Displaying items by tag: Research

Philippines: Holcim Philippines carried out 70 upgrades aimed at increasing automation in its operations during 2022. The projects aim to optimise cement production, generate cost savings and ensure best safety practices. The Manila Times has reported that new Industry 4.0 initiatives include equipment monitoring systems offering 90-day performance projections, software capable of predicting cement's strength development and drones to replace visual inspections in remote spaces.

Holcim Philippines said that it is currently exploring the use of new predictive technologies in its operations.

China: Gansu Shangfeng Cement has announced plans for the establishment of a new building materials digital intelligence research company. Local press has reported that the company will function as a joint venture of a Gansu Shangfeng Cement subsidiary and another company. Gansu Shangfeng Cement says that the new venture will have registered capital of US$70.3m.

UK: Denmark-based architecture fund Henrik Frode Obel Foundation has named Seratech as winner of its Obel Award 2022. The award recognises architectural contributions to global development. Seratech has developed an olivine-based composite cement produced using CO₂ from flue emissions, which can sequester double the CO₂ of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). When used as 40% of a blend with OPC, it is able to completely offset the emissions of concrete production.

Team member Barnaby Shanks said "The beauty of the idea is that you can just use it as normal concrete. There are other carbon-neutral materials, but they can be limiting because they can only be precast, cured in a lab in special conditions and shipped elsewhere. We want people to retain the freedom to use concrete the way that they are used to. We don’t want to limit people in any way because we’ll just lessen the amount of impact we can have."

Denmark: Switzerland-based Holcim has made an investment in 3D concrete printer supplier COBOD International. Holcim hopes that the investment will help it to further expand its TectorPrint 3D printing ink range. Holcim and COBOD International's collaboration dates to 2019, since which time the partners have 3D printed windmill tower bases in Denmark, a school in Malawi and a housing development in Kenya.

Holcim's head of global research and development Edelio Bermejo said “At Holcim, we are continuously expanding our range of building solutions to build better with less, working to improve living standards for all in a sustainable way. 3D concrete printing will help us meet these goals."

US: Heliogen is among recipients of a total US$24m in US Department of Energy funding for solar thermal power projects. The department granted it US$4.1m-worth of funding for a project in which it will calcine limestone at 950°C using the heat of the Sun. Heliogen hopes to apply the methods it is developing to prevent the direct emissions of cement production.

China: China Building Materials Academy has patented a new 3D printing method which uses short rebars to reinforce printed layers. The developer says that this will enable builders to ensure structural strength without the disruption caused to 3D printing by the long rebars of conventional building skeletons.

China Building Materials Academy said that an 'inverted U-shaped or inverted L-shaped short rebar is vertically inserted into the cement slurry layer, wherein the bending mechanism comprises two bending members, separately disposed on two sides of a clamp.'

India: Research by the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT Madras) has concluded that limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) production emits 40% less CO₂ than ordinary Portland cement (OPC) production, and is 20% less energy intensive. United News of India has reported that the Switzerland-based Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation supported the study.

UK: Breedon Group, together with Australia-based First Graphene, Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure and the University of Manchester, is developing a new reduced-CO₂ graphene-enhanced cement. The consortium is currently formulating the cement using varying doses of First Graphene’s PureGRAPH graphene-enhanced grinding aid. The project received a research grant from the UK government earlier in 2022. First Graphene says that the study involves one of the largest commercial trials of its kind to date globally. It is simultaneously collaborating on another similar trial with a Europe-based speciality chemicals producer.

On 29 September 2022, First Graphene launched its latest range of graphene-enhanced cement grinding aids and concrete additives. These join recent launches PureGRAPH AM, an admixture developed in collaboration with South Africa-based Nanoproof/Glade Chemicals, and HexMortar, a dry mortar mix which will be distributed by New Zealand-based GtM Action.

First Graphene says that its cement and concrete segment’s order pipeline totals US$113m in value. Managing director and chief executive officer Michael Bell said “It is pleasing to see our efforts, and those of our collaboration partners, coming to fruition at a commercial scale. One of the primary drivers for the adoption of graphene solutions in this segment is the reduction of CO₂ emissions. We’re seeing considerable benefits both in the immediate reductions that can be achieved through the use of graphene-enhanced grinding aids, as well as the potential reductions in concrete usage because of the enhanced physical properties these products provide.” Bell concluded “Working with industry-focused partners such as Nanoproof/Glade Chemicals, GtM Action, Breedon Cement and Fosroc opens the way to an estimated addressable market of more than 12,000t of PureGRAPH across the medium to long term.”

UK: Clean Energy Ministerial CCUS (CEM CCUS) and the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) have announced a new partnership aimed at scaling up the deployment of carbon capture technologies in global cement and concrete production over the 10-year period up to 2033. The partners will explore incentives, policy frameworks and finance solutions that can best facilitate industrial-scale CCUS projects. Additionally, they will seek to ensure the long-term development of CCUS via technological developments.

CEM CCUS Norway initiative co-lead Henriette Nesheim said “This is a great opportunity to work together with a vitally important industry. In Norway we are already building our first cement CCS project in Brevik, and we look forward to sharing the experience with others.”

Denmark: FLSmidth says it will lead CO₂Valorize, a new consortium intended to develop and deploy carbonation technologies in the cement industry. The group will receive Euro2m from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks and is supported by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe initiative. The expected commercial and technical outcomes of the consortium include a full flow sheet of the carbonation process line, the techno-economic analysis of various technology and materials options, and the optimisation of FLSmidth's proprietary reactors. The project is also intended to be a key part of FLSmidth MissionZero programme.

Burcin Temel McKenna, Head of Green Cement Solutions Development at FLSmidth, said “We have been granted a unique opportunity to revolutionise the cement industry at a time of extreme urgency”. He added, “On-site carbon capture and utilisation projects will be a quicker and more economically viable way forward for in cement plants.”

The consortium includes the following partners: Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; HZDR Innovation with Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and Technische Universität Dresden; Technical University of Denmark; University of Padova; Siemens Process Systems Engineering; and the Slovakia-based cement producer Cemmac. The partners will support eight fully funded PhD students conducting research into the characterisation and kinetics of carbonated materials and optimisation of the carbonation process. They will also explore the commercial opportunities for mineral carbonation. The focus will be on the carbonation of calcium-, aluminium-, and magnesium-silicates as well as cement derivatives, slag, fly ash, recycled concrete fines and mine tailings.