France: On 20 June 2013 France-based cement producer Vicat announced that it had begun 10 days of trials at its Créchy cement plant in Allier with the aim of producing a new, low-CO₂ type of cement known as ALPENAT®.

The trials, which aim to produce 10,000t of ALPENAT, are a first step towards full industrial production following years of research by Vicat into lower-CO₂ cements. It is claimed that ALPENAT has embodied CO₂ levels that are 30% lower than that of conventional cement.

While Vicat is currently keeping chemical and technical specifics out of the public domain, it reports that ALPENAT achieves its lower CO₂ emissions via two methods. It reports that it has: 1. Reduced the temperature required in the kiln and; 2. Reduced the levels of limestone included in the cement raw mix, which reduces the CO₂ released in the decarbonation step.

In addition to its good environmental credentials, ALPENAT is also presented by Vicat as a high-performance cement. It allows faster setting, an increase in resistance at seven and 28 days compared to OPC in the same strength class (42.5 or 52.5) and improved durability. It has already proven its strength over two years at the Vicat Montalieu cement plant, where a ramp for 100t dumper trucks has been constructed out of concrete made from ALPENAT.

Vicat says that the research that led to ALPENAT was made possible by its focus on research and development, mainly at its Isle d'Abeau laboratories.

The Vicat announcement about ALPENAT comes hot on the heels of trials conducted by Lafarge, which recently presented details of its Aether® cement clinker to the cement industry. This belite-based cement was featured in the May 2013 issue of Global Cement Magazine.