Displaying items by tag: Sustainability
LafargeHolcim US’ Ste. Genevieve and Alpena cement plants complete transition to Portland limestone cement production
13 January 2022US: LafargeHolcim US has announced the successful transition of two further plants to Portland limestone cement production. The company’s 4.5Mt/yr Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, cement plant and 2.4Mt/yr Alpena, Michigan, plant have begun exclusively producing its OneCem reduced-CO2 Portland limestone cement (PLC).
LafargeHolcim US’ manufacturing North vice president Michael Nixon said "LafargeHolcim is fully engaged in making carbon reduction an urgent priority and 100% dedicated to leading the market transformation needed for climate stability." He added "To achieve net-zero commitments by midcentury, we must start now in accelerating the adoption of low-carbon building solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change."
LafargeHolcim US successfully transitioned its Midlothian, Texas, cement plant to PLC production in 2021.
Holcim Costa Rica receives Positive Packaging certificate
13 January 2022Costa Rica: Société Générale de Surveillance has awarded Holcim Costa Rica its Positive Packaging certificate for 100% packaging energy recovery in 2021. The company offset the 1500t carbon footprint of its packaging production for the year by sorting and co-processing 14,000t of paper as fuel. It sourced the paper from its customer cement bag return scheme and through municipal recycling services run by fellow Holcim subsidiary Geocycle Costa Rica.
Holcim Costa Rica sustainability coordinator Catalina Mora said “Waste management is a global challenge, so this project has a direct impact on our contribution as a company to the vision of sustainability for the country.”
Saudi Aramco and China Building Materials Academy launch Nonmetallic Excellence and Innovation Center in Beijing
13 January 2022China: Saudi Aramco and China Building Materials Academy (CBMA) have launched the Nonmetallic Excellence and Innovation Center (NEXCEL) in Beijing. The centre will leverage CBMA's expertise and resources to promote the development and application of nonmetallic technologies offering superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental performance to metal-based alternatives in Chinese construction.
Saudi Aramco’s senior vice president of technical services Ahmad Al-Sa'adi said “We are excited to be part of this important initiative with CBMA, to jointly advance the use of nonmetallics in building and construction in China. At Aramco, we have been developing and deploying nonmetallic solutions within our own operations for more than 20 years as they offer superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental advantages over their metal alternatives.”
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies secures Chinese patent for its clinker-free cement
11 January 2022China: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has secured a Chinese patent for its high performance alkaline activation (H-P2A) geopolymer technology. The patent will enable it to begin to market its clinker-free cement in the country.
Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "We are very proud to extend the intellectual property of our H-P2A technology to a market with such great potential as China. The achievement of this first milestone marks our commitment to raising the barriers to entry in as many markets as possible around the world."
Ecocem delivers Exegy ultra-low CO2 concrete to Edmonton EcoPark
11 January 2022UK: Ecocem has reported the successful delivery of the first batch of its Exegy ultra-low CO2 concrete at the site of the upcoming EcoPark South waste management hub at Edmonton EcoPark in London. Infrastructure construction company Taylor Woodrow carried out the work. Ecocem says that Taylor Woodrow used Ecocem Ultra concrete from the new Exegy range, reducing the carbon footprint of the project’s concrete by 70%.
Ecocem says that it has secured contracts for the supply of Ecocem Ultra concrete to the sites of the upcoming Grand Paris Express transport link and Paris Athletes’ Village in Paris in Paris, France.
Montenegro: State-owned energy supplier Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) has proposed the gradual shutdown of its Pljevlja coal-fired plant and its replacement with a new cement plant. The company said that such a plant would eliminate Montenegro’s 750,000 – 800,000t/yr of cement imports.
The first stage of the Pljevlja power plant’s shutdown will only commence once a replacement power facility is online. Currently, the plant supplies 40% of the country’s energy. Its closure is part of Montenegro’s plan to accede to the EU as soon as 2025.
Mexico: Cemex’s total dispatches of its Vertua reduced-CO2 concrete in Mexico reached 284,000t in 2021. After launching the product in its home country on 8 December 2020, the company supplied it to 3820 sites throughout 2021. Cemex says that it enters 2022 with 1580 orders outstanding.
Holcim and Magment to develop magnetisable concrete technology for electric vehicle charging
06 January 2022Switzerland/Germany: Holcim has announced the launch of a strategic partnership with inductive charging technology developer Magment to test and commercialise magnetisable concrete technology for use in roads. The technology will power and charge electric vehicles as they drive on roads fitted with Magment. Another possible application is in industrial floors, to charge robots and forklifts.
Holcim’s Global Innovation Center head Edelio Bermejo said: “At Holcim we are innovating to put concrete at the centre of our world’s transition to net-zero. With Magment, we are excited to be developing concrete solutions to accelerate electric mobility. Partnering with start-ups all over the world, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to lead the way in sustainability.”
Ibstock announces 2040 net zero commitments
06 January 2022UK: Building materials group Ibstock has announced its commitment to achieving a 40% CO2 emissions reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040. The commitment covers scope 1 and 2 emissions, building on the company’s existing sustainability roadmap commitments to create a framework of targets and critical milestones. Ibstock says that these will include investment in more efficient production processes and in high quality environmental projects to offset residual carbon. Additionally, it plans to develop a strategy to reduce indirect scope 3 CO2 emissions in 2022. It will publish full details of all targets in its 2021 full-year results in March 2022.
During 2021, Ibstock invested Euro138m in the construction of two net zero facilities in West Midlands and West Yorkshire and procured 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. Ibstock is the parent company of Ibstock Concrete, which produces concrete roofing, walling, flooring and lintels at 14 sites across the UK.
Qassim Cement planning new mill and solar unit at Buraydah plant
05 January 2022Saudi Arabia: Qassim Cement has entered into a preliminary agreement with China-based Chengdu Design & Research Institute of Building Materials Industry (CDI) for the engineering, supply and construction of a cement mill at its integrated Buraydah plant. The new mill will have a production capacity of 300t/hr. The project is budgeted at around US$40m and it has an implementation period of 15 months. More binding detailed contracts are expected to be signed by mid-January 2022.
The cement company also plans to appoint a consultant to define the scope of work and identify contractors to build a 30MW solar unit near the Buraydah plant. It said that the company would not incur any capital or operational expenditure as the payment would be based on actual consumption. The solar unit project is part of the country’s Saudi Vision 2030 strategic framework to reduce dependence on oil.