Displaying items by tag: CO2
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies secures Chinese patent for its clinker-free cement
11 January 2022China: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has secured a Chinese patent for its high performance alkaline activation (H-P2A) geopolymer technology. The patent will enable it to begin to market its clinker-free cement in the country.
Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "We are very proud to extend the intellectual property of our H-P2A technology to a market with such great potential as China. The achievement of this first milestone marks our commitment to raising the barriers to entry in as many markets as possible around the world."
Montenegro: State-owned energy supplier Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) has proposed the gradual shutdown of its Pljevlja coal-fired plant and its replacement with a new cement plant. The company said that such a plant would eliminate Montenegro’s 750,000 – 800,000t/yr of cement imports.
The first stage of the Pljevlja power plant’s shutdown will only commence once a replacement power facility is online. Currently, the plant supplies 40% of the country’s energy. Its closure is part of Montenegro’s plan to accede to the EU as soon as 2025.
Mexico: Cemex’s total dispatches of its Vertua reduced-CO2 concrete in Mexico reached 284,000t in 2021. After launching the product in its home country on 8 December 2020, the company supplied it to 3820 sites throughout 2021. Cemex says that it enters 2022 with 1580 orders outstanding.
Holcim and Magment to develop magnetisable concrete technology for electric vehicle charging
06 January 2022Switzerland/Germany: Holcim has announced the launch of a strategic partnership with inductive charging technology developer Magment to test and commercialise magnetisable concrete technology for use in roads. The technology will power and charge electric vehicles as they drive on roads fitted with Magment. Another possible application is in industrial floors, to charge robots and forklifts.
Holcim’s Global Innovation Center head Edelio Bermejo said: “At Holcim we are innovating to put concrete at the centre of our world’s transition to net-zero. With Magment, we are excited to be developing concrete solutions to accelerate electric mobility. Partnering with start-ups all over the world, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to lead the way in sustainability.”
Ibstock announces 2040 net zero commitments
06 January 2022UK: Building materials group Ibstock has announced its commitment to achieving a 40% CO2 emissions reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040. The commitment covers scope 1 and 2 emissions, building on the company’s existing sustainability roadmap commitments to create a framework of targets and critical milestones. Ibstock says that these will include investment in more efficient production processes and in high quality environmental projects to offset residual carbon. Additionally, it plans to develop a strategy to reduce indirect scope 3 CO2 emissions in 2022. It will publish full details of all targets in its 2021 full-year results in March 2022.
During 2021, Ibstock invested Euro138m in the construction of two net zero facilities in West Midlands and West Yorkshire and procured 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. Ibstock is the parent company of Ibstock Concrete, which produces concrete roofing, walling, flooring and lintels at 14 sites across the UK.
China: Huaxin Cement and Hunan University have started a pilot production line that uses flue gas from a cement production line to manufacture concrete bricks. The process, being tested at the Huaxin Wuxue Industrial Park in Hubei Province, absorbs CO2 from the flue gas and uses the heat of the gas to cure the bricks, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The average compressive strength of the bricks is above 15MPa. It is estimated that a production line with a brick output of 100m/yr could absorb 26,000t/yr of CO2.
Hebei province to replace 1000 polluting factories before 2026
04 January 2022China: Hebei province will screen out a total of 1000 existing factories for replacement with less-polluting alternatives under the Chinese government’s 14th Five Year Plan, which covers the period up to the end of 2025. The Xinhua News Agency has reported that factories, including cement plants, will undergo upgrades in order to conform to the plan’s emissions restrictions or close down. The province currently has a total of 233 green factories. Under the 13th Five Year Plan, which concluded in 2020, it reduced its installed cement production capacity by 12Mt/yr.
Cementos Argos to expand Piedras Azules cement plant
21 December 2021Honduras: Cementos Argos plans to expand the production capacity of its 1Mt/yr Piedras Azules cement plant by 35%. The plan is part of a group of planned projects, including solar power and alternative fuels, with a total investment value of US$23m. The company expects to complete all of the work before 2024. It says that the expanded operations will generate 500 new direct job opportunities.
The company will increase its energy supply from the Comayagua solar power plant to 25% of the plant’s requirements from 20% at present. It will also establish a new 1.2MW solar power plant at Río Blanquito. The cement producer will also strengthen its industrial waste co-processing operations with the aim of achieving 12% refuse-derived fuel (RDF) substitution rate by 2030, the equivalent of 5500t/yr. If reached, this will reduce the company’s carbon footprint in the country by 14%.
Chief executive officer (CEO) Luis Eduardo Tovar said "This investment is a vote of confidence of Argos in Honduras and represents our commitment to the country's economic reactivation and our firm determination to contribute to the consolidation of prosperous and sustainable communities based on competitive and visionary initiatives.” He continued “We will continue our efforts to promote the development of Honduran families through the creation of social value at a national level."
Mexico: Cemex has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact’s Chief CFO Taskforce for the Sustainable Development Goals. The taskforce engages global chief finance officers (CFOs) in integrating the UN’s 10 sustainable development goals (SDG) into strategy, financing and investor relations in order to create a broad sustainable finance market. Its aims include providing the global development community with a modern view of how capital markets can contribute to financing the SDGs at scale, developing innovative financial instruments and contributing to a broad market of diversified investment opportunities, supporting companies in securing financial capital to transform their business and production models, connecting companies’ SDG investments with increasingly impact-orientated investors, developing internal tools and resources to embed sustainability in corporate finance, promoting partnerships between chief executive officers and CFOs and helping to translate sustainability strategies into financial language for investors and rating agencies.
Cemex’s CFO Maher Al-Haffar said “Climate change is perhaps the biggest challenge of our times, affecting lives and disrupting economies. Only by aligning our financial and climate action strategies will we be able to overcome this challenge.” He added “At Cemex, we share the beliefs embodied in the CFO principles and are honoured to join the UN Global Compact CFO Taskforce for the SDGs, through which we will actively contribute to the innovation of corporate finance that will enable the building of a more resilient future for all.”
Dalmia Cement Bharat managing director and chief Mahendra Singhi named Person of the Year
21 December 2021India: First Construction Council and the Indian Cement Review have named Dalmia Cement Bharat managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Mahendra Singhi as Person of the Year at the Cement Expo on Cementing India’s Future for the 2022 financial year. Singhi won the title for his exemplary contribution towards transformational changes in the Indian and global cement sectors, significantly facilitating the transition to a more circular economy. Singhi is the previous president of the Indian Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) and the previous chair of the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM). He has achieved recognition as a Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 Business Leader and a World Bank Group Carbon Pricing Champion.
Singhi said “I am honoured to receive this award on behalf of people with whom I worked in the last 43 years in various companies who have shaped my clean and sustainable journey and I dedicate this award to them. I feel fortunate that I have been able to have visionary mentors and committed colleagues who could support my cemented journey.” He added “I am hopeful about the future as we transition towards newer business models that will drive us to remain profitable, ensure value creation and, at the same time, achieve environmental sustainability.”