Displaying items by tag: Partnership

Switzerland: ABB has entered into a memorandum of understanding with UK-based climate tech company Carbon Re, to explore integrated solutions aimed at accelerating the decarbonisation of cement production while improving productivity. The collaboration will reportedly combine ABB's expertise in automation and process control with Carbon Re's AI and machine learning technologies. The partnership follows a successful pilot at a cement plant in the Czech Republic, where ABB plans to augment its ‘Ability Expert Optimizer’ solution with Carbon Re's AI platform. This integration is expected to automate and optimise plant conditions, potentially reducing specific energy consumption by up to 5% and increasing alternative fuel use by 50% by maintaining optimal kiln conditions.

CEO at Carbon Re, Josh Vernon, said “At Carbon Re we are accelerating industrial decarbonisation through the use of cutting-edge AI – our models have demonstrated that AI can find efficiencies within the complex chemical processes of material production, especially cement.”

Global portfolio manager for Business Line Digital, ABB Process Industries, Tyron Vardy said “Driving down the emissions of cement production is a pressing priority for the industry. Our collaboration with Carbon Re will bring us closer to achieving this. Enhanced by cloud-based AI technology, our decision support software will be able to help customers enhance and improve the efficiency of their systems faster than ever before.”

Spain: Votorantim Cimentos and gas company Enagás have signed an agreement to jointly develop projects for the sustainable management of CO₂. Votorantim Cimentos will focus on CO₂ capture technology at its cement plants, while Enagás will explore solutions for the transport, liquefaction, storage and loading of CO₂ at its regasification terminals. The partnership also includes potential joint applications for European funding to further these initiatives.

Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo said "Enagás and Votorantim Cimentos have clear synergies to jointly advance their commitments to reduce their carbon footprint and, based on the knowledge of their areas of activity, they have the opportunity to take the initiative to develop more effective sustainable CO₂ management technologies, which will be key to achieving the decarbonisation objectives of Spain and Europe.”

Lithuania: Ignitis has signed a 4-year power purchase agreement with Lithuanian cement producer Akmenės Cementas to supply electricity from the Mažeikiai wind farm, starting in 2026. The wind farm features 14 wind turbines with a capacity of 63MW and began operations in 2023.

CEO of Akmenės Cementas Artūras Zaremba said "We are excited about this partnership as it allows us to use green energy in the cement industry. This cooperation is an important step towards our commitment to achieve long-term sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint. By integrating renewable energy sources into our activities and planned projects that will contribute to the EU’s Green Deal objectives, we are strengthening our environmental efforts and creating sustainable and innovative solutions.

US: Holcim has invested in Sublime Systems to expand its range of solutions to decarbonise the construction industry. The partnership will advance Sublime’s first commercial manufacturing facility in Massachusetts, US, giving Holcim a large share of Sublime Cement produced there through a binding offtake reservation. Sublime’s first commercial-scale plant is set to start production in 2026 with a capacity of 30,000t/yr.

Chief sustainability officer at Holcim, Nollaig Forrest, said “The Sublime Systems team has developed a unique technology to decarbonise cement, cutting across the entire production process from the use of clean electricity to carbon-free raw materials. We are excited about this technology’s potential and are delighted to be partnering to bring it to market at scale. This investment advances our strategy to decarbonise construction by scaling up the most innovative technologies across our operations.”

CEO and cofounder of Sublime Systems, Leah Ellis, said “In the cement industry, scale is everything. We are proud to collaborate with Holcim, which supports our mission of swift and massive impact. By pairing Sublime’s technology with Holcim’s advanced global operations from manufacturing and logistics to commercial distribution, we can scale up our impact together.”

India: The city of Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) in Tamil Nadu has entered an agreement with a cement manufacturing unit in Ariyalur to use the city’s non-recyclable plastic materials as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to power the plant’s kilns. This initiative aims to divert substantial amounts of plastic from the Ariyamangalam dump, starting with 300t/month and increasing over time, with hopes to collaborate with more cement plants, according to the Times of India. The city generates approximately 480t/day of non-recyclable materials, with plans to eventually prevent landfill use completely.

A Trichy official said “A cement manufacturer in Ariyalur has agreed to accept 6 - 8t/day of inert plastic ‘waste’, which will be transported to the plant in a corporation truck. It will be utilised to power the kilns as a substitute for fossil fuel.”

Brazil: China-based Sinoma Overseas has signed an engineering and supply contract for the Z02 cement grinding plant and a technical cooperation framework agreement with Votorantim Cimentos. The agreements were signed by Sinoma chair Zhu Linhe and Votorantim’s global projects director Alvaro Lorenz. This collaboration marks the third cement grinding plant project between the two companies and is part of Votorantim's ‘2028 Development Strategy.’ The contract encompasses the design, equipment supply, and technical services for a 150t/hr cement grinding plant.

Zhu Linhe said "Votorantim is the most valuable client for Sinoma Overseas, this contract and agreement strengthens the strategic partnership between the two companies. It is the strong commitment of Sinoma Overseas to support Votorantim in achieving its '2028 Development Strategy' with Sinoma’s extensive industry expertise, advanced technology and mature localised operations.”

Bangladesh: LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Limited (LHBL) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with conglomerate PRAN-RFL Group. The agreement focuses on the sustainable disposal of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable materials from PRAN-RFL's food products at LafargeHolcim's Chhatak cement plant in Sunamganj.

Corporate finance director Uzma Chowdhury noted its operation of three recycling plants capable of processing 40,000t/yr of discarded materials. He said "Some materials cannot be recycled. These often mix with soil and water, causing significant environmental harm. This is why we are partnering with LafargeHolcim to ensure that non-recyclable materials are managed in an effective and environmentally friendly manner. Now, non-biodegradable and non-recyclable food products produced by Pran-RFL Group will be managed in a sustainable manner at the LafargeHolcim plant."

CEO of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh Mohammad Iqbal Chowdhury said "LafargeHolcim has been working for a zero waste future though its Geocycle wing. Our Chhatak plant is the only integrated cement plant in Bangladesh that produces clinker. This enables us to manage different kinds of ‘waste’ sustainably."

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement, ITOCHU, Nippon Steel, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, INPEX, Taisei, and ITOCHU Oil Exploration have been chosen by the Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) to lead the engineering design work for key carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiatives. This selection marks a step towards Japan's ambitious goals to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and a 46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from financial year 2013 (FY13) levels by FY30.

The project encompasses front end engineering design (FEED) and appraisal drilling as critical next steps following a comprehensive feasibility study conducted in FY23. This prior study involved detailed assessments of CO₂ separation, capture, transportation and storage processes. The CCS initiative involves shipping CO₂ captured at Nippon Steel’s Kyushu Works in the Oita area and Daiichi Cement's Kawasaki plant, part of the Taiheiyo Cement Group, to designated storage sites.

New Zealand: Neocrete has entered a partnership with major cement manufacturers, including Cemex, Heidelberg Materials, CRH, Titan, Cementos Argos and Ultratech Cement to promote its new Activator product aimed at reducing the amount of cement required in concrete. The product uses volcanic ash or residual ash from industrial processes to cut the amount of cement required by 40% to 50%, according to the company. Neocrete aims to replace cement completely, resulting in carbon-free concrete, by 2027. The new product will be submitted for life cycle assessment once a new pilot plant in Mt Wellington is operational. The plant is valued at US$2m and will produce 0.12Mt/yr of cement, to meet 10% of New Zealand’s demand.

Co-founder Zarina Bazoeva said "We don't need to produce the whole volume of cement. We activate the concrete chemically with a small catalyst at 3kg compared to 100kg of cement. So, we can scale fast."

Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement has entered an agreement with Italy-based Webuild to supply cement worth US$27.7m for various projects in the upcoming NEOM city. The contract spans 41 months from signing, with potential for increased quantities. Al Jouf Cement anticipates a profitable impact on its financial statements from the third quarter of 2024 until the contract's conclusion.