Displaying items by tag: France

Belgium: France-based Air Liquide has signed a memorandum of understanding with Holcim to supply and operate a Cryocap Oxy carbon capture unit for the forthcoming upgrade to the Obourg cement plant. The intention is that 95% of the CO₂ generated from the new production line will be captured and then transported via the Antwerp@C export terminal for under-sea sequestration. Air Liquide and Holcim have co-applied for the European Innovation Fund to support the project.

Pascal Vinet, Senior Vice President at Air Liquide Group, said “The decarbonisation of the industry is at the heart of our Advance strategy. We are committed to accompany our customers through providing a wide range of innovative solutions. As an example, Air Liquide's proprietary Cryocap technology is particularly well suited to decarbonise the cement industry.”

France: Ciments Calcia has announced an investment of Euro86m to further decarbonise cement production at its integrated Beaucaire plant. The subsidiary of Germany-based Heidelberg Materials has allocated a total of Euro600m towards reducing CO₂ emissions from all of its operations in the country in response to a government initiative, according to The Tribune newspaper.

The current funding follows a spend of just under Euro7m on upgrades at the site, including installing a new clinker cooler that will allow for greater recovery of waste heat, and the addition of a new computer control system. Following this work, the single production line plant was restarted in early April 2023.

The next stage of investment has started with a feasibility study. If successful, a tendering process could start in the second half of 2023 with work planned to start in 2025. The company intends to renovate the plant’s electricity network, modernise the production line with a preheater and a pre-crusher and make further changes to target an alternative fuels thermal substitution rate of 75%. A third stage, involving carbon capture and utilisation and/or storage, is tentatively planned to start in 2030.

Switzerland: Holcim has launched ECOCycle, its initiative to recycle construction demolition materials into new building products. It says it can recycle construction demolition materials across a broad range of applications, from decarbonised raw materials in low-carbon cement formulation, to aggregates in concrete and fillers in road construction.

Jan Jenisch, the chief executive officer of Holcim, said “Across all metropolitan areas where we operate, we are at the forefront of driving circular construction to build new from the old. With our ECOCycle technology we can build cities from cities, recycling 100% of construction demolition materials into new solutions, so everything gets reused and nothing gets lost. With our world’s growing population and urbanisation, circular construction is essential to build a future that works for people and the planet.”

The building materials producer is deploying its ECOCycle technology across its range of products to scale up circular construction. It says that its process enables concrete, cement and aggregates to contain from 10 - 100% recycled construction and demolition waste with no change in performance. The initiative is supported by distributing, processing, grinding and recycling construction and demolition materials into new building material products.

ECOCycle brings together previous work Holcim has conducted in the field such as launching a cement in Switzerland made with 20% demolition and construction waste. The company is now launching this product elsewhere in Europe. In France it is building an affordable housing complex using 100% ECOCycle recycled concrete. In the UK it is building a residential area with 50% ECOCycle aggregates that have been made from 100% recycled construction demolition materials.

Europe: Cemex has launched its latest packaging design for its Vertua reduced-CO₂ product range at the Low Carbon World exhibition in Paris, France. The new design incorporates products' scores across five 'sustainability attributes:' emissions reduction, energy efficiency, conservation of water, recycled content and design optimisation. Cemex will now deploy the design across Europe by June 2023.

Cemex's Europe, Middle East and Africa regional president Sergio Menendez said “Cemex is attuned to the need to focus on all aspects that can make a product more sustainable - not just achieving a lower carbon footprint. With the updated classification system for Vertua, customers can now more easily identify which of our products leverage the cutting-edge technology and innovation that will enable them to overcome the challenges they are currently facing in construction and renovation." Menendez concluded "The enhanced Vertua brand represents a more ambitious and stronger approach: from a group of low carbon products to a family of products and solutions that encompass more sustainable attributes and contribute to our company vision of building a better future.”

Mexico: Holcim Mexico has commenced production of its Fuerte Más reduced-CO₂ cement at its cement plants in Macuspana and Tabasco at a combined rate of 60,000t/yr. The cement offers 50% reduced CO₂ emissions and 10% higher physical performance than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The El Economista newspaper has reported that Holcim Mexico replaces some of the clinker in the cement with locally-sourced minerals from Southeast Mexico. Chemical compounds in the material colour the cement red.

The Centre for Technological Innovation for Construction (CITEC) Toluca verified the product as suitable for all applications. Holcim Mexico's industrial director Adrián Belli said that comparable green cements are currently only available in France and Italy.

France: Vicat and Materrup have formed a joint venture to industrialise production and accelerate marketing of Materrup's Clay Cement 1 (MCC1) raw clay cement. The Le Moniteur newspaper has reported that the technology is based on a precursor and activator mixture which removes the need for calcination of the clay. Materrup said that this halves MCC1 cement's CO₂ emissions compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

The partners say that clay has better long-term feasibility than other alternative raw materials for cement production, because global reserves are currently 2Tnt.

France: Estelle Bletry has taken on the role of sales manager for Holcim’s waste management subsidiary Geocycle. Bletry held different positions in Lafarge France between 2007 and 2019. She worked as product development manager and business developer materials and solutions at waste management company Hesus from 2019 to March 2023. Bletry studied marketing at IUT Cergy-Pontoise in Paris.

France: Ratings agency EthiFinance has certified Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies' operations as 100% in the line with the EU's Green Taxonomy. The Green Taxonomy measures the sustainability of companies' activities against the European Green Deal's objective of net zero by 2050.

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies said that it is Europe's first cement producer to achieve the recognition of conformity.

France: CRH subsidiary Eqiom expects to complete its carbon capture system installation and kiln upgrade at its Lumbres cement plant under the EU's K6 Programme in early 2028. The project uses Air Liquide's capture technology, whereby purified CO₂ is liquefied for storage or use in building materials production.

Senegal: The International Finance Corporation (ICF) has arranged a Euro242m finance package for SOCOCIM Industries to build a new production line at its Rufisque cement plant in Dakar Region. Euro214m of the loans will be used to decarbonise cement production at the site, including a contribution towards a larger Euro260m upgrade project. The new planned production line will have an alternative fuels substitution rate of 70%, increased energy efficiency and will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions.

The finance package organised by the IFC comprises a Euro120m loan from the IFC's own account and Euro122m equivalent in local currency parallel loans from Société Générale Sénégal, CBAO Groupe Attijariwafa Bank, Banque Internationale Pour Le Commerce et l'Industrie du Sénégal, and Ecobank Sénégal. Société Générale Sénégal has been appointed as the administrative agent to manage the local currency financing with the other lenders.

SOCOCIM is a subsidiary of France-based Vicat. Fives revealed in early 2022 that it would supply a 6500t/day kiln line for the Rufisque plant.