Displaying items by tag: decarbonisation

Italy: Scientists Gregory Chass and Kun Tian have developed a sustainable concrete from wet waste materials through their company Mesoscale Engineering Halcyon. This 'green concrete' concept was conceived in Garbatella and will first be tested on the district's pavements. The concrete, made by combining and recycling industrial CO₂ emissions with brine from saltworks, is part of the Clean Energy Transition Partnership. It is also central to the BUCK$$$ project, led by Kun, focusing on carbon capture and utilisation. This project, with €2.54m in funding, involves 13 partners from seven countries.

This innovative concrete arises from 'mineralised CO₂', which is similar to mollusc shells made of calcium carbonate, as well as materials derived from saltwork brine, desalination, and industrial wastewater. Both currently underused products are expected to become crucial in the cement and concrete industries, particularly in Italy.

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement will install a gas engine power system at its Fujiwara cement plant in Inabe-shi, Mie Prefecture. The system replaces the existing thermal power system at the plant, which uses petcoke. Construction is set to begin in 2025 and the facility will be operational by the end of 2026. The new system will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 130,000t/yr.

President and representative director Masafumi Fushihara said "Taiheiyo Cement positions the reduction of CO₂ emissions from its cement production as an important growth strategy and will work to continue to achieve carbon neutrality through various countermeasures and the promotion of further energy conservation."

Italy: Heidelberg Materials Italy, formerly Italcementi, has entered into a seven-year supply agreement with Ox2. Under the deal, Ox2 will sell up to 70% of the energy generated at the Stornarella wind farm in Foggia. The farm was developed in partnership with Nuveen Infrastructure.

The Stornarella wind farm will be constructed in 2024. Once operational, it will provide an average of 37 - 51GWh/yr of clean energy from 2025 to 2032. Nuveen Infrastructure has purchased the wind farm, which will feature six turbines with a total installed capacity of 27MW and an estimated output of 73GWh/yr.

Stefano Gallini, CEO of Heidelberg Materials Italy, said "Energy is a fundamental component of our industrial process and represents one of the main levers of decarbonisation for the entire cement sector. The electrical component can also contribute significantly to this purpose, and we have identified reliable partners like Ox2 and Nuveen to accompany us on this journey."

Mexico/Spain: Cemex has entered a partnership with energy transition investor White Summit Capital to develop projects that will contribute to its 2050 net-zero objectives. The partnership focuses on decarbonising operations and circularity, including reducing its cement’s clinker factor, optimising its fuel mix and transforming refuse into energy.

Sergio Menéndez, president of Cemex Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia, said “We are pleased to have entered this collaboration with White Summit Capital and are excited to explore how together we can develop innovative solutions to decarbonise Cemex Europe operations and further strengthen our circularity positioning.”

Germany: According to a new study backed by the German Cement Works Association (VDZ), the country's cement and lime industries require carbon capture and storage (CCS) for decarbonisation. The study outlines the need for a 4800km CO₂ transport pipeline in Germany by 2035.

The VDZ warns that any delay could jeopardise Germany's 2045 climate neutrality target and estimates the investment for the new CO₂ grid at €14bn. The network is expected to transport 6.5Mt/yr of CO₂ by 2030, increasing to 46Mt by 2045. Additionally, CCS transit from Switzerland, Austria and France is expected to contribute 15 - 20Mt.

VDZ president Christian Knell said "Cement manufacturers and other industries in the EU emissions trading system must produce largely climate-neutrally by 2040."

France: Heidelberg Materials France plans to install a 1Mt/yr carbon capture system at its Airvault cement plant in the New Aquitaine. The Airvault cement plant is undergoing an upgrade, including the replacement of two pre-existing semi-dry lines with a new dry line and pre-calciner. This will reduce the plant’s CO₂ emissions by 30% per tonne, reduce its energy consumption by 10% per tonne, reduce its clinker factor and raise its alternative fuel substitution rate to 90%. CO₂ capture is set to commence in 2030. The project is one of several, under the GOCO₂ carbon capture, storage and utilisation (CCUS) cluster, which also includes installations at Holcim France’s Saint-Pierre-La-Cour plant and Lhoist France’s Réty lime plant.

Chair Dominik von Achten said “We started an ambitious modernisation programme for our sites in France several years ago, with a planned investment of more than €400m. With the integration of AirvaultGOCO₂, we are now adding a cutting-edge project in the field of carbon capture to our previous efforts, which will enable a further, massive reduction of Heidelberg Materials’ carbon footprint in France.”

Chief sustainability officer Nicola Kimm added “Our approach in Airvault is a perfect example of Heidelberg Materials’ strategy to implement dedicated carbon reduction roadmaps. We are taking every possible step to reduce CO₂ emissions: Phasing out fossil fuels, reducing the clinker content of our cements, and improving energy efficiency. To mitigate the remaining residual emissions, we rely on CCUS – as part of an integrated scheme and with our strong partners in GOCO₂.”

Switzerland/Sweden: ABB and Sweden-based Salt X have agreed to develop Electric Arc Calcination (EAC) technology, with ABB also becoming a Salt X minority shareholder. This partnership aims to decarbonise cement production and similar industries by replacing fossil fuel-based heating with renewable energy and CO₂ capture during calcination. ABB will enhance the EAC with control and electrical systems, contributing to the technology's commercialisation.

Salt X CEO Carl-Johan Linér said "This strengthens us as a company and enables us to progress with our growth plans. With ABB and our other partners, we can significantly improve our capability to take a leading role in the electrification wave sweeping through the industrial sector.”

ABB's Global Growth Industries Business Line Manager Michael Marti said, "Our collaboration with Salt X marks a significant milestone in this journey. The technology benefits are two-fold; replacing the use of fossil fuels through renewable electricity in the calcination process and enabling cost efficient capture of the carbon emissions at the same time. It will be a highly effective way of curbing lime production emissions.”

Global: The Green Cement Technology Tracker, launched by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT), has expanded its scope to include calcined clay production, a significant step in cement industry decarbonisation. This tool, vital for tracking progress towards net zero emissions, initially focused on various decarbonising technologies and has now broadened to cover calcined clay kilns, which have lower energy requirements and CO₂ reduction potential.

LeadIT Head Per Andersson said “In order to empower the industry and policymakers committed to emission reductions, our goal is to provide comprehensive tracking of public announcements of investments in low-carbon cement technologies.”

GCCA’s Cement, Innovation and ESG Director Claude Loréa said “Driving down emissions requires investment in new technologies and production methods and incorporating calcined clay can contribute significantly, making it a valuable strategy for sustainable construction.”

Canada: Holcim North America has introduced ECOAsh, a Type F fly ash reclaimed from landfills, within its Lafarge Western Canada operations. This innovation is part of Holcim's commitment to sustainable building materials and represents a significant stride in decarbonising the construction industry. As the shift away from coal-fired power plants continues, addressing challenges related to sourcing reliable fly ash supplies prompts the exploration of harvesting and beneficiating legacy landfilled ash as a viable replacement.

Toufic Tabbara, Regional Head of Holcim North America, said "As we continue to build to support growing population demands, the integration of circular building materials such as ECOAsh plays a crucial role in driving our portfolio towards a more sustainable future.”

Brad Kohl, President and CEO of Lafarge Western Canada, added "The transformation of landfill materials into high-value fly ash for sustainable building presents an exciting opportunity for our customers and us to build more with less and work towards a net-zero future.”

Holcim and Geocycle's new processing facility in Alberta will produce high-quality, specification-grade fly ash. The ECOAsh processing facility, commissioned in February 2024, will commence the production and distribution of products throughout Western Canada in the first quarter of 2024.

Denmark: A collaborative effort involving the Technological Institute, DTU, FLSmidth Cement, and Lhoist is underway in Denmark to test a new technology designed to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions in the cement industry. The initiative, known as the Newcement project, is part of the INNO-CCUS partnership which embraces projects focusing on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and is supported by an investment of US$1.12m from the Innovation Fund. Jens Christiansen, Section Manager at the Technological Institute and Project Manager of the collaboration, aims for the technology to move from laboratory tests to a full-scale demonstration in a real cement production plant.