Displaying items by tag: CO2

Germany: The Catch4Climate project has moved into the planning stage of its oxyfuel pilot plant at the Mergelstetten cement plant. The group, comprising Buzzi Unicem’s subsidiary Dyckerhoff, HeidelbergCement, Schwenk Zement and Vicat, signed a letter of intent with the state’s prime minister and transport minister in Stuttgart in mid-November 2020.

The consortium intends to build and operate its own demonstration plant on a semi-industrial scale, to use the oxyfuel process to capture CO₂. In the future, the captured CO₂ will be used to produce so-called ‘reFuels’, climate-neutral synthetic fuels such as kerosene for air traffic, with the help of renewable electrical energy.

The cement producers formed CI4C – Cement Innovation for Climate in late 2019. The aim of the Catch4Climate project is to create the basis for a large-scale application of CO₂ capture technologies in cement plants enabling the later use of CO₂ as a raw material in other processes such as a carbon capture and utilisation/storage.

Switzerland: LafargeHolcim has launched a Euro850m sustainability-linked bond with a coupon of 0.5% maturing in 2031. It says it is the first bond of its kind in the building materials industry and that it is part of its commitment to reach its 2030 CO₂ reduction target.

“We are proud to be the first in our industry to launch a sustainability-linked bond. The order book of Euro2.6bn demonstrates the confidence of investors in the company’s financial strength, strategy and ability to deliver on its sustainability targets,” said Géraldine Picaud, Chief Financial Officer of LafargeHolcim.

Bond investors will be entitled to a higher coupon should the company not meet its objective, incentivising LafargeHolcim to reach its target of 475kg net CO₂ per tonne of cementitious material by 2030.

Italy: The pilot plant for the Cleanker project was inaugurated at Buzzi Unicem’s Vernasca cement plant in early October 2020. The purpose of the calcium looping technology project is to demonstrate a technology for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) in cement plants. Tests will be run for around 10 months with a total actual operating time of one month at most.

Switzerland: LafargeHolcim has announced the launch of EcoLabel, a brand to encapsulate its green cements and concretes. All products bearing the label must have either a 30% lower carbon dioxide (CO₂) footprint compared to the local industry standard or use 20% recycled content. The company says that the reason behind EcoLabel is to “support builders in making greener choices” and to “accelerate the company’s Net Zero Journey.”

Chief sustainability officer Magali Anderson said, “I am very proud of how our company is turning our net zero pledge into action across more than 70 countries, with our broad range of green building solutions. The EcoLabel is a key milestone on this journey, confirming LafargeHolcim’s commitment to lead the way in sustainability and innovation.”

Germany: Cemex Zement has announced the start of carbon-neutral building materials development at its 1.9Mt/yr Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg cement plant. Called Vision Rüdersdorf, the project consists of, “the comprehensive investigation of various approaches to breakthrough technologies in order to prevent process-related carbon dioxide (CO₂) from entering the atmosphere, but to use it for beneficial purposes. The investigation areas can be divided into capture, storage or use of CO₂. This will help towards Cemex’s target of 55% CO₂ emissions reduction across Europe by 2030 and its commitment to deliver carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Rüdiger Kuhn said, “For years, sustainable success has been achieved here in the reduction of fossil fuels and in the selection of alternative recipe ingredients for cement. The experienced team is always looking for possible improvements. When it came to determining the best possible CO₂ emission values, the Rüdersdorf plant was always at the forefront of the European cement industry and has thus also earned an excellent reputation in the global Cemex organisation.”

In order to realise Vision Rüdersdorf, the producer has partnered with companies from other industries. Managing director and plant manager Stefan Schmorleiz said, “In an interesting approach, the CO₂ that we capture is used as a raw material for downstream processes in the chemical industry. Another approach is to innovate in the storage of CO₂. With these efforts, and our commitment to review and invest in these technologies, Cemex Zement is making a contribution to the decarbonisation of the cement industry.”

US: The Portland Cement Association has launched greenercement.com, an informative website site dedicated to Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) applications and benefits. The organisation says that PLC’s 10% reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions when compared with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) make it the sustainable choice for innovative construction.

President and chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Ireland said, “PLC is another example of the cement industry evolving over the years, continuing to innovate and sustainably producing the high-quality cement that is needed to help keep America’s infrastructure strong and resilient.” He added, “This initiative will help educate engineers and other specifiers on how PLC can easily be incorporated into numerous projects.”

France: Social housing developer Immobilière 3F says that it has signed a contract with construction company Groupe GCC for the use of Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies' 78% reduced-carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions concrete for the construction of an 85-unit housing project in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, Île-de-France.

Groupe GCC says that it participated in the development of the concrete as part of a three-year development partnership agreement with Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies signed in July 2020.

Mexico: Cemex has announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with Switzerland-based alternative fuel (AF) specialist Synhelion, through which the pair aim to develop the use of solar power as an alternative heat source to fuel in clinker production. Pilot testing of Synhelion products will begin at a Cemex plant in late 2022, at a total investment cost of up to US$10m.

Head of global research and development Davide Zampini said, "Thanks to the technology that Synhelion is developing, we can bring the solar heat up to 1500°C. In the process, we can also capture the carbon dioxide (CO₂), and that fits perfectly into the process of the synthetic fuel."

Mexico: Cemex says that Carbon Trust has validated its roadmap to decarbonise global operations in line with the Sectoral Decarbonisation Approach (SDA) 2-degree scenario (2DS) developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The validated roadmap is intended to help the company to achieve a 35% reduction of net carbon emissions by 2030. The findings validate Cemex's roadmap for reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

The Carbon Trust has assessed the technical feasibility of the plan based on guidelines defined by international institutions including the International Energy Agency, the Cement Sustainability Initiative, and the European Climate Research Alliance. The CO₂ reduction methods include the use of alternative fuels, using decarbonated raw materials, renewable power projects, and novel cements, among others. The validation also included a review of Cemex's commitment to implement the scheme based on governance mechanisms and business planning.

“The magnitude and complexity of change required by a company such as Cemex to decarbonise its global operations is significant. Our assessment provides the organization’s management, investors and stakeholders with an independent validation that its commitments are backed up by sound assumptions and planning,” said Aleyn Smith-Gillespie, Associate Director Advisory at the Carbon Trust.

India: Dalmia Bharat subsidiary Dalmia Cement has joined five leading companies of other sectors in signing the Near-Zero pledge, an industry charter targeting “near-zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 2050” at the virtual Climate Week NYC. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the pledge consists of a commitment to “undertake carbon sequestration efforts, if needed, and set reporting indicators and targets to enable tracking of corporate goals on the decarbonisation pathway.”

Dalmia Cement urged national governments to “positively enforce targets for efficiency, emissions reduction and circular economy to make carbon neutrality by 2050 a reality.”