17 December 2021
Honeywell and University of Texas at Austin to develop new carbon capture technology 17 December 2021
US: Performance materials and technologies conglomerate Honeywell has entered into a collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin for the development of carbon capture systems. Honeywell has obtained a licence to use the university’s proprietary advanced solvent technology. The University of Texas at Austin will provide consulting services for the company as it seeks to develop a carbon capture system for industrial implementation using the technology. Honeywell will target ‘hard-to-abate’ CO2 emitting industries such as cement to which to supply its system.
University of Texas at Austin McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering professor and Texas Carbon Management Program (TxCMP) lead Gary Rochelle said “We are thrilled that our decades of research has led to carbon capture technology that can significantly reduce carbon emissions. The licensing agreement with Honeywell enables us to commercially scale this in ways that can make major contributions toward zero emissions efforts to address global warming and to reduce pollutants in surrounding communities.”
Mexico: 200 police officers in 80 police cars arrived outside the gates of Cooperativa La Cruz Azul’s Cruz Azul cement plant in Tula, Hidalgo, on 15 December 2021, but failed to enter the plant. The El Financiero newspaper has reported that the police were following a court order to remove the company from the plant. Supervisory board president Alberto Lopez reasserted the company’s right to occupy the property in line with federal government ordinances. Lopez suggested an alleged collusion between cooperativists and Omar Fayad’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) Hidalgo state government to decieve the courts.
Authorities have frozen Cooperativa La Cruz Azul’s accounts with outstanding bills of US$800,000 in electricity, gas, equipment and services bills, as well as the payroll of its 1100 workers.
Coopertiva La Cruz Azul chair Federico Sarabia said that the developments threaten the existence of the Cruz Azul plant. He said "In terms of quality, Cruz Azul’s cement exceeds the standard. At the time that Cruz Azul disappears as a cement producer, prices will increase.”
Mexico/Denmark: Cemex and 3D printing construction company Cobod International have launched D.fab, a range of admixtures which enable builders to use ordinary concrete in 3D printing. The partners say that the products eliminate the need for expensive specialised mortars. Power2Build implemented the admixtures in concrete to print a whole house in Luanda, Angola, in early December 2021.
Cemex’s executive vice president sustainability, commercial and operations development Juan Romero said “The introduction of this revolutionary 3D printing system is a testament to our customer-centric mindset and relentless focus on continuous innovation and improvement. Working together with Cobod, we have developed an experience for customers that is superior to anything that has been provided in the past,” said “Our innovation efforts position us at the forefront of new technologies that contribute to building a better future.”
Flender begins Voerde logistics centre expansion 17 December 2021
Germany: 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.”
Sichuan Shuangma Cement to change name to Sichuan Hexie Shuangma 17 December 2021
China: Sichuan Shuangma Cement’s board of directors voted in favour of a rebranding on 16 December 2021. In a filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the company stated that it will change its name to Sichuan Hexie Shuangma. The reason for the change is the producer’s diversification away from its original business of cement production into other industries, making the ‘Cement’ element less relevant than it had previously been. Hexie is Chinese for harmony.