Displaying items by tag: Holcim

Ivory Coast: LafargeHolcim Côte d'Ivoire has announced plans for the launch of white cement production at its Abidjan grinding plant in 2022. APA News has reported that the plant's clinker costs increased by 80% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of 2021. This, along with a drop in grey cement prices, inspired the strategic change.

Chief executive officer and managing director Rachid Yousry said "Our ambition is clear; it is to be the benchmark cement supplier in the Ivory Coast through our services." The 2.5Mt/yr-capacity producer held a 20% market share in the country in 2020.

Germany: Holcim Deutschland has signed a memorandum of understanding with Cool Planet Technologies (CPT) to build a pilot CO₂ capture unit at Holcim’s Höver cement works, near Hannover, based on Hereon’s PolyActive membrane technology. The objective of the unit is to demonstrate the performance, economics and operability of the capture technology at scale. Following this the partners will seek to establish a framework for the technology’s implementation in Holcim’s other cement plants in Germany.

Initial tests are scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2022 with the first phase of the project, capturing 5600t/yr of CO₂, scheduled for start-up in the second quarter of 2023. If successful, it is planned to expand the unit in two further phases capturing 170,000t/yr and 1.3Mt/yr starting-up in 2024 and 2026 respectively. The final phase will capture over 90% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the Höver plant and deliver the CO₂ in high-purity liquid form for use or sequestration.

CPT is working with Hereon, part of the Helmholtz Association of Research Centres, Germany’s largest research organisation, to commercialise their PolyActive membrane technology after a decade of development. This technology is designed to capture CO₂ from carbon rich gas streams and has already been technically proven in the laboratory and piloted in two coal-fired power stations.

US: LafargeHolcim US and ECOncrete Tech have launched a research and development collaboration to design and manufacture a fully structural concrete scour protection unit for offshore wind turbines. The unit’s specifications include seabed stabilisation and promotion of the growth of marine organisms. The collaboration includes a large-scale pilot project to evaluate the ecological performance of units in an offshore environment. The US/Canada Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy programme are funding the project, which will conclude in May 2024.

LafargeHolcim US commercial excellence vice president Josep Maset said “There are many paths to achieving our net zero commitment, and most require innovative partnerships and out-of-the-box thinking. The work we’re doing with ECOncrete Tech is a notable example of searching for solutions that enable increased use of renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way.”

Canada: Habitats for Humanity has again partnered with Lafarge Canada for its annual affordable housing fundraiser in Kingston, Ontario. This year, the partners will attempt to raise US$21,700 over 27 days to support the construction of sustainable housing in Eastern Canada. Lafarge Canada has pledged 80m3 of its ECOPact reduced-CO₂ concrete to the project.

Eastern Canada regional head of environment and sustainability Rob Cumming said "Our sustainability goals overlap safe housing with reduced climate impact.” He added "We are excited about this first milestone and are looking forward to the future supply of our ECOPlanet solutions.”

US: The US Department of Energy has selected Central Plains Cement to receive US$5m-worth of funding to realise its plans for a cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) installation at its Sugar Creek, Missouri, cement plant. Contify Energy News has reported that the system will initially have a capacity of 30t/day of CO₂, with a view to eventually capturing 95% of the plant’s flue gas’ CO₂ content. The Eagle Materials subsidiary will receive US$5m in funding from the US Department of Energy for the project. The sum is part of a raft of a total US$45m-worth of grants to help towards decarbonising heavy industry and natural gas power. Chart Industries will carry out the work.

Chart Industries CEO and President Jill Evanko said that the company’s CCC model increases cement production costs by just 24%, compared to 38% - 130% for other types of system. She added “We are delighted that public and private entities recognise Chart as a leader in carbon capture technologies and products; we view this award as well as our third quarter 2021 commercial activity as meaningful steps and accelerators toward capturing - pun intended - a significant share of our anticipated US$6bn total addressable market for carbon and direct air capture in 2030.”

The St Louis Post newspaper has reported that Holcim US’s Ste-Genevieve, Missouri, cement plant is also among facilities chosen to receive funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) installations.

Croatia: Holcim Croatia plans to invest Euro1.28m to upgrade the dosing equipment of its Koromačno cement plant’s kiln line. The planned upgrade will enable the line to increase the proportion of alternative materials used in its cement production, thus equipping the plant for low-carbon cement production. Innovation Norway has granted the producer Euro441,000 towards the cost of the project.

Managing director Nikola Kovačević said “Mineral admixtures in cement have a threefold benefit: on the one hand, different characteristics are created in the cement to meet the requirements of different types of construction; on the other hand, the exploitation of natural resources decreases. Thirdly, the carbon footprint of the cement is thus reduced through the lowering of the clinker factor.”

Nigeria: Finland-based Wärtsilä has extended its operation and maintenance agreement with Lafarge Africa by another five years. The agreement covers the 100MW Ewekoro power plant, which provides a dedicated supply of electricity to the company’s concrete and cement manufacturing processes. The extension of the deal was signed in July 2021 and it follows a previous 10-year agreement. The scope of the agreement includes the operating crew, performance guarantees, plant availability and spare parts.

The captive Ewekoro plant was supplied and commissioned by Wärtsilä in 2011. It consists of six Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines, operating primarily on gas, but with the flexibility to automatically switch to liquid fuel in case of a disruption to the gas supply. The engines are also designed to function efficiently with a low-pressure gas supply, a necessity given the region’s vulnerability to supply interruptions.

“We have benefited significantly from the efficient way by which Wärtsilä has operated and maintained this plant for the past 10 years, and we had no hesitation in extending the agreement for a further five years. An uninterrupted reliable supply of electricity is essential to our production, and having our own power plant, built, operated and maintained by Wärtsilä, gives us this assurance,” said Lanre Opakunle, Strategic Sourcing Director, Power & Gas, Middle East & Africa, Holcim.

Wärtsilä has also supplied Lafarge Africa with another 100MW power plant located in Mfamosing.

Azerbaijan: Holcim Azerbaijan recorded sales of US$59.2m in 2020, down by 16% year-on-year. Turan Information Agency News has reported that the producer’s net profit was US$24.5m, down by 23%. During the year, the company reduced its debt by 14% to US$67m from US$78m.

Poland/US: Holcim has announced two new acquisitions in the area of raw materials and aggregates. In Poland, it has acquired granulated calcium carbonate producer Polcalc. The company employs 78 people. In the US, the group has acquired Utah-baed Utelite. The company produces lightweight aggregates and employs 40 people.

CEO Jan Jenisch said “We are pleased to welcome the employees of Utelite and Polcalc and look forward to their experience and capabilities. These two bolt-on acquisitions strengthen our presence in two important growth markets while contributing to Holcim’s overall strategy to expand our range of low-carbon products and solutions.”

Poland: Lafarge Poland has laid the foundation stone for the Euro100m new kiln line at its Małogoszcz cement plant. The replacement of the three existing kilns and installation of an alternative fuel (AF) line aims to reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 20% and its energy consumption by 33%. The company, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim, aims to make the cement plant into one of the European Union’s most modern. China National Building Material (CNBM) subsidiary Nanjing Kisen International Engineering will carry out the work, which is scheduled for completion in early 2023.

Project director Krzysztof Byczyński said “One of the three kilns has already been demolished and in its place a new kiln will be built with the necessary installations. Preparatory works for the construction of a new kiln are currently underway.”