Displaying items by tag: Germany

Cementir Group launched two of its lower carbon cement products in the Middle East and Africa markets this week. We’ll take a look at this in more detail and cover other recent products news from cement producers.

Egypt-based Sinai White Cement will manufacture the products under Cementir’s D-Carb umbrella. One will be a Limestone Portland cement, to the CEM II/A-LL 52.5N specification EN197-1, with around a 10% clinker reduction. The other will be CEM II/B-LL 42.5N with around a 20% clinker reduction. Both of these reductions are in comparison to Aalborg White CEM I 52.5R. D-Carb is the name of Cementir’s product range for white low-carbon cements. It was launched in European markets in 2024, with II/ALL 52.5R cement, and then expanded to Asia Pacific regions, including Australia, in early 2025. Cementir says that its customers can switch to D-Carb from CEM I as it “integrates well with their production processes without requiring major formulation changes.”

In late October 2025 Dyckerhoff revealed that it was the first cement manufacturer in Germany to receive general building authority approval (abZ) for the use of CEM VI (SLL) cement in accordance with DIN EN 197-5. The German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) granted approval for Dyckerhoff’s Lengerich cement plant. CEM VI is a newer type of composite cement similar to CEM II but with a lower clinker content. The SLL type that Dyckerhoff wants to make has a clinker content of 35 – 49 %, granulated blast furnace slag of 31 – 59% and limestone of 6 – 20%. The company says that this cement can be used in more than 60% of all concrete types produced in ready-mixed concrete plants. Its composition is also useful for low-carbon concretes when no fillers, such as fly ash, are available. Dyckerhoff added that the low hydration heat of the cement has a particularly positive effect in massive cast components.

Earlier in October 2025 Rohrdorfer held an inauguration ceremony for a new pilot unit for calcined (they say tempered) clays at its Rohrdorf cement plant. The pilot project started in July 2025 and has been processing up to 50t/day of raw clay. When Rohrdorfer launched the project in early 2024 it said that it was going to use waste heat from the main production line and was also considering the use of hydrogen to provide the remaining amount of heat required. Waste gases produced during calcination were also going to be fed back into the existing waste gas cleaning system of the clinker production line after leaving the pilot plant to further reduce emissions. Rohrdorfer said that its approach was going to be the first time waste heat recovery was going to be used in conjunction with calcining clay.

Meanwhile, in West Africa, Dangote Cement inaugurated its new 3Mt/yr cement plant near Abidjan in the Ivory Coast in mid-October 2024. Around the same time the company launched various products in the country, including its CEM I and CEM II brands 32.5R, 3X42.5N, 3X42.5R and 52.5N. This is a more traditional range of cement products compared to the ones above but note the highlighting of strength. This has been a key selling point for products in this part of the world previously, hence its focus. CEM II is a blended cement that uses lower levels of clinker. One clinker substitute in CEM II products is calcined clay. Gebr. Pfeiffer, for example, said in August 2025 that it was to supply a vertical roller mill to Ciments de Côte d'Ivoire (CIMCI) for clay grinding at its cement plant. There are also a number of other calcined clay projects in the Ivory Coast and other countries in West Africa. Further afield, JK Cement in India also started to market its LC3 clay calcined cement product line in October 2025.

Finally, US-based Amrize launched its ‘Made in America’ label for its cement range this week, “offering builders the guarantee of American manufacturing and quality, supporting American jobs and local communities.” Readers may recall that Amrize was recently owned by Switzerland-based Holcim. However, the company is currently keen to point out that its cement products are “made in the US from its raw materials and processing to manufacturing, meeting rigorous US performance standards.” Amrize does sell blended cements including FortiCem Portland-Pozzolan Blended Cement, ECOPlanet Cements and OneCem Portland Limestone Cement.

Most of the news stories highlighted above demonstrate a trend for blended cements with lower clinker factors. There’s no real change here. This has been happening for a long time and it is being driven by both profit and sustainability motives, although the current bunch of stories may also be turning up to coincide with the COP30 conference in Brazil. Note the inclusion of places outside of Europe and the drive for new blends. Another factor to consider here is protectionism in certain markets, as Amrize’s marketing drive suggests. New blends will also require new certifications, standards and approvals as is the case with Dyckerhoff’s work on CEM VI (SLL). The next trend to watch for will be the market reaction to carbon captured cements, such as Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero product. Will end users pay a premium for zero-carbon cements?

Germany: Dyckerhoff has received general building authority approval for the use of CEM VI (S-LL) cement produced at its Lengerich plant. The German Institute for Building Technology granted the approval for the plant in October 2025 for almost all exposure classes. It combines clinker, granulated blast furnace slag and limestone to produce cement with a lower CO₂ footprint, low heat of hydration and low effective alkali content.

Germany: Hosokawa Alpine has appointed Michael Kuhnen as its CEO. Kathrin Dörle has also been appointed as chief financial officer. They succeed Antonio Fernández and Jürgen Wilde respectively. Both appointments will start in 2026.

Kuhnen has spent 19 years in various management positions at Hosokawa Alpine and is returning after one and a half years outside the group. Dörle has worked for the company for over 20 years. Her appointment marks the first time a woman has joined the executive board.

Hosokawa Alpine manufactures machines and systems used in processing powders, granulates and bulk materials, and ones used in film extrusion operations for the manufacture and finishing of blown film. It headquarters is based in Augsburg, Germany and it operates several domestic and international subsidiaries. Since 1987, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Japan-based Hosokawa Micron Corporation.

Germany: Gebr. Pfeiffer will supply an MVR vertical roller mill to Thomas Zement’s Karsdorf plant in Saxony-Anhalt, replacing the existing Horomill to reduce CO₂ emissions.

The order also includes the mill building, material dosing and transport systems to defined transfer points. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, with commissioning scheduled for mid-2027.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials increased its revenue by €51m, representing 1%, year-on-year to €5.81bn in the third quarter of 2025, while its result from current operations (RCO) rose by €54m, or 5%, to €1.18bn. The company expects full-year RCO to be €3.3-3.5bn. Specific net CO₂ emissions per tonne of cementitious material are projected to decline slightly compared to 2024.

Chair of the managing board Dr Dominik von Achten said "We continued our growth trajectory in the third quarter of 2025, despite ongoing political and economic uncertainties. Our uncompromising focus on active price and cost management in all group areas contributed significantly to improving our result and further expanding our profitability in the third quarter.” He added “We remain confident about the year as a whole. Based on the business development to date, we confirm our positive outlook for 2025.”

Germany: KHD Humboldt Wedag has appointed Martin Strouhal as its Chief Sales Officer from effect from 1 January 2026.

Strouhal previously worked as the Vice President - Head of Construction & Operation - Region APAC for wind turbine manufacturer Vestas. Before this, he worked for FLSmidth from the mid-1990s to 2022. He started as a Site and Installation Service Manager before moving into sales. Notable positions during this time included Sales Director - Cement Project Division EMEA & APAC from 2011 to 2016 and Senior Vice President - Global Projects and Asset Management from 2018 to 2022. Strouhal is a graduate in machinery and production engineering from the DTU - Technical University of Denmark and holds a number of post-graduate business qualifications.

Germany: AUMUND Fördertechnik has launched its electrified Linear Calcination Conveyor (eLCC), which enables efficient clay calcination for limestone calcined clay cement (LC3).

LC3, composed of roughly 50% clinker, 30% calcined clay, 15% limestone and 5% gypsum, can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 40% compared to ordinary Portland cement, according to the company. The technology enhances pozzolanic reactions between limestone and calcined clay, which provides additional alumina to form carboaluminate phases, improving strength and durability while lowering clinker use. Developed in collaboration with Holcim over four years, the eLCC was tested successfully at AUMUND’s pilot demonstration unit in Rheinberg, confirming its potential to support low-carbon cement production at industrial scale.

Germany/Norway: Heidelberg Materials will supply its EvoBuild 3D printing concrete for use in property developer KrausGruppe’s DreiHaus residential construction project in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg. PERI 3D Construction and Korte-Hoffmann Gebäudedruck will execute the project, which consists of three three-storey tower blocks.

Heidelberg Materials says that it will supply a concrete blend featuring its EvoZero carbon-captured cement for the third tower block, the first application of the product in Germany. Subsidiary Heidelberg Materials Northern Europe produces EvoZero cement at its net-zero Brevik cement plant in Norway.

Norway/Germany: Heidelberg Materials has officially launched its evoZero product, which the company claims to be the world's first ‘carbon-captured cement,’ to customers across Europe. evoZero is a globally unique product, made possible by carbon capture technology at Heidelberg Materials' CCS plant in Brevik, Norway. The product comes with a uniquely low Global Warming Potential, delivered via a process that is now fully third-party verified by DNV Business Assurance Germany and digitally traceable to ensure seamless transparency.

One of the very first deliveries of evoZero was to the construction of the new Skøyen Station in Oslo, Norway. Another early project for evoZero is the DREIHAUS 3D-printing project, with a total of three houses currently being developed in Heidelberg, Germany. Compared to traditional construction methods, the 3D printing process enables significantly reduced material consumption through optimised design, further reducing CO₂ emissions.
Dominik von Achten, CEO of Heidelberg Materials, said "I am proud and excited to announce that the entire process chain is now established and our Brevik CCS facility is directly contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions in the built environment. evoZero stands as proof of Heidelberg Materials' commitment to real, measurable decarbonisation and our ambition to lead the transformation of construction.”

Germany: Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has announced a €6bn industrial decarbonisation initiative that, for the first time, includes carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies within the country’s climate protection contracts. The programme targets energy-intensive industries such as cement, as Germany navigates stringent climate targets amid concerns over industrial competitiveness. Companies have until 1 December 2025 to register projects for next year’s bidding round, which is scheduled to begin in mid-2026, pending parliamentary budget approval and EU state aid clearance, according to Reuters.

Under 15-year contracts, the government will subsidise part of the cost for companies transitioning to low-carbon production, protecting them from energy and carbon price volatility. Contracts will be awarded through competitive auctions, prioritising projects with the lowest subsidy per tonne of CO₂ saved, alongside binding emission-reduction milestones. Industry groups have welcomed the inclusion of CCS and the flexible contract design, describing the programme as a pragmatic step toward reconciling climate objectives with the economic pressures facing German industry.