September 2024
KHD to upgrade Holcim’s Hagerstown cement plant 20 November 2013
US: KHD Humboldt Wedag International AG's Americas Customer Service Centre has signed a contract with Holcim (US) for engineering, delivery of equipment, and site services to modify the existing production line at its Hagerstown, Maryland cement plant. The contract, which includes a KHD designed PyroProcessing System, will increase the line's production rate to 2400t/day and be compliant with the new NESHAP environmental regulations.
The project incorporates constructing a five-stage single-string KHD LowNOx Preheater over the existing kiln, while the kiln is in operation. Additionally, KHD will modify the existing six-pier rotary kiln to a two-pier kiln and add a new KHD PYROFLOOR clinker cooler. The existing kiln will be cut to achieve a final length of 51m, transforming the existing long dry kiln system into a new, modern, energy efficient, fuel efficient, and environmentally friendly PyroProcessing system. The new system will be supplied with a new whole tire handling system and will be capable of co-processing up to approximately 7% of whole tires as an alternative fuel.
To reduce SOx emissions KHD will supply a dry lime injection system. To reduce NOx emissions KHD will supply PYROJET LowNOx burners, a PYROCLON® Low NOX calciner with PYROLOOP® and a modification of the existing SNCR system. New dust collectors will be supplied to meet stringent particulate emissions requirements.
KHD's scope of supply for the project starts with a modification to the raw material feed system and ends with the clinker handling system into the existing clinker storage hall. The scope consists of all electrical and auxiliary equipment, a new raw material grinding VRM system, coal dosing systems, as well as civil and structural engineering and the supply of structural steel.
Commissioning of this new system is planned for mid-2016.
Cementa AB donates Christmas gift to Philippines aid effort 19 November 2013
Sweden: Following the devastating hurricane in the Philippines, Sweden's Cementa AB has announced that it will donate its annual Christmas gift of Euro22,400 to Médicins sans Frontières (MSF) (Doctors Without Borders), which is operating in the worst-affected regions.
The move makes a break with Cementa's traditional method of splitting its Christmas gift to several organisations. The company said that the need was so great in selected regions that it had decided instead to support only one organisation in 2013.
"We see this as a chance to actively do something for the affected areas in the Philippines," said Fredrik Jansson, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Cementa AB. "Hopefully others in the construction industry (will support) the same initiatives in support of the affected areas."
Suez Cement implements new anti-dust systems 19 November 2013
Egypt: Suez Cement has introduced a new filter system to reduce dust emissions to up to 10mg/m3, a level referred to by the company as being 'well below Egyptian and European standards.'
The Egyptian group plans to spend Euro55m to improve the environmental standards of its five in-country facilities.
Mounir Abdel Nour, Trade and Industry Minister, took part in the inauguration ceremony, saying that the new filter system is, "A perfect example of how the Egyptian government and industries can work together to provide facilities with the best technology in terms of production and environmental impact."
"The new filter system makes use of the most highly advanced technology so that the plants can produce the lowest level of dust emissions possible,'' added Bruno Carre, Suez Cement group managing director.
Omar Mohanna, Group chairman, underscored that 2013 has been a challenge for the Egyptian cement industry, with problems in terms of fuel and energy supply. To stay competitive, the industry must find better energy sources in addition to the existing plans to make use of wind energy and alternative fuel sources, Mohanna added, saying that he hoped the Egyptian government would continue to support efforts that work towards this end.
Lafarge overhaul of Albany cement plant 19 November 2013
US: Renovation of Lafarge's 50-year-old cement plant in Ravena, New York will be completed by mid-2016, preserving 112 jobs at the plant.
This is the first fixed timeline for the project since it was proposed in 2008. Delays have been blamed on the poor state of the economy. Lafarge also needed to obtain state and federal environmental permits, a process that involves rounds of reports and public hearings.
Construction is expected to cost several hundred million US$. A specific price tag has not been disclosed.
Company officials say that renovation was necessary in the face of stricter pollution controls from the federal government. Either they would shut down and abandon the location, or gut it and build a massive new kiln to meet the stronger standards. Pollution is a particularly sensitive issue as the cement plant and its quarry sandwich the middle school and high school for the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk district.
Kazakhstan nears completion of cement plant 18 November 2013
Kazakhstan: Construction of Caspian Cement, located in Mangistau Oblast, will be completed by the end of 2013 according to Alik Aidarbayev, Akim of Mangistau Oblast.
"By the end of the year, we plan to complete two major projects related to the construction of Caspian Cement and Caspian Bitumen with a total estimated cost of US$545m and the creation of 600 permanent jobs," Aidarbayev said.
Nine projects with an estimated cost of US$425m and the creation of more than 3000 new jobs are planned for completion at the site in the next few years.
Semen Papua to build first cement unit in Papua province 15 November 2013
Indonesia: PT Semen Papua plans to build the first cement unit in Indonesian Papua province. The unit will be built in the Paumako port area, East Mimika according to Adolf Haley, head of the regional development planning board (Bappeda).
Construction is expected to start in 2013 once an environmental impact analysis has been signed by the Papua Governor, Lukas Enembe. The plant will produce cement in bulk with basic material supplied from other cement factories with packing in Timika. Initially the unit will have a cement production capacity of 0.5Mt/yr that will rise to 3Mt/yr by 2016.
The project will be financed by a number of banks, with Bank Papua, which is owned by the regional administration forming a consortium to raise fund for the project.
UK: Anglo American announced that it has reached an agreement to sell Tarmac Building Products Limited (TBP) to Lafarge Tarmac Holdings Limited.
Lafarge Tarmac is the 50:50 joint venture of Lafarge's and Anglo American's construction materials and services businesses in the UK. The terms of the transaction are confidential and the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2014.
Both TBP and Lafarge Tarmac operations will continue to operate independently until such approvals are obtained.
Laos: A leading Thai cement company, widely speculated to be Siam Cement Group (SCG), will co-invest with Lao-Phatthana Cement Industry Co, a unit of Souksomboon Group, in the construction of a US$330m cement plant in Khammouane, Laos.
Chaovalit Ekabut, SCG's chief financial officer and vice-president for finance and investment, declined to comment on whether the Thai cement producer is SCG, but said the group continued to explore opportunities in the Asean countries.
Chittakorn Souksomboon, president of Souksomboon Group, said that the Khammouane plant will have a clinker capacity of 1.6Mt/yr. The clinker will become 2.2Mt/yr of OPC and blended cement, with half serving the Laotian market and the rest exported to Thailand. The plant is due to be completed at the end of 2015 or early 2016.
"The possible Thai partner with 100 years of history is interested in jointly investing with us because we have a 50-year concession from the Laotian government to operate a limestone mine on 3875m2 nearby," said Souksomboon. The Souksomboon Group is keen to forge a partnership with a Thai cement firm because it wants to sell construction materials through a Thai hardware chain in the future.
Cement demand in Laos is forecast at 3.5Mt/yr, but supply is just 1.7Mt/yr. The landlocked country must import cement from China and Thailand. The Laotian economy is growing robustly with infrastructure projects such as roads, double-track rail and dams being developed ahead of the Asean single market comes into being in late 2015.
Souksomboon Group already runs a cement plant in Vientiane, Laos and is building a plant in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, which is due to be completed in 2014.
Diamond Cement on the brink of collapse 14 November 2013
Ghana: Production at the Diamond Cement Ghana Limited (DCGL) at Aflao, Ghana, has slumped in the face of recent competition from cheap imported cement.
The Management staff of DCGL refused to comment on the issue. A contract agent of the DCGL stated that the company had a serious marketing problem and has adopted a bonus regime on recent purchases to entice clients.
According to local press, DCGL is not currently in full production and has resorted to alternating production days to allow for the glut in the market and the factory to be cleared.
"Production is done for three days, then it is stopped for a while and resumes for another three days and so on. The cut in production is 40% or thereabouts," stated an anonymous dealer. The source said it appeared interplay of pricing and proximity could be working against DCGL. Competing imported products may have some official support in terms of low taxes at the seaports, making those products cheaper.
Holcim's India operation restructuring plan gets FIPB nod 14 November 2013
India: Holcim has received approval from the Foreign Inevestment Promotion Board (FIPB) to merge holding firm Holcim India with its unit Ambuja Cements as part of a plan to restructure its India operations.
Holcim, which has majority stakes in two leading Indian cement makers, ACC and Ambuja Cements, announced in July 2013 its plan to consolidate operations in a cash and share deal in a two-step process, valued at about US$2296m. However, since Holcim's proposal is more than US$190m, it required approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) headed by Prime Minister Manamohan Singh.
Holcim said that as part of the restructuring process, Holcim India's over 50% stake in ACC will go to Ambuja and Holcim's stake in Ambuja will rise to 61.4% from a little over 50% following the merger of Holcim India with Ambuja.
Ambuja Cements would merge Holcim India through cash and share transactions. Ambuja will first acquire a 24% stake in HIPL for US$554.1m.