Global Cement News

Germany: Former HeidelbergCement executive director Rainer Nobis’ Illustrated History of Cement and Concrete is now available in hardback online. The book traces the development of artificially produced building materials over 12,000 years, describing both the technical sequence of events and the political and economic environments in which they took place.

An unnamed reviewer said "The book is outstanding and comes at the right time. It has never been more necessary to recall the positive contribution of cement and concrete to mankind or to make it explainable. [Nobis] has more than succeeded!"

Germany: A consortium of Mexico-based Cemex subsidiary Cemex Deutschland, Uckerwerk Energietechnik subsidiary Enertrag and hydrogen specialist Sunfire has announced a cement industry decarbonisation project called Concrete Chemicals. The project will see sequestered CO₂ combined with hydrogen to produce hydrocarbons for use as cement fuel. The consortium has submitted a funding application to the German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety for a trial at Cemex’s Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg, cement plant. This would help in the realisation of the plant’s 2030 carbon neutrality target. Alongside a 5000t/yr demonstration plant, the site will have a green hydrogen plant, supplied by Sunfire. When commissioned in 2025, the plant will produce synthetic fuels and other hydrocarbon fractions. The consortium is also investigating a methanol synthesis route using synthetic gas.

Europe, Middle East and Africa regional president Sergio Menendez said “We support the urgency of action to address the climate challenge and have committed to a 55% reduction in CO2 from our 1990 baseline in our European operations by 2030. Together with our industry partners, we can collectively transform ourselves into a CO₂-neutral world. Concrete Chemicals is a promising project.”

Greece: Titan Cement has received the validation of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for its CO₂ emissions reduction targets. The validation confirms that the company’s targets are in line with a well-below 2°climate change scenario.

The group aims to reduce Scope 1 emissions per tonne of cementitious product by 21% by 2030 from 2020, and to reduce Scope 2 emissions by 42% within the same parameters. Additionally, it has committed to drive down the CO₂ footprint of its operations and products with the aim of delivering 100% carbon-neutral concrete by 2050. Methods include increasing the use of alternative fuels, accelerating efficiency-improving initiatives, developing low-carbon products, and adopting innovative technologies and solutions. The company says that it will also monitor and independently verify its supply chain emissions.

It said “Through the participation in European and international consortia, as well as through collaborations in research and development, Titan Group will continue to develop low-carbon cementitious products and pilot carbon capture technologies in its plants, actively contributing to the industry’s ambition for a carbon-neutral future.”

Australia: Seven Group has increased its stake in Boral to 52% via a 3% equity swap with Macquarie. the company now has effective control of the building materials producer although it assured Boral that it would retain a majority of independent directors, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. However, Boral has continued to urge its shareholders to resist the ongoing offer by Seven Group to buy their shares. The takeover bid has been valued at around US$6.5bn. Boral is currently in the process of selling its US fly ash business.

Canada: Progressive Planet and sustainable construction company ZS2 have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on green cement technologies development. The pozzolan-based cement producer will supply ZS2 with 10,000t/yr of natural pozzolan, beginning in late 2021. It will also purchase US$300,000-worth of shares in ZS2. The companies will also explore sequestering CO₂ in magnesium-based cements.

ZS2 chief executive officer Scott Jenkins said "The technical collaboration between PLAN and ZS2 continues to grow. The potential to reduce the carbon footprint of innovative cement products is significant with the combination of our mutual research and commercialisation to date. ZS2's growing portfolio of high performance, fire-resistant and sustainable building technologies will be greatly enhanced by our expanding partnership, and we are extremely excited about our shared future potential."