Displaying items by tag: CO2
Atlante secures Euro49.9m grant for European vehicle charging network
12 September 2023Europe: The EU has awarded a Euro49.9m grant under its Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) to Taiwan Cement subsidiary Atlante. The cement group said that Atlante will use the funds to building a fast and ultra-fast electric vehicle charging network in Europe.
Solidia Technologies patents new synthetic pozzolan
11 September 2023US: Texas-based Solidia Technologies has patented a synthetic pozzolan that may be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in cement production. The product is based on previously low-value materials, including minimally processed oil shales and clay minerals. Solidia Technologies produces the material by various methods, including firing the materials to yield a mix of crystalline components and activatable amorphous phase material. Alternatively, production may also involve the aqueous decomposition of manmade silicates in the presence of CO2.
SaltX and SMA Mineral agree plant for electrified lime plants
05 September 2023Sweden: SaltX Technology and SMA Mineral have agreed a joint roadmap until 2028 to work on developing and building electrified lime plants. The agreement means that mineral producer SMA Mineral plans to build several units where SaltX's electric arc calciner (EAC) technology will be installed. The companies have worked together since mid-2022.
Carl-Johan Linér, the chief executive officer at SaltX, said "We have now signed a long-term cooperation agreement in which the respective parties' roles and responsibilities are regulated, which is an important step for both parties."
SaltX Technology is intended to allow SMA Mineral to halve its CO2 emissions by 2027. The agreement allows SMA Mineral to use the EAC technology to produce quicklime in the Nordic region. The forecast is that SaltX will receive orders for 7 - 9 EAC units from SMA Mineral during the contract period. SaltX intends to market and sell the EAC technology to lime manufacturers outside the Nordic region and other stakeholders, such as cement manufacturers, worldwide. SaltX and SMA Mineral are accelerating work on SMA Mineral’s first electric lime plant at Mo i Rana.
Lafarge Egypt confirms aim to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030
04 September 2023Egypt: Lafarge Egypt has confirmed that it is aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions in excess of 20% by 2030. Its key steps to achieve this include increasing its use of alternative fuels and lowering its clinker factor, according to the Daily News Egypt newspaper. Chief executive officer Jimmy Khan added that the company is also working on developing digital methods to reduce emissions by improving transport logistics. The cement producer launched its Shatbna Masonry Cement product in 2022, part of parent company Holcim’s ECOPlanet range.
Holcim has set a worldwide target to reduce its gross Scope 1 CO2 emissions from cement production of 22% by 2030 from a baseline of 590kg/t in 2018. It reported a 5% reduction to 562kg/t in its 2022 sustainability report. Ultimately the group is targeting net zero emissions from its activities by 2050.
Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete counts nine new members
01 September 2023World: Nine new members have joined the Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete (ALCCC), a global association of low-CO2 cement and concrete developers, producers and users, since its launch in May 2023. The alliance has welcomed alternative cement and concrete companies Betolar, 3Béton, CarbonRE, Cemvision, the European Environmental Bureau, Greenmade, Materrup, Nomad and Sublime Systems.
Joren Verschaeve, Programme Manager at ALCCC founder Environmental Coalition on Standards, said “It is great to see that so many actors - particularly innovators from within the industry - are committed to speeding up the decarbonisation of cement and concrete through better standards and policies. We are eager to work with our members and other stakeholders to (finally) help put the right incentives in place for low-carbon cement and concrete solutions.”
France Ciment estimates cost of national cement industry decarbonisation at Euro3.5bn
30 August 2023France: The French cement sector association, France Ciment, has called on the government to make ‘heavy investments’ in the industry amid its on-going transition to net zero CO2 cement production. It estimated the total cost of its transition, which will include carbon capture, at Euro3.5bn,according to Les Echos newspaper. The association said that producers currently benefit from the government’s partial price cap on electricity for industrial plants. It sought clarity as to whether the cap will remain in force beyond its scheduled limit in 2025. Lafarge France said that capped prices covered 50 – 60% of its electricity consumption in 2022.
Heidelberg Materials Sement Norge lifts absorber unit into place for Brevik cement plant carbon capture system
29 August 2023Norway: Heidelberg Materials Sement Norge set in place a 220t absorber unit at its Brevik cement plant on late August 2023. The unit will form part of the upcoming 400,000t/yr carbon capture and storage (CCS) installation at the site. It expects to complete the installation of the absorber unit within two weeks of its placement. In September 2023, Heidelberg Materials Sement Norge will proceed to install the system’s 100m-high absorber stack.
Brevik CCS operational manager Tor Gautestad said “The absorber is in many ways the heart of the carbon capture process, because it is where the flue gases are separated.”
Terra CO2 supplies OPUS supplementary cementitious material for indiGO Auto Group car dealership in Texas
25 August 2023US: Terra CO2 has performed a successful demonstration pour of its OPUS silicate-based supplementary cementitious material (SCM) at a construction site in Texas. Terra CO2 supplied the SCM to indiGO Auto Group for the construction of its Porsche Sugar Land car dealership in Houston. It says that the product delivers durability, strength and functionality on a par with other, traditional SCMs. Tonne-for-tonne, the use of OPUS reduces projects’ CO2 emissions by 70%, and their NOx emissions by 90%, compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC).
Terra CO2 CEO Bill Yearsley said "Our work at Terra CO2 is about forging a viable path for sustainable construction. We're set on creating a blueprint for the future where performance, cost-effectiveness and sustainability coexist seamlessly across projects. We're moving beyond the lab, beyond the processes that have held us back as an industry, and introducing a sustainable solution to real-world applications."
Cemex Mexico exceeds Mexico’s 2030 alternative fuel target
24 August 2023Mexico: Cemex Mexico subsitituted 36% of it cement fuel with alternative fuel (AF) in 2022. This exceeds the Mexican cement industry’s target for 2030, of 32%. Mexico Business News has reported that the producer used 1.05Mt of AF across its operations. This reduced its CO2 emissions by 1.8Mt, and prevented 850,000t of methane emissions from being generated in landfill. Cemex Mexico’s Huichapan cement plant in Hidalgo set the company record for the year, with 207,000t of AF co-processed in its cement production. It produced 3.2Mt of cement for the Bajio, Central, Central-North, Laguna and Southeast Mexico markets.
Sustainability Manager Carlos Medina said "Last year’s results motivate us to intensify our efforts and uphold good practices that benefit communities and the environment. We will keep promoting environmentally friendly solutions in all our operations, as we are convinced that all social actors must collaborate to lay the foundations for a better future."
Alpacem Zement Austria appoints Christine Gröll as head of material flow management and process control
23 August 2023Austria: Christine Gröll has taken over the role of head of material flow management and process control at Alpacem Zement Austria. The producer created the new role for Gröll, who will lead a dedicated team of eight people to achieve net zero CO2 cement production at the company’s Wietersdorf cement plant by 2035. The team will focus on alternative raw materials and alternative fuel (AF) substitution.
Gröll is an Ulm University-trained chemist with over four years’ experience working within Alpacem Zement Austria. Prior to that, she worked as a research associate for Schwenk Zement in Germany, on the development of its Celitement hydraulic binder.
Alpacem Zement Austria’s technical director Florian Salzer said "It fills us with particular pride that we were able to fill the new department with talented employees from our own company. This clearly underlines the potential that exists in our team and emphasises the extensive expertise that we have built up. We are also pleased that the department management is in the competent hands of Christine Gröll, who brings an incomparable mix of research drive and practical experience.”