Displaying items by tag: Upgrade

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has confirmed that it will stop milling activity at its Yocsina cement grinding plant in Córdoba province at the end of March 2021. The decision is part of a move to unify all cement grinding in the region at its integrated Malagueño plant, according to Agência CMA. The latter unit is currently being upgraded with start-up scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat), plans to spend around US$50m on a 2.3Mt/yr upgrade to its Bengal Cement Works plant in West Midnapore. The project will increase the unit’s production capacity to 4Mt/yr. The company says that it will make the cement plant the biggest in the state of West Bengal. It intends to take advantage of expected growth in cement demand, following the coronavirus-related slowdown, due to affordable housing schemes, real estate and infrastructure projects.

“We have deployed the latest machinery and technology for this addition and will be producing only 100% blended cement so as to ensure reduced carbon footprint as part of our commitment to become carbon negative by 2040,” said Ujjwal Batria, chief operating officer (COO) of Dalmia Cement (Bharat).

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.

Mexico: Cementos Moctezuma is installing a 10MW solar power plant at its San Luis Potosí cement plant. Forbes Mexico has reported the estimated cost of the project as US$10m. It will consist of between 32,000 and 33,000 panels.

The company said, "The energy generated will be used at the Cerritos de Cementos Moctezuma plant, in order to replace a percentage of the electricity purchased from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), which is produced with fossil fuels and emits greenhouse gases.” It added that it aims to generate economic savings in the medium term as well as following its sustainability policies.

Senegal: Aumund Group says that it is supplying conveying equipment to a new production line that will be built at Ciments du Sahel’s Kirene plant. The order package includes 23 bucket elevators, seven pan conveyors, eleven drag chain conveyors, two Samson material feeders, four Centrex silo discharge machines and 19 silo discharge gates. The machines will operate in all stages of the production process, from raw materials discharge to conveying between the clinker silo and the cement mill, and in the packing plant. Supply will be made in several tranches between March and June 2021. Commissioning is planned for the first quarter of 2022.

China-based Sinoma International Engineering and its subsidiary CBMI Construction are the main contractors for the project. Aumund France and Aumund China, with support from Aumund Foerdertechnik, are the main divisions of Aumund working on the upgrade.

Poland: Lafarge Poland has chosen China-based Nanjing Kisen International Engineering as the general contractor for a Euro100m-plus upgrade to its Małogoszcz cement plant. The subsidiary of China Triumph International Engineering will deliver an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract and it intends to select a local Polish subcontractor. This is the first project by the Chinese engineering company in Poland and the European Union.

The first works related to project started in October 2020. First clinker production from the upgrade is scheduled for December 2022 with overall commissioning planned for spring 2023. Part of the investment will be implemented in cooperation with the Krakow Technology Park as part of the Polish Investment Zone. LafargeHolcim says the upgrade project is part of its scheme to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 55% by 2025 compared to 1990 levels.

Ivory Coast: LafargeHolcim Côte d'Ivoire commissioned a new clinker discharge equipment at its Abidjan cement plant in June 2020. Aumund France supplied the equipment. It consists of a 75,000t-capacity silo, two Aumund KZB pan conveyors with ten gravity discharge gates, four Aumund GF belt conveyors and a dedusting system comprising five filters, as well as the complete electrics and automation package for the new discharge system. The supplier says that it also supervised installation and commissioning of the equipment.

Senegal: Ciments du Sahel has begun work to increase the cement production capacity of its Kirene cement plant to 6Mt/yr. Agence de Presse Sénégalaise has reported that the installation of a third line at the company’s 3.0Mt/yr plant will double the unit’s capacity when opened before the end of 2023.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Latfallah Layousse said, "We are now at a production capacity of 3Mt/yr of cement. Currently, we are starting our third line with a doubling of our production capacity in the next three years. The doubling of our production capacity will allow us, in the long term, to rise to a higher level and become one of the largest cement factories in the region."

Australia: Adbri subsidiary Cockburn Cement has approved a US$152m upgrade to its Kwinana grinding plant in Western Australia. It says the investment will consolidate the cement operations at its Kwinana site. At present clinker is transported by truck from the Kwinana Bulk Terminal to cement mills at both the Kwinana grinding plant and the company’s integrated plant at Munster. It will increase its production capacity to 1.5Mt/yr from 1.1Mt/yr at present. The project is expected to save the company US$15m/yr due to better energy, transport and maintenance efficiency when the plant is commissioned by mid-2023. The producer will fund the investment through existing debt facilities.

The upgrade project includes: a bulk materials conveyor linking the Kwinana Bulk Terminal (KBT) facility to a new 110,000t clinker storage shed, incorporating an automated reclaim system, to eliminate road transport and minimise clinker handling using mobile equipment; a slag feed system that will handle granulated blast furnace slag and additives such as gypsum and limestone; a ball mill circuit with the installation of two new cement mills capable of grinding slag and clinker; and a new 21,000t finished product storage, truck loading and weighbridge infrastructure for storage and despatch.

Norway: The Norwegian Parliament has voted in favour of the government’s proposed grant of funding for industrial scale implementation of full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) at HeidelbergCement subsidiary Norcem’s Brevik cement plant. Work on the project is expected to start immediately, with the goal of starting CO₂ separation from the cement production process by 2024. The end result will be a 50% cut of emissions from the cement produced at the plant. The group said that the installation will contribute to its CO2 emissions reduction target of 30% between 1990 and 2025.

Norcem chair and HeidelbergCement Northern Europe regional general manager Giv Brantenberg said, “HeidelbergCement highly appreciates the successful cooperation with the Norwegian authorities. The Brevik CCS project clearly shows the importance of industry and public sector to find common solutions in the fight against climate change.”

HeidelbergCement chair Dominik von Achten said, “We are delighted about the final approval of the Norwegian parliament for our breakthrough CCS project in Norway.” He added, “To meet national and international climate targets, CO₂ separation is an important cornerstone. Our CCS project in Brevik will pave the way for our industry and other sectors.”