Global Cement News

El Salvador: Guatemala-based Cementos Progreso has announced plans for an expansion of its El Salvador presence under its ‘aggressive’ regional expansion plan. The El Salvador government is in the process of remodelling its public infrastructure. In the first eight months of 2021, cement consumption in the country rose by 57% year-on-year to 1.1Mt. Leading producer Holcim El Salvador invested US$20m to restart its Metapán cement plant.

Cementos Progreso has a total cement capacity of 5Mt/yr in Guatemala, Belize, Panama and Honduras.

UK: Innovative Ash Solutions has received a Euro588m Scottish government grant to establish a 20,000t/yr ash processing plant in South Lanarkshire. The Herald newpaper has reported that the plant will process boiler ash, cyclone ash and incineration fly ash for use in local cement production. When commissioned in 2022, the plant will eliminate 6104t/yr of CO₂ emissions, according to the operator. The government granted the funding under its Zero Waste Scotland circular economic investment scheme.

The company said “Using this new patented process, which diverts waste materials from landfill and avoids the use of virgin sand, creates a product which is cheaper and will reduce the environmental impact of cement production compared to the use of imported pulverised fuel ash.”

Innovative Ash Solutions is a joint venture of waste management company Levenseat and consultancy Organic Innovative Solutions.

US: LafargeHolcim US has announced the launch of TerCem, a blended cement which offers 65% reduced CO₂ emissions compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), according to the company. LafargeHolcim US will produce TerCem at its Whitehall, Pennsylvania, cement plant. The product joins its ECOPlanet low-carbon cement range.

Senior vice president sales Patrick Cleary said "We are leading a market transformation and taking a step towards a net-zero future. Our cement organisation has invested heavily in broadening the industry's range of superior sustainable products designed to lower our carbon footprint with no compromise in quality and long-term durability."

Germany: 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.

France: Holcim has issued a statement after another day of the on-going criminal court case against Lafarge Syria on charges of financing a terror organisation, violating an embargo, endangering its employees and being complicit in crimes against humanity. Aljazeera News has reported that the company stands accused of paying US$15.3m to armed groups including ISIS, to which it allegedly also supplied cement. Prior to the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, Lafarge Syria had invested US$601m in its cement operations in the country. Holcim called the alleged crimes a ‘legacy issue’ for Lafarge Syria. Following the group’s discovery of the historic conduct in 2016, it engaged third-party investigators and shared their findings with the courts.

Chair Beat Hess said “All the alleged charges against Lafarge SA are in stark contrast with everything that Holcim stands for as a company. The described events concerning Lafarge SA were concealed from the Holcim Board at the time of the merger in 2015 and go completely against the values of our company.” He added “On behalf of the board of directors of Holcim, I would like to reiterate how extremely shocked and appalled we are by the alleged charges against Lafarge SA.”