Displaying items by tag: Alternative raw materials

Europe/India: Finland-based Betolar has secured EU-wide and Indian patents for a new waste-based alternative concrete produced without cement and capable of storing energy. Betolar said that the material, which is already patented in Finland, is especially suited for use in renewable energy infrastructure, where it can provide a storage solution for dealing with short-term peaks. Chief commercial officer Ville Voipio said that the company will now seek to establish a partnership for commercialisation of its new alternative building material.

Betolar produces and markets the Geoprime additive used to produce cement-free concrete from supplementary cementitious materials, including ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), in regions that include India and the EU.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines introduced Holcim Optima, a blended Portland limestone cement (PLC), on the Philippine market on 8 June 2023. The Business Mirror newspaper has reported that Holcim Optima cement offers 10% reduced CO₂ emissions compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

President and CEO Horia Adrian said that Holcim Optima cement 'delivers the same strength, workability and durability as OPC and remains compatible with other cement additives such as slag and fly ash. The new product is best used in large building projects and available in bulk.' Adrian added "It is a timely product for the Philippines, as infrastructure building accelerates and green demand grows."

Europe: 12 decarbonisation-focused companies from across the European cement and concrete sector have launched the Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCCC). The alliance has called on policymakers to change building standards to help low-carbon alternatives to enter the cement and concrete markets. It further said that green procurement and targeted financing instruments would help to reduce sectoral CO₂ emissions. It said that a progressive decline in clinker factor to 60%, 50% or 40% by 2050 will reduce CO₂ emissions by over 50%. The ALCCC says that it is ready to lead the sector towards a swift, low-cost and viable decarbonisation pathway. Participants in the alliance include France-based Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies, Ireland-based Ecocem and US-based Fortera.

Fortera's Europe director Thierry Legrand said "Climate action is a global priority, and collaboration is essential to advancing emissions-reducing technologies and policies. This alliance represents collective action by scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and environmental advocates to reduce CO₂ emissions from cement production."

Italy: Italcementi, part of Heidelberg Materials, has filed a patent application for a titanium dioxide-based cementitious material. The Patent Office Journal has reported that the material consists of titanium dioxide (TiO2) imbued with carbon dopants. This is produced by irradiating the TiO₂ in the presence of an inert gas and an organic compound.

France: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials announced a planned Euro65m upgrade to its Bussac-Forêt cement plant in Charente-Maritime Department on 14 May 2023. The project will involve the installation of systems for the production of calcined clay cement. The producer says that this will enable the 0.8Mt/yr plant to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 20%.

Chief sustainability officer Nicola Kimm said “In Bussac-Forêt, we are investing in a technology with great potential. It will allow us to significantly expand the range of low-carbon products. Using calcined clay as a clinker substitute is an important measure to reduce the carbon footprint of cement and concrete. In principle, a CO₂ reduction of up to 40% is possible when substituting cement clinker with calcined clay.”

Heidelberg Materials is already involved in the on-going pilot trial of a 400,000t/yr clay calcination plant in Ghana.

New Zealand: Golden Bay Cement has signed a deal with Genesis Energy for a supply of bottom ash from Huntly power plant for use in cement production at its Portland cement plant in Northland. Genesis Energy generates 20,000t/yr of bottom ash at the Huntly plant, situated in Waikato, 260km south of the Portland cement plant. The plant currently uses 15,000t/yr of fly ash from the Huntly power plant in its operations. The producer was previously investigating the use of volcanic ash in cement production in 2022. It currently uses waste tyres and wood waste as alternative fuels (AF) to produce its EcoSure low-carbon general-purpose cement.

Golden Bay Cement's general manager Gian Raffainer said "We are driven to decarbonise and achieve 30% less carbon by 2030. Contributing to waste reduction at a large scale for the benefit of all New Zealanders is incredibly exciting. It is a win-win for the environment and for Kiwis who want to use more environmentally friendly products."

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) has launched Dalmia Supreme cement, a Portland pozzolana cement (PPC), in the Eastern India market. The producer says that the cement is a is a specialised, best-in-class product formulated for all construction applications, offering better workability, higher density, chemical resistance and strength and faster setting times than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Dalmia Cement already sells Portland fly ash cement under its Konark cement brand.

Dalmia Cement (Bharat)'s head of sales, logistics, technical services and marketing Rajiv Prasad said “We are excited to introduce Dalmia Supreme Cement in the Eastern market. In line with the company’s customer-centric approach, this new offering is to cater to the growing needs of a specialised product for 'Stronger, Faster and Better' construction."

Mexico: Holcim Mexico has commenced production of its Fuerte Más reduced-CO₂ cement at its cement plants in Macuspana and Tabasco at a combined rate of 60,000t/yr. The cement offers 50% reduced CO₂ emissions and 10% higher physical performance than ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The El Economista newspaper has reported that Holcim Mexico replaces some of the clinker in the cement with locally-sourced minerals from Southeast Mexico. Chemical compounds in the material colour the cement red.

The Centre for Technological Innovation for Construction (CITEC) Toluca verified the product as suitable for all applications. Holcim Mexico's industrial director Adrián Belli said that comparable green cements are currently only available in France and Italy.

Mexico: Cemex has reviewed its global sustainability and financial performance during 2022 in its Integrated Report 2022. During the year, the group reduced its specific CO₂ emissions by 9% from 2020 levels and by 30% from 1990 levels. It achieved a target of US$1bn-worth of investment in strategic projects over a period begun in 2020. Projects included the execution of water optimisation plans at 20% of Cemex sites in high-water stress areas. Cemex co-processed 27Mt of waste as alternative fuel (AF) in its global cement production - 67 times greater than its own non-recyclable waste footprint - and achieved an AF substitution rate of 35%. Meanwhile, the group also reduced its cement's clinker factor to 74%. Its Vertua reduced-CO₂ concrete range accounted for 33% of its concrete sales. During the year, Cemex launched the world's first net zero, fully electric heavy concrete mixer truck.

In 2022, Cemex recorded sales of US$15.6bn, down by 12% year-on-year, and reduced its debt to US$408m.

Finland: VTT Technical Research Centre subsidiary Carbonaide has concluded its seed funding round, having raised funds worth Euro1.8m. Lakan Betoni, which produces precast and ready-mix concrete, led the funding, along with utilities provider Vantaa Energy. Carbonaide will use the funds to build an industrial pilot plant for its carbon neutral precast concrete product at an existing precast concrete plant in Hollola. The plant will bind captured CO₂ in the product at atmospheric pressure. The process generates 50% lower CO₂ emissions than precast concrete production using ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Suitable raw materials include ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), green liquor dregs and bio-ash. In trial production, the use of GGBFS gave Carbonaide's concrete a negative carbon footprint of -60kg/m³.

Other sources of loans and in-kind contributions included Finnish state innovation fund Business Finland.