Displaying items by tag: Emissions
UK: Capsol Technologies has been selected to conduct a study on its carbon capture technology at Aggregate Industries Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire. Owned by the Holcim Group, the company’s plant will undergo a feasibility study by Capsol Technologies for its CapsolEoP® carbon capture system. The potential for carbon capture at this plant is 600,000t/yr of CO₂. The CO₂ captured will be stored geologically through the nearby MNZ Cluster or HyNet North West.
CCO Johan Jungholm said “CapsolEoP® provides a cost-efficient carbon capture solution for cement, and our solution can be run on electricity alone without expensive heat integration or external steam supply. It offers flexibility in the optimisation of the designs, allowing for high capture rates, high reliability and low energy consumption."
The contract includes supplier input for the feasibility study, and further pre-FEED engineering if Capsol's technology is selected. The UK Government's Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) is funding the study, with Petrofac as Aggregate Industries engineer. This study is part of Peak Cluster's objective to reduce over 3Mt/yr of CO₂ from cement, lime, and refuse facilities by 2030. Capsol Technologies is focusing on the cement industry, which accounts for about 8% of global CO₂ emissions.
Sustainable concrete project launched in Rome
21 March 2024Italy: Scientists Gregory Chass and Kun Tian have developed a sustainable concrete from wet waste materials through their company Mesoscale Engineering Halcyon. This 'green concrete' concept was conceived in Garbatella and will first be tested on the district's pavements. The concrete, made by combining and recycling industrial CO₂ emissions with brine from saltworks, is part of the Clean Energy Transition Partnership. It is also central to the BUCK$$$ project, led by Kun, focusing on carbon capture and utilisation. This project, with €2.54m in funding, involves 13 partners from seven countries.
This innovative concrete arises from 'mineralised CO₂', which is similar to mollusc shells made of calcium carbonate, as well as materials derived from saltwork brine, desalination, and industrial wastewater. Both currently underused products are expected to become crucial in the cement and concrete industries, particularly in Italy.
Japan: Taiheiyo Cement will install a gas engine power system at its Fujiwara cement plant in Inabe-shi, Mie Prefecture. The system replaces the existing thermal power system at the plant, which uses petcoke. Construction is set to begin in 2025 and the facility will be operational by the end of 2026. The new system will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 130,000t/yr.
President and representative director Masafumi Fushihara said "Taiheiyo Cement positions the reduction of CO₂ emissions from its cement production as an important growth strategy and will work to continue to achieve carbon neutrality through various countermeasures and the promotion of further energy conservation."
Saint-Gobain invests in low-carbon cement technologies
15 March 2024France: Saint-Gobain is intensifying its commitment to low-carbon cement and concrete additives. The group has invested in Fortera, a start-up developing a process for low-carbon cement production. Fortera's ReCarb process reduces CO2 emissions by 70% in existing cement plants, contributing significantly to the goal of net-zero carbon cement production, especially when combined with renewable energy. Additionally, Saint-Gobain supports Ecocem, a leading company in low-carbon cement technologies in Europe, as a shareholder. Ecocem's ACT technology showcases a 70% reduction in carbon footprint compared to the average CEM II cement used in Europe.
Denmark: A collaborative effort involving the Technological Institute, DTU, FLSmidth Cement, and Lhoist is underway in Denmark to test a new technology designed to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the cement industry. The initiative, known as the Newcement project, is part of the INNO-CCUS partnership which embraces projects focusing on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and is supported by an investment of US$1.12m from the Innovation Fund. Jens Christiansen, Section Manager at the Technological Institute and Project Manager of the collaboration, aims for the technology to move from laboratory tests to a full-scale demonstration in a real cement production plant.
Türkiye: The Turkish cement industry needs to invest approximately US$30bn to achieve its net-zero carbon goal by 2053, according to sector representatives. Additionally, around US$2bn is required to adhere to the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), according to Fatih Yücelik, chair of the Turkish Cement Manufacturers’ Association (TÜRKÇİMENTO).
Yücelik said “The most important issue for us this year is carbon emissions. The amount of investments to be made swiftly in transformation and efficiency work to overcome the barriers created by the CBAM is around US$2bn. However, under the current situation, it is difficult for us to find this financing.”
There are 77 factories producing cement in Türkiye, according to Yücelik. “They all use kilns which heavily consume energy. We are establishing waste heat recovery facilities. The amount of electricity generated by those units can power 618,000 homes,” he said. The industry also faces rising operational costs, with energy comprising about 80% of these expenses.
Eqiom’s Lumbres cement plant upgrade to expand capacity by 57%
26 February 2024France: Eqiom plans to expand its Lumbres cement plant by 57% from 700,000t/yr to 1.1Mt/yr by 2026. The project involves the installation of a new kiln and aims to reduce the plant's CO2 emissions by 20%, its fuel consumption by 35% and its NOx and SO2 emissions by 40% and 80% respectively. The producer plans to invest €300m, including €40m from France Relance funds.
Global Cement and Concrete Association and China Cement Association to collaborate for cement decarbonisation
01 February 2024World: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has signed a new agreement with the China Cement Association (CCA). The agreement constitutes an historic ‘partnership pledge’ to accelerate cement decarbonisation globally in 2024 – 2026. The partners says that their collaboration will contribute to the development and launch of the upcoming China Cement Carbon Neutrality Roadmap. Equipment supplier Sinoma International Engineering and the European Cement Research Academy (ECRA) will also help to develop the roadmap. The GCCA previously launched its own global net zero roadmap in 2021. Together, GCCA and CCA members account for 90% of global cement production in capacity terms.
GCCA CEO Thomas Guillot, said “The world needs leadership and collaboration like never before, especially on addressing the key issue of our time, climate change. This agreement between the China industry and the global industry is a signal to the world that we stand ready to deliver the essential decarbonised building materials that our planet needs. Cement and concrete enable the key infrastructure, thriving and resilient communities, clean water, safe homes and the shift to clean energy that are essential to a future sustainable world.”
CCA Executive president Kong Xiangzhong said “This important agreement marks a win-win cooperation, and shows where we can collaborate effectively to bring insights, technical know-how and greater focus to our shared decarbonisation mission. I am sure this will create a mutually-beneficial and long-term partnership that will be crucial in building a more sustainable world.”
UK: Aggregate Industries has successfully removed gas duct sections from the electrostatic precipitation filter at its Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire. This will make way for the installation of a new CTP Team process kiln bag filter, following an annual shutdown.
Cauldon plant capital expenditure manager Mark Powling said “The new bag filter not only provides the best available technology, but will enable the Cauldon plant to optimise its plant performance, driving its decarbonisation and alternative fuel strategies. Thanks to the project team for their efforts and hard work to date.”
Holcim’s ECOCycle construction-demolition material recycling technology named Circularity Lighthouse
17 January 2024Switzerland: McKinsey & Company and the World Economic Forum have recognised Holcim’s ECOCycle recycling technology for construction-demolition material (CDM) as a "Circularity Lighthouse in the Built Environment." ECOCycle technology can process 100% of CDM input into new building materials with 75% lower CO2 emissions than traditional alternatives.
Chief sustainability officer Nollaig Forrest said “Circularity is a game changer to decarbonise buildings at scale. At Holcim we are operating over 100 ECOCycle recycling centres globally to drive circular construction. With our advanced recycling of CDM, we can already reduce the CO2 footprint of cement by up to 40%. This is just the beginning; as we innovate and partner across the value chain to evolve building norms, we aim to accelerate the shift to circular construction in all metropolitan areas where we operate.”