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New Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) data for 2011 shows that the global cement industry has reduced its specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 17% since 1990. This represents a serious amount of carbon prevented from entering the atmosphere. Using United States Geological Survey (USGS) world production data, if cement producers in 2011 were still emitting C0₂ at 1990 levels 456Bt of additional CO₂ would have been released between 1990 and 2011.

Unfortunately there are a couple of problems.

Firstly, submitting data for the project is voluntary. As the CSI points out in its press release the data set comprises 55% of cement production outside of China. A rough calculation based on global cement production capacity suggests that this could only account for about one third of cement made. So how much carbon does the other two-thirds of cement made emit?

Secondly, although CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement have gone down by a sixth since 1990, global cement production more than tripled (!) in the same time period. USGS data placed world production at 1.40Bt in 1990. It estimated 3.59Bt in 2011. In terms of net CO₂ released into the atmosphere, in 1990 this was 1058Bt. In 2011 it was 2260Bt.

The big cement producers compare as follows to the CSI data, which reports emissions of 629kg/t. Lafarge reported 592kg/t cementitious in 2011 and 585kg/t in 2012. Holcim reported 584kg/t in 2011 and 579kg/t in 2012. HeidelbergCement reported 621kg/t in 2011. Cemex reported 612kg/t in 2011 and 2012. No data on specific net CO₂ emissions were available for the major Chinese cement producers.

The CSI data shows that the cement industry has made an effort to reduce CO₂ emissions since 1990. Yet this has been counteracted by a rise in cement production. To compensate for the rise in production between 1990 and 2011 the specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious product would have had to have fallen to below 300kg/t, a drop of 60%.

Environmentally sensitive readers shouldn't despair yet though as the CSI has demonstrated that emissions and production are gradually separating in the cement industry. From 2010 to 2011 specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious product fell from 638kg/t to 629kg/t. If this trend continues - and if it is representative for the cement producers the CSI doesn't cover – then the industry may be getting a handle on its emissions. We may be about to hit peak emissions for the cement industry sooner rather than later.

Pakistan: Muhammad Arif Habib has resigned as director from the board of directors of Thatta Cement with immediate effect. Habib bought Thatta Cement with Al-Abbas Group in 2004 when the cement producer was privatised. The company has since become part of Arif Habib Group.

Dominican Republic: President Danilo Medina has inaugurated the Cemento Panamericano (PANAM) plant at Villa Gautier, San Pedro in the Dominican Republic. PANAM executive Manuel Estrella said that the US$80m plant will create 800 direct and 2400 indirect jobs. The PANAM cement plant will increase Dominican domestic cement production capacity to nearly 7Mt/yr.

Brazil: FLSmidth has received two new orders in Brazil. The first is for a 3300t/day line for Pitimbu Plant, a greenfield project by Companhia De Cimento Da Paraíba in Paraíba state. The Danish cement plant supplier previously built a plant at Sete Lagoas for the client.

The second order is for an OK-33 vertical roller mill. Cimento Itambé has ordered the mill for cement grinding at its Balsa Nova Plant located in Paraná state. This is the 19th OK mill sold in Brazil.

"The awarding of these orders to FLSmidth is a consequence of a high market demand and has been given to FLSmidth in spite of great competitor interest in the same area," said President, Cement Division, Per Mejnert Kristensen.

Peru: Peruvian industrial conglomerate Grupo Gloria plans to invest US$217m towards upgrading production at its Yura cement plant near Arequipa. The plant currently has a cement production capacity of 3.5Mt/yr and the upgrade is expected to double production by 2016.

The project will include the installation of a new clinker line with a capacity of over 4500t/day, a new cement mill and bagging, pallet and loading equipment. The work will create more than 3000 direct jobs and over 9000 indirect ones.

Construction is set to start in 2013 with the mill complete by mid-2014 and the new clinker line ready by the end of 2016. Grupo Gloria is targeting the additional cement capacity at the south of Peru and Bolivia.

Switzerland: Global cement producers have reduced CO₂ emissions by 17% per tonne of cementitious product since 1990. Participating cement producers reduced their specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious product to 629kg/t in 2011 from 756kg/t in 2011. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)'s Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) has published the data in its 'Getting the Numbers Right' (GNR) database update for 2011.

"GNR has become established as a valuable source of independently-verified emissions data, which is now used globally by the cement industry to improve energy efficiency and further reduce emissions," said Philippe Fonta, WBCSD managing director. The WBCSD added that the GNR figures provide evidence of the gradual decoupling of emissions and cement output, which demonstrates the significant progress made by the cement industry.

According to the data, the four main drivers for the reduction in emissions have been investment in more efficient kiln technology, increasing use of alternative fuels such as biomass, reduction in clinker content and an 8% decrease in electricity use per tonne of cement since 1990.

The 2011 GNR data comprised 55% of cement production outside of China, with 96% coverage in Europe spanning 967 individual facilities. The 2011 report included data from Thailand, Morocco, Philippines and Egypt for the first time.

US: VHSC Cement has announced the commercial release of Pozzoslag 1.2, a cementitious material made using coal fly ash as a raw material. VHSC promotes its product as a partial replacement to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), offering early set times, greater long-term strength and enhanced concrete durability. Users are also able to reduce their chemical additive packages and lower the total amount of cementitious binder material.

"Pozzoslag 1.2 is created using a patented process that was introduced into commercial operations in November of 2012. This new product uses raw fly ash as a base material to produce a cementitious blend of material that meets grade 120 slag strengths based on ASTM 989 testing protocols. Using Pozzoslag in concrete allows very high durability at routine replacement factors in the 55-65% range," said Buddy Pike, president of VHSC Cement.

VHSC Cement developed Pozzoslag to overcome the early set time issues that have historically hindered the use of higher volumes of fly ash and slag in many cement applications. Currently this process is used to produce materials that are currently being used in ready mix concrete, highways, roads, building foundations and precast and concrete products.

Pozzoslag 1.2 from the Limestone facility in Texas meets ASTM C989 performance specifications as a Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS). These products meet Grade 120 slag requirements.

US: Holcim (US), the current owner-operator of the Hagerstown cement plant in Hagerstown, Maryland and St. Lawrence Cement, which previously owned the same facility, have agreed to pay a US$700,000 fine and improve emission controls at the facility to settle alleged air pollution violations, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The action against the Hagerstown plant is part of an on-going nationwide EPA effort to tighten pollution controls in the cement industry.

The proposed federal court consent decree requires Holcim to install 'advanced pollution controls' at the plant, Holcim also pledged to spend at least US$150,000 to replace outdated environmental protection equipment.

"It has been a long standing issue and now the company feels that it really is in its best interest to find a resolution," said Holcim spokeswoman Robin DeCarlo.

The Department of Justice filed suit on behalf of EPA in 2011 accusing Holcim and the plant's prior owner, St. Lawrence Cement, of violating the federal Clean Air Act from 2003 to 2007 by modifying the facility's cement kiln in a way that produced 'significant' increased emissions of SO₂.

US: Texas Industries, Inc. (TXI), the leading cement producer in Texas and a major player in the Californian cement market, has reported financial results for the quarter and year ending on 31 May 2013. Net income for the quarter was US$44.1m. Net income including income net of tax from discontinued operations of US$28.5m. Net income for the quarter ending on 31 May 2012 was US$60.2m

Net income for the year ending on 31 May 2013 was US$24.6m and included a pre-tax gain on the disposition of discontinued operations of US$41.1m. Net income for the year ending on 31 May 2012 was US$7.5m.

"The fourth quarter certainly benefited from the continuing recovery of construction activity in our major markets," said Mel Brekhus, CEO of TXI. "Shipments of all products reflect double digit percentage increases compared to a year ago."

"We also achieved two strategic milestones during the quarter," continued Brekhus. "The commissioning of our 1.4Mt/yr cement kiln at our central Texas plant (Hunter) was finished late in the quarter and we completed the acquisition of 42 ready-mix plants in east Texas. Both events significantly improve our ability to take advantage of the strong recovery under way in Texas."

Egypt: At least three people have been killed and 17 wounded in a grenade attack upon a bus carrying cement plant workers in the north of the Sinai Peninsula. Security and medical sources reported that suspected militants used rocket-propelled grenades to attack the bus.