Displaying items by tag: testing

Japan: Mitsubishi UBE Cement Corporation (MUCC), Osaka Gas, Daigas Energy and Saibu Gas have successfully tested natural gas co-firing at MUCC’s Kyushu Plant in the Kurosaki area. Using a newly developed burner, the companies replaced 40% of coal with natural gas at commercial scale without affecting kiln stability, product quality or environmental performance.

The burner was developed using MUCC’s coal combustion expertise alongside Osaka Gas and Daigas Energy’s gas combustion and simulation technologies, with Saibu Gas supplying natural gas from LNG tank trucks. MUCC said the trial paves the way for full-scale implementation and supports future use of e-methane in cement kilns.

MUCC aims to cut CO₂ emissions by 40% by 2030, compared to 2013 levels, and achieve group-wide carbon neutrality by 2050 under its medium-term management strategy “Infinity with Will 2025 – MUCC Sustainable Plan 1st STEP.”

Latvia: Schwenk Cement Latvija has inaugurated a carbon capture test base at the Brocēni cement plant, according to a post on Linkedin by the producer. Throughout 2025, several technologies will be tested at the site to determine the best solution for Brocēni and Schwenk’s other plants. The Broceni carbon capture and storage (CCS) project aims to capture 800,000t/yr of CO₂. The event was attended by Latvian prime minister Evika Silina, German embassy representative Heike Janče and staff members from Schwenk Latvija.

The final investment decision is planned for 2027, with completion in 2030. Schwenk said the project will strengthen exports to Estonia, Finland and Sweden and establish a regional value chain for low-CO₂ cement.

Saudi Arabia: The National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) completed a five-month trial with Riyadh Cement on the use of iron slag in ordinary Portland cement, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The study used 1274t of slag and showed that adding 1 - 2% improved the cement’s properties. MWAN said that the results confirm the feasibility of using industrial byproducts to cut waste and reduce CO₂ emissions.

US: Amazon and Brimstone have announced successful third-party test results for Brimstone’s lower-CO₂ ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which meets ASTM C150 requirements using Amazon slab mix designs. The companies will continue testing through 2025 and 2026. On the basis of the successful tests, Amazon has signed a commercial agreement to reserve annual volumes of OPC and supplementary cementitious materials from Brimstone’s upcoming plant in Oakland, California.

India: Tamil Nadu will host one of five national carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) testbeds aimed at lowering CO₂ emissions in the cement sector in a step towards the country’s 2070 net-zero target, according to The New Indian Express newspaper. The testbed will be located at UltraTech Cement’s Reddipalayam plant in Ariyalur district, supported by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani. The project is part of a Department of Science and Technology (DST) programme, which will trial an oxygen-enriched kiln system capturing up to 2t/day of CO₂ for mineralisation into concrete products. Other CCU testbeds are being established in Rajasthan, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with JK Cement and Dalmia Cement involved.

Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said the DST was currently processing financial sanctions for the projects, and full-scale implementation is expected in 2025.

UK: Material Evolution has partnered with CRH subsidiary Tarmac to launch a pilot project to test applications of its heat-free, 85% reduced-CO₂ cement, MevoCem. The partners aim to demonstrate the suitability of MevoCem cement for use in concrete production in line with the prospective BSI Flex 350 performance-based standard.

Material Evolution’s CEO Liz Gilligan welcomed Tarmac as an ‘early adopter’ of MevoCem cement. In a post to LinkedIn, she said “We have been quietly building something game-changing with CRH and their team at Tarmac. It is bold, it is industrial scale and it is all about cutting carbon where it counts. We are only just getting started.”

Material Evolution currently operates a 120,000t/yr Mevocem plant in Wrexham, Wales.

US: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has obtained ASTM C1157 certification for its H-UKR 0% clinker cement after several months of testing and trials at the University of Miami.

The benchmark standard evaluates cements on their performance, regardless of their composition. H-UKR cement is now officially recognised as a hydraulic cement that can be used in all general construction applications, whether structural or non-structural. Hoffmann Green said that this is the first time that a 0% clinker cement has obtained this certification.

Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said “This international technical recognition marks a decisive step forward in our certification process, which is part of a broader ambition to expand the applications of our 0% clinker cement through continuous innovation. It validates the reliability and sustainability of our technology on a global scale, in accordance with the most demanding standards. With this certification, H-UKR has confirmed itself as a game changer technology capable of profoundly transforming an industry that has remained unchanged for more than two centuries.”

Australia: Green360 Technologies has launched a 457t bulk calcining run of high-purity kaolin from its Pittong operation in Victoria to produce high-reactivity metakaolin as a substitute for Portland cement.

The calcined product, made from raw ore and reclaimed tailings, will be despatched for testing by industry and government partners. Assessments will focus on compressive strength, durability and resistance to environmental stressors.

Executive chair Aaron Banks said “We have rapidly moved from laboratory-scale testing to now producing commercial quantities of our innovative, high-quality metakaolin product.”

He added “Our low-carbon cement formulations and high-quality, advanced metakaolin can help potential customers, from government to private industry, reduce their usage of Portland cement without compromising on performance or cost.”

Sweden: Cemvision has developed a patent-pending beneficiation process to upcycle electric arc furnace (EAF) and basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slags into high-performance supplementary cementitious material (SCM), while recovering valuable metals.

Third-party testing found the material performs as well as or better than ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS). Cemvision recovers 99% of the iron oxide content from EAF slag for reuse in steelmaking, as well as other metals like chromium.

The output will support Cemvision’s Re-Ment Massive and Rapid products as clinker-replacing SCMs. The process was piloted with metallurgical research institute Swerim.

Cemvision CEO Oscar Hållén said “This is a game-changer not only for the cement industry but for steel producers as well. Our process enables high-performing cement products from materials that would otherwise be treated as waste. With this innovation, we're proving that decarbonisation and circularity can go hand in hand, and at scale.”

UK: Holcim UK will roll out Fuelre4m’s Re4mx fuel reforming technology across more than 200 sites nationwide, following three years of testing that the company says improved fuel efficiency and helped reduce emissions across operations.

Holcim UK supply chain director Edern Lalanne said “This agreement is the result of meticulous testing, collaboration and operational learning. We have seen consistent results with Re4mx across a wide range of use cases, and it aligns directly with our commitment to sustainable innovation and operational excellence. This is about measurable outcomes, not promises, and Fuelre4m has delivered both the data and the support to back it up. This is part of our mission to make sustainable construction a reality and continues our journey to achieve net-zero by 2050.”

Re4mx will be delivered in pre-measured containers and dosed directly into on-site fuel systems. Holcim says that the rollout has been designed for ease, speed and zero disruption to infrastructure or workflows. Manufacturing is underway, with shipments to the UK beginning once production is complete. From there, Re4mx will be distributed site-by-site across Holcim’s network, through Fuelre4m’s VIRDIS (Virtual Distribution) system, in preparation for full dosing from 1 September 2025.