Displaying items by tag: UK

UK: Cemex will supply 40,000t of lining-sprayed concrete for the construction of the 13km central section of the Thames Tideway sewer project in Greater London. Engineering partners Ferrovial Construction and Laing O’Rourke will use the concrete for shafts and launch tunnels. The company produced the concrete at its Buxton, Derbyshire concrete plant. It says that it offers ultra-high strength, consistency and two-hour workability in line with the stringent requirements of the job. It also needs to be pumpable with a pipeline length of up to 400m. The producer will deliver up to 3000t/month of the concrete to Central London over ‘a few months.’

Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia president Sergio Menendez said “The Thames Tideway Tunnel project is one of incredible scale which will solve serious capacity issues with London’s sewer system and have considerable benefits for the area’s wildlife and population, while also preventing pollution, creating jobs, a rejuvenated river economy and new areas of public space.” He added “This is a remarkable piece of engineering, and we’re proud to be working with world-class contractors to build this key infrastructure in the most sustainable and cost-effective way possible for one of the world’s greatest cities.”

The 25km ‘Super Sewer’ will conduct the city’s sewage to a new treatment facility at Abbey Mills in the Borough of Newham. The central section runs between 30m and 60m below the Thames past part of West London, Westminster and the City of London.

Spain: Cemex España has announced plans to invest Euro4m in upgrades to its Buñol, Valencia, Muel, Zaragoza, Raspeig, Alicante and Rubí, Barcelona mortar plants. The upgrades will increase production capacity, safety and efficiency and improve product quality. The company said that the promotion of its range of over 160 special mortars is a main focus of the investment.

Cemex Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regional president Sergio Menéndez said “We recognise the growing demand for innovative mortar solutions for new and existing buildings to reduce carbon emissions in our cities and support the EU Renewal Wave. Our wide range of mortars for dry silos, in bags and ready to use, is reinforced by expert solutions for paving streets, plastered walls, tunnel solutions, plasters and special sands.”

The group is also investing in upgrades to production and packaging systems in its mortar segment in Poland and the UK.

UK: Cemex Ventures has invested in Modulous, a London-based company that uses a modular construction system. Modulous says it digitises its materials supply chain management to reduce costs and time and in construction process. It uses machine learning, generative design and 5D BIM modelling in its supporting software to support this. No value for Cemex Ventures’ investment in Modulous has been disclosed.

"By including Modulous in our portfolio, we offer the industry a unique offsite construction model" said Mateo Zimermmann, head of Cemex Ventures investment in Modulous. "The Modulous innovative approach enables the supply chain to deliver sustainable and high-quality homes, significantly reducing time and costs. Modulous does not require additional capital expenditure, which makes it globally scalable. This team is going to revolutionise the residential development industry.”

Modulous has secured a number of projects in the UK and Europe. It is currently preparing the delivery of a Euro7m residential scheme in London using its design and construction system that it claims will achieve completion 12 months ahead of schedule. Modulous is one of the winners of the 2020 Construction Startup Competition, the annual startup challenge organized by Cemex Ventures.

UK: Cemex UK has supplied 70m³ of Vertua Classic concrete to the site of Citu’s upcoming office building in its Climate Innovation District in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It will provide the building’s foundations. The company says that it has a 30 – 50% smaller carbon footprint than a standard mix. It produced the concrete at its Leeds ready-mix plant.

Ready-mix technical manager Tracey Carden said “We are very proud to have supplied our Vertua Classic concrete to the latest phase of work at Citu’s Climate Innovation District in Leeds, particularly as this will be its head office. This is a development that prioritises sustainable construction, making our low-carbon concrete the obvious choice for the office building foundations.”

UK: Yorkshire Water is trialling a new concrete surface applicant designed to prolong the lifespan of concrete. It says that the alumina and zirconia silicate ceramic surface treatment protects concrete from wet/dry and freeze/thaw cycles, peeling, flaking, chalking and delaminating. This reduces the need for replacement of concrete structures, reducing CO₂ intensity by 43% compared to bare concrete, according to the company. Advanced materials producer Haydale supplied the product.

Senior project manager Jonathan LeMoine said “In early 2021 we will be using one of our capital partners to apply the material to a number of our chemical bunds. The results will be immediately apparent and will pave the way for a larger programme of works protecting our assets.” He added “We often invest in trialling new technologies and techniques to pave the way for lower emissions in our capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) solutions. We’re excited to see the results from this trial, and hope that it will provide a low carbon alternative to demolishing and rebuilding.”

UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has appointed Jeremy Greenwood as the Chair of UK Concrete. He will work with Chris Leese, the Director of UK Concrete, to coordinate the work of the Concrete Centre, MPA Cement, British Ready-mixed Concrete Association (BRMCA) and British Precast on the roadmap the sector is implementing to go ‘Beyond Net Zero by 2050.’ Greenwood previously worked for Tarmac as its managing director, having been at the company since 1988.

UK: Cemex UK has announced plans for two new plastic packing production lines at Rugby cement plant. The company said that the lines will directly serve the plastic packing needs of packed cement production at the plant. The total investment cost of the installation will be Euro5.6m. Work will begin in early 2021 and be completed from June 2021. Cemex first entered the plastic packed cement market in 2011.

UK: The World Cement Association has appointed Roland van Wijnen, the chief executive officer (CEO) of PPC, and Mahendra Singhi, the managing director and CEO of Dalmia Cement, as directors. The appointments were agreed in a vote at the WCA General Assembly Meeting in December 2020.

Singhi has worked in India’s cement sector for over 40 years. He leads Dalmia Cement (Bharat), a large Indian cement producer recognised as having one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world.
Van Wijnen brings more than 20 years of international CEO and consulting experience encompassing operations management, strategy planning and execution, business process re-engineering and people management and development. Prior to his role as CEO at PPC, a large African cement producer, he worked at LafargeHolcim for 17 years, during which time he held various senior leadership roles across the group.

France: Vicat started using a CO₂ntainer system supplied by UK-based Carbon8 Systems at its Montalieu-Vercieu cement plant in November 2020. It uses captured CO₂ from the unit’s flue gas emissions to carbonate cement-plant dust and produce aggregate, which can then be used to make products such as concrete. The system has particular relevance for a plant burning alternative fuels due to the additional chlorinated dust created compared to the use of conventional fossil fuels. The company says it is the first European cement producer to use the process at an industrial scale. Previously, Carbon8 Systems said that its CO₂ntainer would process and convert up to 12,000t of cement bypass dust in its first phase of operation.

Vicat Group scientific director Laury Barnes-Davin said, “We were drawn to Carbon8 Systems’ two-part technology: capturing the CO₂ that Montalieu emits, and using it to produce an aggregate that can be marketed in the construction industry. It opens up great potential for our operations not just in France but also in all the countries where we work across the globe.” The group hopes to reach a 100% alternative fuel substitution rate in France by 2024.

UK: Cemex subsidiary Cemex UK has concluded a deal with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for the sale of its Attenborough Nature Reserve near Nottingham. The trust received a Euro828m grant from Biffa Award towards the acquisition. The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the River Trent is home to over 1000 species including bitterns and otters. The former sand and gravel quarry became a nature reserve in the 1960s when it was opened by the broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough.

Cemex Europe regional land development and permitting director Stephen Redwood said, “After more than half a century of partnership, we are enormously pleased to see the transfer of this amazing and award-winning site to the Trust being completed. To see Attenborough evolve into such an important nature reserve in such close proximity to major population centres has been most rewarding.” He continued, “Our partnership with the Trust - which has included the establishment of the impressive Visitor Centre with support from the company’s own Landfill Communities Fund - has been a major success and we look forward to the Trust taking ownership as the site moves on to the next phase in its development.”