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This week we covered Capitol Aggregates’ order of an alternative fuels (AF) system from ATS Walter USA. The story is notable because it is an AF project for a cement plant in the US. Thermal substitution rates (TSR) of AF in the US have typically been lower than in the European Union (EU), but this could be changing.

The order was confirmed publicly at the end of September 2025. The subsidiary of ATS Group will supply a solid AF metering and conveying system to the integrated plant in San Antonio, Texas. The system will include a moving floor receiving station, chain belt conveyors, a screen and a separator, dosing equipment, an air-supported belt conveyor and an injection system. ATS Walter says that, by the end of 2026, it will have supplied four AF projects in North America. As an aside, Capitol Aggregates also mentioned in the press release that it “...views sustainability as essential to long-term success.” This sentiment is backed up by the fact that the plant built an early commercial carbon capture unit in the 2010s!

Data from the American Cement Association (ACA) revealed that the AF TSR in the US reached 16% in 2023 from 14.6% in 2022. This compares to a 58% rate in the EU in 2022. It is also worth noting that, in the US the share of gas in the cement industry energy mix rose from 25% to 31%. The ACA attributed this change to a falling price of gas. It added that the coal and petroleum share of the fuel mix fell to its lowest level since 1974. The point here is that the energy mix used by cement plants changes over time regardless of sustainability trends.

Research by LEK Consulting estimated that 60 of the 87 cement plants in the US had a TSR of below 20% in 2023. 39 of these were believed to have a TSR of under 5%. It summarised that hazardous waste and tyre-derived fuels have tended to predominate in the US compared to refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in the EU and elsewhere. LEK went on to say that its research suggested that a quarter of cement plants in the US were likely to install an AF feeding system in 2024 or 2025. This is likely to be the highest rate of AF uptake in the US cement sector to date.

The ACA reckons in its sustainability roadmap that with the right policies and regulations the country’s AF TSR could reach as high as 50%. Its policy suggestions include: reduce permitting barriers to use of so-called non-hazardous secondary materials (NHSM) fuels in industrial manufacturing; treating waste-to-industrial energy as valid recycling use; building robust recycling infrastructure and markets that incentivise the use of non-recycled material streams as industrial AF; community education and support for use of low carbon AF; and increasing the use of NHSMs to divert these materials from landfills. This can be mostly summarised as supporting the uptake of RDF through better permitting and building up the infrastructure and markets for it. LEK also identified the same issue. It called for the adoption of landfill reduction targets or zero-landfill policies by commercial and industrial waste generators. However, LEK believes that, even if this were done, current sources of high-quality RDF in the US would not be able to increase the TSR to even 20%.

News from Capitol Aggregates and others about AF projects in the US are encouraging. If LEK’s research is indicative then a step change in the TSR in the country’s cement sector is already underway. The beauty of AF usage is that it can both potentially cut fuel costs and reduce CO₂ emissions. It won’t be easy as new supply chains for refuse byproducts are built and utilised. Yet, as the ACA is advocating, it is possible and worthwhile.

The 1st CemFuels Asia Conference will take place in Bangkok in February 2026 and the 19th Global CemFuels Conference will take place in September 2026 in Geneva

US: Vulcan Materials has appointed Ronnie Pruitt as its CEO with effect from the start of 2026. Tom Hill, the company’s current CEO and chair, will become its executive chair.

Pruitt holds over three decades of experience in the building materials sector. He has worked as Vulcan’s Chief Operating Officer since mid-2023. Prior to this, he was Senior Vice President for Vulcan's Southwest and Western Divisions. He joined Vulcan in 2021 with the acquisition of US Concrete, where he worked as CEO. He has also worked for Martin Marietta Materials and TXI.

Vulcan Materials produces construction aggregates and materials including asphalt and ready-mixed concrete. Its headquarters are in Birmingham, Alabama.

Spain: Maritime traffic between the ports managed by the Valencia Port Authority - Valencia, Sagunto and Gandia - and Israel rose by 25% in 2024. The ports of Valencia and Sagunto maintain a direct connection with Ashdod, 40km south of Tel Aviv. Since the start of the conflict in Gaza and until September 2025, Israel has imported more than 165,000t of white cement from the Port of Valencia, compared to virtually none in 2023, according to official data from the Port of Valencia via the El Diario newspaper. Up to 15 ships carrying white cement from Çimsa Cementos’ Buñol plant have reportedly departed from Sagunto for Ashdod. Industry experts said these exports represent around 12% of Buñol’s 700,000t/yr capacity. For comparison, Holcim’s Sagunto plant produces 110,000t/yr of white cement.

Libya: Hungary-based company Rotary International has proposed building a new cement plant in Libya as part of the country’s infrastructure reconstruction programme. The project was presented during talks in Tripoli between the company and Mustafa Al-Samou, undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, according to Zawya news. The ministry said in a statement that the facility will use ‘environmentally friendly’ technologies to boost local cement production, meet domestic demand and reduce reliance on imports. The talks also covered broader cooperation and investment opportunities in the building materials sector to expand industrial activity and attract foreign expertise and capital.

Kenya: Mombasa Cement plans to build a 10MW captive power plant at its Vipingo plant in Kilifi County to reduce energy costs and reliance on the national grid. The US$6.5m project will use circulating fluidised bed combustion technology to generate power from a hybrid mix of bituminous coal, cashew nut shells, wood chips and briquets, according to local press.

According to regulatory filings, the power plant will be located within the company’s existing cement complex and supply electricity directly to its production lines to ensure stable energy supply.

On 2 October 2025, Equator Energy commissioned a 10MW solar power plant at the same facility.

Australia: Zeotech has executed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cement Australia to exchange information and conduct testing for the company’s AusPozz high-reactivity metakaolin product. The collaboration will assess AusPozz’s technical performance and value, alongside evaluating Cement Australia’s infrastructure and supply chain options, with the aim of advancing its commercialisation.

Cement Australia general manager sales, marketing and risk Phil Halpin said “Cement Australia is pleased to enter this arrangement with Zeotech. The company’s high-grade kaolin has strong potential as a viable feedstock for producing high-reactivity metakaolin. Our planned technical assessment of AusPozz will focus on validating its performance as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for low-carbon concrete applications. In parallel, Cement Australia will undertake a detailed evaluation of the infrastructure and end-to-end supply chain requirements.”

Zeotech executive director Shane Graham said “We are pleased to be partnering with one of Australia’s largest suppliers of building materials. The MoU provides a framework for ongoing collaboration aimed at accelerating the development of AusPozz and evaluating pathways toward commercial-scale production. This partnership represents an important step in supporting the decarbonisation of the built environment through the development of high-performance, low-carbon construction materials.”

India: Recycling equipment manufacturer Fornnax Technology has launched the R-MAX3300, its largest secondary shredder, at IFAT India 2025 in Mumbai on 14 October 2025. The machine is designed to process low-density waste streams such as municipal solid waste, commercial and industrial waste, bulky waste, legacy waste, wood waste and construction and demolition waste. The R-MAX3300 produces refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and solid recovered fuel (SRF) with particle sizes between 30 and 50mm.

Director and CEO of Fornnax Technology Jignesh Kundaria said “With the rising challenges of waste management in India and globally, this machine is not just a product; it’s a powerful tool for change. We engineered it to handle the most difficult waste streams with unparalleled efficiency, turning what was once considered unusable waste into a valuable resource. It directly addresses the urgent demand for effective, large-scale shredding technology that can support cement kilns and waste-to-energy facilities in achieving the desired output.”

According to the company, India currently generates over 160,000t/day of municipal solid waste. Simultaneously, the global industrial shredder market is expected to grow at a 5-6% CAGR, driven by stricter recycling regulations and increasing waste generation.

Belgium: Etex and Heidelberg Materials have joined forces on CEMLOOP XL, an industrial-scale project co-funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme that aims to revolutionise fibre cement recycling through a fully closed-loop process integrating carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology. According to a press release by Etex, this will reduce CO₂ emissions in cement production by at least 20% and cut energy consumption in the process by 15%.

The project will combine the two companies' expertise to create a fully circular process where waste fibre cement is transformed into high-quality secondary raw material to produce low-carbon cement that will be reused in new fibre cement products. Etex, in collaboration with the Jacobs Group, is developing a recycled fibre cement paste (RFCP) process that converts waste from Etex’s production lines and the wider construction sector into reusable material and avoids landfilling. A new recycling facility in Hemiksem, near Antwerp, is under construction and scheduled for completion by mid-2026.

At Heidelberg Materials’ Lixhe cement plant in Liège, the company is implementing CCLIX, a carbonation process that treats RFCP with CO₂ captured from kiln exhaust gases. This produces carbonated RFCP (cRFCP), which regains cementitious properties and can partially replace clinker in low-carbon cement production. A dedicated carbonation reactor is set to be commissioned at Lixhe by the end of 2028.

Etex says that CEMLOOP XL will prevent 60,000t/yr of fibre cement waste, save 100,000t/yr  of raw limestone, and capture or avoid around 900kg of CO₂ for each tonne of RFCP produced. This process combines utilisation and storage in one step - the captured CO₂ becomes chemically bound within the new product, acting as a permanent CO₂ sink.

Eric Bertrand, chief innovation officer at Etex, said “By 2030, we aim for over 20% of our inputs to come from circular sources and to send zero waste to landfill. Fibre cement plays a central role in this transformation. For the first time, it will follow a fully circular journey - a milestone only made possible through strong partnerships like this with Heidelberg Materials.”

US: Çimsa has started production at its new grey cement grinding facility in Houston through its subsidiary Cimsa Americas Cement Manufacturing and Sales Corporation, according to Yatirimlar news. The plant has an annual capacity of 600,000t/yr and commanded an investment of US$82m, reportedly making Çimsa the first and only Turkish cement producer with grey cement production operations in the US.

The company, which already operates a 300,000t/yr white cement grinding plant in the country, said the new facility strengthens its position in the US market by adding grey cement production capacity.

CEO Umut Zenar said “Our goal in doing so was to transform Çimsa into a global building materials company with both geographical production diversity and a differentiated product range. During this process, we strengthened our existing operations while continuing our path with international acquisitions and new investments. With the acquisition of the Bunol factory in Valencia, Spain, which we completed in 2021, we became the world's second largest producer in the white cement market. Then, with the Mannok investment we completed in 2024, we strengthened our presence, especially in Ireland and the UK, and accelerated our transformation with the new products we added to our portfolio. Today, we are happy to launch our new investment in the USA. We have been present in the US market for a long time through exports. This new investment, which we have implemented within our US-based company, is a turning point for us. We are no longer a brand that only exports to the USA, but also a player with on-site production power. In this way, we gain logistical advantages and offer much more to our customers. We will be able to provide fast and efficient service. We also aim to increase our sales volume and strengthen our market position with our local manufacturing capabilities in the US. It will also contribute to increasing the share of our foreign currency-based revenues.”

Bolivia: The municipal government of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has signed an agreement with Itacamba Cemento to recycle thousands of end-of-life tyres (ENDTs) into alternative fuel for cement production, according to the El Deber newspaper. The initiative was implemented through the Municipal Waste Management Company (Emacruz).

Under the agreement, discarded tyres collected from landfills will be transformed into thermal energy for use in Itacamba’s cement kilns, reducing waste and fossil fuel consumption. The tyres will be incinerated at temperatures exceeding 1400°C, with monitoring and gas-capture systems employed to prevent harmful emissions.

Mayor Jhonny Fernández said “We guarantee the responsible disposal of thousands of tonnes of tyres that would otherwise cause pollution or become breeding grounds for diseases like dengue. This is our tangible contribution to a healthier environment and better quality of life for our citizens.”

Itacamba Cemento general manager Marcelo Morales said “Co-processing is a globally recognised waste management method that complies with the waste hierarchy. Our kiln enables the complete and safe destruction of non-recyclable materials.”