Displaying items by tag: Emissions

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.

Oman: Raysut Cement welcomed a delegation from Sinoma Overseas to its Salalah cement plant to strengthen cooperation in industrial development and sustainability initiatives, according to the company. Discussions centred on enhancing energy efficiency and advancing the companies’ ongoing waste heat recovery (WHR) project, which they say will reduce emissions and supply a substantial share of the plant’s power needs.

The project was announced in April 2025 and will be Oman’s first waste heat recovery plant, with a capacity of 9MW, according to local press. Once operational, the facility is expected to reduce the plant’s reliance on the national grid by 30% and avoid 50,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions.

Sweden: Heidelberg Materials Sweden has said that it will ‘pause’ its carbon capture project at the Slite cement plant in Gotland after the Swedish Energy Agency rejected its application for co-financing under the Industrial Step programme. The producer said that the government is currently ‘not prepared’ to strategically prioritise funds for the project. The project aimed to reduce Sweden’s total CO₂ emissions by 1.8Mt/yr, or around 4% of the country’s total emissions. Heidelberg Materials said that, as production in Slite is not being given a way to adjust with secured long-term competitiveness, Sweden now risks becoming dependent on cement imports in the future and could face weakened security of supply.

Vice president Karin Comstedt Webb said “We have worked for a long time to implement one of the most powerful climate investments in Swedish industrial history with the aim of securing long-term competitiveness. But without the state's continued support for implementation, there are currently insufficient conditions to realise the project in Sweden.”

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched its ‘Cement and Concrete Industry Net Zero Action and Progress Report 2025/6’, which reports a fall by 25% in CO₂ intensity of cementitious products since 1990 and sets out policy measures needed to accelerate decarbonisation. The report was launched at COP30 in Belem, Brazil.

The report highlights more than 60 decarbonisation projects across alternative fuels, alternative raw materials, carbon capture, renewable energy and recycled concrete. Examples include Fletcher’s Golden Bay plant and JSW’s Nandyal and Shiva plants. Publicly announced projects are collated and made available to see on the GCCA/LeadIT green cement technology tracker. The document also calls for policies enabling non-recyclable waste use in kilns, wider adoption of blended products, national carbon pricing mechanisms and the use of construction demolition waste as recycled raw materials.

GCCA president and Heidelberg Materials chair Dominik von Achten said “Our industry is collaborating and innovating across every aspect of our production - finding new ways to work and deploying exciting technologies that are already making a genuine step change. However, to achieve the industrial scale transformation that our world needs, we cannot do it by ourselves - our industry needs the support of governments, policymakers, stakeholders, and our allies across the built environment right now.”

GCCA chief executive Thomas Guillot said “The breadth of activity we are seeing across our membership is truly inspiring, with great examples of projects and work across all decarbonisation levers, where enabling policies exist. Cement and concrete are essential materials for the world, but we know they are also essential to decarbonise. Despite our progress, we know that firm policy action across the world is fundamental to enabling us to accelerate our reductions.”

Brazil: Cimento Apodi said that it has recorded a 20% thermal substitution rate (TSR), avoided 1500t/yr of CO₂ emissions and invested more than US$4.7m in a new 5MW solar park. The producer has targeted a 25% TSR by the end of 2025.

It says it will increase renewable energy use through its solar park and a waste heat recovery system. Together these will supply 25% of its electricity demand by the end of 2025. The implementation of the cement mill optimiser (CMO), an artificial intelligence-based system developed with the Federal University of Ceará and the Titan Group, has increased mill productivity by up to 13% and installed capacity by 10%. The company is also developing gasifiers that can reduce emissions by up to 10% per tonne of cement.

The integrated Quixeré cement plant coprocesses byproducts such as tyres, cashew nut shells, açaí seeds, carnauba stalks and industrial waste from other sectors. All materials undergo sorting and characterisation to meet the parameters of particle size, moisture and calorific value.

South Korea: Gangwon-do governor Kim Jin-tae visited Halla Cement’s Gangneung Okgye plant on 13 November 2025 to discuss challenges facing the cement industry amid the country’s ongoing construction slowdown. Governor Kim reviewed progress on the government’s US$682m carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) ‘mega’ project, which aims to capture carbon dioxide from cement plants in Gangneung and Samcheok, as well as nearby coal-fired power plants. The captured CO₂ will be converted into e-methanol for eco-friendly ship fuel, lithium carbonate for secondary batteries, and new construction materials.

Kim said that Gangwon-do’s cement production accounts for 63% of nationwide production. He pledged full administrative support to ensure the project passes its preliminary feasibility study, according to local press. Halla Cement’s Okgye plant has only operated three of its four production lines since 2024, each producing 5500t/day of cement, after reducing output due to weak construction demand.

“There have been some concerns over dust and fine particles,” Kim said. “Cement and power companies have voluntarily signed an agreement to reduce emissions by 46%, and a second reduction agreement will be signed this month. As the industry continues its efforts, the province will actively support it by significantly reducing emission charges.”