Displaying items by tag: Emissions

UK: First Graphene has announced the successful large-scale production of around 600t of graphene-enhanced cement at Breedon’s Hope Cement Works in Derbyshire ahead of new trial projects rolling out across the UK. The batch contains 3t of First Graphene’s PureGRAPH-CEM® additive, and was produced in a single day. The product is now in storage ahead of despatch for use in three concrete projects across the UK. The University of Manchester will conduct compressive strength testing and analysis of the concrete’s performance.  The additive is introduced during the final milling stage, and is designed to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 16% by lowering the clinker content in the cement.

The first trial involves using 30-40t of the graphene-enhanced cement to produce thousands of roof tiles at FP McCann’s Cadeby plant in Leicestershire. The five-month study is part of an Innovate UK-funded initiative aiming to improve resource efficiency and reduce construction waste in response to the UK government’s housing targets. First Graphene has also reportedly received further interest from organisations in both the UK and Australia for testing the material in various applications.

First Graphene CEO Michael Bell said “Adding graphene into cement has proven to deliver performance benefits for a wide range of applications, and multiple end uses of this cement batch reinforces PureGRAPH®'s versatility. We look forward to working closely with our strategic commercial partner Breedon, Morgan Sindall, FP McCann and the University of Manchester as application trials roll out over the coming months."

Sweden: The Swedish Energy Agency has awarded US$12.5m to Boliden under its Industrial Leap initiative to support the development of a low-carbon cement alternative derived from iron-rich residual materials. The product allows for partial replacement of limestone in cement. Boliden is building an industrial demonstration plant to produce, test and verify the new material, which is based on byproducts from its own operations. Boliden estimates that the technology could cut value-chain emissions by around 600,000t/yr of CO₂ if fully implemented across its operations.

“Demonstrating innovative new technology to manufacture products with lower carbon emissions is fully in line with the purpose of the Industrial Leap. By reusing materials in new products instead of depositing them, the project also contributes to more circular use of materials,” said Klara Helstad, Deputy Head of the Department for Research, Innovation and Business Development at the Swedish Energy Agency.

Taiwan: Taiwan Cement has voiced support for government efforts to reduce the country’s growing reliance on imported cement, warning that the trend could undermine domestic producers and jobs.

The remarks come after locally-owned Universal Cement announced it would stop buying from Taiwan Cement and shift entirely to imported cement and clinker from elsewhere, including Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, to satisfy its demand of 1Mt/yr. Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming raised concerns over the rising imports, said that the imports raise concerns about carbon footprints and encouraged reducing reliance on imported cement. Taiwan Cement chair Chang An-ping said that the issue was not just environmental. “Taiwan risks becoming a dumping ground for surplus cement from foreign markets,” he said, which could affect domestic workers. He showed customs data that export prices to Taiwan are lower than domestic prices in exporting countries.

Chang criticised the lack of reciprocity in Taiwan’s zero-tariff policy on cement imports and said that the anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese cement introduced in July 2025 had failed to stop prices from falling. He also called for consistent carbon verification standards. While domestic producers follow a strict ‘gross emissions’ approach verified by third parties, Chang said many Southeast Asian exporters use ‘net emissions’ accounting, which subtracts emissions avoided through waste treatment. Minister Peng confirmed plans to align verification of imported cement with local rules.

Australia: Boral has received US$16.6m in funding from the New South Wales Government to support an alternative fuel project at its Berrima Cement Works, aiming to reduce emissions and accelerate decarbonisation in cement manufacturing. The project will transition the kiln from coal to lower-carbon alternative fuels, with a target of 60% thermal energy substitution. Over its service life, the initiative is expected to reduce Scope 1 emissions by 1.6Mt. It will also divert an estimated 73,000t/yr of waste from landfill.

The grant was awarded under the NSW Government’s High Emitting Industries Grant programme, which supports manufacturing and mining facilities to develop and deploy decarbonisation projects to reduce emissions by 2030. Boral said that about 35% of its Scope 1 emissions come from fuel combustion, with the rest being process emissions from calcination during clinker production.

“This project will enable us to build technical and operational capabilities to sustainably achieve significant emissions reductions,” said Vik Bansal, Boral CEO and Managing Director. “We look forward to sharing our findings across the sector and helping to preserve and strengthen Australia’s domestic cement manufacturing capability for generations to come.”

Norway: Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe has announced the launch of a new methanol-powered cement carrier in partnership with the Hartmann Group and the Norwegian NOx Fund. The vessel is scheduled to begin operation in Norway in the first quarter of 2028. It is expected to cut CO₂ emissions by up to 6000t/yr compared to conventional fossil-fuel ships. The vessel was selected following a competitive tender involving six shipping companies. The Hartmann Group will design, own and operate the vessel, with Cyprus-based InterMaritime providing technical management after delivery. In early 2025, Heidelberg Materials applied for financial support, and the project received US$5.9m from the Norwegian NOx Fund, without which the vessel would reportedly have been too costly to develop.

Knut Omreng, director of logistics at Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe, said “This vessel cuts emissions by 80% and increases our overall transport efficiency. A 10-year contract signals our willingness to support innovation and build lasting partnerships.”

Europe: Vattenfall has signed a commercial agreement with Cemvision to supply near-zero-CO₂ cement for its onshore wind infrastructure projects across Europe from 2028. Cemvision’s Re-ment Massive product will be prioritised by subcontractors and has the potential to cut emissions by up to 95%, according to the company. Deliveries will come from Cemvision’s first industrial-scale plant and follow a 2024 letter of intent signed by the two companies.

Cemvision CEO Oscar Hallen said “This long-term agreement for the supply of our near-zero cement is a foundational step in transforming the cement market, and we are proud to take the partnership with Vattenfall to the next level. Our cement is one of the most cost-efficient ways to decarbonise construction. Moving from pilot to commercial action is how the transition becomes real.”

Vattenfall aims for 10% of its cement and concrete purchases to be near-zero by 2030, with the deal making it possible to reach 20% by 2028 and supporting a 50% supply chain emissions reduction by 2030.

Austria: Alpacem Cement Austria will invest in new infrastructure at its Wietersdorf site in Carinthia to process and utilise low-CO₂ alternative raw materials in cement production. The project aims to cut process-related CO₂ emissions by 51,000t/yr. The company will construct a new plant, expand conveying and storage facilities and modernise dosing systems to raise the share of alternative raw materials to 35%. The project is supported by a €21.6m grant under Austria’s ‘Transformation of Industry’ programme.

Southeast Asia: The ASEAN Federation of Cement Manufacturers (AFCM) has launched the 2035 AFCM Decarbonisation Roadmap, which it says is the world’s first regional decarbonisation strategy for the cement sector. The roadmap was announced during the 46th AFCM Council Meeting in Brunei Darussalam, chaired by Dr Chana Poomee and attended by cement association leaders from all eight AFCM member countries.

The roadmap sets a shared framework for systematic CO₂ reduction aligned with national climate policies and global environmental goals. Supported by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), it is built upon four pillars: expansion of low carbon cement, transition to renewable energy across production processes and enhancing efficiency to reduce energy consumption, deployment of decarbonisation technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and development of new supplementary cementitious materials.

Member associations from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam said that national implementation will vary depending on local energy mix, policies, industrial maturity and material availability. The strategy could reportedly cut regional CO₂ emissions by up to 38Mt by 2035.

Lithuania: Scientists at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) have developed methods to convert discarded textiles into alternative fuels and cement additives to reduce waste. Efforts focus on reducing the clinker content of cement and CO₂ output.

Dr Raimonda Kubiliute of the KTU Faculty of Chemical Technology said “The cement industry, especially clinker firing processes in rotary kilns, contributes significantly to environmental pollution. This is why researchers are actively seeking ways to reduce the amount of conventional cement in cement-based mixtures by replacing it with alternative binders or fillers.”

KTU found that polyester fibre from waste textiles, when added to concrete at 1.5%, increases compressive strength by 15-20% and improves freeze-thaw resistance. Ash from thermal treatment of textiles at 300°C in an inert atmosphere can replace up to 7.5% of ordinary Portland cement and increase strength by up to 16% under curing conditions. The findings are part of the ‘Production of Alternative Fuel from Textile Waste in Energy-Intensive Industries (Textifuel)’ project between KTU and the Lithuanian Energy Institute.

Dr Kubiliute said “This technological solution not only reduces CO₂ emissions during cement production but also provides an innovative and environmentally friendly approach to textile waste management.”

India: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) India said that the cement industry has installed 1.8GW of renewable energy capacity and aims to add 5GW more by 2030, according to Platts. Around 3% of electricity used comes from renewables and 11% from waste heat recovery. GCCA India said that the average alternative fuel thermal substitution rate (TSR) in the sector is approximately 6%, although some plants have successfully achieved TSRs of more than 20%. It also said that there are developments in the installations of hybrid energy systems, which provide 24/7 electricity for the sector.

Blended cement accounts for 73% of production, and India has reportedly begun producing limestone calcined clay cement. Research is also underway into other low-clinker alternatives. According to a March 2025 report by GCCA India and The Energy and Resources Institute, the industry aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. CRISIL forecasts that the sector will add 160-170Mt/yr of grinding capacity between the financial years 2026-2028, which run from April to March, driven by a healthy demand outlook and high capacity utilisation.