Displaying items by tag: Partnership

UK: First Graphene and Breedon Group have entered into a development and commercialisation agreement. Together, the companies aim to enhance Breedon Cement’s CEM II Portland limestone cement (PLC) through the use of First Graphene’s graphene enhanced grinding aids and cement admixtures. Breedon will provide increased access to cement production lines in order to optimise the understanding of the processing environment and operating conditions.

Breedon Group’s Hope cement plant in Derbyshire previously conducted a 24-hour graphene-enhanced cement production trial on 28 June 2023.

UAE: Cemex UAE and UltraTech Cement UAE have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of waste concrete recycling in the UAE, according to Dow Jones Institutional News. The cement producers say that their partnership will help to reduce CO₂ emissions from construction, in line with the UAE’s 2050 net zero commitment.

Denmark: FLSmidth has signed a deal with Australia-based FCT ACTech to provide a new product for the online analysis of raw materials. Under the agreement, FLSmidth will incorporate FCT ACTech’s X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD) analysers in its new QCX Cube products. The partnership was formalised in August 2023.

Jens Asbjørn Pedersen, Global Product Manager for Sampling, Preparation and Analysis at FLSmidth, said “We are very pleased to be able to integrate FCT ACTech analyser units in our new QCX Cube analysis solutions for cement plants.” He continued, “We are starting with the launch of QCX Cube X10, which primarily targets raw meal applications, but it is our ambition to utilise FCT ACTech's innovative range of analyser units to also deliver advanced online XRD analysis solutions for clinker and cement.” He added that the company believes that such integrated solutions will provide ‘critical’ support for cement plants during the green transition, as alternative fuels and new secondary cementitious materials drive a need for further process and chemistry optimisation.

The QCX Cube X10 online elemental analyser is FLSmidth's newest analysis product for cement raw meal. Offering plug-and-play functionality, it includes sampling components, an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analyser and a fully programmed local control system that are delivered pre-assembled in an air-conditioned container. Analysis results for calcium, silicon, aluminium and iron are provided as standard. Sodium and magnesium analysis can be provided with the addition of a helium purge, while other elements are available on request after a site-specific evaluation. The product is designed to be integrated with FLSmidth’s optimisation software QCX/BlendExpert.

FCT ACTech is the analytical instruments division of FCT International. It has developed and supplied a continuous on-stream analyser for more than two decades with products now covering raw mix, clinker quality and cement blend control.

Germany: IKN and KIMA Process Control are planning to work together on optimising energy recuperation and reducing the carbon footprint in clinker production by integrating machine learning software. The collaboration is intended to combine the expertise of KIMA Process in process automation and IKN as a process expert and equipment supplier for clinker production. The synergy should lead to more streamlined and efficient operations and highly reliable top-quality equipment.

In a statement the companies said, “We are excited about the potential of this collaboration to reshape the landscape of clinker production control and setting new benchmarks in the cement industry.”

Nepal/India: Chaudhary Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic partnership with India-based conglomerate Adani Group. According to the MoU, Adani Group will support the Nepal-based cement producer in its distribution of cement into neighbouring states of India.

The Kathmandu Post newspaper has reported that Chaudhary Group’s managing director Varun Chaudhary said "This collaborative effort stands as a pivotal milestone, underlining our commitment to augmenting economic cooperation and trade relations between the two nations.” He added “Through this strategic collaboration, we aspire to fortify the harmonious rapport that characterises the Nepal-India relationship, while actively contributing to the growth and development of the adjoining states."

World: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has named the 15 anticipated deliverers of low-CO₂ cement and concrete production shortlisted for participation in its second Innovandi Open Challenge. The association chose the start-ups based on their potential to deliver CO₂ emissions reduction in the global cement and concrete sector in line with its Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap. The applicants are presenting their pitches to GCCA members on 30 June 2023. All those accepted will gain access to members' plants, labs, networks and expertise. The following start-ups made the Innovandi Open Challenge 2023 shortlist:

GCCA cement director and innovation lead Claude Loréa said “We received more than 70 quality applications, so drawing up a shortlist was challenging." Loréa continued "Our essential industry needs something easily scalable and affordable. Those start-ups on the list demonstrated the most potential, and we look forward to hearing more about their ideas. But we’ll also be keeping in touch with other start-ups who didn’t make this year’s shortlist, with future projects in mind.”

Canada: Lafarge Canada has renewed its partnership with fuel logistics company 4Refuel to launch renewable diesel use in its operations in Manitoba. The producer says that trucks will run on renewable diesel produced from waste oils and fats. This will eliminate 39% of the producer's Scope 3 CO₂ emissions in the province.

Lafarge Canada's vice president Manitoba and Saskatchewan Tina Larson said "Switching to renewable diesel is a significant step forward in our sustainability journey. We recognise that climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing our planet, and we are committed to doing our part to reduce our impact on the environment. We believe that renewable diesel is an excellent solution to help us achieve our sustainability goals while maintaining the high level of performance that our customers expect.”

Lafarge Canada previously implemented renewable diesel in its operations in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, in November 2022.

Japan: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Osaka Gas have launched a collaboration to develop a value chain for captured CO₂ from Japan's hard-to-abate industries, including the cement sector. JCN Newswire has reported that their collaboration will leverage MHI's expertise in CO₂ capture, liquefied CO₂ maritime vessel transport and CO₂ management, and Osaka Gas' expertise in e-methane production and CO₂ storage. The project will integrate MHI and IBM Japan's CO₂nnex software platform to model value chains. The project aims to contribute to the realisation of Japan's target of net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

China/Germany: CBMI Construction and mill supplier Gebr. Pfeiffer have signed a cooperation agreement to supply integrated calcined clay plants to the global cement industry. The partners say that their plants will offer clay calcination and grinding, giving cement producers a high performance solution, all in one place.

CBMI Construction and Gebr. Pfeiffer have carried out numerous recent cement projects in overlapping geographies, including Western and Southern Africa and Russia.

Canada/UAE: Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) producer Carbon Upcycling Technologies has signed a strategic partnership agreement with technical consultancy A³&Co. The partners will now work towards the delivery of an SCM enhancement reactor that bolts on to existing cement plant equipment. Canada-based Carbon Upcycling Technologies expects to be able to offer the technology to global cement industry customers by March 2025.

Carbon Upcycling Technologies CEO Apoorv Sinha said "We look forward to collaborating with A³&Co. Their extensive experience working with over 125 facilities across the globe will prove invaluable as we continue to adapt our technology for seamless integration at cement plants, enabling onsite sequestration and utilisation of CO₂."