
Displaying items by tag: Product
Japan: Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation (MUCC) has developed a carbon-negative artificial sand product called ‘GX-e Beads.’ It is made from by-products containing calcium and uses a proprietary accelerated carbonation technology developed by MUCC to absorb CO2 at 80 - 250kg/t from flue gas and other sources. A further granulation and solidification stage is then used to manufacture the final artificial fine aggregates, making it net-carbon negative. The artificial sand can be produced via a dry process at ambient temperature conditions. It requires no special reaction equipment.
The product can be used as a fine aggregate to make normal-strength concrete. MUCC says “…when used in conjunction with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) or blended cement, fresh properties and strength development equivalent to or better than that of normal concrete can be obtained. Therefore, it can be widely applied to ready-mix concrete and secondary concrete products.”
Germany: The German Cement Works Association (VDZ) has launched its new Cement Carbon Class (CCC) labelling system for cement. CCC labels inform customers of the embodied CO2 emissions of cement, with Classes A to D signifying 100 – 500kg CO₂/t. Meanwhile, those below 100kg CO₂/t will class as CCC Near Zero. The labels are currently available for cement producers to adopt on a voluntary basis.
Update on calcined clay, January 2025
29 January 2025Northern-Ireland based cement producer Cemcor said this week that it has completed trials of a calcined clay cement product called CalcinX. The company started its trials in 2023 and it has been supported by Queen’s University Belfast and funding from Innovate UK. Work with commercial partners has involved precast concrete paving manufacturer Tobermore producing paviours made from 50% CalcinX as a CEM II replacement and Moore Concrete has also manufactured precast units using 50% CalcinX as a CEM I replacement. So far over 3000t of CalcinX has been produced in a number of industrial-scale trials.
David Millar, the managing director of Cemcor, mentioned his company’s plans for calcined clay in June 2022 when he was interviewed by Global Cement Magazine. The company that became Cemcor bought the Cookstown cement plant and a few other assets from Holcim at the start of 2022. It then changed its name to Cemcor in November 2022. At the time of the interview the company was looking to “...develop new value-added products, including low-CO2 options. This will allow us to use the same amount of clinker to produce more cement.” Millar couldn’t give away too many details at the time, however calcined clay was cited specifically. It was also noted that the company had the right material in its quarry and that it was already working with partners on it.
Amongst all the other decarbonisation options available for cement plants, a slow trickle of calcined clay projects keep being announced. In January 2025, for example, thyssenkrupp Polysius said it had secured a front-end engineering design contract from Circlua for the construction of the world’s largest activated clay plant in Brazil. This project in Para state will have a capacity of 3000t/day, will use renewable energy sources and will “improve the CO2 footprint in cement production.” CBMI Construction also officially launched a flash calcination clay project in Tangshan, Hebei province in China. In December 2024, Vicat signed an agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to develop the Lebec Net Zero (LNZ) project at its Lebec cement plant in California. This includes plans to produce calcined clay-based cement. Earlier in the autumn of 2024 Portugal-based Cimpor said it was preparing to convert a kiln at its Souselas plant to produce calcined clays, AVIC International Beijing and KHD said that they had secured a deal to build a 900t/day clay calcination plant for Ciments de l'Afrique (CIMAF) in Burkina Faso, and Holcim Česko said it was going to construct a calcined clay processing line at the Čížkovice cement plant in the Czech Republic.
One news story that stuck out in the autumn was the progress of a collaboration between Aumund and Holcim towards developing an electric linear calcination conveyor (eLCC). The two companies started work on the project in 2020 intending to look at the electrical calcination of clay using an Aumund pan conveyor. Initial tests of the eLCC reportedly demonstrated efficient thermal activation of clay through a combination of radiant heat and material circulation. The eLCC system is fully enclosed, insulated, has a compact design and can operate using electrical-powered renewable sources. The first industrial plant utilising this technology is scheduled for construction in 2025. Calcined clay technology and products by other industrial suppliers are available. The work by Aumund and its competitors show they are watching this market closely.
OneStone Consulting’s Joe Harder has found that only 14 clay calcination plants were operational worldwide in 2023 with a production capacity of just under 3.5Mt/yr. These are based in Latin America, Europe and Africa. In an article previewing a market report in the February 2025 issue of Global Cement Magazine, Harder predicts that by 2035 there will be 79 clay calcination plants with a capacity of just under 21Mt/yr. A steady growth of over 20 new plants annually is also expected subsequently from 2035 to 2050 as cement producers seek cost-effective ways to reduce their clinker factor. He identified installation costs, a lack of knowledge about clay-based cements, trouble obtaining mining rights and policy issues amongst other issues as holding back the use of clay calcination.
The current expectation is that calcined clay usage in the cement industry will be a minority option. Yet the size of global cement production can make a production share of, say, 3 - 8% a viable option for both cement manufacturers and equipment suppliers. The adoption of new cement products and standards can also take a long time and this clouds predictions of how far clay can go in the cement industry. At this point in the calcined clay story it is time to keep track of the new projects being set up.
Joe Harder will present a talk entitled ‘Calcined clay market trends by 2035’ at the Global FutureCem Conference taking place in Istanbul in early February 2025
Cemvision deploys low-carbon cement at UK’s Sunbury STOREX site
22 January 2025UK: Cemvision has launched one of the UK’s first commercial applications of its low-carbon Re-ment cement technology at a STOREX self storage development in Sunbury, near London. The foundational slabs for the site employ Cemvision's Re-ment Massive product, which replaces traditional Portland cement. Recent laboratory tests have shown that the product achieves a 75% CO₂ reduction and a 28-day compressive strength, that reaches the C50/60 classification, compared to traditional Portland cement. STOREX and Cemvision have signed a Letter of Intent for further collaboration in the UK and other markets.
“This project is a landmark achievement for Cemvision as we bring the benefits of green cement to UK customers,” said Oscar Hållén, CEO of Cemvision.
Cemvision says that its Re-Ment Massive technology reaches different levels of CO₂ reduction depending on application and local conditions, with the product already having achieved more than a 95% reduction compared to Portland cement in demo production in the EU, according to the company.
Al Jouf Cement’s ‘green’ cement approved for NEOM projects
02 January 2025Saudi Arabia: Al Jouf Cement's board of directors has approved the use of its 'green' cement for projects in the new NEOM city. The product was developed in collaboration with ready-mix concrete producer Asas Al-Muhailb, with Al Jouf Cement stating that it enhances concrete performance by improving durability and longevity, and reducing water absorption and permeability. It is reportedly resistance to sulphate and chloride salts, has ‘equal or greater’ compressive strength compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), and provides benefits in heat insulation and fire resistance.
Indian startup develops ‘eco-friendly’ cement alternative
19 December 2024India: A Bangalore-based startup formed at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has developed an ‘eco-friendly’ cement alternative using geopolymer technology. The product claims to reduce CO₂ emissions by 21.5kg/m2 of pavers produced compared to ordinary Portland cement, according to The Economic Times. It also claims to eliminate water use and offer a 15-20% cost advantage. The product achieves full strength in just three days, compared to the 28 days required for Portland cement.
Nanjunda Rao, one of four cofounders of Novacret and chief research scientist at IISc, said “The benefits are significant, geopolymer-based materials achieve full strength in just three days in tropical climates like India, compared to the 28 days required for Portland cement.”
SCG expands production of low-carbon cement in Vietnam for export
02 December 2024Vietnam: Thailand-based Siam Cement Group (SCG) says it is expanding the production of its SCG Low Carbon cement product in southern Vietnam. It plans to export up to 8000t/day of the product to the US, Canada, and Australia, as well as supplying local green-procurement projects, according to the Vietnam Business Forum. The company says its low-carbon cement reduces CO2 emissions by up to 20%, compared to regular products, through the use of alternative fuels, renewable energy sources and installing waste heat recovery (WHR) units at its plants. SCG formally launched SCG Low Carbon Super Cement in the country in July 2024.
Cobar expresses interest in EvoZero cement product with Heidelberg Materials Italia
26 November 2024Italy: Construction company Cobar has signed an expression of interest with Heidelberg Materials Italia to use its EvoZero net-zero carbon captured cement product. Cobar’s CEO Vito Matteo Barozzi signed the agreement with Heidelberg Materials Italia’s CEO Stefano Gallini. The subsidiary of Germany-based Heidelberg Materials describes Cobar as one of its main customers and said that the deal confirms the progress that low-carbon products are making in the construction market.
Heidelberg Materials launched its EvoZero cement product in late 2023 and its EvoBuild low-carbon and circular products range in early 2024. EvoZero cement will be available in two versions, depending on the customer location. EvoZero Carbon Captured Brevik will be manufactured at the Brevik cement plant in Norway, where the company has built a carbon capture unit. Elsewhere in Europe Heidelberg Materials will sell EvoZero Carbon Captured, where the cement will be manufactured at a local plant and sold with a verifiable carbon proof using mass-balancing and book-and-claim systems.
RHI Magnesita introduces new refractory contracts model
12 November 2024Austria: RHI Magnesita has launched 4PRO, a new refractory solutions contract model. It says that the new business model is designed to “lead high-temperature industries like steel, cement, glass, non-ferrous metals etc. towards a sustainable and technologically-advanced future through a more holistic and contemporary approach.” The 4PRO contract model is guided by four key pillars: Performance; Partnership; People; and Planet.
The company supplies refractory products, systems and solutions for high-temperature processes exceeding 1200°C in a wide range of industries, including steel, cement, non-ferrous metals and glass. RHI Magnesita has over 20,000 employees in 67 main production sites (including raw material sites), 12 recycling facilities and more than 70 sales offices.
Heidelberg Materials UK launches evoBuild
30 October 2024UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has launched evoBuild, a global brand for low-carbon and circular cement, ready-mixed concrete, aggregates and asphalt products, in line with its parent company's sustainability strategy. According to the company, EvoBuild products either reduce CO₂ emissions by at least 30% or incorporate at least 30% recycled content.
This launch complements evoZero, the ‘world's first carbon-captured net-zero cement’, launched by Heidelberg Materials in November 2023. All eligible products from Heidelberg Materials UK will be integrated into the evoBuild portfolio ‘over the coming years.’