Displaying items by tag: decarbonisation

US: Fortera has raised US$85m in a funding round to increase its production of ‘low to zero-carbon’ cement, Bloomberg reports. New investors include Wollemi Capital, Saint-Gobain venture capital arm NOVA, Presidio Ventures and Alumni Ventures, alongside existing investors Khosla Ventures and Singapore state fund Temasek.

The startup, valued at US$355m, utilises a technology that captures CO₂ emissions from traditional cement production and converts them into a mineral form for low-carbon cement. Fortera's first industrial ‘green’ cement plant operates at CalPortland's facility in Redding, California.

US: Heidelberg Materials North America has finalised award negotiations with the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. The Mitchell cement plant in Indiana will receive US$300,000 to begin the first phase of its decarbonisation project, part of a broader initiative of up to US$500m in DOE funding to support full-scale carbon capture, transport and storage developments. The Mitchell cement plant has tripled its previous production capacity, with this project aiming to capture and process about 2Mt/yr of CO₂.

Chris Ward, president and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America, said "This critical milestone of bringing our project under award with the US Department of Energy is a significant step in building the first full-scale application of carbon capture and storage for the cement industry in the US.”

Latvia/Lithuania: Capsol Technologies has won a contract to carry out two CapsolGo carbon capture demonstration campaigns at the Brocēni cement plant in Latvia and the Akmenės Cementas cement plant in Lithuania. Both plants are owned by Germany’s Schwenk Zement. Following a feasibility study earlier in 2024, the demonstrations will run from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2025 and will showcase the CapsolEoP capture technology.

Philipp Staggat, chief product officer of Capsol Technologies, said "CapsolEoP offers lower energy consumption with higher CO₂ concentration than competitive technologies, and the capture cost for cement owners is reduced further as it doesn't require external steam supply. We are looking forward to demonstrating our technology on Schwenk's cement plants.”

CEO of Akmenės Cementas, Arturas Zaremba added "In collaboration with our clients and stakeholders, we are dedicated to addressing these challenges. The implementation of CapsolEoP technology at our Latvian and Lithuanian plants is a testament to our commitment, marking a significant stride towards the goal of capturing over 1.5Mt/yr of CO₂.”

Canada: Canada-based carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) company Carbon Upcycling has been admitted to the Portland Cement Association (PCA). This new membership aims to support industry efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. The US Department of Energy previously announced over US$1.2bn in funding for PCA member companies to launch decarbonisation projects under recent federal initiatives. Carbon Upcycling has been developing a commercial CCS system at CRH’s cement plant in Mississauga.

PCA president and CEO Mike Ireland said "We are thrilled to have Carbon Upcycling join us as a member of the PCA, given our shared commitment to sustainability. Their efforts are helping the cement industry increase circularity and advance the industry's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality."

CEO of Carbon Upcycling Apoorv Sinha said "The most effective and credible pathway to decarbonising the cement industry is through strategic partnerships and collaboration with long-time industry leaders in the infrastructure sector. Joining the PCA underscores our commitment to advance sustainable practices and substantially reduce carbon emissions. We look forward to forging a low-carbon, resilient future with our fellow members."

Austria: Alpacem will invest €50m to modernise its Wietersdorf plant, including a new cement grinding plant, reportedly capable of saving up to 21,000t/yr of CO₂ and reducing electricity consumption, according to the Kronen Zeitung. The plant is scheduled for completion and commissioning in 2027. In the future, a new cement silo plant will also be built in the Görtschitztal valley, directly connected to the railroad.

Florian Salzer, technical director at Alpacem Zement Austria said "With this new project, we are investing in a sustainable future and laying the foundations for energy-efficient and environmentally conscious cement grinding."

Managing director Lutz Weber added "Alpacem has a clear goal: CO₂-neutral production by 2035. To achieve this ambitious goal, we need a package of measures and a concrete path."

Philippines: Holcim Philippines will invest US$6.5m to upgrade its La Union plant and increase the use of alternative fuels and raw materials to 40%. The project will be implemented by Sinoma CBMIPH Construction and will be completed by late 2025, reports the Manila Bulletin.

Nicolas George, Holcim Philippines president and CEO, said the investment aims to reduce CO₂ emissions, promote recycling, support local waste management and provide income for northern Luzon farmers, who will supply biomass residues as alternative fuels.

General manager Zeng Youbing of Sinoma CBMIPH Construction said “This marks the third collaboration between Sinoma CBMIPH and Holcim Philippines since 2021. We are honoured to contribute to Holcim Philippines' decarbonisation and sustainability goals.”

UK: UK-based startup Cocoon has raised €4.9m in pre-seed funding to develop technology that repurposes byproducts from electrified steel furnaces into a ‘near-identical replacement’ for blast furnace slag, according to the company. The modular technology integrates into existing steel-making processes without disrupting operations or requiring high capital expenditure, reports UK Tech News. Cocoon targets a 50% replacement of cement in concrete, aiming to reduce emissions for producers. Initial tests are underway at a steel plant in northern England, followed by another in the US.

Cocoon CEO Eliot Brooks said "We’re turning a byproduct with little use into a valuable product that the market badly needs and can be easily integrated into existing supply chains. By repairing a broken link in the circular economy, Cocoon provides steel makers with a new revenue stream while meeting the low-carbon material needs of the concrete industry. For every 1t of Cocoon’s slag-based cementitious material used, 1t of CO₂ can be avoided."

Brooks hopes Cocoon's climate technology will be integrated into a pilot plant by late 2025.

South Korea: Ssangyong C&E has exported 30,000t of low-carbon limestone cement (Type IL) to the US, its first such shipment following three years of research and development, according to AJU News. The product reportedly has a reduced clinker content and maintains the same physical performance as general cement. The producer plans to export 200,000t to the US in 2024 and 600,000t in 2025.

A Ssangyong C&E official said "Currently, our country's national standards stipulate that mixed cement only uses slag, fly ash and pozzolan. In order to reduce carbon emissions in the future, conditions must be created where various types of eco-friendly cement, including limestone cement, can be used."

UK: Following a successful trial in mid 2024, Aggregate Industries will deploy the ‘first electric cement truck in the UK’, according to the company, with more to follow. The trucks will be based at the Cauldon cement plant, alongside the company’s existing fleet of 60 trucks. The vehicles are equipped with a 600kW motor to deliver both bulk and bagged cement. Aggregate Industries has partnered with Lomas Distribution, its contracted haulier for the UK domestic market.

Gareth Durnall, general manager at Lomas Distribution, said "We are excited to work together with Aggregate Industries in adopting sustainable practices."

Steve Curley, Aggregate Industries’ managing director of cement division, said "Introducing electric trucks in our operations marks a pivotal shift towards efficiency and sustainability and is all part of our ongoing effort to decarbonise the business and contribute to our own net zero Strategy."

UK: Aggregate Industries has appointed Tom Murphy as Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Project Manager at the Cauldon Cement Plant in Staffordshire. He will play a leading role in managing the introduction of a carbon capture unit at the site.

Murphy joins the subsidiary of Holcim from Tata Chemical Europe where he was the Plant Manager for a first-of-a-kind post combustion carbon capture plant. Prior to that, he worked as an Energy Chemical Engineer for Tata and as a Research Engineer for the Materials Processing Institute. He holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Manchester.

The CCUS project at the Cauldon Cement Plant is part of the wider Peak Cluster partnership, which was formed by cement and lime producers around the Derbyshire Peak District region and aims to cut collective annual carbon emissions by 3Mt/yr by 2030. More than 0.6t/yr is targeted to be cut at Cauldon. The project is being led by Progressive Energy. It aims to capture and transport CO₂ emissions from Cauldon and other partner plants before sequestering them beneath the eastern Irish Sea in one of the storage options which the project has access to, including the Liverpool Bay CCS or the Morecambe Net Zero project.