Displaying items by tag: Germany
Flender begins Voerde logistics centre expansion
17 December 2021Germany: Flender has launched the construction of a new 8000m2 storehouse at its Voerde, North Rhine-Westphalia, logistics centre. Along with the lease of an additional building from project developer Panattoni, the project will expand Flender’s total storage footprint by 19,000m2. The supplier says that the new facilities will reduce the Voerde centre’s CO2 by optimising its transport routes.
Flender CEO Andreas Evertz said "I am very happy that the expansion of our site in Voerde will allow us to centralise our logistics activities, bringing us another step closer to our goal of operating in a completely carbon neutral fashion by 2030. With the new warehouse space, we are making our logistics processes sustainable and thus reducing a significant part of the previous transport routes and the associated CO2 emissions.”
Opterra signs renewable power deal with Statkraft
15 December 2021Germany: Opterra has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Statkraft for the supply of electricity from onshore wind farms. The renewable energy producer will supply around 30GWh to the subsidiary of CRH’s integrated cement plants at Karsdorf in Saxony-Anhalt, Wössingen in Baden-Württemberg and a grinding plant at Sötenich in North Rhine-Westphalia between 2022 and 2025. The wind power will be generated at four wind farms.
Cemex and Carbon8 Systems partner for carbon capture research
10 December 2021Mexico/UK: Cemex has partnered with UK-based carbon capture equipment supplier Carbon8 Systems to evaluate possible uses of the supplier’s Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT) in the group’s cement production. Operators can use the equipment to produce carbon-infused sustainable materials from thermal residues. Cemex says that one possible application will be in the production of supplementary cementitious materials. Under the partnership, Carbon8 Systems will evaluate a range of Cemex’s byproducts for possible use, beginning at its Rüdersdorf cement plant in Germany and Rugby cement plant in the UK. It will also evaluate the suitability of alternative lightweight aggregates produced using ACT for sale in each market.
Executive vice president sustainability, commercial, and operations development Juan Romero said "This initiative with Carbon8 Systems is another example of the work we are doing with partners across industries, academia, and startups to tap into the latest innovation and disruptive technologies to achieve our ambition of delivering net-zero CO2 concrete globally to all of our customers."
Bodo Schlenker formally announced as Divisional Director Software Solutions at Beumer Group
08 December 2021Germany: Beumer Group has formally announced Bodo Schlenker as its Divisional Director Software Solutions. He has been in post since April 2021.
Schlenker started his career at a software company for automation and warehouse management systems. He then worked for logistics company Vanderlande for around 20 years, where he rose to become its Operations Director. From 2017 to early 2021 he worked as the Senior Director of Corporate Product Strategy for Kion Group, a manufacturer and supplier of forklift trucks and warehouse technology as well as supply chain solutions.
Christian Pfeiffer supplying mill and separator for Cementos Inka
08 December 2021Peru: Germany-based Christian Pfeiffer is supplying grinding and separation equipment for Cementos Inka’s grinding plant project near Pisco. A 4.2m diameter 3500KW mill and a QDK 143-Z type separator with gas recirculation, to help dry the raw material without hot gases, are being provided. Cementos Inka’s 0.7Mt/yr plant was previously reported to have a budget of US$20m.
Aerzen Rental launches new TVS2500 air compressor
02 December 2021Germany: Aerzen Rental has added its new TVS2500 air compressor to its 10-bar range of air compressors. Parent company Aerzen said that it developed the TVS2500 to set the standard for power density, energy efficiency and quiet running. The compressor is designed for large material volumes. A frequency converter facilitates optimal pressure and volume flow control, while variable speed control also enables a gentle start with a low starting current. The device can be used in any existing power network. Efficient cooling inside the units further ensures a regular supply of compressed air at ambient temperatures of up to 45°C.
Loesche buys Dynamis
24 November 2021Brazil: Germany-based Loesche says that it has acquired burner manufacturer Dynamis for an undisclosed amount. The engineering company was founded in 2003 and its products include the D-Gasifier, the D-Flame Burner, the D-Igniter, and the D-HotGas. Dynamis said it was excited by the opportunities that the agreement with Loesche would bring.
Germany: ThyssenKrupp's consolidated sales rose by 18% year-on-year in its 2021 financial year to Euro34bn. Its adjusted earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) rose to Euro796m, compared to a loss before interest and taxation of 1.76bn in the 2020 financial year. Its order intake during the year rose by 41% to Euro39.6bn.
The company's multi tracks segment, which includes cement plant production, recorded a 2% sales rise and a 34% rise in its order intake. Its plant technology segment's sales fell due to a depressed order intake in the 2020 financial year. It increased its order intake in all business areas and won its first contracts in the hydrogen market. Hydrogen is one of the division's key growth markets.
Chief executive officer Martina Merz said, “After a good two years of intensive transformation work, we can now say that the turnaround is evident. ThyssenKrupp is going in the right direction. Our performance is improving significantly, which is reflected in our figures." She continued, "We aim to benefit from this momentum in the next phase of our transformation in order to restore our businesses to profitable growth. However, enormous challenges remain, especially due to the semiconductor shortage and the uncertainties arising from the coronavirus pandemic.”
Cemex Zement appoints Orcan Energy for waste heat recovery system installation at Rüdersdorf cement plant
23 November 2021Germany: Cemex Zement has partnered with sustainable technology supplier Orcan Energy for the establishment of a waste heat recovery (WHR) plant at its Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg, cement plant. Orcan Energy will supply six generator modules for the installation. When commissioned in mid-2022, the WHR plant will cover part of the plant’s energy consumption. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy contributed 50% of funds for the project.
Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia regional president Sergio Menendez said “Efforts to achieve carbon neutrality at our Rüdersdorf cement plant by 2030 continue apace, and this project to install a WHR system is the latest significant milestone in our journey. It further demonstrates the value of forming expert alliances to investigate and then implement innovative technologies that will ensure the decarbonisation of our operation.”
Blah Blah Cement?
17 November 2021Climate activist Greta Thunberg memorably summarised the outcome of the 2021 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP26) as “blah, blah, blah” but what did it mean for the cement and concrete industries?
Making sense of the diplomatic language the UN uses is a full time job due to its impenetrable jargon. This is partly why climate activists and others may have become jaded about the outcome of the world’s biggest climate change jamboree. The conference of the parties (COP) tried desperately to hang on to the 1.5°C warming aim set at the Paris event (COP21) in 2015. This is dependent though on countries sticking to their 2030 targets and becoming net-zero by 2050 or earlier. Unfortunately, both China and India, two of the world’s current top three CO2 emitters, have announced net-zero dates of after 2050. Those two countries also drew fire in the western press for weakening the language used in the COP’s outcome document about the ‘phasing out’ or ‘phasing down’ of coal use. However, simply getting coal written on the final agreement has been viewed as a result. Other positive outcomes from the event included commitments for countries to review their 2030 targets in 2022, progress towards coordinating carbon trading markets around the world and work on adaptation finance from developed countries to developing ones.
The headline results from COP26 carry mixed implications for the building materials sector. The Paris agreement (COP21) has already achieved an effect in the run-up to COP26 by prompting the cement and concrete industries to release a roadmap from the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) in October 2021. Now it’s down to whether individual governments actually follow the targets and how they enforce it if they do. If they don’t, then the response from building material producers is likely to be mixed at best.
What may have a more tangible effect is the work on carbon markets at COP26. Countries were finally able to complete technical negotiations on the ‘Paris Agreement Rulebook,’ notably including work on Article 6, the section that helps to govern international carbon markets and allows for a global carbon offsetting mechanism. The European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has shown over the last year how a high carbon price may be able to stimulate companies to invest in mitigation measures such as upping alternative fuels substitution rates and developing carbon capture and storage/utilisation projects. Critics would argue that it may simply be offshoring cement production and closing local plants unnecessarily. Making a more global carbon trading scheme work amplifies both these gains and risks. Either way though, having an international framework to build upon is a major development. Finally, work on adaptation finance could have an effect for cement producers if the money actually makes it to its destination. The big example of this announced at COP26 was a US$8.5bn fund to help South Africa reduce its use of coal. It is mainly targeted at power generation but local cement producers, as a major secondary user of coal, are likely to be affected too.
Alongside the big announcements from COP26 lots of countries and companies, including ones in the cement sector, announced many sustainability plans. One of these included the launch of the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI) during COP26 by the governments of the UK, India, Germany, Canada and the UAE. This scheme intends to create new markets for low carbon concrete and steel to help decarbonise heavy industry. To do this it will disclose the embodied carbon of major public construction projects by 2025, aim to reach net zero in major public construction steel and concrete by 2050, and work on an emissions reduction target for 2030 which will be announced in 2022. Other goals include setting up reporting standards, product standards, procurement guidelines and a free or low-cost certification service by 2023.
All of this suggests that the pressure remains on for the cement and concrete sector to decarbonise, provided that the governments stick to their targets and pledges, and back it up with action. If they do, then the industry will remind legislators of the necessity of essential infrastructure and then continue to ask for financial aid to support the development and uptake of low carbon cements, carbon capture and whatever else. Further adoption of carbon markets around the world and global rules on carbon leakage could help to accelerate this process, as could adaptation finance and global standards for low carbon concrete. The next year will be critical to see if the 1.5°C target survives and the next decade will be crucial to see if global gross cement-related CO2 emissions will actually peak. If they do then it will be a case of ‘hip hip hurrah’ rather than ‘blah blah blah’.