18 September 2023

Germany: Engineering company GEA has installed a carbon capture pilot plant at the Phoenix Zementwerke cement plant in Beckum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The supplier will now conduct testing over ‘several’ months, but said that it is confident that the cement plant is suitable for an installation to capture over 90% of its CO₂ emissions. GEA’s carbon capture systems run on energy from waste heat recovery, with minimal to zero extra electrical input.

Phoenix Zementwerke managing director Marcel Gustav Krogbeumker said “We consider carbon capture a very exciting technology. Thanks to GEA's decades of experience in emissions control, I am very positive that together we can develop and implement a solution."

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies reported revenues of Euro1.68m during the first half of 2023, more than triple those recorded in the first half of 2022 (Euro544,000). The producer’s sales volumes of its clinkerless cement also more than tripled, to 7340t. It says it is on course to achieve its full-year 2023 target of 24,000t. The commissioning of its H2 plant in France raised the company’s installed production capacity by 250,000t.

Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "Thanks to the daily work of all our teams, we are accelerating the marketing of our innovative clinker-free cement in a construction market with demand for truly carbon-free solutions. Considering the seasonality of our sales, we intend to intensify the transformation of our order book into sales during the second half of 2023.”

Pakistan: The board of directors of Lucky Cement has approved US$37.1m-worth of investments in the construction of renewable energy infrastructure at the company’s Karachi and Pezu cement plants. The producer plans to build a 6.3MW solar power plant and a 28.8MW wind power plant at the Karachi plant in Sindh and a 2.5MW solar power plant at the Pezu plant in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan Company News has reported that the board also empowered Lucky Cement to evaluate its participation in the equity of its diversified industrial manufacturing subsidiary, Lucky Core Ventures.

Malaysia: Norway-based Norges Bank has bought a 5% stake in Cahya Mata Sarawak, Bernama Daily Malaysian News has reported.

The bank said “Norges Bank's mission is to promote economic stability and manage substantial assets on behalf of the Norwegian people.” It added “As part of its investment strategy for the Government Pension Fund Global, Norges Bank seeks to optimise returns within the framework of its investment mandate.”

US: Sublime Systems’ Sublime Cement reduced-CO₂ cement has received an ASTM C1157 designation. InterestingEngineering News has reported that this enables builders to use it in various projects in line with international building codes. Sublime Systems’ cement consists of lime and silica produced by electrolysis using non-carbonate calcium compounds.

CEO Leah Ellis said "Our aim is to make a profound and lasting impact on global CO₂ emissions. The ASTM C1157 designation is a validation of our efforts to integrate low-carbon innovation into quality construction materials."

Malaysia: A court has granted Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) the right to evict Buddhist monks from the Gunung Kanthan caves monastery in Hulu Kinta, Perak. The land is part of a site where APMC has leased 146 hectares of land for limestone extraction. New Straits Times News has reported that the producer operates quarries in Zones A and B of the site, but has yet to commence extraction from Zones C and D. Local authorities had previously given assurance that mining operations ‘would not disturb’ the monastery.

Monks from the Thudong tradition established the Gunung Kanthan caves monastery across two caves in Gunung Kanthan hill in the early 20th century. Today, it contains numerous artefacts and works of art.

South Africa: The cement industry produced 13Mt of cement during the 2023 financial year, which ended on 31 March 2023. This corresponds to a capacity utilisation rate of 59% across its 22Mt/yr installed capacity. The Business Day newspaper has reported that the industry competes in the domestic market against imports that are 40% lower in price.

Germany: KS-Engineering says that Klaus Schneider died on 14 September 2023, at the age of 71. Schneider had served as managing director of KS-Engineering since 1991. He first launched the business as an ‘engineering office for environmental process engineering.’ Schneider was an internationally recognised luminary in the field of pneumatic conveyor technology, and was well known around the professional world through his seminars, articles and specialist contributions on the topic.

KS-Engineering described Schneider as ‘Creative, with a lot of scientific curiosity, always imaginative and with enormous commitment.’ His family will hold a memorial service and funeral in Rudersdorf cemetery hall at 11AM on 20 September 2023.