Displaying items by tag: Study

UK: Germany-based HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Hanson Cement will be the subject of a study in the use of biomass and hydrogen fuels coordinated by the Mineral Products Association (MPA). The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is funding the Euro3.81m study, the results of which it says will be shared across the cement industry. HeidelbergCement CEO Dominik von Achten said, "In addition to our activities in the field of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), this project is an important step towards realising our vision of carbon-neutral concrete by 2050.”

France: Following a successful trial that began in December 2019, LafargeHolcim has inaugurated a FastCarb CO₂ absorption accelerator into concrete production at its Val d'Azergues cement and concrete plant (integrated capacity 0.4Mt/yr) in Lozanne. The technology involves the capture of CO₂ from the plant’s cement kiln for reinjection into concrete produced with recycled aggregates. François Petry, LafargeHolcim France managing director, said the installation ‘fits perfectly into our Lafarge 360 approach for more responsible construction.’ The five-pillar approach consists of alternative fuel substitution and development, power consumption reduction, formulation of new cements, cooperation with Airium insulation solutions and assistance with low-carbon building design.

Germany: Research from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has suggested that wood, including fast-growing bamboo, could supplant 50% of cement and steel used in construction, cutting global CO₂ emissions by up to 880Mt/yr and providing a carbon sink for close to 700Mt/yr of CO2 emissions. Assuming a no-change scenario in cement production practices, PIK fellow Galina Chakina says, ‘the shift to timber would make quite a difference for achieving the climate stabilisation targets of the Paris agreement.’

US: Holcim US’s 1.9Mt/yr Portland cement plant in Colorado has become the latest site to host a large-scale cement plant carbon capture and storage (CCS) study. Holcim US, in partnership withCanada-based Svante, France-based Total and US-based Occidental subsidiary Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, will install a facility designed to capture 0.73Mt/yr of CO2, which Occidental will take for safe storage underground. The study will assess the financial viability and design requirements of such an installation on a permanent basis.

US: The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting public comment on a proposed shale-clay exploration project by Ireland-based CRH’s subsidiary Ash Grove Cement near its Clark Gulch quarry. The Observer has reported that the project would consist of construction of a 0.62km road and the extraction and transportation of a 10,000t sample. The window for comment closes on 3 January 2020.

Germany: Four of Europe’s leading cement producers have partnered to found and operate a 100% carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant at Schwenk Zement’s 1.0Mt/yr Mergelstetten plant in southern Germany. HeidelbergCement has announced that the catch4climate project will enter operation in 2020.

Belgium: A team of researchers from the University of Mons in Hainaut province has concluded a study in the use of amine-based solvents for carbon capture on between 20% and 60% CO₂ flue gas with funding from HeidelbergCement and the European Cement Research Academy. Lab tests and industrial-scale simulations showed that the solvents lowered regeneration energy, equivalent work and operating costs of carbon capture across the CO₂ concentration range of flue gases tested.

US: California-based Heliogen has developed concentrated solar-thermal plants (CSPs) with the ability to focus sunlight to generate temperatures over 1000°C by micro-adjusting mirrors using computer technology. It has now engaged Parsons Corporation to build arrays of its CSPs for installation in cement pre-calciners. Requiring 900°C heat, these represent the largest part of the industry’s CO₂ output. The technology will firstly reduce this by replacing fossil fuels with a clean heat source, which moreover entirely bypasses the electrical grid. Heliogen CEO Bill Gross says that the installations will make carbon capture and storage (CCS) of the remaining CO₂ emissions from the conversion of limestone to lime easier by removing other pollutants. Heliogen is now targeting 1500°C from its CSPs, which would enable them to supersede cement fuels in kilns.

Canada: HeidelbergCement’s Canadian subsidiary Lehigh Cement is trialling the cement industry’s first full carbon capture and storage (CCS) installation at its 1.4Mt/yr integrated Edmonton plant in Alberta in partnership with Canada’s International CCS Knowledge Centre. The installation will have a CO2 capture rate of between 90% and 95% and receive an investment of US$1.4m from the state government body Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA). “We are part of HeidelbergCement’s vision of CO2-neutral concrete by 2050 and are committed to leading global change for CCS in our industry,” said Jeorg Nixdorf, Lehigh Hanson Canada regional president.

South Africa: Research carried out by Beton-Lab on the instigation off PPC has revealed a widespread flouting of cement quality regulations, with the majority of samples overweight or underweight and of inconsistent quality. Beton-Lab tested 14 products from 10 different producers. Cape Times has suggested that the results are due to the addition of fly ash and slag to finished cement as a common practice amongst producers.

In August 2019, PPC and other South African producers lobbied the government International Trade Administration Commission for a tightening of cement standards in response to a perceived compromise on quality by importers, whose 4.6% stake in the market grew by 293% year-on-year in July 2019.