- Written by Peter Edwards, Global Cement Magazine
The coastal west African countries of Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin are relative minnows of the global cement industry. Low-income countries in world terms, their cement capacities are typically 0 - 2Mt/yr, with lower production levels. Senegal is the exception, with a capacity of 7.3Mt/yr.
However, all of the cement industries in these countries pale in comparison to their eastern neighbour, Nigeria. The country saw an epic rise in its cement capacity in the late 2000s and so far in the 2010s, becoming a regional cement giant. Its industrial development has inevitably affected the cement industries of its neighbours and it is likely that its sphere of influence will expand in the coming years.
- Written by Denes Novak & Manfred Tisch - Wopfinger Baustoffindustrie
Here, Denes Novak and Manfred Tisch of Wopfinger Baustoffindustrie GmbH present the development and properties of a new 'clinker substitute,' which combines high performance with lowered costs and CO2 emissions.
- Written by Peter Edwards, Global Cement Magazine
North African nations have seen varying amounts of political disruption in recent years, with revolutions in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and disruption in Morocco and Algeria. Construction, and hence cement production, has been a low priority as a result. In some countries the cement industry is also battling higher fuel costs. However, recent expansions may signal a brighter cement future for Africa's north coast.
- Written by Dr Robert McCaffrey, Editor
The 7th International VDZ Congress 2013, 'Process technology of cement manufacturing,' has successfully taken place in Duesseldorf, Germany, on 25 - 27 September, attracting around 600 delegates of whom around 250 were from outside Germany. The Congress - in English - takes place every four years and is regarded as one of the most prestigious cement technical conferences in the world.
The Congress was opened by Gerhard Hirth, president of the Verein Deutscher Zementwerke, the German cement plant association. He pointed out that cement is a high quality, high value material without which society would struggle to cope.
- Written by Dirk Lechtenberg, MVW Lechtenberg & Partner
Alternative fuels are now a firmly-established reality in well-developed cement industries around the world and increasing amounts of alternative fuels are also being used in developing economies. Here, MVW Lechtenberg & Partner's Dirk Lechtenberg uncovers a wealth of information regarding the use of alternative fuels in the German cement industry, especially with reference to the relatively unexplored negative aspects of their use. Alternative fuels may mean lower CO2 emissions, avoidance of landfill and decreased costs but they may also entail higher numbers of truck movements, higher dust emissions and higher specific energy consumption per tonne of cement. Part 2 of Dirk Lechtenberg's research will follow in the November 2013 issue of Global Cement Magazine.
