September 2024
Terra CO2 raises US$46m in funding round 13 July 2022
US: Silicate-based supplementary cementitious material (SCM) developer Terra CO2 raised US$46m in its first funding round, it announced on 12 July 2022. Fast Company News has reported that climate innovation venture capital company Breakthrough Energy Ventures led the round.
Terra CO2's SCM consists of silicate-containing igneous rocks and sediments, which are ground and heated to form glass spheres. The company says that these behave in a similar way to natural pozzolan and fly ash. Terra CO2 says that its product offers a 70% CO2 emissions reduction compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC).
Sri Lanka: Insee Cement's Ruhunu cement plant in Galle has begun producing Portland composite cement (PCC) using slag and fly ash. Insee Cement first produced PPC at its Puttalam cement plant.
Insee Cement's head of products and solutions Moussa Baalbaki said "Insee Cement introduced PCC for the first time to the local market in 2021 as part of a two-pronged approach: to create value for our customers by augmenting the sustainability performance in their constructions, and also to steer Sri Lanka's construction industry towards ambitious, globally benchmarked sustainable goals." Baalbaki continued "We are truly encouraged by the growing demand across the local market for PCC, and trust our production expansion to Galle is testimony to our commitment towards sustainable production practices."
Cherat Cement and Lucky Cement import Afghan coal 13 July 2022
Pakistan: Cherat Cement and Lucky Cement are among three companies to have imported 10,000t of coal from Afghanistan in the two-month period up to 11 July 2022. Asian News International has reported the other company was Fauji Fertilizer Power Station.
The local coal price in Afghanistan was US$188/t on 11 July 2022.
Middle East: The UK-based chemical solutions Aubin Group developer and supplier has landed a two-year contract worth US $5m to make and supply additives to a Middle Eastern concrete well company. Under the deal, Aubin Group will supply the company with CFL-575, a high temperature fluid loss additive which it says is compatible with a wide range of cement types and for use in oil wells. CFL-575 sales volumes surpassed 170,000kg/yr.
Omar Raafat, Middle East North Africa general manager at Aubin Group, said “It’s a very agile product, and lots of clients are seeing success within a wide range of environments. We are now scaling up production of CFL-575 to meet this growing demand, and we are delighted to be conducting this locally at our manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi.”
Turkmenistan: Aumund has won a contract to equip Baherden Cement’s Ahal cement plant with three 300t/hr belt bucket elevators, three 450t/hr bucket elevators with central chain, a 1030t/hr double chain bucket elevator, two 200t/hr pan conveyors and 11 silo discharge gates. The equipment will serve raw materials preparation through to clinker grinding operations at the plant’s upcoming 1Mt/yr new line. Turkey-based cement plant builder Bilim Makina will receive the order.
Australia: Hallett Group plans to establish a slag cement grinding plant in Port Augusta, South Australia. Magnet News has reported the cost of the project as US$83.9m, towards which the producer has received US$13.4m in government funding. The plant will produce cement using South Australian ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) from Nyrstar’s Port Pirie and Liberty Primary Steel’s Whyalla steel refineries and fly ash from the site of the former Port Augusta power plant. Its operations will be 100% renewably powered. An accompanying new distribution facility at Port Adelaide will ship the cement to markets. The project will create 50 new jobs.
When the Port Augusta grinding plant becomes operational in 2023, its products will reduce regional CO2 emissions by 300,000t/yr, subsequently rising to 1Mt/yr, according to the company’s expansion plans.
Hallett Group chief executive officer Kane Salisbury said "We're talking about 1% of the entire country's 2030 [CO2 reduction] commitment, delivered through this project." Salisbury added "We're looking at turning South Australia into a global leader in manufacturing green cement."
UK: Aggregate Industries and Coomtech have partnered to develop low-energy kinetic drying technology for pulverised fuel ash (PFA) from power plant. The partnership will see Aggregate Industries use Coomtech’s kinetic dryers in its PFA processing, as part of its effort towards increasing the volume of waste materials incorporated in its products to 3Mt/yr from 1.5Mt/yr by 2025. The project has attracted funding from the UK government Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Chief commercial officer Chris Every said “We’re delighted to have the support of Aggregate Industries in this grant project. Coomtech is especially pleased to have the business’ ongoing technical and commercial input to the project operation and analysis of performance. In addition, the opportunity to work together with a brand that is leading the way in creating new materials that will prove fundamental to the future of the construction sector and meet net zero objectives.” Every continued “The added benefit of our new drying technology is its flexibility - providing the potential to dry a wide range of materials being considered to aid the greening of the cement industry, including limestone, ground blast furnace slag (GBFS), natural pozzolans and other crushed and milled minerals that can offer an activated character to combine in cement and concrete mixes.”
Cemex Deutschland acquires 53% stake in ProStein 12 July 2022
Germany: Cemex Deutschland has acquired a 53% majority stake in Saxony-based stone mining company ProStein. ProStein’s six quarries yielded 3Mt of raw materials in 2021. Cemex Deutschland says that the acquisition doubles its own raw materials capacity.
ProStein is the leading stone producer in Eastern Germany, where Cemex Deutschland operates its Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg, cement plant.
Holcim acquires Teko Mining Serbia 12 July 2022
Serbia: Holcim has acquired aggregates producer Teko Mining Serbia. Teko Mining Serbia’s aggregates sales were 2.4Mt in 2021. It employs 150 people across its quarries in Batocina, Ceramide, Ladne Vode and Ljubovija.
Holcim’s Europe, Middle East and Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said “Teko complements our existing cement and concrete operations perfectly, allowing us to add aggregates and asphalt as part of our integrated offer in this highly dynamic market. I look forward to welcoming the employees of Teko Mining, whose expertise will be invaluable in accelerating our growth, especially in the highly dynamic Serbian market, and will enable us to develop circular solutions to recycle construction and demolition waste in the future.”
France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has acquired ABC Broyage, which operates a slag grinding plant in North Dordogne. The producer says that ABC Broyage will import granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) via La Rochelle and supply ground GBFS to its H1 and H2 green cement plants in Bournezeau. This will give Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies self-sufficiency in its raw materials processing.
Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said “Managing our supply chain has always been one of Hoffmann Green's strategic priorities. After securing our supplies of co-products and their storage, we are now focusing on optimising their processing through the acquisition of ABC Broyage and the development of vertical integration.” Blanchard and Hoffmann noted that, besides strengthening the company’s control over its raw materials supply, ABC Broyage’s slag grinding capacity also secures its margins in the ‘current highly inflationary context.’