Displaying items by tag: pozzolan

World: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has named the 15 anticipated deliverers of low-CO₂ cement and concrete production shortlisted for participation in its second Innovandi Open Challenge. The association chose the start-ups based on their potential to deliver CO₂ emissions reduction in the global cement and concrete sector in line with its Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap. The applicants are presenting their pitches to GCCA members on 30 June 2023. All those accepted will gain access to members' plants, labs, networks and expertise. The following start-ups made the Innovandi Open Challenge 2023 shortlist:

GCCA cement director and innovation lead Claude Loréa said “We received more than 70 quality applications, so drawing up a shortlist was challenging." Loréa continued "Our essential industry needs something easily scalable and affordable. Those start-ups on the list demonstrated the most potential, and we look forward to hearing more about their ideas. But we’ll also be keeping in touch with other start-ups who didn’t make this year’s shortlist, with future projects in mind.”

Cape Verde: Portugal-based Cimpor has signed a deal with the government of Cape Verde to develop and exploit a pozzolan deposit over the next 30 years. Exploration of the site is expected to begin by late 2024. The immediate location has reserves of around 0.5Mt in an area of 108 hectares. However, the scheme also has the option to expand the site to 790 hectares, increasing the estimated pozzolan reserves to 4Mt. The project has an investment of Euro3m and is expected to create around 80 jobs.

Cimpor’s parent company OYAK Cement previously said in 2019 that it was planning to invest in pozzolan extraction in Cape Verde.

Canada: Progressive Planet has secured a contract to supply its PozGlass recycled glass-based supplementary cementitious material (SCM) to Lafarge Canada. The cement producer says that it will test the commercial viability of all PozGlass produced at Progressive Planet's Kamloops pilot plant in British Columbia, once the plant commences PozGlass production in 2024.

Canada: Progressive Planet is preparing to build a 3200t/yr pilot plant for its PozGlass product at its headquarters in Kamloops, British Columbia. The company aims to commercialise its process, which produces pozzolan from recycled glass for use in cement or concrete production. The pilot unit will also sequester CO₂ released by a gas dryer at the site, from which it will produce sodium carbonate. The pilot plant is expected to go under construction in 2023 and be operational in 2024.

Steve Harpur, the chief executive officer of Progressive Planet, said “With PozGlass, a CleanTech breakthrough from our C-Quester Centre of Sustainable Innovation in Kamloops, we are producing one of many upcoming private-sector solutions that are needed to meet the 2050 Net Zero targets to fight climate change.”

Progressive Planet aims for PozGlass production to be situated at cement kilns, where PozGlass could be mixed with Portland cement at a 50:50 ratio.

Greece: Titan Cement has acquired a share in Aegean Perlites. The company operates perlite and pozzolan quarries on the island of Yali. It also has access to port facilities. Titan Group says it is making the investment to gain direct access to pozzolan reserves to increase its volume of pozzolan-based cementitious products with a lower clinker factor. The deal is connected to Titan’s target to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 35% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, and increase the share of green products in its portfolio to over 50%.

Yanni Paniaras, the Group Executive Director Europe of Titan, said “We are pleased to partner with the Govdelas family as joint shareholders in Aegean Perlites, building on our excellent long-term collaboration and aiming to grow our business, maximising the high potential of the Yali pozzolans.”

Peru: Unacem Perú plans to 'significantly increase' its cement production capacity 'in the medium-term future.' Prior to that, the producer will invest US$130m in capital expenditure during 2023, double what it invested in 2022. The investments will go towards slightly expanding the producer's capacity from 8.3Mt/yr and increasing alternative raw materials use in its cement production, including pozzolan and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Additionally, it will open its new Manchay limestone quarry in Pachacámac in early 2023.

Unacem said that it increased its cement sales 'unexpectedly' during 2022. It operated at 85 - 90% capacity utilisation, and continued to export clinker.

US: Bulk material handling equipment supplier MDG America says that it delivered four chain bucket elevators for Drake Cement's upgrade of its Paulden cement plant in Arizona. Drake Cement installed a new vertical mill grinding plant for cement, granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and raw materials grinding at the 0.7Mt/yr integrated plant. The supplier says that two of the elevators will work in a pair, conveying material from a feeder belt, while a third will convey it to the new mill. The fourth elevator will then collect the material for further grinding and metal discharge.

Drake cement secured approval to mine pozzolan for use in the Paulden's plants cement production at Bill Williams Mountain earlier in October 2022. As part of minimising the future mine's impacts, Drake Cement has offered to help the US Forestry Service to thin local woodland as part of local anti-fire management efforts.

India: Four UltraTech Cement cement products have received Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification. UltraTech Cement's ordinary Portland cement (OPC), Portland pozzolana cement (PPC), Portland slag cement (PSC) and Portland composite cement (PCC) all successfully underwent lifecycle assessment studies in line with EPD requirements.

The Aditya Birla subsidiary said that 70% of its cement sales consist of blended cement. It offers over 70 different GreenPro certified products across its range.

Italy: Buzzi Unicem has obtained technical evaluation certification for CEM II/C-M Portland composite cement products to be manufactured at its Trino, Vernasca, Settimello, Guidonia, Barletta and Augusta plants. The new cements will be part of its C-Green product line and the sustainability objectives from its 2030 roadmap. The new products will reduce their clinker factor by using granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash, pozzolan and limestone. They potentially offer up to a 40% reduction in CO₂ emissions per tonne compared to CEM I equivalents. They will be available in 32.5 N/R and 42.5 N/R strength classes for a range of applications. The cement producer hopes that the new products will quickly establish themselves in the market and even becoming the “standard cement” in Italy by 2030.

UK: Aggregate Industries and Coomtech have partnered to develop low-energy kinetic drying technology for pulverised fuel ash (PFA) from power plant. The partnership will see Aggregate Industries use Coomtech’s kinetic dryers in its PFA processing, as part of its effort towards increasing the volume of waste materials incorporated in its products to 3Mt/yr from 1.5Mt/yr by 2025. The project has attracted funding from the UK government Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Chief commercial officer Chris Every said “We’re delighted to have the support of Aggregate Industries in this grant project. Coomtech is especially pleased to have the business’ ongoing technical and commercial input to the project operation and analysis of performance. In addition, the opportunity to work together with a brand that is leading the way in creating new materials that will prove fundamental to the future of the construction sector and meet net zero objectives.” Every continued “The added benefit of our new drying technology is its flexibility - providing the potential to dry a wide range of materials being considered to aid the greening of the cement industry, including limestone, ground blast furnace slag (GBFS), natural pozzolans and other crushed and milled minerals that can offer an activated character to combine in cement and concrete mixes.”