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Turkey: Turkish cement producer Çimsa Çimento has agreed to take over Sançim Bilecik Çimento Madencilik Beton for Euro163m. Çimsa will purchase all 87.5 million shares of Sançim Bilecik Çimento from Turkish companies AUNDE Teknik Tekstil, E.N.A. Tekstil and six individual shareholders. Sançim Bilecik Çimento has 1.4Mt/yr of cement production capacity. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.
Nigeria: The board of directors of Ashaka Cement plc, with the support of parent company Lafarge, has agreed to fast track the expansion of its US$617m cement plant in Ashaka, Gombe State. The move became imperative in order to guarantee the future of Ashaka Cement, to enhance job creation and to deliver economic and social welfare to the immediate communities. Chairman of the board of Ashaka Cement, Alhaji Umaru Kwairanga, confirmed the developments.
"Having secured sufficient limestone and coal reserves to support the existing plant as well as the new plant, the contracts have been signed with the main equipment and engineering suppliers," said Kwairanga. He added that credit facility lines of US$308m had been secured and signed in addition to internally generated cash flows to support the expansion project.
"Ashaka Cement has operated in harmony with all of its neighbouring communities to the mutual benefit of both parties," said Kwairanga. "In the last three years alone the company has spent US$2.47m on community-related projects and there is the opportunity for the company to do more as the partnership thrives."
From cement stacks to fish ponds – algae carbon capture
Written by Global Cement staff
16 July 2014
An update on the algae bioreactor project at Votorantim's St Marys cement plant in Canada this week provides a good opportunity to review this particular aspect of carbon sequestration. The project, run with Pond Biofuels, went live in 2009. It has now reached its third generation bioreactor at the site.
Little or no performance data has been released generally so we have no way at present of knowing how viable the process is commercially. Cement backers, Brazilian firm Votorantim, are certainly excited by the project even if only for the sustainability kudos it gives them. Director Edvaldo Araújo Rabello presented the project as one of the company's highlights at a keynote presentation at the 6°CBC Congresso do Cimento held in São Paulo, Brazil in May 2014.
One hurdle for the St Marys pilot is the relative lack of light, a required input for algae photosynthesis, even in Canada's most southerly state. Pond Biofuels have reportedly dodged this by using continuously flashing LEDs to simulate artificially short days that encourage growth. On paper or powerpoint a process that could potentially cut even a proportion of CO2 emissions from a cement plant sounds enticing. Yet if it creates more CO2 than it saves, through electricity requirements for example, than it isn't worth using.
This is probably what shelved Lafarge's Carbon Capture and Transformation project. It ran a pilot project at its Val d'Azergues plant in France in 2009 with Salata GmbH. The pilot worked but the researchers decided that new advances in processes and biotechnology were required to make the economic and environmental results better. Other companies have also had problems. Holcim started its Aurantia – GreenFuel project in late 2007 at its Jerez cement plant in Spain, backing it with an investment US$92m. This project stalled when GreenFuel shut in 2009 citing lack of funding as the recession hit.
ACC in India also reportedly started its own algae project in 2007, mentioning it in its sustainability report, but nothing more has been reported since. Since this burst of interest InterCement has invested US$2.5m towards algae research in 2013 working with the Federal University of São Carlos, the Federal University of Santa Maria and Algae Biotecnologia.
Algae-based carbon projects for cement plants may remain stuck in the research stage but the market for biofuels continues to grow. For example, this week we report that Ohorongo Cement in Namibia plans to increase its use of blackthorn as a biofuel to use as an alternative fuel in co-processing. The prospects of turning waste CO2 into a valuable commodity remains uncertain, but the rewards are great. Let's wait and see what St Marys can do.
Vulcan Materials names new CEO
Written by Global Cement staff
16 July 2014
US: Vulcan Materials has announced that its board has named J Thomas Hill as the company's new CEO, succeeding Donald James in the role. James, who is 65 years old, will become the company's executive chairman. He has served as Vulcan's CEO since 1996 and as its chairman since 1997. Hill, who is 55, previously had acted as Vulcan's chief operating officer. Before that, he held several management positions in sales and operations since joining the company in 1979.
Vulcan also promoted its financial chief John McPherson to the position of chief financial and strategy officer, a role in which he will oversee strategy and human resources functions in addition to his existing duties.
New director appointed at Voskresenskcement
Written by Global Cement staff
16 July 2014
Russia: Andrey Nesen has been appointed as the new director of Voskresenskcement plant, a Lafarge subsidiary. Nesen will oversee production and personnel development, the upkeep of corporate safety standards and will control implementation of the plant's social projects. Andrey Nesen previously occupied the position of Voskresenskcement's operations director, production manager and director of the production analysis department.