Global Cement News

South Korea: A recent study from Daejeon explored the potential of low-lime calcium silicate cement as a low CO₂ emission alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement. Researchers from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources examined the setting and flow characteristics of a mixture of Ordinary Portland Cement and low-lime calcium silicate cement under carbonation curing conditions. The study was financially supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy's industrial strategic technology development programme.

The study aimed to explore the reaction and microstructural characteristics of these cement pastes. The low-lime calcium silicate cement was synthesised using limestone and silica fume, with varying proportions added to the Portland cement pastes. The research findings suggest improvements in compressive strength with the inclusion of 30% or more low-lime calcium silicate cement, highlighting its ability to enhance the durability and sustainability of construction materials.

US: A research team from Lehigh University has won a three-year, US$2m grant from the Department of Energy's industrial efficiency and decarbonisation office for a project on concrete decarbonisation. The team, including Carlos Romero, director of Lehigh's Energy Research Centre, aims to develop a sustainable concrete binder using calcined clay, reducing emissions associated with Ordinary Portland Cement production. The project collaborates with Buzzi Unicem USA and focuses on processing and testing calcined clay to mimic the properties of conventional cement.

Lehigh's team will explore various low-grade calcined clays, supplied by Buzzi, testing their compressive strength and durability. The goal is to halve the CO₂ emissions of traditional concrete mixes.

Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Shamim Pakzad said "I am excited about the expansion of the research portfolio of CEE departments into this area of greener cement, which opens many opportunities for future research and implementation in industry."

Ukraine: The Ukrainian government has approved the construction of the €35.6m Galicia building materials complex in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Region. The complex will include a cement plant. Business World News has reported that the government expects the Galicia complex to generate 1000 new jobs.

India: The Adani family has increased its stake in Ambuja Cements by 3.6% to 66.7% following an investment of just under US$800m. The move follows an investment of around US$600m that the board of the company approved in October 2022. The cement producer intends to use the additional finance to meet its target of reaching a cement production capacity of 140Mt/yr by 2028.

Ajay Kapur, the CEO of Ambuja Cements, said "This infusion of funds provides flexibility for fast-tracked growth, capital management initiatives and best-in-class balance sheet strength. It is not only the testament to steadfast belief in our vision and business model but also reinforces our commitment to delivering long-term sustainable value creation to our stakeholders and this shall propel us towards setting new benchmarks accelerating our growth and continue to deliver on operational excellence, business synergies and cost leadership."

Adani Group acquired Ambuja Cements and ACC from Switzerland-based Holcim in September 2022.

India: UltraTech Cement has increased its cement production capacity by 2.4Mt/yr through debottlenecking at integrated and grinding plants in Gujarat, Rajasthan and West Bengal. Following the improvement exercise its total domestic capacity is 141Mt/yr and worldwide it is 146Mt/yr. The improvements were made at the Pali integrated plant in Rajasthan and grinding plants at Magdall in Gujarat, Sonar Bangla in West Bengal and Neem ka Thana in Rajasthan.