Afghanistan/Iran: A meeting between Afghan and Iranian trade delegations has finalised a contract to buy 50,000t of cement worth US$2.5m. The Taliban administration did not release further details about the timing of when the agreements would take effect. The meeting reportedly focused on expanding trade and transit, with both parties agreeing on increased movement of cargo trucks, easier conditions for traders and the removal of obstacles at the border.
India: N Bhanumathidas and N Kalidas are co-founders of the Institute for Solid Waste Research and Ecological Balance (INSWAREB), which aims to replace fossils fuels in cement production with thermal plasma powered by nuclear energy. The researchers propose utilising thermal plasma torches to produce clinker without burning fossil fuels. The proposal pairs the plasma with small modular reactors. The researchers said via The Hindu that a conventional rotary kiln consumes over 0.25t of coal per tonne of clinker, while a plasma route requires 0.72t of coal equivalent to meet a 1.2MW demand. However, the nuclear power route requires 36g of radioactive material for 1.2MW. 20,000kg of coal is reportedly matched by 1kg of radioactive material.
Kalidas said “Internationally, pilot-scale initiatives are already gaining momentum: Heidelberg Materials in Sweden successfully operated a continuous plasma kiln pilot using carbon dioxide, and the University of Florida installed high-temperature plasma arc reactors to produce clinker at pilot scale.”
Germany: In 2025, Loesche was commissioned by Zement- und Kalkwerke Otterbein to deliver, install and commission a grinding plant, including vertical roller mill, in Großenlüder-Müs. The new grinding plant forms part of the company’s investment package NovaCEM 2027. Loesche said that the system ensures that various materials can be ground separately and without the need for mechanical changes to the mill when changing products. It is currently intended for cement raw meal, limestone and ground granulated blast furnace slag. The vertical roller mill supplied has a capacity of up to 115t/hr and is fitted with an LSKS-type classifier and Pronamic grinding parts.
Mexico: USG Corporation subsidiary USG LATAM is celebrating the 25th anniversary of operations at its El Carmen plant in Nuevo León, which began in 2001. The plant was USG Corporation’s first to produce its DuRock brand cement boards outside of the US, in 2005. It since expanded its product range to also include Structo-Crete, a cement board used in production of its Structo-Steel residential construction system. USG has five manufacturing plants in Puebla, Monterrey, Colima, Coahuila and Honduras, which manufacture and export its products to more than 35 countries.
