Displaying items by tag: net zero
India: Adani Group has committed to investing US$100bn in the decade to the end of 2033 towards transitioning its operations to net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The scope of investments will include the group’s cement business in addition to logistics and power generation. The group has also set a target for five of its subsidiaries, including ACC and Ambuja Cements, to become net zero by 2050 or earlier. Adani Enterprises currently plans to build a 10GW/yr-capacity solar panel plant, a 10GW/yr-capacity wind turbine plant and a 5GW/yr-capacity hydrogen electrolysers plant.
Adani Group said "The roadmap to the net zero transition will require green hydrogen solutions in its last mile. To make green hydrogen adoption feasible, Adani's track record in large-scale renewables and fully integrated manufacturing with end-to-end engineering, procurement and construction capability — all in one single location — uniquely positions it to secure lower costs."
Sinoma International Engineering to build Euro218m clinker line for Holcim Belgique
08 December 2023Belgium: China National Building Material subsidiary Sinoma International Engineering won a contract to build a new clinker line for Holcim Belgique on 8 December 2023. Yicai Global News has reported that Sinoma International Engineering will design the line, supply its mechanical and electrical equipment, procure steel structures and provide technical services under a contract worth Euro218m. The supplier expects to commission the line within 38 months of commencement of the project.
Holcim Belgique operates the 1.7Mt/yr Obourg cement plant in Mons. The plant is upgrading to net zero CO2 cement production under the GO4ZERO project, as part of which Holcim Belgique previously announced plans to install a new kiln in the place of the plant’s existing ones.
Holcim Hrvatska secures Euro117m in EU funding for Koromačno cement plant carbon capture project
08 December 2023Croatia: The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) has granted Holcim Hrvatska Euro117m-worth of EU funding for its KOdeCO Net Zero decarbonisation project. The project aims to decarbonise cement production at the company’s 500,000t/yr Koromačno cement plant in Istria by building a Euro237m carbon capture system there.
Holcim Hrvatska says that the project will commence in January 2024 and conclude by the end of 2028.
UAE/UK: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has welcomed the launch of the Canada/UAE co-led Cement Breakthrough Initiative at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai on 6 December 2023. Prior to the launch of the initiative, the GCCA hosted a roundtable for representatives of the cement industry and governments.
GCCA chief executive officer Thomas Guillot said "We support and welcome the launch of the Cement Breakthrough Initiative. Cement and concrete are essential for so much of our modern world and will also be needed for meeting the challenges ahead. They will play a key role in providing resilient and sustainable infrastructure and safely housing communities around our planet. Our member companies are fully committed to a net zero future – and it will take the combined efforts of industry and government to deliver on this commitment. This is the decade to deliver, and we are delighted to work with the Cement Breakthrough Initiative and the government of Canada to accelerate the transition."
UAE: Emirates Steel Arkan (ESA) has appointed consultancy A³&Co. to help plan and implement decarbonisation initiatives at its 5.7Mt/yr Al Ain cement plant in Abu Dhabi. The collaboration will focus on reducing CO2 emissions and costs, in line with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)’s 1.5° Pathway for Net Zero and in conformity to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
ESA is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 40% between 2018 and 2030, and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Paebbl trials 100t/yr carbon-storing cement reactor
30 November 2023Finland/Netherlands/Sweden: Paebbl has commenced production of its carbon-storing cement using its new 100t/yr Obelix reactor. The company says that the trial represents a 100x scale up of its capacity in under six months. The Obelix reactor produces cement in 500l batches. Paebbl’s cement has a CO2 storage capacity of 200kg/t. It expects to begin shipping samples to early adopter customers in the Benelux and Nordic regions from early 2024. The next scale-up for the company will come with the construction of a continuously operating pilot plant in late 2024, further increasing its cement capacity by a factor of 10.
Europe: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials has announced the launch of EvoZero carbon captured net zero cement. The company produces EvoZero cement at its Brevik cement plant in Norway. It says that this is the first cement to achieve net zero CO2 emissions through the use of carbon capture and storage (CCUS), without relying on other methods of compensation in its carbon accounting.
Heidelberg Materials chair Dominik von Achten said “The launch of our unique EvoZero products is a paradigm shift in the decarbonisation of our sector. Carbon capture and storage is a breakthrough technology for the building materials industry and we are frontrunners in deploying it at scale. With EvoZero, we are offering the industry’s most innovative, globally unique product for our customers, enabling them to drive cutting-edge, environmentally friendly construction projects. I am very proud of the dedication and passion of everyone involved in our pioneering project in Brevik.”
Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) says that provisions for investments and supportive measures in the government’s Fall Economic Statement 2023 will help to ensure the successful roll-out of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) for industrial decarbonisation. The statement commits the government to advancing a CCUS Investment Tax Credits (ITC) scheme.
CAC president and CEO Adam Auer said “We commend the government’s recognition of the importance of CCUS in achieving our climate objectives. The cement industry is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, and these investments will facilitate the deployment of innovative technologies that are essential for achieving our Concrete Zero sustainability action plan objectives.”
UAE: The director of the World Cement Association (WCA), Ali Emir Adiguzel, told listeners at the association’s 6th Annual Conference in Dubai that the world has ‘enough cement for the next 25 years.’ Adiguzel addressed the issue of overcapacity by noting a ‘substantial’ drop in demand and pointing out that high input costs had led the sector to raise its prices, by as much as 15% in Europe. He also said that the primary challenge facing the cement industry was “meeting stringent emission targets and embracing carbon capture technologies.”
Adiguzel added "Despite our achievements, there is more work to be done in the years to come. To reach our net zero goal by 2050, we must significantly reduce carbon emissions. The technologies and mechanisms for this endeavour appear available, though currently minuscule and not economically fully feasible. Regulatory frameworks must evolve to minimise costs for end customers. Collaboration between the private and public sectors is imperative to facilitate carbon reduction."
US Department of Energy grants C-Crete Technologies US$2m
17 October 2023US: The US Department of Energy has awarded C-Crete Technologies US$2m in funding. C-Crete Technologies is developing a method for using CO2 captured at industrial sources or from the air as an ingredient in its cement-free concrete. The binder will produce almost no CO2 and continue to absorb more CO2 from the air over time. It offers scalability and cost-parity with conventional cement for concrete producers, according to the developer.
C-Crete Technologies president Rouzbeh Savary said “We are committed to crafting a cement-free, carbon-negative ready-mix concrete that doesn’t just mitigate CO2 emissions but actively contributes to reversing climate change. Our aim is nothing short of revolutionising this hard-to-abate, carbon-heavy sector.”