Displaying items by tag: Sustainability

Mexico/UK: Cemex has partnered with UK-based carbon capture equipment supplier Carbon8 Systems to evaluate possible uses of the supplier’s Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT) in the group’s cement production. Operators can use the equipment to produce carbon-infused sustainable materials from thermal residues. Cemex says that one possible application will be in the production of supplementary cementitious materials. Under the partnership, Carbon8 Systems will evaluate a range of Cemex’s byproducts for possible use, beginning at its Rüdersdorf cement plant in Germany and Rugby cement plant in the UK. It will also evaluate the suitability of alternative lightweight aggregates produced using ACT for sale in each market.

Executive vice president sustainability, commercial, and operations development Juan Romero said "This initiative with Carbon8 Systems is another example of the work we are doing with partners across industries, academia, and startups to tap into the latest innovation and disruptive technologies to achieve our ambition of delivering net-zero CO2 concrete globally to all of our customers."

US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has announced the winners of its Energy and Environment Awards 2021. The awards recognise cement plants’ outstanding environmental and social efforts beyond what is required.

CalPortland’s Mojave plant in California won the Energy Efficiency award for an efficiency-increasing upgrade to its vertical roller mill, which included the introduction of a bottom hopper cone on each of its cyclones and a replacement of its mill fan housing. Argos USA’s Calera plant in Alabama won the Land Stewardship award for its conversion an 8.5ha lime kiln dust stockpile into grassland. The area now forms a vibrant ecosystem including wetland habitats. The producer also installed ponds with the additional purpose of stormwater management. Titan America’s Pennsuco plant in Florida won the Overall Environmental Excellence award for its conversion of the plant’s kiln to natural gas from coal use. The upgrade has also enabled the plant to begin to substitute alternative fuel (AF) in the kiln. The Pennsuco plant plans to produce 100% Portland limestone cement (PLC) by ‘as early as 2023.’

Other awards went to Roanoke Cement’s Troutville, Virginia, plant in the Environmental Performance category and to Cemex USA’s Victorville, California, plant in the Outreach category.

PCA President and CEO Michael Ireland said “The US’s cement manufacturers continue to focus on researching and developing new and innovative ways to reduce their environmental footprint. These accomplishments and industry commitment to carbon neutrality across the entire value chain demonstrate PCA members’ dedication to energy efficiency and a more sustainable future.”

Taiwan: Asia Cement Corporation plans to establish further offshore wind power plants under an extension of its partnership with Germany-based power company RWE. SNL Energy Finance Daily News has reported that the partners are investigating potential sites in Changhua, Hsinchu and Taichung.

India: Ambuja Cements has celebrated the recognition of its water management practices through its listing on CDP's Water A List 2021. The company is the first cement producer to acheive the rating. It said that it succeeded through 'prudent' use of water- for instance through modular curing and concrete mix proportion adjustments - and harvesting. In addition, it continues to evolve its cement portfolio to minimise its consumption of natural resources, with a focus on water. Ambuja Cements' Sustainable Development Ambition 2030 strategy commits it to a freshwater withdrawal reduction of 15% by 2030. Its initiatives have so far saved 70Ml of water, according to the company. It called this a 'robust step' on the global path to sustainable construction and said that it will continue to advocate for environmentally friendly solutions.

Managing director and chief executive officer Neeraj Akhoury said "Water has always been the key focus area for Ambuja Cements. This achievement reaffirms our will to remain committed to address water scarcity issues in future and contribute to the establishment of sustainable tomorrow."

France: Germany-based ThyssenKrupp has won a contract for the installation of a new 4000t/day clinker line at Ciments Calcia’s Airvault cement plant in Poitou-Charentes. The supplier expects the new line to double the plant’s clinker capacity while also reducing its CO2 emissions. It is intended to replace the two existing lines at the site.

ThyssenKrupp will supply a 1200t/hr double-shaft hammer crusher, a longitudinal blending bed, a 370t/hr Quadropol QMR² 45/23 type vertical roller mill and a 10,000t tangential blending silo to process raw materials for the line. A single-string, five-stage Dopol type cyclone preheater with integral calciner will be supplied that is suitable to use with alternative fuels, with the possibility of conversion to oxyfuel in future. ThyssenKrupp plans to preassemble the preheater, reducing anticipated construction time ‘by several months.’ The plant also includes a Polytrack clinker cooler, a solid recovered fuel (SRF) preparation line and dedusting systems. Commissioning is scheduled for mid-2024.

No value for the project has been disclosed by Ciments Calcia or ThyssenKrupp. However, Ciments Calcia previously announced a proposed investment of Euro300m in January 2021.

Belgium: Environmental disclosure organisation CDP has listed Cemex, HeidelbergCement and Holcim among 200 companies on its 2021 Climate Change A List for actions to mitigate their CO2 emissions. Holcim’s Indian subsidiaries ACC and Ambuja Cements also received A ratings. Both ACC and Ambuja appeared on CDP’s 2021 Water Security A List, while Holcim scored an A-.

Chief executive officer Jan Jenisch said “Building on the launch of our nature-positive strategy this year, we set new and ambitious goals to achieve water security across our operations worldwide, with our colleagues from Ambuja in India leading the way. CDP’s rankings this year are a testimony to the tremendous work carried out by our 70,000 people around the world and a great encouragement for all of us to keep raising the bar.”

India: Dalmia Cement plans to invest US$75.2m in a 2.6Mt/yr expansion to its Bokaro grinding plant in Jharkhand. The company says that the work will increase the plant’s capacity by 70% to 6.3Mt/yr from 3.7Mt/yr. US$33.2m will go towards the installation of new solar power plant. The company will also set up a waste management facility at the site, using US$1.06m of the investment.

Managing director Puneet Dalmia said “As we are further investing in the Eastern India market to participate in its economic growth story, we are also taking our corporate responsibility seriously by placing the utmost importance on environmental protection and social impact. We are confident that the employment generated through our investments and the skill enhancement in our social initiatives will help create a progressive ecosystem where we help people become independent and self-sufficient. We are excited and look forward to partnering with the state to achieve our business, social and sustainability goals.”

India: Udaipur Cement Works has increased its solar power generation capacity by 43% through the installation of a new 4.35MW solar power plant at its Udaipur cement plant in Rajasthan. The 1.4Mt/yr cement plant now has a total solar power capacity of 14.5MW. Udaipur Cement Works says that solar power generated at the plant will reduce it operations’ CO₂ footprint by 14,000t/yr.

India: The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has certified the sustainability claims of Dalmia Cement’s portfolio of blended cements. The portfolio consists of composite cement, Portland pozzolan cement and Portland slag cement. The council employed a full-cycle assessment of the cements’ impacts.

Head of sales, marketing and logstics Sanjay Wali said “We see GreenPro’s accreditation as a milestone in our journey to becoming carbon-negative by 2040. This also reaffirms our blended cement products’ green supremacy, which is accelerating the global transition from a grey to green reality.”

Kenya: Affordable housing joint venture 14Trees and UK-based development finance company CDC Group have 3D printed a complex of 52 houses near Kilifi, Kilifi county. The development, called Mvule Gardens, uses an IFC-EDGE Advanced-certified sustainable design to support the ecological regeneration of its locale. Swtizerland-based Holcim, which holds a stake in 14Trees, supplied its TectorPrint ink for use in buildings’ walls to increase strength.

Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch said “We are excited to be building one of the world’s largest 3D-printed affordable housing projects in Kenya. With today’s rapid urbanisation, over 3bn people are expected to need affordable housing by 2030. This issue is most acute in Africa, with countries like Kenya already facing an estimated shortage of 2m houses. By deploying 3D printing, we can address this infrastructure gap at scale, to increase living standards for all.”