Displaying items by tag: Limestone

US: Leilac has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US-based Heirloom to use Leilac’s kiln technology in Heirloom’s direct air capture (DAC) process. The MOU outlines the key terms for a licence and collaboration agreement.

Daniel Rennie, the chief executive officer of Leilac, said “Leilac is delighted to be partnering with Heirloom. Our partnership will apply Leilac’s core technology for cement and lime decarbonisation to address the global challenge of excess atmospheric CO₂.” He added “Heirloom uses low-cost and abundant limestone, which Leilac’s technology is specifically designed for. Both technologies are modular, easily scalable and can be renewably powered.”

Heirloom is developing a method of using limestone to remove atmospheric CO₂ in a DAC process. The proposed DAC method using both Leilac and Heirloom technology will heat limestone in a Leilac kiln to release CO₂ that can then be captured and sequestered. The lime that the kiln produces will then be reformed back into limestone directly capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere in an accelerated process. This limestone will then be feed back into the kiln restarting the process. The partners also suggest powering the kiln from renewable electricity sources to further increase the net reduction of CO₂ emissions from the process. No cost for the combined process or who would pay for it has been revealed so far.

Leilac is a subsidiary of Australia-based Calix that has been testing its indirectly heated calcination technology with the cement and lime industry since the mid-2010s. An industrial scale application of the process at Heidelberg Material’s Hanover cement plant in Germany is expected to be ready to start testing by the end of 2023. Additional projects have been announced in Australia with Adbri and Boral.

India: Indian Railways has shared plans to establish dedicated rail corridors to supply raw materials to the cement sector. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the corridors will connect plants to sources of clinker, fly ash and limestone. Indian Railways says that the plans encompass ‘different parts of the country,’ and will be implemented over the 10-year period up to the end of the 2033 financial year. In addition to offering ‘better service’ and ‘attractive’ prices, the rail company will also carry out capital expenditure investments in order to maximise the volume of materials travelling on its cement corridors.

India: Ambuja Cements, a subsidiary of Adani Group, has been declared as the 'preferred bidder' for the Uskalvagu limestone block in Odisha. An e-auction was conducted by the state government for the block, situated in Malkangiri district. Adani Group has not disclosed the amount that it bid for the block, but said it covers 547 hectares with estimated limestone resources of about 141Mt.

The company must now obtain the statutory licences and permits related to mining operations to be declared a ‘successful bidder’ and subsequently enter into a ‘Mine Development and Production Agreement (MDPA)’ with Government of Odisha.

Kenya/South Africa: The liquidators of Kenya-based ARM Cement have written off the company’s investment in South Africa-based Mafeking Cement due to a legal dispute with the minority shareholder. Representatives of PricewaterhoueCoopers said in an update to creditors that there was unlikely to be any residual value in Mafeking Cement as the underwriter of the mining business, Lombard insurance Company, had withdrawn its guarantee, according to the East African newspaper. The move has increased the loss by creditors in ARM Cement to around US$99m or around 66% of the total claims.

ARM Cement was put in liquidation in October 2021. It owns a 70% stake in Mafeking Cement, a company that owns limestone mining rights in north-west South Africa. The remaining 30% share is owned by local communities and trusts.

Bangladesh: The European Union (EU) and Spanish ambassadors and Swiss chargé d'affaires to Bangladesh have formally requested that Bangladeshi authorities lift all restrictions on LafargeHolcim Bangladesh's sale of crushed limestone in the country. The Financial Express newspaper has reported that Bangladeshi court previously ruled in favour of LafargeHolcim Bangladesh's right to sell its crushed limestone 'on the open market' on 5 January 2022. Limestone Importers and Suppliers Group had challenged the legal status of such sales, given that the raw limestone used in LafargeHolcim Bangladesh's produces its crushed limestone production is imported from India.

The Bangladesh government granted LafargeHolcim Bangladesh, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim, a temporary licence to resume its crushed limestone operations on 27 March 2022. This resulted in protests by local limestone producers.

India: Mangalam Cement has secured a lease from the Rajasthan state government for the 204Mt Ninama Dunia limestone mine in Rajasthan's Kota District. Mangalam Cement won the auction with a highest final price offer of 85%, corresponding to a tax revenue of US$1.17m/yr for the state. Throughout the operational life of the mine up to 2073, the Rajasthan state government expects to collect revenues of US$1.22bn.

The Hindustan Times newspaper has reported that the Rajasthan government expects to auction four limestone mines in Banswara District later in 2023.

Rajasthan generates 20% of India's cement-grade limestone.

Ivory Coast: The Council of Ministers has approved cement producers to use dolomite in place of limestone to reduce imports from Europe and Asia. The government said that it had conducted the necessary tests supporting the change in the local cement standard, according to the Agence Ivoirienne de Presse. The Ministry of Industry and other related government departments have been instructed to take action to support the change.

Cambodia: WH Resources plans to assess the feasibility of the Taken limestone reserve in Kampot Province's Chhouk District for exploitation. The Phnom Penh Post newspaper has reported that the company holds a licence to operate a 155 hectare mine at the site. The Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy said that, if its exploration is successful, WH Resources may proceed to establish a cement plant there.

The Cambodian cement sector has 9Mt/yr of cement capacity, but consumed 14Mt of cement in 2022.

Peru: Unacem Perú plans to 'significantly increase' its cement production capacity 'in the medium-term future.' Prior to that, the producer will invest US$130m in capital expenditure during 2023, double what it invested in 2022. The investments will go towards slightly expanding the producer's capacity from 8.3Mt/yr and increasing alternative raw materials use in its cement production, including pozzolan and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Additionally, it will open its new Manchay limestone quarry in Pachacámac in early 2023.

Unacem said that it increased its cement sales 'unexpectedly' during 2022. It operated at 85 - 90% capacity utilisation, and continued to export clinker.

India: Operators of limestone mines in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar District have suspended quarry operations indefinitely in protest against the Karnataka state government's increased licensing royalties and rules requiring drone surveillance. The companies also demand that the state government cease to implement new policies affecting them. The Times of India newspaper has reported that the strike has impacted a total of 10,000 jobs, both at quarries and downstream in the building materials and construction sectors.