14 July 2014
Spain: The European Commission (EC) has objected to Cemex's plan to acquire Holcim's Spanish units, according to Reuters.
Cemex and Holcim unveiled the deal in August 2013, part of which included Holcim taking over Cemex's German businesses. The EC cleared this deal unconditionally earlier in July 2014. However, the Spanish part of the deal triggered an in-depth probe by the EC in April 2014. The preliminary review showed that the takeover would substantially curb competition in the grey cement market in certain parts of Spain.
"The EC has sent a statement of objections to the companies," said an EC spokesperson.
"We cannot comment and the process is following its normal course," said Cemex. "Proper disclosure will be made when we have to make it." Cemex had offered some concessions during the EC's preliminary review, but these were not considered to be sufficient. The EC has set a 5 September 2014 deadline for its decision.
Canada: Pond Biofuels has set up a bioreactor pilot plant at St Marys cement plant in St Marys, Ontario. The raw smokestack gas from the cement plant is recycled to grow algae in a third-generation 25,000L bioreactor at the on-site pilot plant. The resulting algae can be used for bio-oil, food, fertiliser and sewage treatment.
The algae consume CO2, NOX and SOX from the smokestack gas. Every 1kg of algae produced prevents 2kg of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere. The St Marys Cement Plant produces 720,000t/yr of cement and 540,000t/yr of CO2. Currently, Pond Biofuels only uses a small portion of the total CO2 output.
"We consider ourselves a carbon recycling technology," said Steve Martin, founder of Pond Biofuels.
The algae thrive in light filled, CO2-rich conditions, which are provided in the bioreactor. The light comes from custom-designed red LED lights that flash continuously. The rapid flashing fools the algae into thinking the days are very short, so it grows very fast. "The algae evolve quite quickly; we can get four, five, six generations of algae in a day," said Martin.
Proving the production of algae at commercial scale is important, but the other important part is finding a market for the algae. "Between 10 – 20% of it is oil that be used for producing biodiesel," said Martin. It could also be used a coal replacement, a soil amendment or even animal feed and it can be easily dried using waste heat from the cement plant.
Oman: Carmeuse, a specialist company in the production of lime and lime-related products, said that it is on course to bring part of its lime-calcining plant in Oman's Dhofar Governorate into operation during the second half of 2014.
Carmeuse Majan LLC, a joint venture company led by Belgium-based Carmeuse Holding SA, is setting up the project in the Salalah Free Zone with an investment of around US$180m. A total of eight kilns, each with a lime capacity of 125,000t/yr, are envisioned as part of the project. Development of the plant is planned in phases, with initial production planned for the second half of 2014.
The plant's output is primarily targeted at India, where demand for lime products is rising sharply. The Gulf region is also seen as a promising market for Carmeuse's products. Dhofar's relative proximity to the Indian subcontinent and Middle Eastern markets, coupled with the presence of a deepwater port in Salalah, are key factors underlying Carmeuse's decision to invest in the Sultanate.
The lime-calcining venture is expected to contribute to a further spurt in general cargo volumes handled by the Port of Salalah. Mineral exports have continued to fuel the growth of general cargo volumes, which soared to a record 7.94Mt at the end of 2013, up by 9.5% from the previous year's volume of 7.25Mt. Exports of limestone and gypsum accounted for much of this growth, although significant volumes of cement, fuel and methanol were also handled. A new General Cargo Terminal is under construction at the logistics hub to cater to the steady growth in mineral products and other bulk commodities.