Displaying items by tag: Grant

US: Cemex has obtained US$13m through the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) to deploy four lower-emission locomotives and two haul trucks at its cement and aggregate sites in New Braunfels and Katy, both in Texas. TERP provides financial incentives to businesses and governments to reduce emissions from vehicles and equipment. Three of the four locomotives and both trucks began operations in late 2023 and mid-2024 in New Braunfels, respectively, according to Energy Tech news. Cemex reportedly intends to deploy additional equipment in 2025.

A US$2m grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) will fund two additional locomotives for Cemex’s Florida operations in Jacksonville and Miami in the summer of 2025. Cemex plans to decommission the vehicles that are replaced and expand its low-emission fleet for its operations in Victorville, California.

US: Sublime Systems has completed negotiations with the US Department of Energy for a US$87m grant to build a ‘clean’ cement manufacturing plant in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The company will now commence site engineering, design and permitting. The Holyoke plant will demonstrate full-scale operations of its cement manufacturing process when production begins in 2026. Sublime Systems expects to create 70 - 90 jobs once its new plant is operational.

US: Terra CO₂ has received a US$52.6m federal grant from the US Department of Energy to support the construction of a new plant in Magna, Utah, that will produce up to 240,000t/yr of supplementary cementitious materials using mining waste from the nearby Kennecott copper mine. This method reportedly aims to cut CO₂ emissions by 70% per tonne of traditional cement replaced, according to the company’s CEO Bill Yearsley. The project is expected to create 61 jobs.

France: Holcim has been awarded a new grant from the EU Innovation Fund for its ‘CarboClearTech’ carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) project in Martres-Tolosane, France. This support marks Holcim's seventh large-scale EU-backed CCUS project. The value of the funding was not disclosed by the company.

One unusual thing about coverage of cement in the media is the way that discussions often centre precisely on its absence – that is, on alternatives to cement. These alternatives boast unique chemistries and performance characteristics, but are all produced without Portland cement clinker. They are generally called ‘alternative cements,’ perhaps because ‘cement-free cement’ does not have such a commercially viable ring to it. This contradictory tendency reached a new high in the past week, with developments in alternative cement across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Together, they hint at a more diverse future for the ‘cement’ industry than the one we know today.

Asia

In Indonesia, Suvo Strategic Minerals has concluded tests with Makassar State University of a novel nickel-slag-based cement. Huadi Nickel-Alloy Indonesia supplied raw materials, and tests showed a seven-day compressive strength of 37.5MPa. Suvo Strategic Minerals says that a partnership with Huadi Nickel-Alloy Indonesia for commercial production is a likely next step.

Europe

Cement producer Mannok and minerals company Boliden partnered with the South Eastern Applied Materials (SEAM) research centre in Ireland to launch a project to develop supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) from shale on 7 October 2024. The project will additionally investigate CO₂-curing of cement paste backfill for use in mines. Irish state-owned global commerce agency Enterprise Ireland has contributed €700,000 in funding.

UK-based SCM developer Karbonite expects to launch trial production of its olivine-based SCM with a concrete company in 2025. The start-up launched Karbonite Group Holding BV, with offices in the Netherlands, to facilitate this new phase. Karbonite’s SCM is activated at 750 – 850°C and sequesters CO₂ in the activation process, resulting in over 56% lower CO₂ emissions than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Managing director Rajeev Sood told Global Cement that talks are already underway for subsequent expansions into the UAE and India.

Back in the UK, contractor John Sisk & Son has received €597,000 from national innovation agency Innovate UK. John Sisk & Son is testing fellow Ireland-based company Ecocem’s <25% clinker cement technology in concrete for use in its on-going construction of the Wembley Park mixed development in London.

At the same time, Innovate UK granted a further €3.23m to other companies for concrete decarbonisation. Recipients included a calcined clay being developed by Cemcor, an SCM being developed from electric arc furnace byproducts by Cocoon, a geopolymer cement technology being developed by EFC Green Concrete Technology UK and an initiative to develop alternative cement from recycled concrete fines at the Materials Processing Institute in Middlesbrough. Also included was the Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture, which is working on the London stretch of the upcoming HS2 railway. The joint venture, along with partners including cement producer Tarmac and construction chemicals company Sika UK, will test low-kaolinite London clay as a raw material with which to produce calcined clay as a cement substitute in concrete structures in HS2’s rail tunnels.

Middle East

Talks are underway between UK-based calcined clay producer Next Generation SCM and City Cement subsidiary Nizak Mining Company over the possible launch of a joint venture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The joint venture would build a 350,000t/yr reduced-CO₂ concrete plant, which would use alternative cement based on Next Generation SCM’s calcined clay.

North America

Texas-based SCM developer Solidia Technologies recently patented its carbonatable calcium silicate-based alternative cement, which sequesters CO₂ as it cures.

Meanwhile, C-Crete Technologies made its first commercial pour of its granite-based cement-free concrete in New York, US. C-Crete Technologies says that the product offers cost and performance parity with conventional cement, with net zero CO₂ emissions. Its raw material is globally more abundant than the limestone used as a raw material for clinker. Other abundantly available feedstocks successfully deployed within C-Crete Technologies’ repertoire include basalt and zeolite.

Across New York State, in Binghamton, KLAW Industries has succeeded in replacing 20% of concrete’s cement content with its powdered glass-based SCM, Pantheon. KLAW Industries has delivered samples to local municipalities and the New York State Department of Transportation. Its success expands the discussion of possible circular cement ingredients from the industrial sphere into post-consumer resources.

In Calgary, Canada, a novel SCM has drawn attention from one of the major cement incumbents: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials. It invested in local construction and demolition materials (CDM)-based SCM developer EnviCore on 9 October 2024. The companies plan to build a pilot plant at an existing Heidelberg Materials CDM recycling centre.

Conclusion

Alternative cement developers are still finding the words to talk about their products. They may be more than ‘supplementary’ up to the point of entirely supplanting 100% of clinker. Product webpages offer ‘hydraulic binder,’ ‘pozzolan’ and even ‘cement.’ As alternative ‘cements’ are developed, they build on the work of pioneers like Joseph Aspdin and Louis Vicat. Start-ups and their backers are now reaching commercial offerings, on a similar-but-different footing to cement itself. None of these novel materials positions itself as the sole, last-minute ‘super sub’ in the construction sector’s confrontation with climate change. Rather, they are a package of solutions which can combine into a net zero-emissions heavy building materials offering, hopefully before 2050.

Related to this is the need for ‘technology neutral’ standards, as championed this week by the Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete (ALCCC), along with 23 other European industry associations, civil society organisations and think tanks. The term may sound new, but the concept is critical to the eventual uptake of alternative cements: standards, the ALCCC says, should be purely performance-based. They ought not attempt to define what technology, for example cement clinker, makes a suitable building material. According to the ALCCC, Europe’s building materials standards are not technology neutral, but instead ‘gatekeep’ market access, to the benefit of conventional cement and the exclusion of ‘proven and scalable low-carbon products.’

At the same time, cement itself is changing. Market research from USD Analytics showed an anticipated 5% composite annual growth rate in blended cement sales between 2024 and 2032, more than doubling throughout the period from US$253bn to US$369bn. If you can’t beat it, blend with it!

For a further discussion of alternative cement and binders in Europe, see Global Cement’s interview with ALCCC co-ordinator Joren Verschaeve in the forthcoming November issue of Global Cement Magazine on 17 October 2024.

Sweden: SaltX Technology has secured a new grant from the Swedish Energy Agency for its project ‘Demonstration of new electric kiln technology at industrial scale to enable emission-free cement production.’ This funding follows previous support for testing and optimising electric quicklime production at its test and research facility in Hofors, Sweden. The grant aims to adapt and test SaltX's technology specifically for cement production, awarded under the pilot and demonstration program. It constitutes partial funding for the work that is planned to begin in March 2025 at the company's test and research facility.

Acting CEO of SaltX, Lina Jorheden, said "It is very encouraging that the Swedish Energy Agency supports us in our work to commercialise SaltX's electrification technology for the cement industry. The grant is an important component in the upcoming industrialisation phase."

Australia: Calix has been awarded a US$10m grant from the Australian government’s Carbon Capture Technologies Program to build a commercial demonstration electric calciner for ‘near zero emissions’ lime and cement production. The grant covers up to 50% of the expenditure, contingent on meeting project milestones.

The project will utilise the Leilac technology to capture up to 20,000t/yr of CO₂ from the cement and lime manufacturing processes. The project will create two revenue streams via a ‘near zero emissions’ lime product, as well as up to 15,000t/yr of captured CO₂ being sold to the SM1 project for green methanol production.

In the second phase of the project, production will be expanded to include the processing of cement raw meal to a ‘near zero emissions’ clinker product, with captured CO₂ supplied for use.

US: Holcim US in Missouri will receive US$1.37m from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act to support the reduction of climate pollution in manufacturing construction materials, as announced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant is part of a broader effort to reduce emissions from the manufacturing industry and will aid Holcim's Environmental Product Declaration Accelerator Project.

EPA Region 7 Administrator, Meg McCollister, said "We commend Holcim for its work in advancing sustainable practices to reduce carbon emissions here in the Heartland and across our nation. Its innovative approach, supported by this grant, advances climate-friendly practices and sustainability in one of our nation's most important industries."

Australia: Cement Australia has received a US$34.4m federal grant for a kiln upgrade to its Railton cement plant in Tasmania. The upgrade will allow the plant to raise its alternative fuels substitution rate. The project is funded by the government’s Powering the Regions initiative, with total investments valued at US$215m.

Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said “This US$215m investment in Australia’s hard-to-abate manufacturing and mining facilities is about securing the future of high-quality, low-emissions products made right here. Northern Tasmania, Central Queensland and Western Australia have been industrial powerhouses for generations, and the government is ensuring that continues. As global markets change rapidly, we’re supporting Australian industry to not only survive but thrive with our world-class products that support regional jobs across the country.”

Australia: The Australian federal government has granted Adbri US$32.5m for a new front-end engineering and design study at its Birkenhead cement plant. The study will assess the possible installation of a new vertical roller mill and post-production blending system at the plant. InDaily News has reported that the proposed upgrade will increase the plant’s production capacity and help to expand its range of reduced-CO₂ cements. The funding falls under the government’s US$260m Critical Inputs to Clean Energy programme, which aims to help decarbonise the Australian economy by 2050.

CEO Mark Irwin said “With the Commonwealth’s support we have the potential to further accelerate the decarbonisation of our operations and products.”