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Displaying items by tag: Emissions
Nigeria: Lafarge Africa has launched ECOPlanet Unicem, the country's first low-carbon multipurpose cement, from its Mfamosing plant in Cross River State. The new product is reportedly designed with over 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions. ECOPlanet will be available nationwide by the end of 2024.
Cimpor launches new plant in Cameroon
22 July 2024Cameroon: Cimpor has inaugurated its new plant in Kribi, Cameroon. Following investments in Côte d'Ivoire, Cimpor embarked on this greenfield project in February 2020, integrating the ‘world's first’ operational flash calcined clay production line, launched on 29 October 2023.
Cimpor Cameroun now has an output of 1.2Mt/yr of cement and 0.4Mt/yr of calcined clay. Cimpor's calcined clay production technology - ‘deOHclay’ – reportedly saves up to 80% in CO2 emissions, up to 35% in electricity consumption and up to 40% in thermal energy consumption per tonne. Compared to a plant with a similar capacity, this technology could reduce CO2 emissions by around 0.2Mt/yr, according to the company. The new plant will reduce the country’s dependence on imports to meet local cement needs.
Philippines: Taiheiyo Cement Philippines has inaugurated a new US$220m production line at its plant in San Fernando, Cebu, which is expected to support national cement production and reduce reliance on imports. The plant now has a capacity of 3Mt/yr, or 6000t/day of clinker. The new production line replaced the old facility, which was demolished in 2021. The facility incorporates kiln renewal technology that reportedly cuts CO₂ emissions by at least 10% through reduced energy consumption and a lower clinker factor. San Fernando Mayor Mytha Ann Canoy said the new facility is expected to generate 2000 new jobs.
US: Heidelberg Materials has won negotiation for up to US$5m in funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a web-based tool for cement facilities to produce Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). The funding is part of the EPA’s grant initiative to report and reduce emissions from the manufacture of construction materials, which awarded nearly US$160m to 38 recipients nationally.
Canada: Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, announced the reinvestment of up to US$1.6m from industrial pollution pricing proceeds into a new emissions reduction project at St Marys Cement in St Marys, Ontario. This initiative will involve the installation of a new kiln utilising low-carbon fuels, including discarded plastics, to reduce the use of carbon-intensive fuels used in the manufacturing process by up to 30%. The project aims for a reduction of over 39,900t of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, according to Foreign Affairs news.
South Korea: South Korean cement manufacturers recently convened at an event hosted by the Korea Cement Association and the Korea Industry Alliance Forum to discuss how to achieve carbon neutrality. The industry currently faces financial challenges in upgrading equipment due to low cement prices. However, it has achieved a 20% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of cement since 2014, aided by the use of alternative fuels and investment in energy efficiency. The Korean government now requires that greenhouse gases be cut by 12% by 2023 from 2018 levels by 53% by 2050.
The industry currently uses post-consumer plastics as fuels instead of fossil fuels and incorporates byproducts from other industries, like sludge. However, some environmental groups have labelled cement made from industrial byproducts as ‘garbage cement’ claiming it contains hexavalent chromium levels more than four times the EU’s allowable limits. The use of plastics as alternative fuel has also sparked complaints from local waste collection and incineration companies, who argue that cement companies are taking away their business.
Professor Kim Jin-man from Kongju National University said "We also need to focus on developing high-performance clinker, advanced chemical admixtures for concrete, and accelerators that shorten concrete curing times."
NovaAlgoma to launch new cement carrier
11 July 2024Italy: NovaAlgoma, a joint venture between the Italian-Swiss Nova Marine Carriers and Canada's Algoma Central Corporation, has announced the construction of the ‘world’s largest and greenest’ cement carrier, weighing 38,000t. This vessel will be built by Xinle Shipbuilding in China and delivered by the end of 2026. It will reportedly be the first to use both traditional fuel and methanol and can connect to electrical grids in ports to eliminate emissions, according to local news reports. Additionally, it will feature a waste heat recovery system that converts exhaust gases into 250kW of electrical energy.
Vincenzo Romeo, CEO of Nova Marine, said "This new construction, which meets the forecasts for the development of our fleet and the growth of cement market demand in the coming years, is intended to consolidate our positioning among the global leaders in cement transportation.”
Unacem sets 2030 carbon emissions target
02 July 2024Peru: Unacem has unveiled its roadmap to 2030, committing to a carbon emissions target of 500kg of CO₂/t of cement by 2030 across all operations, a reduction from the current 607kg/t. The company plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and is investing US$300m to meet these goals.
In 2023, Unacem achieved a CO₂ reduction of 5kg/t of cement and targets a further 6kg/t reduction in 2024, with medium-term goals of 21kg/t and 16kg/t for 2025 and 2026, respectively. The roadmap also includes enhancing thermal efficiency and transitioning to 100% clean energy for its Peruvian operations by 2035.
Holcim to invest US$278m in Swiss cement plants
28 June 2024Switzerland: Holcim plans to invest around US$278m in its three Swiss cement plants to reduce the use of fossil fuels in cement production and comply with future limits set by the Swiss Air Quality Control Ordinance. The ‘Phoenix’ project alone is expected to cost between US$78 and US$111m, according to Clemens Wögerbauer, chief commercial and sustainability officer at Holcim Central Europe West.
The Phoenix project will reduce the use of lignite for heating cement kilns. A gasifier will be constructed to process waste materials like residual wood, paper sludge and plastics into synthesis gas for heating the kilns. Additionally, a catalyst powered by the kiln's waste heat will be used to reduce nitrogen and ammonia emissions, aligning with future Swiss environmental targets. The Siggenthal plant is expected to reduce its CO₂ emissions by over 30,000t/yr from its current output of 450,000t/yr.
The new facility is scheduled to start operating in 2028 and may be replicated in other Holcim cement plants if successful. The Phoenix initiative will increase the proportion of alternative fuels used from the current 57% to 80%, targeting over 85%.
US: Queens Carbon has secured a US$14.5m grant from the US Department of Energy under its SCALEUP program. The funding will support the pilot of Queens Carbon's low temperature, ‘zero CO₂’ emission technology at an existing cement production site. Queens Carbon's supplementary cementitious materials, which replace 20-50% of the high-CO₂ binder in cement, will be produced at a pilot plant with a capacity of 10t/day.
CEO Daniel Kopp said “This SCALEUP grant is a tremendous step forward on our path to commercialisation. Partnering with the Department of Energy and a major cement industry player to deploy, operate, and optimise our 10t/day pilot plant will put us on an accelerated path to gigatonne-scale CO₂ reductions.”