Displaying items by tag: Dust

Canada: A court has fined Lafarge Canada US$145,000 for a dust spill from its Bath, Ontario, cement plant in October 2019 that 'covered' homes, gardens and cars. The court found that the emission 'caused or was likely to cause adverse effects.' The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper has reported that the Canadian Ministry of Environment previously concluded that no harm to health resulted from the incident.

Plant manager Ignacio Arroyo said "Myself and our plant team unreservedly apologise for the upset and concern that our dust release has caused all of you. We intend to make it right and make sure it never happens again."

Germany: ScrapeTec will present its latest generation DustScrape dust management system at the SOLIDS Dortmund bulk handling technologies exhibition in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. ScrapeTec says that the new model boasts increased box robustness and is specifically designed for use in closed transfers with high material pressure. It works without the use of energy and also saves energy by enabling users to switch off existing dust extraction systems.

Pakistan: A court has ordered a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into alleged breaches of emissions rules at Kohat Cement's Kohat Cement plant in Babri Banda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Dawn newspaper has reported that alleged dust and chemical emissions from the plant have contributed to a local rise in cases of cancer, asthma and lung diseases, according to complainants.

Residents have filed a petition for contempt proceedings against the EPA and Kohat Cement, as well as local and provincial government authorities. The court previously ordered the EPA to monitor Kohat Cement's emissions in 2018. At that time, it also instructed Kohat Cement to operate its electrostatic precipitators system at all times that cement is being produced. Local residents claim that the plant has continually failed to operate the system.

UK: The planning applications committee of Kent County Council has approved Hercules Enterprises' Euro46.5m plan for a new 500,000t/yr grinding plant at Sheerness Docks on the Isle of Sheppey. The Sheerness Times Guardian newspaper has reported that the council assented subject to the producer's adherence to its particulate and dust management plan and continual noise monitoring. When commissioned, the new plant will create 52 new jobs, generate up to 144 truck movements per day and increase traffic on the A249 by 1%.

Hercules Enterprises' director Stuart Mason Elliot said that the new facility will help to move cement production away from its reliance on road transport. He said “This is not an open, dated, dusty old operation, but a fully-enclosed, clean, modern, environmentally responsible and sustainable plant designed to be a good neighbour to residents and other occupants of the port.”

Peru: Cemento Gloria subsidiary Cemento Yura's Yura cement plant has allegedly been the source of intermittent dust emissions, water contamination and destructive vibrations during its 50 years of operation. In May 2022, local authorities declared four houses uninhabitable due to cracks in walls and roof collapses. Local people have attributed the damage to the vibrations from the Yura cement plant's activities. In November 2022, local water supply is unavailable for over 40 minutes every day, allegedly also due to the plant's operations.

The La República newspaper has reported that Yura residents have launched a protest against the alleged environmental mismanagement outside of the company's plant.

Ghana: A court has issued an injunction for Empire Cement to desist from operating its unlicensed McCarthy Hills cement facility. Ghana News Agency has reported that the China-based producer's activities at the site present a health hazard to local people. The McCarthy Hills Residents' Association said that the company was established to be exclusively a producer of paper bags for cement products.

US: The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) has ordered Holcim US to pay a US$100,000 fine for alleged fugitive dust emissions from its Theodore cement plant in Mobile. Between February and August 2022, witnesses reported multiple dust plumes sighted above the plant, which is situated on the Theodore canal. AL.Com News has reported that, while neither admitting or denying the contentions, Holcim US said that it has taken actions affecting its raw materials unloading processes to ensure compliance.

Plant manager Clay Copeland said “We have worked closely with the ADEM to address concerns raised earlier this year."

South Korea: UK-based TCRK has announced a deal with Asia Cement to use its carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technology at the cement producer’s plant in Jaechon. The project will see the first commercial deployment of TCRK’s CCUS technology from the first quarter of 2023. It will initially target 30,000t/yr of CO₂ equivalent and then ramp up to 120,000t/yr of CO₂ equivalent by mid-2024. The second target is intended to help Asia Cement reduce its emissions by 20% required to meet its 2025 decarbonisation plan.

TCRK’s approach will use two processes to utilise capture CO₂ from cement production. Its Arago Cement Process uses captured CO₂, cement kiln dust and by-pass particles to produce precipitated calcium carbonate, which TCRK uses to produce a product called Arago Cement. The captured CO₂ will also be used to grow microalgae in a process called bio-fixation. This method will offer 10% extra carbon storage capacity. The microalgae has a wide range of potential end-products including bioplastics and animal feed, and can also be used as a source of bio-cement production.

US: The Board of County Commissioners of Boulder, Colorado, has denied Cemex USA’s application for a 15-year extension to its Dowe Flats quarry mining licence, following its expiry on 30 September 2022. Commissioner Claire Levy cited dust, traffic, noise and disturbances to wildlife as reasons behind the decision.

Cemex USA’s nearby Lyons cement plant has previously relied on the quarry for the supply of 760,000t/yr of limestone.

Canada: The Quebec Ministry of the Environment has ordered St Mary’s Cement’s integrated plant at Port-Daniel-Gascons to reduce its dust and other emissions to government-mandated levels. The notification follows an incident that occurred over the summer of 2020 and has reoccurred since on occasion. The order requires, amongst other measures, that the subsidiary of Brazil-based Votorantim allow an independent expert recognised by the department to carry out an assessment of air filtration equipment at the plant and propose ways to improve the situation.