16 December 2015
Turkey: A new kiln line is being developed at the Batisöke Söke Çimento Sanayii TAS cement plant in Turkey.
Based on previous positive experience with Loesche, Batisöke Söke Çimento has ordered a type LM 56.4 Loesche mill with a capacity of 500t/hr at a fineness of 12% R at 90µm for grinding cement raw material. The gearbox of this mill has a power of 3400kW. Magnetic separators, metal detectors, refined parts for the mill fan and the engineering of the cyclone are also included in the scope of supply. The lead time for this vertical roller mill is 10 months. The new kiln line will be fitted with a type LM 28.3 D Loesche coal mill with a capacity of 40t/hr at a fineness of 5% R at 90µm for grinding solid fuels. The gearbox has a power of 700kW. For this mill, the further scope of supply includes magnetic separators, metal detectors, process filters, refined parts for the mill fan and explosion flaps. For grinding clinker, a type LM 53.3+3 CS Loesche mill with a capacity of 200t/hr CEM I with a fineness of 3500 Blaine will be used. The gearbox has a power of 4700kW.
The commissioning of the new mills is planned in the second quarter of 2017.
‘White Cement Outlook 2020’ report published 16 December 2015
World: A multi-client market report by OneStone Consulting S.L., of Barcelona, Spain was released on 15 December 2015.
According to the report, the global white cement market has seen a recovery after some years of slow growth. "The global annual growth rates are projected to increase from 2.5% in 2010 - 2015 to an average annual growth of 3.8% by 2020, with lowest growth in China," said research analyst Joe Harder. In 2015, global trade was improving. However, capacity utilisation rates of many producers remained low. New projects are in the pipeline, overcapacity issues will continue, prices continue to be under pressure and the global trade share is forecaste to decline.
The White Cement Outlook 2020 report analyses the global white cement industry. The data includes global and regional markets, market trends, the installed production base of all producers, regional market shares of the major producers, net trade and total trade, regional imports and exports, consumption by countries, market drivers, price trends, economies of scale and various benchmarks of the top producers, including Aalborg, Birla White, Çimsa, Federal White, JK White, RAK White and Sotacib. In the new report the latest data is available with data sets for 2015. The market report provides a five-year projection with an outlook of the market by 2020, including regional production and consumption, per capita consumption cement trade, cement capacities and a number of identified white cement projects.
Capacity utilisation of China's cement industry falls to 65% 16 December 2015
China: China's cement industry has been trapped in sharp profit decline and its actual capacity utilisation has declined to 65%, according to an Economic Information Daily report.
Industry insiders believe that previous high speed development has overdrawn the demand for cement and that closing obsolete cement capacity and promoting mergers and restructures will be the new orientation for the industry. At least 500Mt/yr of low-grade cement capacity will be eliminated.
The number of loss-making cement companies has reached 1339 and accounted for 40% of the total, according to Kong Xiangzhong, Executive Vice President and Secretary General of the China Cement Association. Cement companies lost US$2.63bn in the first three quarters of 2015 and among the profit-making producers, many were suffering invisible losses.
Raysut Cement to install gas reduction station 16 December 2015
Oman: Raysut Cement Company has signed an agreement with Arabian Industries for the installation of a gas pressure reduction station (GPRS) at its Raysut plant. Oman Gas Company has been appointed as the Project Management Consultant. Upon completion of the GPRS, cement production will be boosted by 120,000-130,000t/yr. Total investment in the project is estimated at US$5.45m.
HeidelbergCement and Joule announce partnership to explore carbon-neutral fuel application 16 December 2015
Germany: Joule, a producer of liquid fuels from recycled CO2, and HeidelbergCement have announced a partnership to explore the application of Joule's technology to mitigate carbon emissions in cement manufacturing. A successful partnership between Joule and HeidelbergCement could result in the co-location of Joule's Helioculture Technology at one or more HeidelbergCement sites around the world.
Since 1990, HeidelbergCement has worked to decrease its carbon emissions, initiating various programmes across the organisation that have reduced emissions by 23%. HeidelbergCement said that its partnership with Joule represents another example of its sustained dedication to leveraging innovative technologies and programmes for climate protection. As part of the agreement, emissions from various HeidelbergCement plants could provide Joule with the waste CO2 required to feed its advanced Helioculture platform that effectively recycles CO2 back into fuel.
"We've been focused on lowering carbon emissions for more than two decades and we are excited to take further steps to lower our CO2 emissions by working with a dedicated organisation with state-of-the-art technology that is committed to protecting the climate," said Jan Theulen, Director of Alternative Resources at HeidelbergCement. "Joule's process, which effectively recycles waste CO2 into liquid fuels, is a perfect match for HeidelbergCement and our core values and we look forward to starting the journey towards a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship."
Joule's Helioculture process directly and continuously converts sunlight and waste CO2 into infrastructure-ready fuels, including ethanol and alkanes that serve as highly blendable feedstock for diesel and jet fuel products. Only requiring abundantly available inputs, including sunlight, brackish or sea water and waste CO2, the process is well suited for global deployment. For organisations like HeidelbergCement, Joule turns a carbon challenge into a carbon solution by capturing and recycling waste CO2.
"Carbon emissions are a challenge faced by many industries that are of critical importance to everyday life, such as cement," said Brian Baynes, CEO of Joule. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with HeidelbergCement in an attempt to develop a modern, ultra-low carbon cement manufacturing process."
Government to revive Cement Corporation of India 16 December 2015
India: The Government has prepared a revival scheme for the Cement Corporation of India.
The scheme, which was approved by the Government and ordered by the Board for Industrial & Financial Reconstruction (BIFR), envisages the expansion and modernisation of three operating units and the closure and sale of seven non-operating units.
Out of seven non-operating units, six units have been closed with effect from October 2008. The Adilabad unit could not be closed due to an interim order of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh for maintaining the status-quo. Action for the expansion and modernisation of the operating units was taken. However, the results of the entire scheme for revival of the CCI could not reach the desired level because of the non-sale of the assets of non-operating units of the company, which has caused a shortage of funds for the revival.