Austria/Germany: Rohrdorfer Group and gas network company Bayernets have published a feasibility study for a proposed CO₂ transport network in Bavaria in Upper Austria. The first stage of the CO₂peline plan will be to create an ‘island’ network between the Rohrdorfer cement plant in Upper Bavaria and the so-called ‘Bavarian chemical triangle.’ An additional connection to the industrial and chemical region of Linz in Austria would add additional CO₂ sources, places of use and temporary storage sites to the grid. Further expansion plans could see the network expanded to cover the whole of Bavaria. A future connection to a Germany-based national network and international routes could further link the network to other locations where CO₂ is both produced and used, as well as creating routes to sequestration sites.

No dates have been released for the proposed CO₂ pipeline network. However, the project notes that Germany is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2045 and Bavaria and Austria by 2040.

Austria: Rohrdorfer has bought 20 new railcars equipped with ÖBB Rail Cargo’s RockTainer SAND containers. The cars will transport limestone between the producer’s Ebensee quarry and its Gmunden cement plant. Each railcar consists of two RockTainer SAND containers mounted on an InnoWaggon carriage, with a maximum load of 134t. The new cars will increase the volume of despatches from the Ebensee quarry by 28% to 804t of limestone per train from 630t/train, enabling Rohrdorfer to transport 450,000t of limestone per operating season.

Belgium: The European cement association, Cembureau, has asked the Europen Union (EU) to provide a regulatory framework to support the work of the European cement industry in co-processing waste composite materials as alternative raw materials. The materials in question consist of glass, carbon or other fibres and polymer matrices. The association called on the EU to recognise co-processing as ‘recycling’ under the EU Waste Framework Directive, to establish waste composite materials collection schemes and phase out landfilling, and to introduce dedicated waste codes for the materials. Cembureau said that the last of these proposals would help to increase visibility and attract investments.

Cembureau set out its proposals in a joint statement with resins associations Cefic UP/VE and Cefic Epoxy Europe, boating association EBI, composite materials association EuCIA, glass fibre association Glass Fibre Europe and wind energy association WindEurope.

Tunisia: Carthage Cement has secured a contract to supply 1Mt of cement to a customer in the US. Emerging Market Watch News has reported that the contract will be effective from September 2023 until March 2025.