Displaying items by tag: CO2

China/Uzbekistan: Anhui Conch has released an update on some of its major development projects. Its new plant at Tashkent in Uzbekistan has an investment of around US$260m. The company reports that 30,000m² of equipment and materials have arrived, the rotary kiln supporting wheels have been hoisted in place, the main body installation of the coal mill has been completed, the structure of the dormitory building has been capped and the main factory area has begun to take shape. It is also building a plant at Brakbash District in Andijan State. Civil engineering and main engineering construction are reportedly underway. The company also has a third cement plant in the country. So far the group has built over 10 cement plants outside of China.

In China, Anhui Conch is building a CO₂ energy storage demonstration project at its Baimashan cement plant in Wuhu, Anhui province. The group says that, once complete, the project will be the world's first commercial demonstration project of a CO₂ energy storage system. It says that during the low power consumption period, the excess power will be used to compress CO₂ at normal temperature and pressure into a liquid. The heat energy generated during the compression process will be stored. The stored heat energy will then be used to heat the liquid CO₂ back into a gas, driving the turbine to generate electricity, reducing the cost of electricity. The demonstration project has an area of 40,000m².

The cement producer says it is working towards a model of ‘one base and five industries’ where cement production links to other industries such as new energy, new materials, environmental protection, the digital economy and the promotion of international trade.

Australia: Adbri reported a full-year rise in sales of 8.5% year-on-year to US$1.15bn in 2022 from US$1.06bn in 2021. Its earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) fell to US$106m, down by 10% from US$118m. The producer said that its cement sales rose by 6.3% year-on-year. Demand remained ‘solid’ in Western Australia, while sales dropped in Southern Australia, partly due to wet weather and the loss of an exclusive supply contract. Adbri noted that “The backlog of residential construction works, attributed to the shortage of trades and wet weather in 2022, will continue to underpin good order books in 2023.”

The group said “The past year has been one of the most challenging for the company in its long history. Our results were delivered against the backdrop of a difficult macroeconomic environment, which included the global economic instability resulting in inflationary pressures and wet weather events across Australia. The company also underwent a substantial leadership transition in the latter part of the year, with the former managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer stepping down from active duties as the company accelerates its transformational agenda.”

In 2022, Adbri achieved a 12% reduction in operational CO₂ emissions compared to 2019. Chief executive officer Mark Irwin called on the national government and state governments to embed CO₂ emissions reduction targets in legislation, and on the former to implement a carbon border adjustment mechanism on imported cement. Irwin noted that failure to implement such measures may lead lower-emitting plants such as the Birkenhead, South Australia, cement plant to transition to grinding imported clinker or consider closure.

Germany: The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has validated Heidelberg Materials' new 2030 CO2 reduction targets. The targets have a base year of 2020 and conform to a 1.5°C climate change framework. Per tonne of cementitious material, the producer is now committed to reducing its Scope 1 CO2 emissions by 24%, its Scope 2 CO2 emissions by 65% and its Scope 3 emissions by 25%.

Heidelberg Materials' chief sustainability officer Nicola Kimm said “As reflected in our updated Sustainability Commitments 2030, climate action is a crucial element of Heidelberg Materials’ sustainability strategy. The SBTi validation shows that our sustainability agenda not only includes the most ambitious reduction target in the cement industry – but also a realistic, measurable plan in line with the 1.5°C scenario. We follow a clear, science-based approach, reducing our carbon footprint through the levers of product and process innovation and industrial-scale carbon capture, utilisation and storage. By closing the carbon and material loops, we will lead the sustainable transformation of our sector.”

In 2019, Heidelberg Materials became the first cement company to secure SBTi validation for its emissions reduction commitments.

Spain: Cemex España will install a carbon capture system at its Alicante cement plant in Valencia, as part of its efforts to make the unit a 'benchmark pioneer low-CO₂' cement plant. The producer holds a contract with ET Fuels for the supply of 45,000t/yr of CO₂ captured at the facility for methanol production.

Chief executive officer Fernando González said “Our goal of reaching net-zero CO₂ emissions is achievable and will be driven by collaboration and innovation. Our decarbonisation roadmap includes reducing emissions to the lowest possible level through proven levers such as clinker substitution and alternative fuels. New levers, such as rapidly developing CCUS initiatives, must effectively tackle the remaining CO₂ emissions to hit our ambitious 2050 objectives.”

Europe: Cemex’s annual CO₂ emissions from its European operations fell by 41% in 2022 compared to 1990. It added that it had cut its emissions in the region by 12% between 2020 and 2022. The group attributed the decline to the success of its climate action strategy to date, including a large investment in a new alternative fuels facility in the UK, investments in solar power plants in Germany and Poland and the roll-out of its Vertua reduced-CO₂ products across the region.

Regional president Sergio Menendez said "As we begin to implement the next stages in our climate action strategy, we now expect to exceed our 2030 aspiration of hitting a 55% CO₂ reduction in our European operations. While we are progressing important carbon capture projects and policy advocacy for our ultimate net zero target, these 2030 interim aspirations are not reliant on this technology.” he continued, “This is certainly a challenging target, but I am confident that with innovative thinking, close collaboration between our different business areas and further development of our regulatory framework, it is both feasible and profitable. This sustained effort is vital if we are to meet our global, primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO₂ company by 2050. We will continue to provide regular updates on our progress.”

Germany: Heidelberg Materials' sales increased by 13% year-on-year to Euro21.1bn in 2022 from Euro18.7bn in 2021. This was despite a 6.1% drop in cement and clinker volumes, to 119Mt from 127Mt. Heidelberg Materials' cement and clinker volumes fell by 10% in Western and Southern Europe, by 7.8% in Northern and Eastern Europe-Central Asia, by 14% in North America, by 1.3% in Africa-Eastern Mediterranean Basin and by under 1% in Asia-Pacific. The group's materials costs rose by 23% to Euro21.4bn from Euro18.8bn. Meanwhile, its profit dropped by 9.4% to Euro1.72bn from Euro1.9bn.

Chief executive officer Dominik von Achten said "It’s evident that we can only be profitable in the long term by shaping our future as a company in a climate-compatible way, further reducing the footprint of our products and closing material loops. We are making good strides in all areas. Compared with the previous year, we were able to reduce our specific net CO₂ emissions by another 2% in 2022. Our carbon capture, utilisation and storage projects launched worldwide are progressing favourably. At our CCS project in Brevik, Norway, we are well on track with the construction of the world's first CO₂ capture plant in our industry, and we look forward to commissioning in 2024." Von Achten continued "We have made a good start to 2023. The fourth quarter showed that we have laid a good foundation for the development in this year. Volatility on energy and raw material markets remains high, but the current easing in energy prices is giving us some breathing room. On the demand side, government infrastructure plans should compensate for the decline in private housing construction. We are optimistic about the further course of the year.”

US: Leilac has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US-based Heirloom to use Leilac’s kiln technology in Heirloom’s direct air capture (DAC) process. The MOU outlines the key terms for a licence and collaboration agreement.

Daniel Rennie, the chief executive officer of Leilac, said “Leilac is delighted to be partnering with Heirloom. Our partnership will apply Leilac’s core technology for cement and lime decarbonisation to address the global challenge of excess atmospheric CO₂.” He added “Heirloom uses low-cost and abundant limestone, which Leilac’s technology is specifically designed for. Both technologies are modular, easily scalable and can be renewably powered.”

Heirloom is developing a method of using limestone to remove atmospheric CO₂ in a DAC process. The proposed DAC method using both Leilac and Heirloom technology will heat limestone in a Leilac kiln to release CO₂ that can then be captured and sequestered. The lime that the kiln produces will then be reformed back into limestone directly capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere in an accelerated process. This limestone will then be feed back into the kiln restarting the process. The partners also suggest powering the kiln from renewable electricity sources to further increase the net reduction of CO₂ emissions from the process. No cost for the combined process or who would pay for it has been revealed so far.

Leilac is a subsidiary of Australia-based Calix that has been testing its indirectly heated calcination technology with the cement and lime industry since the mid-2010s. An industrial scale application of the process at Heidelberg Material’s Hanover cement plant in Germany is expected to be ready to start testing by the end of 2023. Additional projects have been announced in Australia with Adbri and Boral.

US: Prometheus Materials’ microalgae-based biocement has secured certification for use in concrete masonry unit (CMU) mixes. The cement now holds an ASTM C129 certificate for use in non-loadbearing CMUs and an ASTM C90 certificate for use in loadbearing CMUs. Prometheus Materials’ biocement produces concrete with comparable or superior mechanical, physical and thermal properties to ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based concrete. It offers little-to-no CO₂ emissions and 95% of water used in production is recycled.

Prometheus Materials CEO Loren Burnett said “We are thrilled to have achieved these two foundational certifications as we proceed in full force with our goal of decarbonising construction. Prometheus Materials’ product is poised to change the future of construction, converting one of the most carbon-polluting industries to a low-carbon – and one day net-zero carbon – reality.”

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has won a contract to supply property developer Belin Promotion with its clinker-free cement for use in its residential property development projects up until March 2026. Dow Jones Institutional News has reported that the deal includes minimum volume commitments.

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) has successfully launched its new fleet of 35 liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled trucks from its Murli cement plant in Maharashtra. The trucks are of two types, covering ranges of 50 - 600km, and will transport bagged cement and bulk raw materials. They have 28% lower CO₂ emissions than conventional diesel-powered trucks, and are thus able to eliminate 840t/yr of CO₂ emissions, while also reducing emissions of nitrous oxides (NO_x) by 59% and particulates by 91%, and eliminating emissions of sulphur oxides (SO_x).

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) says that its next move will be to launch a second fleet of 25 trucks from its Ariyalapur cement plant in Tamil Nadu. By April 2024, it plans to convert 10% of its 3000 truck-strong fleet to LNG fuel.

A spokesperson for the company said “Dalmia Cement has been following the business philosophy of Clean & Green is Profitable and Sustainable. Our overall CO₂ emissions have come down from 670kg/t to 467kg/t – one of the lowest globally – and we are focusing on realising our carbon negative goal by 2040. We are delighted to partner with GreenLine Logistics for further reduction of our Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.”