Displaying items by tag: vehicle

UK: Cemex UK has invested in a new Canning Conveyor conveyor system at its Swinderby sand and gravel quarry in Lincolnshire. The 1.6km-long system will convey extracted materials to a new processing plant. The new plant will double the quarry’s aggregates production capacity. The system includes a 20t hopper feeder and a radial stockpile, also supplied by Canning Conveyor. The company producer says that the new equipment will cut 50% of the operations’ CO2 emissions by eliminating diesel-powered dumpster use and saving 300,000l/yr of fuel, in line with Cemex’s Future in Action sustainability programme. It will also reduce dust and noise at the quarry. The investment is due for completion in early 2023.

UK: Cemex has bought 10 Volvo 460 8x4 tipper trucks for use at its Angerstein Wharf aggregates depot in Greenwich. From there, the trucks will deliver sand and aggregates all around London. The trucks’ bodies are made of lightweight aluminium, and they conform to Euro 6 emissions standards. This corresponds to 80% NO_x emissions reduction and 50% particulate emissions reduction compared to Euro 5 standards.

Cemex UK fleet engineering manager Nigel Ponton said “The addition of these new trucks to our fleet will enable us to better meet customer demand, safely and efficiently. Safety is the number one focus whenever we add new trucks to our operation and these Volvos tick every box in that respect.” Ponton continued “These trucks will all be working in busy streets across London so it’s imperative we provide our drivers with the best tools possible to do the job and help protect any vulnerable road users. Moreover, thanks to the improved fuel efficiencies and enhanced payload these new Volvos are the most sustainable vehicles we’ve ever had and will help decarbonise our delivery footprint.”

Tanzania: Dangote Cement says that the use of gas generators in its Mtwara cement plant’s equipment and lorries has reduced fuel costs by 45% over the 15-month period since its transition in March 2021. The Citizen newspaper has reported that company recorded total savings over the period up to 30 June 2022. The producer plans to establish a compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in Dar es Salaam. Its operations remain 70% reliant on rental vehicles that run on oil.

India: Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa District have raided a fake cement facility in the village of Ghuma. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the raid uncovered 3000 bags of fake cement, as well as vehicles used for their distribution.

Germany: The World Economic Forum and US State Department have welcomed HeidelbergCement as the newest member of the First Movers Coalition. Founded in 2021, the coalition brings together companies across multiple industrial sectors to coordinate the creation of demand for emerging reduced-CO₂ production technologies. As part of its membership, HeidelbergCement commits to purchasing zero-emission vehicles for 30% of new heavy-duty truck purchases and 100% of medium-duty truck purchases by 2030.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said “I welcome HeidelbergCement to the First Movers Coalition, and its commitment to purchasing zero-emissions trucking solutions that the world must focus on scaling up over this critical decade. The First Movers Coalition is a critical pillar of the world's efforts to advance breakthrough zero emissions technologies to decarbonise many of the largest sectors of the global economy and to put us on a track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.”

Mexico: Eight people have died in an armed clash at Cooperativa La Cruz Azul’s Hidalgo cement plant. The El País newspaper has reported that attackers riding in multiple trucks arrived at the plant in the early hours of 27 April 2022. In addition to the eight dead, a further 12 people were wounded in the ensuing fight with defenders. Attackers also destroyed some control panel wiring at the plant and set fire to eight vehicles. The altercation caused a suspension of cement production at the facility.

Police detained nine suspects and have established a watch at the Hidalgo plant.

Spain: A consortium consisting of Cemex España, energy suppliers Enagás and Redexis, renewable power and infrastructure company Acciona and 30 other partners has commissioned Europe’s first solar power-to-green hydrogen plant at the site of Cemex España’s Lloseta cement plant on Majorca. The EU contributed Euro10m to the approximately Euro50m project. Euro3.75 million came from the Balearic Islands Autonomous Community government and Euro2.5m from the Spanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) of the Ministry of the Ecological Transition. The project will generate 300t/yr of hydrogen, eradicating 20,700t/yr of CO₂. The hydrogen will primarily fuel city buses in Palma, as well as air conditioning units in public and private buildings there.

China: Geely will include electric cement truck battery pack change facilities in its roll out of 5000 vehicle battery change stations across China. Carscoops News has reported that the stations will be able to remove vehicles’ 3.2t, 280kWh battery packs in five minutes and fully recharge them in an hour. Cement truck drivers will be able to access the service via a simple QR code scan.

Switzerland: Vigier Ciment is operating a self-charging electric dump truck at its limestone and marl quarry in Biel. The 45t truck’s regenerative braking system recharges its 600kwh lithium battery on the downhill trip from the quarry to the primary crusher. Its 65t capacity more than doubles its weight when laden, easily enabling it to recover charge for the return trip. Each trip generates an estimated 10kwh of surplus energy. In ordinary use, this would equate to 77Mwh/yr. It saves 50,000 – 100,000l/yr of diesel and eliminates an estimated 196t/yr of CO₂. Green Car Reports has reported that Kuhn Schweiz built the dump truck, based on Japan-based Komatsu’s HB model truck. It is the world’s largest electric vehicle.

Mexico: Holcim Mexico has replaced 11% of its concrete truck fleet with 61 new natural gas and Euro V diesel-fuelled Sinotruk vehicles worth US$6.2m. The company says that some of the trucks run on 100% natural gas, reducing both their CO₂ and particulate emissions by 25%. Parent company Holcim hopes eventually to roll out Sinotruk vehicles throughout operations in its Latin American region. Each truck has an 8m3-greater capacity than Holcim Mexico’s previous models, and also generates less noise.