Displaying items by tag: Sustainability

India: UltraTech Cement plans to increase the production capacity at its Maihar cement plant by 50%. Denmark-based FLSmidth will carry out the expansion project, which also involves the installation of a new calciner and JetFlex burner, along with other pyroprocessing equipment. The supplier says that the upgrade will facilitate greater alternative fuel substitution at the plant in Madhya Pradesh.

FLSmidth’s cement president Carsten Riisberg Lund said “We are pleased to continue our long-lasting collaboration with UltraTech Cement. With the new upgrades to the pyro sections, installing MissionZero flagship offerings, such as the low-NOx calciner and JetFlex burner, UltraTech makes a significant investment in future-proofing its sustainable production.”

UK: Innovative Ash Solutions has received a Euro588m Scottish government grant to establish a 20,000t/yr ash processing plant in South Lanarkshire. The Herald newpaper has reported that the plant will process boiler ash, cyclone ash and incineration fly ash for use in local cement production. When commissioned in 2022, the plant will eliminate 6104t/yr of CO₂ emissions, according to the operator. The government granted the funding under its Zero Waste Scotland circular economic investment scheme.

The company said “Using this new patented process, which diverts waste materials from landfill and avoids the use of virgin sand, creates a product which is cheaper and will reduce the environmental impact of cement production compared to the use of imported pulverised fuel ash.”

Innovative Ash Solutions is a joint venture of waste management company Levenseat and consultancy Organic Innovative Solutions.

US: LafargeHolcim US has announced the launch of TerCem, a blended cement which offers 65% reduced CO₂ emissions compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), according to the company. LafargeHolcim US will produce TerCem at its Whitehall, Pennsylvania, cement plant. The product joins its ECOPlanet low-carbon cement range.

Senior vice president sales Patrick Cleary said "We are leading a market transformation and taking a step towards a net-zero future. Our cement organisation has invested heavily in broadening the industry's range of superior sustainable products designed to lower our carbon footprint with no compromise in quality and long-term durability."

Poland: Lafarge Poland says it plans to stop production CEM I Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) by the end of 2025. As part of its sustainable development strategy to 2030 it intends to gradually start phasing out CEM I from the end of 2022, starting with its CEM I 42.5 R Special bagged product. The subsidiary of Holcim will switch to products in the group’s ECOPlanet range instead. So far in 2020 ECOPlanet products were responsible for 10% of the sales from Lafarge Poland’s Kujawy plant.

India: Ramco Cements has commissioned a new waste heat recovery (WHR) unit on Line 3 of its Jayanthipuram cement plant in Andhra Pradesh. The company said that the system consists of two boilers and that the first on the line’s cooler has been started. A second boiler situated at the line’s preheater will be commissioned in June 2022. The new installation increases the Jayanthipuram plant’s WHR capacity by 31% to 21MW.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has announced the launch of its ECOPlanet slag cement. It says the product has a 30% lower carbon footprint than other general purposes products. The company will sell 40kg bags of cement in both paper and plastic bags.

Holcim Philippines president and chief executive officer Horia Adrian said, “Winning with purpose requires delivering our customer promise while also caring for the planet.” He added, “We see a growing interest in building greener structures in the Philippines. ECOPlanet enables us to provide our partners with the best balance of delivering strength and durability while helping make construction more respectful of the environment. It is another key step in our promise to build greener, smarter and for all in the Philippines.”

Holcim’s investors’ event last week confirmed the changes the company has been making to its sales mix. At its Capital Markets Day it revealed its commitment to expand the net sales of its Solutions & Products division to 30% of the group total by 2025. This division covers products such as roofing, mortar, precast concrete and asphalt. At the same time it is reducing the proportion of sales from its cement division. Graph 1, below, from a presentation given by chief executive officer Jans Jenisch, hints at what group may be aiming for: roughly a third of its sales from cement; a third from aggregates and ready mixed concrete; and a third from the Solutions & Products division in 2025.

Graph 1: Forecast growth of sales by Holcim’s Solutions & Products division to 2025. Source: Holcim Capital Markets Day 2021 presentations on website.

To give readers an idea of the scale of change in Holcim’s cement business since the merger with Lafarge in 2015, just look at the figures. In 2015 LafargeHolcim sold 256Mt of cement and it had a cement production capacity of 374Mt/yr. In 2020 it sold 190Mt of cement and it had a cement production capacity of 288Mt/yr. However, the ratio of sales from cement has remained consistent at just below 60%.

This all changed in January 2021 when Holcim announced it was buying roofing and building envelope producer Firestone Building Products for US$3.4bn. Instead of trimming down the business to make synergistic changes as it had been for the previous five years the group significantly changed its sales mix. As noted in ‘2021 in Cement’ in the December 2021 issue of Global Cement Magazine, Holcim remains the world’s largest non-Chinese cement producer. Yet its acquisitions in 2021 have consisted of ready-mixed concrete and aggregate companies in mature markets, and Firestone. Its divestments have been cement subsidiaries. Since 2019, and including the agreed Brazilian sale, planned to complete in 2022, the group has generated US$4.1bn in these divestments. Almost as if to reinforce this change of direction the group also switched its name to Holcim in May 2021.

Aside from the focus on expanding the scope of the Solutions & Products division over the next few years, the group said at its recent investors’ event that it wants to lead in sustainability and innovation. It also reminded investors that growth remains in building materials markets. Once Jenisch had established the potential the construction market has in the coming years it was all about so-called ‘green’ growth. On the sustainability side this includes promoting the group’s Science Based Targets initiative net-zero targets by 2050, pushing sales of its low-carbon concrete products and working on increasing the uptake of construction and demolition waste in Europe. The group has a target of reaching 25% or higher for sales of its ECOPact ready-mixed concrete product by 2025. Holcim reported Scope 1 CEM specific CO₂ net emissions of 555kgCO₂/t in 2020 and it has target of 475kgCO₂/t by 2030. This is broadly in line with its peers. Cemex has also committed to 475kgCO₂/t or lower and HeidelbergCement is currently aiming for 500kgCO₂/t or lower by 2030.

Simultaneously promoting sustainability and growth in products that release CO₂ during their manufacture is quite the balancing act for all cement producers. The way Holcim appears to be squaring this particular circle is by heading elsewhere. Back in January 2021 we asked whether Holcim would leave it with the Firestone acquisition or go further. This question has now been answered with Holcim’s intent to increase the share of its Solutions & Products to 30% by 2025. Other large cement producers don’t seem to be diversifying their sales mix at the same speed but similar strategic thinking along supply chains can be seen from the proposed buyer of LafargeHolcim Brazil, Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) Cimentos. CSN is a steel manufacturer and buying cement assets gives it somewhere to use its slag. Fittingly, Holcim’s investors’ day ended with a night out at a museum holding an exhibition on the history of concrete. For now at least concrete looks set to remain a key part of the business.

South Korea: Researchers at Incheon National University have discovered an optimal conductive carbon fibre volume for cement-based conductive composites for use in net-zero energy buildings. The team reported that a 1% conductive carbon fibre content facilitates maximum energy generation from the movements of occupants and the weather against floors and walls. It also enables the storage of electricity at safe voltages. The product is based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology.

The team published its results in the journal Nano Energy in November 2021.

Germany: Cemex Zement has partnered with sustainable technology supplier Orcan Energy for the establishment of a waste heat recovery (WHR) plant at its Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg, cement plant. Orcan Energy will supply six generator modules for the installation. When commissioned in mid-2022, the WHR plant will cover part of the plant’s energy consumption. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy contributed 50% of funds for the project.

Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia regional president Sergio Menendez said “Efforts to achieve carbon neutrality at our Rüdersdorf cement plant by 2030 continue apace, and this project to install a WHR system is the latest significant milestone in our journey. It further demonstrates the value of forming expert alliances to investigate and then implement innovative technologies that will ensure the decarbonisation of our operation.”

Philippines: Singapore-based Blueleaf Energy says that it has secured a 20-year solar power supply with Holcim Philippines. The companies have signed a power purchase agreement whereby Blueleaf Energy will finance, build and operate a total of 29MW of solar power infrastructure in Norzagaray, Bulacan, and Bacnotan, La Union. These will supply 15% of the energy requirements of Holcim Philippines’ Bulacan and La Union cement plants respectively. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2024.

Holcim Philippines president and CEO Horia Adrian said “Reducing the carbon footprint of our operations is one of our key sustainability commitments. This year, we have made great progress in this area by stepping up production of blended cements and replacing coal with alternative fuels. Shifting to renewable solar energy will help us further improve as an environment steward and a partner in building progress in the country sustainably.”