Displaying items by tag: GCW535
ThyssenKrupp to upgrade Ciments Calcia’s Airvault cement plant
07 December 2021France: Germany-based ThyssenKrupp has won a contract for the installation of a new 4000t/day clinker line at Ciments Calcia’s Airvault cement plant in Poitou-Charentes. The supplier expects the new line to double the plant’s clinker capacity while also reducing its CO2 emissions. It is intended to replace the two existing lines at the site.
ThyssenKrupp will supply a 1200t/hr double-shaft hammer crusher, a longitudinal blending bed, a 370t/hr Quadropol QMR² 45/23 type vertical roller mill and a 10,000t tangential blending silo to process raw materials for the line. A single-string, five-stage Dopol type cyclone preheater with integral calciner will be supplied that is suitable to use with alternative fuels, with the possibility of conversion to oxyfuel in future. ThyssenKrupp plans to preassemble the preheater, reducing anticipated construction time ‘by several months.’ The plant also includes a Polytrack clinker cooler, a solid recovered fuel (SRF) preparation line and dedusting systems. Commissioning is scheduled for mid-2024.
No value for the project has been disclosed by Ciments Calcia or ThyssenKrupp. However, Ciments Calcia previously announced a proposed investment of Euro300m in January 2021.
US: Australia-based Boral has agreed to sell its US fly ash business to Eco Material Technologies for US$755m. The parties expect to conclude the transaction by the start of 2023. The proceeds of the sale will add to Boral’s surplus capital.
Boral’s chief executive officer Zlatko Todorcevski said “Together with the sale of our North American building products business and our stake in Meridian Brick, we will have divested the North American businesses for more than US$3bn.” He added “This is a significant milestone that supports our strategy to refocus on our construction materials business in Australia.”
Belgium: Environmental disclosure organisation CDP has listed Cemex, HeidelbergCement and Holcim among 200 companies on its 2021 Climate Change A List for actions to mitigate their CO2 emissions. Holcim’s Indian subsidiaries ACC and Ambuja Cements also received A ratings. Both ACC and Ambuja appeared on CDP’s 2021 Water Security A List, while Holcim scored an A-.
Chief executive officer Jan Jenisch said “Building on the launch of our nature-positive strategy this year, we set new and ambitious goals to achieve water security across our operations worldwide, with our colleagues from Ambuja in India leading the way. CDP’s rankings this year are a testimony to the tremendous work carried out by our 70,000 people around the world and a great encouragement for all of us to keep raising the bar.”
Cementos Argos to launch US initial public offering
07 December 2021US: Cementos Argos plans to begin trading publically in mid-late 2022 with the launch of an initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange.
The company said “The listing in the US will contribute to the purpose of fully capturing the business value of the company, optimising the capital structure and obtaining the necessary resources to continue executing the growth strategy that the company plans to achieve in that country as a result of the recent approval of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for US$1tn and the positive cycle expected for the construction materials industry in the residential, commercial and civil works segments during the next 10 years.”
ASGCO launches Grizzly Screw-Splice splicing and fastening system
07 December 2021US: ASGCO has launched its Grizzly Screw-Splice, a conveyor belt splicing and fastening system. The splice is available in various rubber compounds with a tensile strength of up to 1650PIW. The supplier says that the product is stronger, wears less and has a lower-profile silhouette than traditional metal fasteners for conveyor belts. It features self-tapping and self-drilling screws that uphold the toughness of the conveyor belt by passing through the belt carcass instead of creating holes.
Dalmia Cement details Bokaro grinding plant expansion plans
06 December 2021India: Dalmia Cement plans to invest US$75.2m in a 2.6Mt/yr expansion to its Bokaro grinding plant in Jharkhand. The company says that the work will increase the plant’s capacity by 70% to 6.3Mt/yr from 3.7Mt/yr. US$33.2m will go towards the installation of new solar power plant. The company will also set up a waste management facility at the site, using US$1.06m of the investment.
Managing director Puneet Dalmia said “As we are further investing in the Eastern India market to participate in its economic growth story, we are also taking our corporate responsibility seriously by placing the utmost importance on environmental protection and social impact. We are confident that the employment generated through our investments and the skill enhancement in our social initiatives will help create a progressive ecosystem where we help people become independent and self-sufficient. We are excited and look forward to partnering with the state to achieve our business, social and sustainability goals.”
Department of Trade and Industry introduces temporary import duty on some Vietnamese cement
06 December 2021Philippines: The Philippines Department of Trade and Industry has enacted a temporary duty on some imports of cement from Vietnam. The Manila Times newspaper has reported that the measure will be in force until April 2022 and only apply to ‘dumped’ cement. Importers will pay a duty of between US$1.02/t and US$10.50/t on ordinary Portland cement and between US$1.16/t and US$12.80/t on blended cement.
The measure follows a probe carried out on the basis of a petition by domestic cement producers APO Cement, Holcim Philippines, Republic Cement and Solid Cement. The probe found that the domestic cement industry had suffered a loss of market share and declining domestic sales between July 2019 and December 2020.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said "We do not anticipate that these duties will result in an increase in the retail price of cement, because its effect on landed cost is minimal.” He added “Any price increases in imported cement will be discouraged by competition from domestic cement producers. The provisional anti-dumping duties will be imposed only on specific Vietnamese exporters found to be dumping cement to the Philippines. Vietnamese exporters who are not dumping can continue to export cement without having to post the provisional anti-dumping cash bond.”
India: Udaipur Cement Works has increased its solar power generation capacity by 43% through the installation of a new 4.35MW solar power plant at its Udaipur cement plant in Rajasthan. The 1.4Mt/yr cement plant now has a total solar power capacity of 14.5MW. Udaipur Cement Works says that solar power generated at the plant will reduce it operations’ CO2 footprint by 14,000t/yr.
Dalmia Cement obtains Indian Green Building Council’s GreenPro label for blended cement portfolio
06 December 2021India: The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has certified the sustainability claims of Dalmia Cement’s portfolio of blended cements. The portfolio consists of composite cement, Portland pozzolan cement and Portland slag cement. The council employed a full-cycle assessment of the cements’ impacts.
Head of sales, marketing and logstics Sanjay Wali said “We see GreenPro’s accreditation as a milestone in our journey to becoming carbon-negative by 2040. This also reaffirms our blended cement products’ green supremacy, which is accelerating the global transition from a grey to green reality.”
14Trees and CDC Group build 52-house 3D-printed housing development in Kilifi county
06 December 2021Kenya: Affordable housing joint venture 14Trees and UK-based development finance company CDC Group have 3D printed a complex of 52 houses near Kilifi, Kilifi county. The development, called Mvule Gardens, uses an IFC-EDGE Advanced-certified sustainable design to support the ecological regeneration of its locale. Swtizerland-based Holcim, which holds a stake in 14Trees, supplied its TectorPrint ink for use in buildings’ walls to increase strength.
Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch said “We are excited to be building one of the world’s largest 3D-printed affordable housing projects in Kenya. With today’s rapid urbanisation, over 3bn people are expected to need affordable housing by 2030. This issue is most acute in Africa, with countries like Kenya already facing an estimated shortage of 2m houses. By deploying 3D printing, we can address this infrastructure gap at scale, to increase living standards for all.”