Displaying items by tag: Germany

Germany: The European Cement Research Academy (ECRA) has elected Eric Bourdon as the chair of its Technical Advisory Committee. Hendrik Möller, Schwenk Deutschland and Samir Cairae, Titan Cement have also joined the organisation’s board of directors

Bourdon is the Deputy CEO, the Head of Industry and the Chief Climate Officer of Vicat. He joined the group in 2002 after working for thyssenkrupp Polysius. He is a graduate in engineering from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers in Paris.

ECRA was founded in 2003. It supports and shares research by the cement sector in Europe. It is steered by its technical committee. Bourdon will work with ECRA managing director Martin Schneider on strengthening its work in strategic areas, including CO₂ capture and related technologies, as well as grinding and kiln technologies.

Germany: Heidelberg Materials has started the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study phase on the GeZero project at its Milke plant in Geseke. The technical planning phase is being conducted by Fluor Corporation. It will focus on the design and integration of the various systems into the overall technical concept, which also includes a CO₂ transport solution. The technical planning is expected to be completed in mid-2025 with construction scheduled to start in 2026.

Christian Knell, CEO of Heidelberg Materials Germany, said “With GeZero, Heidelberg Materials will rely on CO₂ capture using state-of-the-art oxyfuel technology in combination with a CO₂ cleaning and liquefaction plant. To pave the way for domestic CCS plants, a CO₂ transport solution by rail is part of the planning until the necessary pipeline infrastructure is available. In addition, a local CO2 storage hub is to be created as interim storage. The electrical energy requirement for the operation of the plant is to be covered exclusively by renewable energies. A new photovoltaic system in the vicinity of the factory premises will help to meet the needs.”

The GeZero project is preparing to build a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) value chain for the Geseke cement plant, North Rhine-Westphalia, in inland Germany. It aims to capture 0.7Mt/yr of CO₂ starting from 2029. The project is supported by the European Union Innovation Fund.

Germany: In the first nine months of 2024, Heidelberg Materials' sales fell by 2.1% to €15.75bn from €16.8bn in the same period of 2023. The result from current operations before depreciation and amortisation rose by €101m or 3% to €3.28bn, while the result from current operations increased by €58m or 2.6% to €2.33bn.

The company’s businesses in Europe reported a revenue of €7.1bn in the nine-month period, a 2.7% decrease from €7.3bn in 2023. In North America, Heidelberg Materials reported a revenue of €3.98bn, marking a 0.5% increase from January - September 2023. In the Asia-Pacific region, revenue decreased by 5.2% to €2.6bn, and the Africa-Mediterranean-Western Asia region also saw a decline of 6.2% year-on-year to €1.65bn.

Germany: A consortium comprising Cemex and engineering company Linde has won €157m from the EU Innovation Fund for a carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) initiative at the Rüdersdorf cement plant. The project will capture 1.3Mt/yr of CO₂ from the plant’s production processes, aiming for complete decarbonisation of the site by 2030, aligning with Cemex's Future in Action climate strategy. The Rüdersdorf facility will use Linde's HISORP(R) technology for CO₂ capture, featuring a cryogenic-adsorptive process that captures CO₂ from exhaust gas at the source, ready for compression, liquification and eventual permanent sequestration at an offshore storage site in the North Sea.

Sergio Menéndez, president of Cemex Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, said "Our Future in Action climate action strategy is working hard to drive several revolutionary CCUS projects across our global operations. While we are working hard to decarbonise using existing technology, an important component of our Future in Action strategy is to develop breakthrough decarbonisation solutions for our industry to reach Net Zero. The Rüdersdorf project is Cemex's largest CCUS project to date, with all the hallmarks and credentials to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the cement industry."

Germany: Schwenk Zement will utilise Germany-based Orcan Energy's organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology at its Allmendingen cement plant in Baden-Württemberg. The installation of five ORC modules aims to harness residual heat from the clinker cooling process to generate electricity, saving 8.5GWh/yr. Orcan Energy expects operations to begin in the first quarter of 2025. The company has previously worked with Dyckerhoff and Cemex.

Finland/Germany: Tana Oy has entered a strategic partnership with Veneto Schwenter for the distribution of Tana Oy shredders in Germany. The collaboration will enhance Veneto Schwenter's portfolio of sales, rental and consulting services in manufacturing equipment, alongside machine service and repairs.

Germany: Norway-based Capsol Technologies has won a feasibility study from a German cement producer to assess the implementation of its CapsolEoP (End-of-Pipe) technology at a cement plant. The technology aims to capture 400,000t/yr of CO₂.

CEO Wendy Lam said "Capsol continues to build a position as a preferred carbon capture technology provider for the cement industry."

Germany: FLSmidth has signed an agreement to acquire Tipco Tudeshki Industrial Process Control (Tipco), an Aachen-based technology firm. Tipco develops sensor technology for measuring particle size distribution of different mass flows, which will be integrated into FLSmidth's hydrocyclones portfolio. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the acquisition does not affect FLSmidth's financial guidance for 2024.

PCV business line president at FLSmidth, Pat Turner, said “This acquisition marks an important addition to our PCV offerings and highlights our strategic focus on digital solutions across the Mining flowsheet. The optimisation of the grinding circuit plays a crucial part in maximising productivity and operational efficiency of the overall processing plant, and the addition of Tipco’s groundbreaking sensor technology will further strengthen our offerings within this area.”

Germany: Cemex has acquired a majority stake in the Berlin-based recycling company RC-Baustoffe to enhance its circularity business Regenera. The company processes construction, demolition and excavation materials. The acquisition integrates RC-Baustoffe with Regenera, allowing the facility to process up to 400,000t/yr, which will be turned into repurposed aggregates for concrete production.

CEO of Cemex, Fernando González, said “With acquisitions such as this, Cemex continues to strengthen its commitment to circularity through Regenera as well as promoting the world’s transition to a more circular economy. Construction and demolition materials account for more than 30% of global ‘waste’ streams and reintegrating these materials into the construction value chain can reduce the use of virgin raw materials."

Germany: Switzerland-based ABB has acquired analytics equipment supplier Födisch Gruppe. ABB says that the acquisition will enhance its offering of continuous emission monitoring systems and expand its technology and innovation competitiveness.

Stephan Schumann, CEO of Födisch Group’s parent company Dr. Födisch Umweltmesstechnik, said “This acquisition is a testimony of our strong performance in recent years. Leveraging ABB’s global footprint will allow to scale the impact of our offering internationally.”

ABB’s Measurement and Analytics President Jacques Mulbert said “We are very impressed by what the Födisch Gruppe has achieved and are eager to welcome their team to the ABB family. Integrating the Födisch Gruppe into ABB will unlock significant opportunities for new and existing customers.”