Global Cement News

The Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) has announced its aim to reduce CO₂ emissions by clinker producers by 20 - 25% by 2030. It made the announcement as part of a new action plan launched on 8 December 2015 at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21).

Most of the plan follows the CSI's existing aims announced to chime with the on-going COP21 negotiations. The plan depends on a long-term agreement being brokered successfully in Paris at COP21 as a whole. It then recommends policy in each of its key areas to achieve its goals. All of this sits beneath a general policy statement to, '...encourage policies for predictable, objective, level-playing and stable CO₂ constraints and incentives as well as energy frameworks on an international level.'

The Cement Action Plan is part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative (LCTPi). It puts together a series of measures to aspire to reduce CO₂ emissions by 1Gt by 2030 compared to business as usual. However this reduction is dependent on the entire cement industry getting involved, not just the existing 26 CSI members. Together these 26 members represent just a quarter of world cement production.

The drop in emissions is based on the so-called 'best-in-class' CSI company 2020 targets. To reach this the CSI is suggesting actions including focusing on recording Chinese cement industry emissions and energy usage, improving energy efficiency, promoting co-processing of alternative fuels, further lowering the clinker factor of cements, developing new low-energy and low-carbon cements, looking at the entire build chain to reduce emissions and considering other options such as carbon capture and storage. The plan had the support of the CEOs of 16 cement companies at its launch, with CNBM CEO Song Zhiping adding his assent at the event also.

The most prominent step is the clear focus on China for data capture using existing CSI tools such as the CO₂ and Energy Accounting and Reporting Standard for the Cement Industry, the Getting the Numbers Right (GNR) and the Cement Technology Roadmaps. As the CSI puts it, "What gets measured gets managed."

Given that China produces around 60% of the world's cement, according to United States Geological Survey data, the focus on China is essential. Currently the CSI has six Chinese members: CNBM, Sinoma, China Resources, Tianrui Group, West China Cement and Yati Group. Notable exceptions to CSI membership from the world's biggest cement producers include the Chinese producers Anhui Conch and Taiwan Cement, as well as Russia's Eurocement and India's Aditya Birla Group.

So, the CSI has set out its stall ahead of a hoped-for global agreement on climate change at the Paris conference. If some sort of legal agreement is reached then the CSI has its recommendations ready in the wings to hand to policymakers everywhere to promote its aims. If no agreement is reached then the plan loses momentum although pushing forwards makes sense where possible, starting with better CO₂ data reported especially in China.

Problems lie ahead for the CSI whatever happens in Paris given that the LCTPi Cement Action Plan is a series of policy suggestions from only 16 cement producers aiming for a non-binding target. For example, without some sort of world legal agreement there are clear commercial advantages for non-CSI members to burn cheap fossil fuels in their kilns and undercut their more environmentally pious rivals. The sustaining low cost of oil, dipping below US$40/barrel this week, can only aggravate this situation and distract the strategies of fuel buyers away from co-processing upgrades.

Peru: Mexico's Mexichem has announced plans to acquire a Peruvian company in 2016 in order to participate in a new sector, diversifying its operations to achieve further growth. This will be Mexichem's fourth acquisition in Peru, as it has already purchased Plastisur, Interquimica and Comindustrias del Peru.

Mexichem's national operations are mainly focused on the infrastructure and construction sectors, in which it offers comprehensive solutions via its Plastisur and Pavco brands. Mexichem will also compete within the telecommunications and gas markets in 2016 and it plans to enter the cement industry with the company's existing product portfolio.

The aim in the cement sector is to import and sell fluorite. There is potential in the market as Peruvian companies use a different substance and fluorite can help to improve the mineralisation of cement, as well as reduce fusion temperatures. Mexichem is in talks with several local cement companies and progress is being made with respective tests for the use of this product.

Iran: The National Iranian Gas Company has stopped supplying gas to a number of cement plants due to a wave of cold sweeping the country.

As gas consumption has peaked in the recent cold days, some cement plants, including those in the west of the country, have stopped receiving gas, according to Abdolreza Sheikhan, Secretary of Iran's Cement Association. He complained that with the shortage of gas, the plants cannot use the heavy fuel oil mazut either because a government law to provide the factories with mazut at the same price as gas has not been implemented. Despite the fact that the cement plants store enough mazut to run for 7 - 10 days, they are not using their reserves because they are not sure if they will receive mazut as the law has stipulated. Sheikhan said that, when the plants stopped working for 20 days under similar circumstances in 2014, the Oil Ministry refused to pay them from the income it had made by economising on gas.

Germany: HeidelbergCement has decided to modernise its Burglengenfeld cement plant in Germany with parts and services from IKN and Gebr. Pfeiffer.

IKN won the contract for the engineering, supply and installation of a complete 4000t/day pyro line, from raw meal feeding to clinker discharge. Included in the scope of supply are integration engineering, supply and installation of add-on components for the raw meal grinding plant. The upgraded plant will feature state-of-the-art technology to comply with the targeted production level and future emission limits.

The new line will consist of a two-string, five-stage preheater tower with inline calciner. IKN's preheater and calciner design will ensure minimum pressure drop at maximum performance and high efficiency. The kiln line will be optimised to use of a variety of alternative fuels. Among several innovative features will be a tertiary air duct damper, which has proven successful in operation for more than three years with outstanding reliability and performance. Another essential component of the plant is IKN's Pendulum Cooler, which is highly reliable and has low maintenance and operational costs. Its design allows recirculating bypass gas into the recuperation zone to boost cooler efficiency.

As part of the modernisation of the kiln line, the four existing MPS vertical roller mills will be replaced after forty years of successful operation. HeidelbergCement has ordered two new Gebr. Pfeiffer MPS 4250 B roller mills as replacements. Each mill is designed to achieve a capacity of 200t/hr of cement raw material ground to a fineness of 12% R90µm. The drive power per mill is 2250kW. Gebr. Pfeiffer will also supply the complete equipment for the external material circulation system as well as the cyclone collectors and mill fans. The supply of the mechanical equipment will be completed by engineering services covering the plant layout and the integration of the process-related ductwork within the existing, complex plant. Raw mill 1 is scheduled to go on stream at the end of 2016 and raw mill 2 is scheduled to start operations in 2017.

Romania: Germany's HeidelbergCement has completed the merger of the three companies it owns in Romania. The three companies that are now merged under HeidelbergCement are Carpatcement, Carpat Beton and Carpat Agregate.

"The merger process takes into account our strategic position in relation to the economic environment, which is to overcome future challenges in order to use our resources to their full potential and to have a more efficient management of costs," said General Manager Florian Aldea.

HeidelbergCement is one of the leading manufacturers of cement, concrete and aggregates in Romania with three cement plants in Tasca, Chiscadaga and in Fieni. It also owns 19 concrete plants, seven quarries and six gravel aggregates units.