Displaying items by tag: Upgrade

Belgium: Holcim kicked-off its Go4Zero project at its Obourg plant on 16 May 2024 in an event attended by the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and the European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra. The €500m Go4Zero project, supported with €230m of funding from the European Union, will enable the integrated plant to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2027 and to produce 2Mt/yr of CO2-free cement by 2029. When fully operational, the Obourg plant will capture 1.2Mt/yr of CO₂.

The Go4Zero project incorporates a number of approaches to achieve net-zero CO₂ cement. The centrepiece is an oxy-fuel combustion process to generate an easy-to-handle exhaust gas with up to 80% CO₂. This will be coupled to a cryogenic purification unit to generate a >99%-pure CO₂ stream .The project will also make use of waste heat recovery (WHR), new exhaust filtration equipment and Europe’s largest floating solar panel farm.

Germany: Buzzi subsidiary Deuna Zement plans to invest €350m to install a carbon capture system at its cement plant in Deuna, having completed two feasibility studies. The Thüringer Allgemeine newspaper has reported that, when operational in 2029, the system will capture 620,000t/yr of CO₂. This will make the Deuna cement plant carbon neutral. The company has applied for government funding for the project.

Buzzi Unicem said that its subsidiary is ‘Doing pioneering work on the path to decarbonising the cement industry.’ It added “The system will be efficient and take all relevant environmental considerations into account.”

Kenya: East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) has recommenced operations at its Athi River cement plant after a one-month shutdown for renovations and maintenance. The plant has undergone a US$3m upgrade to expand its capacity in order to meet the increasing regional demand for cement, anticipating an annual production of 1Mt/yr within the next two years. Before the upgrade, the plant’s capacity was 310,000t/yr.

Board chairperson Richard Mbithi said critical components used in cement production processes such as filter bags and refractory bricks were replaced during the upgrade. EAPCC also refurbished its grate cooler system, enabling the company to increase its production targets.

Mbithi said “With the finalisation of the plant refurbishment and the resultant improved production and efficiency, we are confident that the company will accomplish the production and revenue targets.”

The company undertook the first phase of maintenance two years ago and it involved the replacement of the kiln shell which was completed in September 2022. This led to improved clinker and cement production and resulted in a 38% increase in revenues, according to the Star Kenya.

Australia: Cement Australia has received a US$34.4m federal grant for a kiln upgrade to its Railton cement plant in Tasmania. The upgrade will allow the plant to raise its alternative fuels substitution rate. The project is funded by the government’s Powering the Regions initiative, with total investments valued at US$215m.

Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said “This US$215m investment in Australia’s hard-to-abate manufacturing and mining facilities is about securing the future of high-quality, low-emissions products made right here. Northern Tasmania, Central Queensland and Western Australia have been industrial powerhouses for generations, and the government is ensuring that continues. As global markets change rapidly, we’re supporting Australian industry to not only survive but thrive with our world-class products that support regional jobs across the country.”

Australia: The Australian federal government has granted Adbri US$32.5m for a new front-end engineering and design study at its Birkenhead cement plant. The study will assess the possible installation of a new vertical roller mill and post-production blending system at the plant. InDaily News has reported that the proposed upgrade will increase the plant’s production capacity and help to expand its range of reduced-CO₂ cements. The funding falls under the government’s US$260m Critical Inputs to Clean Energy programme, which aims to help decarbonise the Australian economy by 2050.

CEO Mark Irwin said “With the Commonwealth’s support we have the potential to further accelerate the decarbonisation of our operations and products.”

Germany: Holcim Deutschland has broken ground on the construction of a new kiln line and CO₂ processing unit at its Lägerdorf cement plant in Schleswig-Holstein. The line will feature an OxyFuel kiln, supplied by ThyssenKrupp. ThyssenKrupp’s OxyFuel technology will assist in the capture of 1.2Mt/yr (nearly 100%) of CO₂ from the plant. The partners described the upcoming upgraded Lägerdorf plant as one of the world's first carbon-neutral cement plants.

Holcim Deutschland CEO Thorsten Hahn said "We're laying the groundwork for a sustainable world through cement. Cement is essential for our cities, factories, homes, bridges and beyond. As we transition towards renewable energy, we must also construct the foundations and structures for wind turbines and railway tracks. With our climate-neutral cement plant, we ensure that this vital building material remains accessible without further harm to the atmosphere."

ThyssenKrupp Decarbon Technologies’ chief strategy officer Cetin Nazikkol said “It’s vital to switch to climate-friendly processes. By enriching CO₂ by means of the pure OxyFuel technology we’ve developed, we help our customers capture almost all of the CO₂ arising in the production process and so reuse it in a sustainable manner. Given that global cement production is more than 4Bnt/yr, we see enormous growth potential for our innovative technology.”

North Korea: Cheonnaeri Cement has successfully concluded testing of a new calciner at its Cheonnaeri cement plant in South Hamgyong. Korean News has reported that the equipment has expanded the capacity of the plant, which was formerly 1Mt/yr. The company completed the work in three months.

Germany: Holcim is investing a three-figure million sum into its cement plant in Lägerdorf, Steinburg, according to the Segeberger Zeitung. The plant will employ a second-generation oxyfuel kiln line to increase the concentration of CO₂ in the flue gas during clinker production. The project aims to capture 1Mt/yr of CO₂. The new kiln line is expected to be operational by 2029.

State Secretary for Energy, Joschka Knuth, said "The decarbonisation of Holcim is a very important signal for the entire industrial location of Germany."

Italy: Bedeschi has finalised a new contract to supply Buzzi Unicem’s Guidonia integrated cement plant with a double-stage crushing unit. Each machine has a capacity of 750t/hr with two 315kW power systems installed. The system will receive limestone lumps of up to 600mm in diameter and will output limestone lumps below 50mm. No value for the order has been disclosed.

Kenya: East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) has closed its Athi River plant for a US$3m upgrade to boost production capacity.

Oliver Kirubai, EAPCC's managing director, said "We are doing the second phase of our machines upgrade, which is basically targeting to increase our output. Our target is that by June 2026 we should be able to produce 1Mt/yr of cement." He added "Seven local contractors are spearheading the upgrade of this plant. They will work with us during the 25-day closure of this facility." The current production capacity of the plant is 310,000t/yr.

EAPCC recorded a loss of US$9.8m for the financial year ending June 2023, despite making a profit of US$4m in the previous year. This shift was due to increased costs elevating the firm's cost of sales to US$29.4m from US$29.9m, despite a 37% increase in revenues to US$21.9m from US$15.9 in the previous year.