Displaying items by tag: Georgia

US: Eco Material Technologies has won a contract with Georgia Power to mine 600,000t/yr from the energy company’s Plant Bowen ash dump in Cartersville, Georgia. Eco Material Technologies will use the ash to produce its 99% reduced-CO₂ building materials, including an alternative cement with 20% greater compressive strength than ordinary Portland cement (OPC) after 28 days, according to the company.

Grant Quasha, CEO of Eco Material Technologies, said "As the largest partnership of its kind in the US, this project will not only use material from landfills and ash ponds, but also keep millions of tonnes of CO₂ from going into the atmosphere."

US: Sweden-based Bruks Siwertell has commissioned a Siwertell 490 F-type ship unloader at Colonial Group’s Georgia Kaolin Terminals in Savannah, Georgia. The unloader has a rated cement handling capacity of 800t/hr, discharging vessels of up to 55,000dwt.

US: Ash Grove Cement has re-opened its Port Manatee terminal in Florida following the installation of a new Kovako type ship unloader supplied by FLSmidth. The machine was custom built for Ash Grove by the Denmark-based company to meet its specific needs. The cement producer says it is the largest mobile pneumatic ship unloader built, has twin 800hp blowers, 37m suction arm and can offload a dry bulk vessel at a high rate while maintaining maximum efficiency and minimising environmental impact by eliminating dust emissions.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the event was held on 7 February 2022 as a shipment of fly ash was processed at the site. This maiden shipment completes the Phase 1 transformation project at Port Manatee, which began in early 2021. The project is intended to improve the subsidiary of CRH’s capacity to import cement, slag and fly ash for customers in Florida and South Georgia. It is also planning to use the terminal’s existing silo capacity to complement the capabilities of Ash Grove’s cement plants in Sumterville and Branford.

Georgia: Cement imports rose by 16% year-on-year to 0.78Mt in the first eleven months of 2021 from 0.68Mt in the same period in 2020. Data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia and the Trend News Agency show that the value of these imports increased to US$40.2m from US$34.6m. Azerbaijan was the leading cement exporting nation to Georgia with a 75% share followed by Turkey with most of the rest. Russia, Greece and Germany have also exported cement to Georgia so far in 2021.

Georgia: HeidelbergCement Georgia plans to invest in additional grinding capacity at both of its cement plants. The subsidiary of Germany-based HeidelbergCement says that it will complete expansion work at both plants by the 2022 production season. It is also contemplating the possibility of clinker capacity expansions.

In early July 2021, Georgia experienced a cement shortage due to the release of pent-up demand from infrastructure projects and reduced imports from Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan: Holcim Azerbaijan has exported its first of planned regular weekly shipments of cement to Gerogia. The Azer News newspaper has reported that transport partner ADY Express, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan Railways, will carry out the orders. It has allocated 50 train cars to make the trip four times monthly, resulting in total shipments of 15,000t/month.

Georgia: Georgian Cement Company (GCC) has warned of cement dumping by Iran and Turkey. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim is lobbying the government for protective legislation, according to Prime News. GCC operates a 0.3Mt/yr cement grinding plant at Poti. The country consumes 2.5Mt/yr and 1.5Mt/yr of this comprises imports. HeidelbergCement and Eurocement also operate plants locally.

US: Georgia Power will begin dewatering three ash ponds at its Mitchell power plant in Albany, Georgia. The company says that the coal ash will be used in local cement production.

Environmental and natural resources vice president Mark Berry said “As we begin the dewatering process at Plant Mitchell, we continue to focus on safety and meeting all requirements throughout the process to fulfill our longstanding commitment to protect the environment, our local communities and water quality every step of the way." He added “Throughout the process, clear communication to our customers and the community about our progress remains a priority."

With the Plant Mitchell project, approximately 2Mt of stored coal ash will be removed from the existing ash ponds for reuse in cement manufacturing. The project at Plant Mitchell marks the first time that stored ash from existing ash ponds at sites in Georgia will be excavated for beneficial reuse as part of an ash pond closure project. At present Georgia Power recycles more than 85% of all ash and gypsum, including more than 95% of fly ash, it produces from current operations for various beneficial reuses such as concrete production as well as other construction products.

Georgia: Georgia imported 296,000t cement from Azerbaijan from January to October 2020, a decline of 20.2% year-on-year. Data from the Georgian National Statistics Office (Geostat) and the Trend News Agency also shows that cement imports for this period cost US$14.5m.

US: Cemex USA has delivered grants via the Cemex Foundation to over 80 non-profit organisations so far in 2020 as part of its coronavirus relief efforts. The funds donated by Cemex USA employees have provided more than a quarter million meals to those facing food insecurity and overall have positively impacted more than 200,000 people in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Florida. The initiative also supplied more than 20,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff and first responders.

“Covid-19 has created far-reaching impacts and unparalleled challenges, prompting thousands of families to request additional support for food and shelter while they continuously worry about the health and safety of themselves and their loved ones. At Cemex USA, we wanted to help our neighbours and communities during this unprecedented time,” said Cemex USA president Jaime Muguiro. “The help provided by non-profits right now is critical, and we are proud to be able to deliver significant support for their initiatives that are making a difference in our communities.”

Organisations that have benefited from the grants include: United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) in Birmingham, Alabama; Feeding South Florida in Florida; Feed the Frontline Houston in Houston, Texas; Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF) in Lyons, Colorado; House of Refuge in South Mesa, Arizona; and Heart of Los Angeles Youth (HOLA) in Los Angeles, California.