Displaying items by tag: ESSROC

US: The US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Cleveland Area Office has cited Essroc Cement for one repeated and 10 serious safety and health violations at its site in Middlebranch, Ohio. OSHA found that the company had exposed workers to machine, noise and respiratory hazards following an investigation started in November 2015 after a complaint was submitted alleging unsafe working conditions. The US subsidiary of Italacementi faces fines of up to US$92,000 for the violations.

"Employers have a responsibility to protect workers from exposure to noise and respiratory hazards that can lead to debilitating health conditions," said Howard Eberts, OSHA's area director in Cleveland. "Essroc needs to immediately re-evaluate its safety and health programs to keep workers safe on the job."

Essroc operates a slag grinding plant and a cement terminal at the site.

US: The Indiana Department of Environmental Management will hold a public hearing about the use of liquid waste-derived fuel at the Essroc Cement Speed plant. Essroc Cement is applying for a state environmental permit to burn liquid waste-derived fuel in one of its cement kilns in the unincorporated Clark County community of Speed. Residents have expressed concerns about the plants. No date for the meeting has been set, according to Associated Press.

Mike McHugh, the Speed plant's director, said Essroc plans to use products mostly from the petroleum industry, such as paint thinners, antifreeze and acetone. The plant will have to build two small storage facilities for it to start replacing about 25 – 30% of the coal it burns with liquid waste-derived fuel.

Essroc Corporate Environmental Engineer Luis Rodriguez said the company welcomes the public's questions. The company hosted an open house and talked with community leaders in 2014 before it submitted its application. "We actually want it to go to public comment so we can answer some of these questions... We've wanted to be as upfront on this as possible," said Rodriguez.

US: A fire that started in the coal mill at the Essroc Cement plant in Lower Nazareth, US is under investigation.

The fire started around 16:20 on 10 January 2015. Firefighters from several different companies were on the scene for about two hours, according to Hecktown Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jeff Seip.

"It was a lengthy process because of where the fire was burning inside the coal mill," said Seip. "We had to take our time to gain access to the fire and then apply water to it so that it did not extend to other parts of the bins."

The fire caused a significant amount of damage to the mill, although the damage did not extend beyond that portion of the building. There were about 10 employees working at the time the fire was reported. None of the employees or firefighters on the scene were injured.

US: A waste-to-solid-fuel plant has broken ground in West Virginia. Its developers say it is the US' first resource recovery facility that employs mechanical biological treatment (MBT).

The waste-to-solid-fuel plant in Martinsburg, West Virginia, called Entsorga WV, is expected to be operational in early 2017. Entsorga WV is a joint venture between Apple Valley Waste Technologies, Entsorga USA and Chemtex International.

By utilising the HEBioT MBT system, Entsorga WV will recover biomass, plastics and other carbon based materials from the mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) stream and convert them into an alternative fuel. When processing the MSW, Entsorga WV will remove other recyclable commodities such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The MSW received will be converted to solid recovered (SRF), which will be used as an alternative or supplement to fossil fuels.

The plant will be able to produce about 50,000t/yr of SRF, which will be delivered to the Essroc Cement Plant and used in conjunction with coal. The companies have entered into a long-term contract for the provision and acceptance of the SRF.

The reduction of waste that will be disposed of in landfills as a result of the Entsorga facility will result in a greenhouse gas emission reduction of 28,000t/yr of carbon dioxide equivalent. There are currently more than 330 MBT plants in operation throughout Europe, processing more than 30Mt/yr of municipal solid waste.

US: Residents living near Essroc's cement plant and quarry at the south end of Martinsburg, West Virginia have claimed that dust coming from the plant has coated their vehicles and made it difficult to keep them clean. "If I wanted my vehicle to stay clean, I would have to go to the car wash every day," said Thompson Street resident Melissa Kneisly.

According to local media, Essroc officials said that they have taken multiple steps to keep dust from becoming airborne and leaving their facilities after receiving multiple complaints from nearby residents. The increased number of trucks hauling clinker to Pennsylvania caused the extra dust to be kicked up from the loading of the trucks and transportation on the roads, according to Environmental Manager Bradley Blasé. In recent weeks, the number of trucks leaving the plant has nearly doubled to 50/day as a result of a special operation. Besides truck traffic, Blase also cited dry and unfavourable weather conditions for contributing to the dust problem. Plant Director Heinz Knopfel said that the plant has increased the sweeping of roads and watering as part of efforts to contain the dust.

Jake Glance, a spokesman for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), said that the agency is aware of the dust situation and has had an inspector from the Division of Air Quality looking into the issue for several days. "The situation is still under investigation and right now, the DEP cannot speculate on what the dust is or where it is coming from," said Glance.

US: Essroc, part of Italcementi, has acquired the Holcim (US) slag cement grinding plant in Camden, New Jersey, according to MarketLine. As part of the transaction, Essroc will also obtain Holcim's cement terminal in Everett, Massachusetts, US. Upon completion of the transaction, Holcim's staff in Camden and Everett will join Essroc. The transaction is expected to be completed later in 2015. The acquisition will allow Essroc to strengthen its position in the sustainable building products market.

US: Essroc Italcementi Group has signed an agreement with Holcim to purchase its slag cement grinding facility in Camden, New Jeresy. As part of the transaction, Essroc will also obtain Holcim's cement terminal in Everett, Massachusetts. The acquisition will finalise when the pending Holcim and Lafarge merger completes later in 2015.

"The acquisition of the Camden slag grinding facility reiterates Essroc's commitment to the northeast market," said Francesco Carantani, Essroc's president and chief executive officer. "With the focus on sustainability and durability, there is a projected growth in the demand and usage of slag cement."

The Camden facility can produce upwards of 700,000t/yr of slag cement. Essroc currently produces slag cement at its Picton, Ontario, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, cement plants and at its slag grinding facility in Middlebranch, Ohio. With the addition of Camden, Essroc has a combined annual production capacity in excess of 1Mt/yr. Holcim's staff in Camden and Everett will join Essroc once the transaction completes.

US: A series of scattered fires that erupted on 11 April 2015 at Essroc Cement in Nazareth, Pennsylvania have been deemed accidental by the Vigilance Hose Co.

The initial fire began shortly after 16:00 on an underground conveyor belt that transports stone from Essroc's plant II to plant I in Nazareth, said fire chief Danny Keenhold. He said an unidentified malfunction on the belt caused the fire, which began underground. The fire then ignited a separate above-ground portion of the conveyor belt. It took firefighters from seven different agencies about two hours to extinguish the fire from both ends.

There were no reported injuries to Essroc crews or firefighters. The conveyor belt will now need to be repaired. Keenhold said that in the interim trucks will transport stone between the plants.

US: Fire-fighters were dispatched to the Essroc Cement plant in Lower Nazareth Township, Pennsylvania on 18 June 2014 after Essroc personnel reported an uncontrolled fire, according to local media. No injuries were reported.

US: Essroc's cement plant in Nazareth, Pennsylvania has earned certification for superior energy efficiency from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Energy Star certification signifies that the plant performs in the top 25% of similar facilities nationally and meets the strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

The plant has recently improved its performance by managing its energy strategically across the entire organisation and by making cost-effective improvements, such as meters, LED, low-voltage lighting, timers and sensors. To earn the certification, the plant established a local energy team to discuss actions to be implemented to lower energy consumption, establish an action plan and review progress of those being implemented.

"Energy reduction is the most important part of the programme. The certification is the cherry on top of the cake," said Jean Paul-Morel, Essroc's chief electrical engineer.