Displaying items by tag: GCW477

Austria: RHI Magnesita has launched Ankral Low Carbon, a 14% reduced carbon dioxide (CO₂) refractory brick. Instead of raw magnesite, Ankral Low Carbon bricks contain used refractory bricks as a dead burned magnesia (DBM) source.

The company says, “Adaption of production cycles is one of four ways in which RHI Magnesita is contributing to environmental sustainability, alongside shortening transportation routes, increasing of energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint of raw material.”

Malaysia: Belgium-based Etex has merged its cement boards subsidiary Kalsi Malaysia with fireproofing specialist Promat Malaysia under the new brand Etex Malaysia. The company says that the name change “reflects Etex's broader commitment to inspire ways of living through innovation.” PR Newswire Asia has reported that by combining its Malaysian subsidiaries under the Etex Malaysia brand the group aims to strengthen its offerings to local and export Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets.

Iraq: China-based China Machinery Engineering has secured a contract for the establishment of an integrated cement plant in Erbil, Kurdistan. Dow Jones Newswire Chinese News has reported that the plant is scheduled for completion in April 2023, at a total investment cost of US$210m.

US: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Holcim US has opened a 10MW solar power plant at its Hagerstown, Maryland cement plant in partnership with Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company. The producer says that the power plant will supply 25% of the cement plant’s energy needs, reducing its carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 12,400t/yr.

LafargeHolcim cement US operations chief executive officer (CEO) Jamie Gentoso said, “As solar technologies continue to improve, this abundant energy source stands out as both a sustainable and economical solution to follow through on our commitment to minimise emissions and reduce our carbon footprint. We already have access to large areas of land with a high concentration of sunlight, so utilising solar energy is an easy decision. As we strive toward becoming a net-zero company, clean energy is a key part of our strategy. We hope to install enough renewable energy to power all of our plants and give back to the surrounding communities by 2026; this new solar array is just the beginning for us.”

Portugal: Germany-based ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions has announced its appointment by Secil for modernisation of its 2.0Mt/yr Outão integrated cement plant. The supplier says that it will, “modify the existing rotary kiln and preheater tower, install a new AS-MSC calciner equipped with a Prepol SC-S calcining system to increase fuel flexibility and maximise the use of a wide range of alternative fuels (AF) with a minimum substitution rate of 85%.”

Additionally, a new Polytrack 7T/5-3R grate cooler, including a new cooler dedusting system, will replace the existing planetary cooler. The upgrade aims to “bring the plant to the highest energy efficiency, low nitrous oxides (NO_x) and the lowest carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions among European cement producers” and is partly funded by the Portuguese government.

ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions chief executive officer (CEO) Samir Abi Ramia said, “This project marks a milestone for our Grey2Green initiative and is proof of the rising demand for green technologies in the cement industry. Secil is aware of the stakes for tomorrow and beyond and places great value on sustainability. With our energy-saving and emissions-reducing technologies, we are proud to play our part in the transition towards carbon-neutral cement production.” He added, “Secil can be confident that, with this investment, its Outão plant will rank among the top 10% of efficient cement plants in Europe.”

US: The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) has signed a contract with drone supplier Botlink InSite to serve its drone surveying and mapping needs for management of aggregates used in building transport infrastructure.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Terri Zimmerman said, “We’re excited to add the NDDOT to our ever-growing list of customers. Our users see real cost savings by quickly getting accurate data, including reducing overproduction and underproduction.” She added that the drones can also serve cement companies in managing their raw materials stores.

US: The Wildlife Habitat Council has named Cemex USA the winner of the Corporate Conservation Leadership Award 2020. The award signifies “an exemplary corporate commitment to biodiversity and conservation education, and meaningful alignments with global conservation objectives.”

Director of Sustainability Vicente Saiso said, “We are privileged to receive the Corporate Conservation Leadership Award from the Wildlife Habitat Council. This recognition is testimony to our successful efforts and fosters our commitment to continue embedding sustainability in every aspect of our operations. To date, we have achieved certification for 30 programmes and community environmental initiatives in our operations around the world, with the highest standards of environmental conservation and biodiversity restoration.”

Projects include collaborations in the US and further afield with the California State Wildlife Action Plan, the Friends of Verde River Cooperative Invasive Plant Management Plan, BirdLife International, the El Carmen Nature Reserve Action Programme and a black bear research initiative, as well as the Mexican Strategy for Chihuahuan Grasslands Conservation, the Dominican Republic National Annual Plan and Panama's Alliance for a Million Hectares.

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia has said that it expects a 14% year-on-year decline in domestic cement demand to 50Mt in 2020 from 58Mt in 2019. The Jakarta Post newspaper has reported that the coronavirus outbreak was the primary cause of a 7.7% first-half decline in cement consumption to 27Mt from 29Mt.

Marketing and supply chain director Adi Munandir said, “Our projection is based on the delay in private construction projects and the government’s infrastructure development as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. This has caused demand to slump by 8.8% in July 2020, and we expect this slump to continue to the end of the year.” He noted the retail housing market as a potential sales boost, saying, “We saw an uptick in cement bag sales during the first half of 2020, as home renovations rose due to the pandemic.”

France: The council of Paris has voted to withdraw permissions for a planned expansion to LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France’s Bercy concrete plant after protesters captured footage of a slurry spill that the company called ‘exceptional.’

Finanznachrichten News has reported that the council also voted to launch a “mission to reassess cement and building materials production by 2040” to preserve the local environment, as a result of which it expects the city to shift its reliance to imports of cement and concrete from surrounding areas.

Philippines: LafargeHolcim subsidiary Holcim Philippines has launched a new social media marketing campaign for its flagship general purpose Excel brand cement. The Business Mirror newspaper has reported that the campaign uses the words “support and lift” in relation to the attributes consumers most associate with Excel cement.

The company said, “Holcim Philippines has sold over 1bn bags of Excel since 2000. This reflects the trust of local contractors, who in turn have used this to build many of the things that benefit us today. This campaign is a reminder that Excel will continue to be reliable partner in building a better Philippines moving forward.”