03 June 2025

Spain: Holcim is exploring the use of char as an alternative fuel in cement production as part of the Plastics2Olefins project, in collaboration with Geocycle. The producer is evaluating char samples made from different types of plastic waste.

Geocycle plant manager Cristina Gómez said “Since char properties can vary depending on the feedstock, the company is conducting detailed evaluations – looking at calorific value, moisture content, heavy metals, halogens, and sulphur levels, among other parameters.”

These full-scale industrial tests aim to understand how char behaves during combustion, how it affects emissions of CO₂, NO_x, and SO_x, and whether it impacts the stability of the production process or the quality of the cement. Char samples produced at the Repsol pilot plant are being tested at two of Holcim’s facilities: the Quality Central Laboratory and Geocycle Albox. Gómez added “These comprehensive tests provide a solid understanding of char’s properties and help anticipate how it will perform in real-world industrial conditions.”

Holcim is also experimenting with blends of char and petcoke to optimise energy performance and environmental compliance.

UK: Holcim UK will roll out Fuelre4m’s Re4mx fuel reforming technology across more than 200 sites nationwide, following three years of testing that the company says improved fuel efficiency and helped reduce emissions across operations.

Holcim UK supply chain director Edern Lalanne said “This agreement is the result of meticulous testing, collaboration and operational learning. We have seen consistent results with Re4mx across a wide range of use cases, and it aligns directly with our commitment to sustainable innovation and operational excellence. This is about measurable outcomes, not promises, and Fuelre4m has delivered both the data and the support to back it up. This is part of our mission to make sustainable construction a reality and continues our journey to achieve net-zero by 2050.”

Re4mx will be delivered in pre-measured containers and dosed directly into on-site fuel systems. Holcim says that the rollout has been designed for ease, speed and zero disruption to infrastructure or workflows. Manufacturing is underway, with shipments to the UK beginning once production is complete. From there, Re4mx will be distributed site-by-site across Holcim’s network, through Fuelre4m’s VIRDIS (Virtual Distribution) system, in preparation for full dosing from 1 September 2025.

Russia: Katavsky Cement has modernised rotary kiln No. 4, raising clinker production capacity by 15% from 888,000t/yr to 927,000t/yr. According to Cemros, the project formed part of a corporate programme of improvements to increase production efficiency, valued at around US$760,000. Specialists reportedly encountered the problem of clinker defects when increasing the feed of raw meal due to insufficient heat exchange in the kiln system. To eliminate the problem, the plant updated the cyclone heat exchanger, stabilised the air supply and combustion of additional fuel, and improved the clinker cooling system.

General director Vyacheslav Lyubimtsev said “Modernisation of kiln No. 4 is a consistent step in the development of the plant. In 2024, similar work was carried out to increase the productivity of furnace No. 3 by 30%. The new result confirms the effectiveness of the chosen strategy.”

The Gambia: Jah Oil has announced the imminent arrival of a 53,000t cement shipment in Banjul by 4 June 2025 to address the national shortage and maintain a new, lower price, according to the Foroyaa newspaper. Managing director Momodou Hydara said the supply will stabilise the market, with smaller 4000t shipments already underway to meet immediate demand.

Hydara denied internal issues, calling the disruption “a normal phenomenon that can happen to any business.” He said “Our company has sufficient capacity to continue meeting national demand.” He blamed global disruptions, citing President Trump’s tariffs on Vietnamese cement that redirected US demand to Egypt and Türkiye, Jah Oil’s main suppliers. “All of a sudden, the supplier couldn't catch up with that competition and informed us about a huge increase in price,” Hydara said.

He added that Jah Oil alerted the Gambian government early but received no immediate response. He said the company later explained that global pricing pressures and the Dalasi’s depreciation against the US Dollar made the existing price unsustainable.

Egypt: South Valley Cement recorded net losses after tax of US$6.4m in the first quarter of 2025, up by 586% year-on-year from US$0.9m in the first quarter of 2024. The company’s sales rose to roughly US$13.3m in the first quarter of 2025, up from about US$6.6m in the same period of 2024.