launch demonstrates the commitment of cement and lime producers to transition to net zero to secure the future of these important industries, and the vital products they produce, in a net zero world.”
John King Group acquires DAB Valves
18 May 2023UK: John King Group has acquired valve manufacturer DAB Valves for an undisclosed amount. DAB Valves sells a variety of valves and associated equipment within their range from slide and butterfly valves to gravity flap diverter valves and drop out boxes. The 40-year old company is based near Parwich in Derbyshire.
David Wadworth the managing director of John King Group, said “In acquiring DAB Valves we have added a complementary range of products to the existing John King Group portfolio. We are delighted to announce that DAB Valves
will continue to be manufactured in our Yorkshire based factory where we have a full complement of machinery to be effective in this objective. We are delighted to harness our production capabilities with the on-going support of Bob Wright and the DAB Valves design team who have over 40 years of industrial and applicational expertise.”
Bob Wright, the managing director and owner of DAB Valves, added, “Selling the business to John King Group is an exciting one. Yes, it frees up some of my time and enables me to focus on what I love the most, which is the design and engineering of the Valves. Having John King Group ambitious team behind DAB Valves, I know will take the brand to the next level. You only have to visit their Leeds manufacturing site to feel the energy and hunger for success, along with their continued reinvestment in equipment and people.”
John King Group says that its purchase of the DAB Valves brand will further strengthen its global support network and in-house design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities.
John King Chains opens warehouse in Poland
10 May 2023Poland: UK-based John King Chains has opened a new warehouse at Bydgoszcz to support the Central European market. The company said that the investment manufacturing and stock was confirmation its commitment to developing the market in continental Europe. It noted that the site will stock conveyor and transmission chains and would have a rapid response team to respond to customer demand.
John King Chains Group is a fifth-generation family-owned business, with the head office and principal manufacturing in the UK, along with a presence Africa, Asia Pacific, Central Europe, North America and South America.
Holcim invests in Coomtech
05 May 2023UK: Switzerland-based Holcim has invested in Coomtech, a developer of low-emission kinetic drying technology for raw materials. The group says that Coomtech's technology emits up to 75% less CO2 than traditional drying methods and enables increased use of recycled materials in cement and concrete. Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries previously collaborated with Coomtech on fly ash drying at a UK power plant.
Edelio Bermejo, head of global research and development said "At Holcim, we are continuously working to implement greener operations for a net-zero future, and to increase the use of recycled materials in our products to drive circular construction. Coomtech's low-emission drying technology helps us meet both these goals. I look forward to working with them as a key partner in our journey to decarbonise buildings."
Betolar calls for a global performance-based standard to support low-carbon building materials
03 May 2023UK: Riku Kytömäki, the chief executive officer of Betolar, has called for a global performance-based standard to replace the current building requirements that restrict the use of new low-carbon materials to replace cement in concrete production. He made the comments at the London Concrete Expo. Kytömäki argued that current standards state that concrete manufacturers must use a certain percentage of cement to strengthen the finished product. Betolar’s product Geoprime is an additive designed for use in cement-free concrete production with ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). However, “ageing” standards rule out the use of these kinds of products such as this despite their sustainability advantages.
Kytömäki said “It is time for global concrete industry to step up their sustainability efforts. New material innovation is available. It is cost-effective and helps to meet stricter durability requirements. However, the current regulations across the markets are restricting the use of circular materials allowed in concrete buildings.” He added that his company’s product Geoprime, “does not require large investments, but there is regulation to be developed quickly so that new solutions and materials can be used."
Betolar says it has analysed over 200 side-streams other than slag and fly ash, providing flexibility to process locally available side-streams. It added that there are also significant CO2 savings to be found in logistics when manufacturing processes take place near the source of the industrial side-streams.