Articles on the cement industry from Global Cement

The Central American countries and those of the Caribbean archipelago have a rich and varied history, evident today in their different political systems, languages and cultures. The region has been heavily influenced by cultures from sub-Saharan Africa and the European powers of Spain, Great Britain, France and the Netherlands, who colonised the region from the 1500s onwards. Many of the countries' modern economies rely on exports of primary resources (such as foodstuffs) and tourism, especially in the Caribbean, although many countries now take a significant income from the services sector.

Najran Cement Company (NCC) was established in 2005 as a Saudi Closed Joint Stock Company with a paid up capital of US$306m. The objective was to be a main supplier of cement in the southern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and be an important exporter to Yemen. It was anticipated that locating the plant and facilities close to Najran city would greatly contribute to the fast development of the region. The company has a quarry license from the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals for an area of 30km2 that is endowed with huge deposits of limestone, clay, sandstone and gypsum - sufficient for more than 100 years.

In this article the opportunities to recover useful energy from various sources of low-grade heat are considered in the context of the advantages offered by the Kalina Cycle® technology. In the Kalina Cycle, a binary fluid is used to extract useful work from the heat source. Typical low-grade heat sources are those associated with waste heat from industrial processes such as steelmaking and cement manufacturing that are energy intensive and where waste heat recovery can make a significant impact on energy-efficiency.

Following the Ecobuild Exhibition at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in London, UK, Global Cement Magazine interviewed Lafarge UK's National Commercial Technical Manager, Bill Price. Looking into UK-specific aspects of Lafarge's cement operation, the interview explores environmental aspects of production, the current economic climate and how it has been affected by the Lafarge Group's recent restructuring to a country-based organisational structure.

In the British cement industry restructuring has been prompted partly as a response to the ongoing challenge of weak market conditions. In 2009 the UK saw a sharp decline into recession, in 2010 it saw the first tentative suggestions of a return to stability and in 2011 it saw hopes of a modest revival, albeit at much lower level than in the early to mid-2000s.