Displaying items by tag: FLSmidth
Update on slag in the US, May 2023
31 May 2023Heidelberg Materials North America held an official opening ceremony this week for its upgraded slag cement plant and terminal at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The US$24m project added a new roller press to the unit to increase its production capacity. In a statement Chris Ward, the president and chief executive officer of the company, said that it had made the investment to meet sustainability and resilient construction goals. Industrial Accessories Company (IAC) said in mid-2021 that it had been named as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the project. It planned to install a hydraulic roller press supplied by FLSmidth. IAC also said it was providing instrumentation equipment, hoppers, bins, belt conveyors, bucket elevators and dust collectors amongst other kit and services.
Other recent US slag cement-related news stories have concerned terminals. In late August 2022 Royal White Cement said it had leased a site on the Houston Ship Channel in Houston, Texas to handle and store approximately 100,000t of multiple cementitous products such as slag, ordinary Portland cement and white Cement. In May 2022 Titan America announced plans to spend US$37m on an upgrade to its Norfolk terminal in Chesapeake, Virginia. The major improvement was to add a 70,000t storage dome, with enlarged truck and railway capacity, to allow the site to import and distribute raw materials such as fly ash, slag and aggregates. Completion on this one was scheduled for some point in 2023. Titan added that the project was similar to the addition of a 70,000t dome under construction at the time at Titan's import terminal in Tampa, Florida.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that domestic sales of iron and steel (ferrous) slags in the US amounted to 15Mt in 2022. Sales were around 20Mt in the 2000s but this fell to current levels in the 2010s as blast furnaces closed. In 2022 the USGS noted that, “domestic ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) remained in limited supply because granulation cooling was known to be available at only two active US blast furnaces while, elsewhere, only one domestic plant produced pelletised slag in limited supply.” It added that the grinding of granulated blast furnace slag was only being carried out domestically by cement companies. Imports of slag were 2Mt in 2022. This is a decline from a peak of 2.6Mt in 2018 but higher than the period 2000 – 2015. The price of slag, meanwhile, hit a high of US$53/t in 2022. This is the highest price recorded by the USGS since at least 2000. It is double that of 2017.
Charles Zeynel of ZAG International noted in the June 2023 issue of Global Cement Magazine that cement producers in Florida, California, Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas are far from steel mills, so they import granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and other secondary cementitious materials (SCM). This certainly fits with Heidelberg Materials’ plan to upgrade its slag cement plant and terminal at Cape Canaveral. Also on the US market, Zeynel added that due to rising global demand for SCMs more of the available share of GBFS was being purchased by ‘richer’ markets such as Europe, North America and Australia. He continued that GBFS and GGBFS producers had also started increasing the price of their wares internationally. This too is apparent in the prices published by the USGS.
One final story with links to slag to note this week concerns the launch of the Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCC) in Europe. The group brings together companies producing products or services intended to decarbonise the cement and concrete sectors. Two of the members – Ecocem and Hoffman Green Cement Technologies – are Europe-based slag cement producers. Two other members – Fortera and TerraCO2 – are companies based in North America that are marketing and selling low-carbon SCMs.
Various start-up companies have been emerging on a regular basis in both North America and Europe with the aim of decarbonising cement and concrete in various different ways. The formation of the ALCC can be seen as part of this trend as the more successful non-traditional cement-concrete-aggregate companies establish themselves. One point that cement producers in North America are likely to be well aware of is that concrete is becoming less linked to clinker as the cost of carbon mounts and the clinker factor of cement lowers. Slag supplies may be finite but Heidelberg Materials North America’s latest investment in Florida is further acceptance that one doesn’t just need clinker to make concrete.
US: Continental Cement has ordered a Fuelflex Pyrolyzer alternative fuels combustion system from Denmark-based FLSmidth for installation at its Davenport plant in Buffalo, Iowa. The supplier says that its product offers a lower capital expenditure compared to competing systems, can control NOx emissions without the need for ammonia water and can be installed without a long shutdown period. This is the first commercial installation of the Fuelflex Pyrolyzer system following a pre-commercial installation at the Mannok cement plant in Northern Ireland, UK, in 2022.
David Loomes, the president of Continental Cement, said “We’re very excited about what the Fuelflex Pyrolyzer will do for our process.” He added, “We’re planning to achieve 55% fossil fuel replacement across the plant, utilising non-hazardous waste that would otherwise go to landfill or incinerators. The economic and environmental benefits of this technology are very significant and a key element of executing our carbon reduction commitment.” Continental Cement, a subsidiary of Summit Materials, has been incorporating waste materials as fuels for more than 30 years.
Jens Jonas Skov Larsen, Head of Capital Sales at FLSmidth, said “Mannok has called the Fuelflex Pyrolyzer a game-changer for the cement industry.” He continued, “This system effectively rearranges the order of the combustion process to make use of hot preheater meal, which is the heat source for the waste fuel pyrolysis. It’s a more efficient way of burning alternative fuels and it comes with a host of benefits, including reduced emissions and a more stable process.”
The installation at Davenport cement plant is expected to start operation in 2024. The full commercial launch for the system is scheduled by 2025. No value for the order has been disclosed.
Brazil: Secil Supremo Cimentos has appointed FLSmidth to carry out a pyro process upgrade at its Adrianópolis cement plant in Paraná. The Denmark-based supplier says that it plans to carry out modifications on the plant's preheater, cooler and related auxiliary equipment. It says the new equipment will expand the plant's capacity to 3900t/day, corresponding to an annual production capacity of 1.42Mt/yr. It will also enable it to increase its alternative fuel (AF) substitution rate to 40%. Secil Supremo Cimentos' AF mix consists of shredded tyres, wood and other refuse-derived fuels.
FLSmidth's head of capital sales, Jens Jonas Skov Larsen, said “We are grateful for our continued partnership with Supremo, which has consistently invested in the latest technology. As the plant was already operating an ILC five-stage preheater from FLSmidth, it was well positioned to use AF.”
FLSmidth increases cement business sales and earnings in 2022
27 February 2023Denmark: FLSmidth's cement business recorded 29% year-on-year sales growth to US$2.14bn in 2022, from US$1.66bn in 2021. The business' earnings before interest, taxation and amortisation (EBITA) totaled US$28.9m, compared to negative earnings of US$2.7m in 2021. During the year, its Americas region contributed 34% of sales, its Europe, North Africa and Russia region (subsequently Europe and North Africa) 26%, its Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and South Asia region 25% and its Asia-Pacific region 15%. Overall, FLSmidth's sales rose by 24%, while its EBITA fell by 8%, year-on-year.
The supplier said "Overall, our cement service showed strong performance throughout the year. In some countries, we did however start to see the first cases of budget constraints imposed to counter the increasing energy costs."
Looking forward to 2023's anticipated result, it noted a 'healthy' order pipeline, but an anticipated slow-down in producers' decision making. This is due to concerns related to energy volatility continuing the wake of the outbreak of war in Ukraine. FLSmidth concluded "The short-term outlook for the cement industry remains impacted by overcapacity, and the potential recession is expected to impact market demand negatively over the coming period."
Update on calcined clays in Europe, February 2023
15 February 2023Congratulations to Lafarge France for launching the first calcined clay cement unit in Europe. The subsidiary of Holcim says that the unit, based at the integrated Saint-Pierre-la-Cour cement plant, is the first of its kind on the continent. It is using the company’s proprietary proximA Tech technology and will produce up to 500,000t/yr of cement in its ECOPlanet range. The operation is also powered with biomass alternative fuels and uses a waste recovery system to further drive down overall CO2 emissions. Once production ramps-up the producer expects that 30% of cement from the Saint-Pierre-la-Cour plant will be from the ECOPlanet range by 2024.
The investment at Saint-Pierre-la-Cour was Euro40m. Holcim is also producing calcined clay cement at its La Malle plant in France. It received an investment of Euro6m in 2022 to produce low-carbon cements. Together, both plants are aiming to produce over 2Mt/yr of calcined clay cement by 2024. As is usual for these kinds of projects, the French government partly funded the clay calcination unit at Saint-Pierre-la-Cour as part of the ‘France Relance’ scheme investing in large-scale decarbonisation and energy efficiency initiatives.
Calcined clay cements in Europe aren’t exactly new, but Holcim’s new unit in France does appear to be the first full-scale line located at a cement plant. Research by OneStone Consulting, for example, reckons that the first flash activated clay unit expressly set up to supply the cement sector was commissioned in 1995 in Toulouse, France. More recently, Hoffmann Green Cement inaugurated its 50,000t/yr pilot plant at Bournezeau in France in 2018. This site produces cements made from flash calcined clay and blast furnace slag, although it is unclear how demand for the different products varies. A new 0.25Mt/yr plant in the Vendée department was scheduled for commissioning in the second half of 2022. Another 0.25Mt/yr plant in Dunkirk is expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2024.
Cementir Group launched its calcined clay cement product FUTURECEM in Denmark in 2021 with production via a pilot plant. It then extended this to the Benelux and French cement markets in 2022. As part of its industrial plan for 2021 - 2023 it was planning to build a clay calcination unit to support the growth of FutureCem. FLSmidth revealed in June 2021 that it had won a contract to build a 400t/day clay calcination unit for Vicat’s Xeuilley integrated cement plant. The deal was worth around Euro27m and commissioning is scheduled for 2023.
Firstly, it is interesting to see a focus on France for some of the projects above. The presence of Lafarge’s technical centre in Lyon may explain the interest for that company. However, Hoffmann Green Cement and Vicat are also active in the field. It is worth noting that France also holds a busy secondary cementitious material market with standalone operators including Ecocem, Cem’In’Eu and Hoffmann Green Cement. Secondly, despite the early start, clay calcination for cement is currently more active outside of Europe. In Africa, for example, there is at least one live full production line and a number of other projects on the way. Various other pilots and projects are also happening elsewhere around the world, often in conjunction with the limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) initiative. Where calcined clay cement production in Europe goes from here is uncertain at present as it is one solution among many for lower carbon cement products in the future. Yet, the projects that have made it so far to the commercial scale will be watched closely by the companies that have invested in them - and their competitors.
Altor Fund Manager increases FLSmidth stake to over 5%
19 January 2023Denmark: FLSmidth has notified investors that Altor Fund Manager has increased its holding of shares in the company to over 5%. The transaction took place on 18 January 2023.
FLSmidth introduces new strategies for cement and mining sectors
18 January 2023Denmark: Equipment manufacturer FLSmidth has launched new corporate strategies for its cement and mining sectors. The so-called ‘pure play’ plans are intended to further focus on technology, products and services and sustainability. The group says it is also simplifying its operating model to reduce risks, improve efficiencies, ensure stronger execution and improve profitability and quality of earnings. The announcement was made at the same time as the group’s latest investor event.
Mikko Keto, the chief executive officer at FLSmidth, said “We must prioritise our efforts on our core business, reduce risk and execute with excellence. We have already started to fundamentally transform our business to ensure stronger strategy execution and to achieve our long-term ambitions to the benefit of our stakeholders.”
In the cement sector the group’s ‘Green 26’ plan aims to make the company the preferred service supplier for the industry. It added that it has a “clear commitment to drive the green transition in the cement industry.” It has set a target of reaching an 8% earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin by 2026. For the mining sector the target is a 13 - 15% margin.
In provisional financial results for 2022, FLSmidth revealed that it had an EBITDA margin of 3.3% for cement and 7.6% for mining. Group revenue rose by 24% year-on-year to Euro2.93bn in 2022 from Euro2.37bn in the 2021. Revenue from the cement and mining sectors grew by 7% to Euro847m and 29% to Euro2.03bn respectively. The group said that the short-term outlook for the cement industry remained impacted by overcapacity and that a potential recession is expected to impact market demand negatively over the coming period. Its mining sector revenue was inflated by the acquisition of ThyssenKrupp Mining in 2022.
Carsten Riisberg Lund appointed as chair of Hasle Refractories
11 January 2023Demark: Hasle Refractories has appointed Carsten Riisberg Lund as chair of its board of directors.
Riisberg Lund has worked in the cement industry for 35 years mostly for equipment supplier FLSmidth. His most recent role was as FLSmidth’s Cement Industry President since late 2020. Before this he worked as the President for Region Europe, North Africa and Russia (ENAR). He started his career as a Process and Commissioning Engineer for FLSmidth. Since then he led FLSmidth’s former Material Handling division and spent three years as managing director in India.
NovaCim cement plant in Morocco produces first cement
27 December 2022Morocco: NovaCim’s new 1.4Mt/yr cement plant at Ouled Ghanem near El Jadida has produced its first cement. Denmark-based FLSmidth supplied equipment for the unit including an OK type vertical roller mill, which it says is the first such installation of the product in the country. FLSmidth said in 2019 that it was going to build the plant for TEKCIM in conjunction with the Société Générale des Travaux du Maroc (SGTM). Full commissioning is scheduled for 2023.
Morocco: NovaCim has ordered the SLV Cement logistics software product from Portugal-based Cachapuz for its forthcoming 1.2Mt/yr integrated cement plant in Ouled Ghanem in El-Jadida Province. The product is intended to improve and optimise dispatch processes. Denmark-based FLSmidth announced in 2019 that it was going to build the plant for TEKCIM in conjunction with the Société Générale des Travaux du Maroc (SGTM). The plant is expected to start production in 2023.