Displaying items by tag: GCW474
Cemex Ventures partners with Carbon Clean for carbon capture and storage development
18 September 2020Mexico: Cemex subsidiary Cemex Ventures has signed an agreement with US-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) specialist Carbon Clean for the development of a CCS solution for under US$30/t of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured. Cemex cement plants will host the products during pilot testing. Cemex Ventures head Gonzalo Galindo said, “The ambitious target of making carbon capture technology accessible and more efficient would be an unprecedented achievement for the cement sector, opening a door of opportunities for further developments.”
National Energy Technology Laboratory invests US$1.5m in LafargeHolcim CO2MENT project
18 September 2020US: LafargeHolcim says that Department of Energy institution National Energy Technology Laboratory has awarded US$1.5m of federal funding to the company’s CO2MENT Colorado project. The project aims to capture 2.0Mt/yr of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the company’s 1.9Mt/yr Portland cement plant in Florence, Colorado for sequestration underground by Occidental.
The group said, “With the successful completion of the initial scoping study in June 2020 and confirmation of Department Of Energy funding, the partnership has committed to the next project phase.”
PCA names Energy and Environment Award 2020 winners
18 September 2020US: The Portland Cement Association has announced the winners of the Energy Environment Awards 2020. Cementos Argos’ 1.1Mt/yr Harleyville, South Carolina cement plant won the Energy Efficiency Award “by reducing kiln specific heat consumption and increasing the utilisation of the new vertical cement mill,” while CRH subsidiary Ash Grove Cement’s 1.0Mt/yr Midlothian cement plant won the Environmental Performance Award for “operating a whole-tyre burning system utilising a first-in-the-US hot disk system supplied with whole tyres from a nearby tyre recycling company.” Other winners were GCC’s 0.9Mt/yr Odessa, Texas cement plant for Innovation, LafargeHolcim’s 2.2Mt/yr Holly Hill, South Carolina plant for Land Stewardship, Titan Cement's Roanoke Cement Troutville plant for Outreach and HeidelbergCement subsidiary Lehigh Hanson’s 3.2Mt/yr Union Bridge, Maryland plant for Overall Environmental Excellence.
PCA president and chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Ireland said, “America’s cement manufacturers continue to focus on researching and developing new and innovative ways to reduce environmental footprint. The companies receiving these awards are great examples of our industry’s commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency.”
Vietnam increases cement and clinker exports by 16% to 23.9Mt in first eight months of 2020
17 September 2020Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Corporation (VICEM) says that total cement and clinker exports in the first eight months of 2020 were 23.9Mt, up by 16% year-on-year from 20.7Mt in the corresponding period of 2019. The total value of exports rose by 1.2% to US$882m from US$872m, corresponding to a price drop of 12% to US$36.9/t from US$42.1/t.
Saigon Online News has reported that the main source of demand growth is China’s burgeoning post-coronavirus lockdown construction market, where a 35% year-on-year increase in cement consumption in July 2020 has enabled Vietnamese producers and traders to undercut the cement prices of the newly streamlined domestic industry. China received 12.6Mt (53%) of Vietnam’s cement and clinker exports, followed by the Philippines with 4.5Mt (19%) and Bangladesh with 1.7Mt (7.1%).
Zimbabwean government body lifts Diamond Cement prohibition order
17 September 2020Zimbabwe: The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has lifted a prohibition order which it issued to Livetouch Investments subsidiary Diamond Cement after the death of a worker on 6 March 2020 at the company’s 0.4Mt/yr Redcliff grinding plant. The incident brought to light “sub-standard safety and security arrangements.” The Chinese-owned company had also failed to register any employees under the NSSA’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund (WCIF) and the National Pension Scheme (NPS).
The New Zimbabwe newspaper has reported that the NSSA lifted the prohibition order in mid-September 2020 after the company was found to have complied with its registration and safety requirements. NSSA communications officer Tendai Mutseyekwa said, “After a joint visit by the NSSA’s Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate and the Compliance Inspectorate, the company registered with the NSSA schemes. They subsequently settled their subscriptions for the two NSSA schemes from the effective date of 4 April 2017, when the company started operating.”
A police investigation into the fatality continues.
Sumitomo Osaka Cement starts project using satellite-positioning system with limestone mining
17 September 2020Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement has started using Michibiki, a Japanese satellite positioning system, as part of a demonstration project by its limestone mining operations to improve efficiency. At present the company uses so-called ‘internet of things’ technology such as yard inventory management by drone and rough stone quality management by heavy equipment, including loaders and dump trucks, equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) tablet terminals. The group operates eight limestone mines in Japan and it mines 20Mt/yr.
Egypt: Suez Cement subsidiary Ready Mix Beton says that it has secured a contract for the supply of concrete for the construction of two new monorail lines projects. Due to begin in late-2020, the contract covers the construction of a monorail line between Cairo and the New Administrative Capital and another between 6 October City and Giza. The company says that it will use Suez Cement’s CEM III/A ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) cement to produce concrete for the 96km monorail network.
Suez Cement said, “CEM III/A cement is highly recommended when building thick concrete supports and massive structures because its hydration temperature of less than 210kJ/kg reduces cracking compared with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) when the applied concrete is subjected to dual exposure to sulphates and chloride ions, as happens in coastal areas.”
Mississippi Lime acquires Transload Terminal
17 September 2020US: Mississippi Lime has announced its acquisition of the Transload Terminal in Edwardsville, Kansas from LG Everist. President and chief executive officer (CEO) William Ayers said, “We are pleased with this acquisition and looking forward to further integrating this operation into our business. Mississippi Lime has been a long-term supplier of calcium-based products in this region, serving construction projects as well as many other industries. This acquisition serves to strengthen that commitment.”