Displaying items by tag: Alternative Fuels

Russia: Eurocement says that its subsidiary Peterburgcement’s Slantsy cement plant in Leningrad Oblast is undergoing an upgrade in order to co-process 100,000t/yr of alternative fuel (AF) in its cement production. The group claims that the upgrade will improve the efficiency of the 1.9Mt/yr plant and reduce its consumption of natural gas by 25%. The purported cost of the upgrade is US$1.77m.

Eurocement previously implemented the same technology at another of its cement plants in the Republic of Mordovia.

Cyprus: Vassiliko Cement’s Vassiliko cement plant was the site of a tyre fire in an alternative fuel (AF) storage area on 11 June 2022. The Cyprus Mail newspaper has reported that the fire begun due to a mobile shredder malfunction. Enerco Energy Recovery operates the shredder at the 2.5Mt/yr cement plant. Local residents protested the incident at the site of the plant’s former quarry on 13 June 2022.

Germany: HeidelbergCement has replaced its existing revolving credit line with a new syndicated credit line based on the Loan Market Association’s sustainability-linked loan principles (SLLP). HeidelbergCement says that key performance indicators of its progress towards sustainability objectives will determine the credit line’s credit margin, adjusted according to its CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material and alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate. HeidelbergCement says that its ‘solid financial base’ enabled it to reduce the syndicated credit line to US$2bn from US$3bn, and to avoid financial covenants.

Chief financial officer René Aldach said “With the conclusion of the new syndicated credit line, we have taken the first step towards sustainable financing. In addition, we were able to improve the terms and conditions compared with the previous credit line.”

France: Germany-based IKN says it successfully commissioned a new Pendulum Cooler at Lafarge France’s Martres cement plant earlier in the year. The 2500t/day cooler was supplied for the new production line at the unit. It is also equipped with a single grate Dynamic Linear Drive and a roll crusher with three rolls at the cooler end as well as a bypass. It is designed to be used with an alternative fuels thermal substitution rate of up to 85%. IKN thanked Lafarge France and China-based CBMI for their cooperation on the project. The new production line was commissioned in January 2022.

India: Nuvoco Vistas recorded full-year consolidated sales of US$1.2bn in its 2022 financial year, up by 24% year-on-year. The group’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) remained level year-on-year at US$198m. Its profit after tax also remained level at US$4.12m.

The Pioneer newspaper has reported that Nuvoco Vistas’ Chittor cement plant achieved an alternative fuel (AF) substitution capacity of 23% during the 2022 financial year. The group says that it remains focused on increasing its proportion of blended cement products, in addition to AF and waste heat recovery (WHR) projects.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has published its 10th Sustainable Development Report, detailing its sustainability progress in 2021. That year, it reduced its CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material by 4.2% compared to 2017, to 505kg/t from 527kg/t. It sourced 43% of all electricity used in its operations renewably and achieved 8.4% alternative fuel (AF) substitution in its cement production. During the year, Holcim implemented ECO-labels to designate products with at least 30% CO₂ emissions reduction.

Holcim Argentina’s CEO Christian Dedeu said “This decade of reports demonstrates our strong commitment to sustainability and governance that considers economic, social and environmental impacts. The conviction of the importance of reviewing performance and being accountable for our impacts made it possible.”

Vietnam: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions Vietnam (TISV) and the Vietnam Institute of Building Materials (VIBM) have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between both parties on the research and application of new technologies towards reducing the CO₂ emissions of cement production. At the signing ceremony, Lukas Schoeneck, the chief executive officer of TISV confirmed his commitment to collaborate with VIBM, under the guidance of the Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh. The parties now plan to identify a lighthouse project that will use alternative fuels in response to an increase in the global price of coal.

Pham Van Bac, Head of the Building Material Division at the Ministry of Construction, said that Vietnam is implementing the a strategy for the development of building materials for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050. The plan for the cement industry is to limit the use of natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy while promoting the maximum use of waste streams from industries and domestic sources as raw materials in cement production.

US: A fire has been contained within the alternative fuels system at Holcim US’ integrated Whitehall cement plant in Pennsylvania. Suppression systems were activated and then fire fighters attended the scene, according to the Express-Times newspaper. The plant has notified the US Mine Safety and Health Administration about the incident. No injuries have been reported and an investigation is ongoing. A fact sheet about the plant says that it uses 2m tires/yr as part of its alternative fuels mix. It uses coal and petcoke for 50% of its mix.

Malaysia: Borneo Oil has increased its investment in the upcoming ILPP cement plant in Sabah to US$12m. The oil company has signed a deal to buy a 19.5% stake in the cement company from Makin Teguh. Borneo Oil previously bought shares from Makin Teguh in late 2021. The company said it is making the move to benefit from a positive outlook for the cement sector in the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area. It estimates that Sabah has a demand of 1.2 – 1.4Mt/yr of cement.

Borneo Oil says it is the largest private owner of limestone reserves of cement grade quality in Sabah. The ILPP plant is located next to a limestone quarry owned by Borneo Oil and a long-term supply contract for the unit is already in place. The ILPP plant will have a cement production capacity of 0.2Mt/yr when it is completed. Commissioning of the plant is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022. The owners say it will be the first integrated plant in Sabah. It will also be the first micro-cement plant in Malaysia that will use heat recovery and a mixture of fuels, including heavy fuel oil and biomass such as a palm kernel shells.

Belgium: CBR has successfully completed an upgrade of systems connected to the kiln of its 0.8Mt/yr Antoing cement plant. The company says that it has modernised the kiln gas cycle, reducing the plant’s power consumption by 2.5%.

The Antoing cement plant previously underwent a capacity expansion and alternative fuels (AF) substitution-increasing upgrade to its kiln line in late 2020.