Displaying items by tag: decarbonisation

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.

Canada: Lafarge Canada and Geocycle Canada have successfully completed a pilot at the Lafarge Brookfield cement plant in Nova Scotia to produce clinker using recycled minerals from discarded material. This pilot can potentially cut CO₂ emissions by 60% of clinker. The new clinker product will be used to produce recycled cement in 2024.

CEO of Lafarge Canada David Redfern said "Our teams have been tirelessly working towards finding solutions to decarbonise our business in Canada. This new recycled-minerals clinker combines operational excellence with circular construction, building new and green from what is considered old and waste. This is a great example of how far we can go - the local team at Brookfield is certainly setting the tone for the industry in Canada."

Since May 2023, Lafarge Canada, Geocycle Canada and the Holcim Group Innovation Centre have been collaborating on a 100% circular production of clinker at the Brookfield plant. The new production method involves substitution of raw materials with lower carbon options from discarded materials, as well as alternative fuels produced from these materials. The trial was performed in February 2024 and cement from this clinker will be produced in 2024 for further testing and development of the technology.

Sweden: Peab has entered a product delivery agreement with Stockholm-based start-up CemVision, starting from 14 May 2024. CemVision has developed a cement that reportedly reduces CO₂ emissions by over 95% compared to traditional cement, by replacing limestone and fossil fuels with refined industrial waste and renewable energy. Over the next few years, Peab will use CemVision's ultra-low carbon cement for various projects, including infrastructure, water treatment, foundation work and prefabricated concrete.

Oscar Hållén, CEO of CemVision, said “We are thrilled to be able to deliver our product to Peab. We see that green cement has become crucial for entire industries to be able to meet their climate commitments. The demand is already enormous and all forecasts indicate that it will only increase.”

US: Cemex, in collaboration with the Mission Possible Partnership (MPP) and supported by the Bezos Earth Fund, is undertaking an analysis of decarbonisation strategies at its Balcones cement plant in Texas, US. This initiative is part of Cemex's broader goal to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. The analysis will explore various technological pathways including the use of alternative fuels, incorporation of lower-carbon materials, carbon capture and storage and the utilisation of captured carbon for producing synthetic fuels, chemicals, or construction materials. The partnership focuses on innovations such as substituting traditional fossil fuels with waste, renewable gas, biomass, hydrogen and electrification in the cement production process.

CEO of Cemex, Fernando González said “Our collaboration with the Mission Possible Partnership represents a joint effort seeking to accelerate our sustainable commitments and comprehensively evaluate the extent to which we can utilise decarbonisation levers within a specific plant ecosystem. This involves leveraging scalable technologies that would contribute to achieving our ambitious decarbonisation goals on the path to becoming a net-zero company by 2050.”

UK: C-Capture has initiated a carbon capture trial at Heidelberg Materials’ Ketton cement works in Rutland, as part of its national 'XLR8 CCS' project aimed at accelerating low-cost carbon capture solutions in industries like cement and glass. The trial utilises C-Capture’s technology, which employs a solvent to selectively capture CO₂ from emissions. According to the company, this process does not rely on the use of amines, therefore requiring 40% less energy than conventional methods and reduces costs. The carbon capture solvent compatibility unit designed by C-Capture and partner Wood will test the effectiveness of this technology in removing CO₂ from flue gas emissions produced during the cement manufacturing process.

XLR8 CCS is funded with €2m from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s €1.2bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. The funding is part of the €23m Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Innovation 2.0 programme aimed at accelerating the deployment of next-generation CCUS technology in the UK. Additional private sector contributions support a €3.1m total.

C-Capture CEO Tom White said "Decarbonising industry is one of the most pressing global issues. C-Capture’s XLR8 CCS project is a critical step in the race to net zero as we work with our innovative technology and leading industry partners to demonstrate that an affordable carbon capture solution is a reality – even for industries that are difficult to decarbonise. We are incredibly proud to be working with our project partners which have strong commitments to decarbonisation and are early adopters of novel carbon capture technology."

Simon Willis, CEO of Heidelberg Materials UK said “Carbon capture is a critical part of our strategy to decarbonise cement production and essential if we are to reach net zero and help our customers achieve their own decarbonisation goals. Our venture with C-Capture is another example of our commitment to developing new technologies and, if successful, has the potential to be rolled out at other sites across the Heidelberg Materials Group.”

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.”

Spain: The Spanish cement manufacturers' association, Oficemen, and Siemens Energy have signed a two-year collaboration agreement to develop decarbonisation techniques and solutions for Spain's cement industry. The agreement was signed by Siemens Energy's Industrial Sales Director for Southwest Europe, Angel Cillerruelo, and Oficemen's General Director, Aniceto Zaragoza.

Zaragoza said "The Spanish cement industry's commitment to climate neutrality by 2050, outlined in our roadmap, includes exploring the most effective levers for emission reduction, such as the decarbonisation of energy sources or the comprehensive energy management of industrial processes."

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has announced new collaborations between global cement manufacturers and technology start-ups, focusing on the development of low carbon concrete. Four start-ups—EnviCore in Canada, Queens Carbon and Chement, both in the US and NeoCrete in New Zealand—were part of the 2023 GCCA Innovandi Open Challenge and have now partnered with cement manufacturers. These partnerships aim to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.

The startups will receive access to industry plants, labs and networks to fast-track their technologies. They will also demonstrate their progress on 6th June 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, during the GCCA's CEO and Leaders Conference. The association continues its efforts under the 2050 Net Zero Concrete Roadmap, with 29 new start-ups shortlisted this year to work on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology.

UK: Seratech has developed a process using olivine, a mineral abundant in Earth's mantle, to produce ‘carbon-negative’ cement. The company's method involves replacing some of the clinker with silica extracted from olivine. Magnesium sulphate derived from the olivine reacts with CO₂ to form nesquehonite, a mineral that sequesters CO₂. This method uses CO₂ captured from emissions sources or directly from the air.

Sam Draper, CEO, explained the process: “The researchers extracted these compounds by dissolving powdered olivine in sulphuric acid. After separating the silica and magnesium sulphate, they bubbled CO₂ through the magnesium slurry to form nesquehonite.”

According to Draper, replacing 35% of regular cement with this silica would yield carbon-neutral results, while a 40% substitution could achieve carbon negativity. Current building standards allow up to 55% of cement to be replaced by this material, although robust testing has yet to be conducted.

Malaysia: Heidelberg Materials has announced its acquisition of ACE Group, a supplier of pulverised fly ash, effective 1 May 2024. Reusing fly ash from energy generation contributes to reducing the CO₂ intensity of composite cement. When used as an additive, fly ash can replace part of the energy-intensive clinker and thus reduce the CO₂ intensity of the cement.

The acquisition includes ACE Greencemt Venture, ASAS Asia and AGP Logistics, with the leadership team from ACE Group continuing to manage the operations post-acquisition. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the transaction.