
Displaying items by tag: pilot
Japan: Sumitomo Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US-based Fortera to conduct a feasibility study to build a low-carbon cement plant. The project will be run with subsidiary Sumitomo Osaka Cement. The aim is to then build a pilot plant in Japan by the 2026 financial year. Sumitomo Corporation is also considering expanding the business model developed in Japan to other parts of Asia.
China: The Conch Zongyang Line 4 preheater modernisation project, based on KHD technology, has been selected as a pilot project under the Sino-German Energy Efficiency Improvement Demonstration in Key Industries programme. The initiative will be executed by KHD, its parent company AVIC International Beijing, and Conch Group’s research and development department. Results are expected by the end of 2025.
The programme stems from a 2023 agreement between China and Germany on climate change and ‘green’ transition cooperation. The programme was announced in 2024. It evaluated 12 candidate projects before selecting the Conch Zongyang project for its integration of technologies to achieve energy efficiency and a reduction in CO₂.
This project is one of several provided by AVIC to Chinese cement producers using KHD’s pyroprocessing, grinding, alternative fuel and digitalisation solutions.
CBMI launches calcined clay pilot project in Tangshan
15 January 2025China: CBMI Construction has officially launched a flash calcination clay project in Tangshan, Hebei province. Karen Scrivener, head of the Laboratory of Construction Materials at the School of Engineering at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), attended the event. Scrivener is a prominent researcher and advocate for LC3 (limestone calcined clay cement).
CBMI’s other clay projects around the world as a contractor include the SPL Calcined Clay Project in France, the CIZ Calcined Clay Project (rotary calciner) in the Czech Republic, the Guayaquil Calcined Clay Project in Ecuador and the Ivory Coast Calcined Clay Project (flash calciner).
Canada: Heidelberg Materials has invested in EnviCore, a Canada-based startup that is developing low-carbon solutions. Together, the companies will focus on increasing the use of recycled construction and demolition materials as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM). This collaboration includes planning a pilot SCM production facility near one of Heidelberg Materials' recycling hubs, pending an upcoming feasibility study. Heidelberg Materials has also acquired a minority stake in EnviCore.
Katharina Beumelbur, chief sustainability and new technologies officer and member of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials, said “EnviCore’s novel approach has the potential to unlock new possibilities of increasing the amount of recycled materials we use in our products. This could pave the way to further reduce our need for virgin materials, contributing towards preserving valuable natural resources and protecting our environment.”
Viacha cement plant leads in electronic equipment co-processing
26 September 2024Bolivia: The Viacha cement plant, operated by Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento (Soboce), has launched a pilot to co-process discarded electrical and electronic equipment into alternative fuels. This initiative, developed in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Water, involves the management of 133t of materials. The process includes converting discarded plastics with brominated flame retardants into energy for the plant.
CEO of Soboce, Francisco Shwortshik, said "Viacha has all the licenses and environmental authorisations for the co-processing of alternative fuels. Today we are witnessing a historic milestone for the industry, because it marks the beginning of the era of alternative fuels, as a sustainable environmental solution for the country."
Denmark's first CO₂ storage facility set to launch
10 September 2024Denmark: Denmark's first CO₂ storage facility is now ready to store CO₂ in the North Sea, designed for large-scale CO₂ containment to combat climate change, according to a press release from project leaders INEOS Denmark. The Project Greensand initiative has completed its pilot phase, confirming permanent CO₂ storage in the Nini West reservoir, 1800m below the seabed.
Following the pilot phase's success, the launch of large-scale CO₂ storage is expected by late 2025 or early 2026, with ambitions to store up to 8Mt/yr by 2030. An investigation is also underway to determine the possibility of storing CO₂ underground on land in Denmark, with the company obtaining an exploration licence from the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities earlier in 2024 for an area of Jutland in the Gassum reservoir.
Country manager at INEOS Denmark and Commercial Director at INEOS Energy, Mads Gade said “We emphasised that Denmark has moved to the forefront of CCS in the world when we stored the first CO2 in the North Sea. Now we are in the process of investigating how to take the next step, and here we stand on the shoulders of the invaluable experience from Project Greensand's pilot. We are keen to continue this momentum with an ambition that Greensand will be the first CO2 storage facility in operation in the EU, and we are now awaiting the Danish authorities' approval of a permanent storage. This is an important step, because if Denmark takes just 5% of a future CCS market in Europe, it could mean up to 9000 jobs, with an economic potential of US$7.4bn. At the same time, we can support the EU's objectives, because we have all the prerequisites to create a new industry that is part of the solution to the challenges of the climate.”
Denmark: Aalborg Portland, a Danish cement firm, has completed testing for its second carbon capture pilot plant and will now undergo further trials in Romania and Greece, according to M-Brain News. This plant is a key component of the EU-subsidised ConsenCUS project.
A spokesperson for Aalborg Portland said "This experience offers preliminary knowledge ahead of establishing a full-scale CO₂ capture facility, and we are also contributing to the progression of this area where we, within the ConsenCUS collaboration, have verified the existence of multiple potential technologies for CO₂ capture."
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.
Buzzi Unicem USA collaborates in Electrified Thermal Solutions’ thermal battery pilot
16 February 2024US: Buzzi Unicem USA is among industrial partners collaborating with Electrified Thermal Solutions in the development of its Joule Hive Thermal Battery for industrial heat decarbonisation. The partners plan to launch a commercial-scale pilot of the battery in San Antonio, Texas, in association with the Southwest Research Institute. The project is supported by US$171m in funding from the US Department of Energy. The battery delivers heat of up to 1800°C from energy from renewable sources.
Buzzi Unicem USA president and chief executive officer Massimo Toso said “Cement production is known as a hard to abate industrial sector in large part because of the high temperatures required. Electrified Thermal Solutions’ Joule Hive Thermal Battery is the first industrial heat decarbonisation solution we have identified that could potentially enable us to cost-effectively and completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our heating processes and achieve our corporate decarbonisation goals.”
Electrified Thermal Solutions chief executive officer Daniel Stack said “We believe the breadth and depth of involvement from our industrial partners like Buzzi Unicem USA was critical to demonstrate to the Department of Energy just how valuable the Joule Hive Thermal Battery will be for industrial decarbonisation, and we are grateful for their partnership.” Stack added “Southwest Research Institute’s engineering support and world-class industrial demonstration facilities signalled to the Department of Energy that our technology will be developed, built, operated, tested and evaluated to the highest standards.”
Schwenk Latvija trials carbon capture at Brocēni cement plant
12 January 2024Latvia: Schwenk Latvija plans to build a 750,000t/yr carbon capture system at its 2Mt/yr Brocēni cement plant. The producer has hired Norway-based Capsol Technologies to conduct a CapsolEoP carbon capture feasibility study at the plant. Schwenk Latvija is a member of the CCS Baltic Consortium, which achieved provisional inclusion on the European Commission’s list of Projects of Common Interest in November 2023.
Schwenk Northern Europe CEO Reinhold Schneider said “Checking the best carbon capture methods and how they can be integrated with our production process is a crucial task for us on the way to carbon neutrality, and likely the major investment direction for the coming decade. To that end, we are excited to investigate the energy consumption and the scale of equipment required for carbon capture at the Brocēni plant, if potentially partnering with Capsol for this challenge.”
Capsol Technologies CEO Jan Kielland said “We are excited to work with Schwenk, one of the most innovative building materials producers in Europe, which has constantly improved its processes to reduce emissions since operations started at the Brocēni plant’s new kiln line in 2010” He added “With this feasibility study, we are taking another step towards building a position as the preferred carbon capture technology provider for cement.”
Capsol’s project pipeline includes 10 large-scale cement projects in the sales engineering and engineering studies phase. The total CO2 capture capacity of these projects is 11Mt/yr.