Displaying items by tag: Research

Spain: Cementos La Cruz has partnered with other building materials, construction and waste management companies and the Murcia Technological Centre for Construction to support a study by the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT). The Europa Press newspaper has reported that the research aims to develop geopolymeric concretes from industrial and urban waste, without the use of cement. The study is 80% financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

UPCT science and advanced construction technology research group coordinator Carlos Parra said, “Stopping the use of concrete is not the solution, as it is a relatively accessible material that allows access to housing and multiple services for millions of people around the world and is also a material with high resilience against natural catastrophes such as floods, hurricanes and resistant to the passage of time.”

UK: HeidelbergCement subsidiary Hanson has installed a solar and wind-powered hydrogen generation demonstration unit at its Port Talbot Regen ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) plant in Port Talbot in Neath Port Talbot. The company says that the project is part of a collaboration with Swansea University’s Energy Safety Research Institute under the European Research and Development Fund’s Reducing Industrial Carbon Emissions initiative. The hydrogen generated by the installation will replace natural gas in the GGBFS plant’s burners.

Head of sustainability Marian Garfield said, “It is estimated that cement is the source of just under 2% of UK CO₂ emissions. With demand for cement and cement replacement products predicted to increase by 25% by 2030, researchers and industry are working hard to reduce the level of CO₂ emissions associated with production. As a leading manufacturer, we take our responsibility very seriously. In the UK we have already achieved a 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions since 1990 across the business and have set an ambitious new target of a 50% reduction by 2030 from the same baseline. We are constantly looking to improve energy efficiency and carbon reduction at our cement and Regen GGBFS plants, so we are delighted to be involved with this innovative research project.”

Europe/North America: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim and US-based Schlumberger plan to study the feasibility of carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems at two cement plants in Europe and North America. The companies say that the partnership is intended to as a precursor towards the deployment of large-scale CCS solutions.

LafargeHolcim’s chief sustainability officer Magali Anderson said, “Today’s announcement is further proof of LafargeHolcim’s environmental leadership and commitment to pioneer new solutions to reduce carbon emissions on our journey to become a net zero company. Our partnership with Schlumberger, the world’s leading provider of technology to the global energy industry, will bring new advances in storage that could be replicated at scale across our sites.”

Germany: Mexico-based Cemex has announced its planned participation in Australia-based Calix and others’ LEILAC (Low Emissions Intensity Lime And Cement) 2 carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at HeidelbergCement’s Hanover cement plant in Lower Saxony. Cemex previously assisted the LEILAC partnership at its first installation at HeidelbergCement’s cement plant in Lixhe in Belgium. The company said that it will contribute to the technology's development utilising its gasification process expertise, leveraging its skills in alternative fuel (AF) consumption and computational fluid dynamic simulation design.

Global head of research and development Davide Zampini said, "Our participation in the LEILAC 2 project is another example of our continued efforts to deliver net-zero CO₂ concrete products globally by 2050. We are determined to have a significant direct involvement in research and development efforts pursuing high impact technologies in carbon capture, use, and storage."

Italy: An agreement between Italcementi and its unions has confirmed that its Bergamo research centre to stay in Italy. The agreement with the FenealUil, Filca-Cisl, Fillea-Cgil, Italcementi RSU unions is intended to preserve jobs at the company, maintain at least 15,000 hours/yr of research at the site and dedicate at least 1% of the company’s profits towards research and innovation. Parent company HeidelbergCement was reportedly considering a relocation of the centre to Heidelberg in Baden Württemberg, Germany in late 2020.

Separately, Italcementi’s grinding plant at Salerno has been approved to continue producing white cement. The decision follows staff cuts at the cement producer, according to the Il Mattino newspaper.

Tunisia: Carthage University, Ciments de Bizerte, the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the University of Algarve faculty of science and technology have concluded a study into the heavy metal content of CEM-I and CEM-II cement. The study found that both types of cement contain traces of arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead, strontium and zinc in equal measure, according to the Journal of Engineering.

Carthage University said, "Heavy metals in cement can originate from a variety of processes in production, including their initial presence in raw materials and fuel, incorporation into kiln refractory brick, metal erosion from the raw material grinding process and in additives such as gypsum, as well as cement kiln dust."

UK: The Safety & Health, Environment & Climate Change and Technology & Innovation committees of the World Cement Association (WCA) have announced their goals for 2021 following the association’s general assembly meeting in December 2020.

The Environment & Climate Change committee will focus on accelerating sustainability through addressing energy efficiency, alternative fuels, digitisation, carbon capture, utilisation and/or storage (CCUS) and promoting low carbon cement and concrete. The committee also intends to seek commitments from progressive companies towards zero/low carbon cement production. The Technology & Innovation committee plans on reducing emissions and energy consumption, green product innovation, ‘Industry 4.0’ and digitalisation. It will also work with the PEGASUS 2020 programme, offering expertise on WCA benchmarking and performance improvement initiatives. The Safety & Health committee has introduced a series of initiatives for 2021, ranging from Covid-19 support and preventative measures, to managing high risk activities such as energy isolation and traffic safety. This committee also hopes to create an anonymised incident database, collected from WCA members, with the intention of avoiding high-risk incidents and sharing best practice.

“This has been a very challenging and unpredictable year for our industry, and we have all had to adapt and find new ways of working. In this context, I’m especially pleased with how our professional committees have continued to work together effectively to tackle some of the sector’s key issues.” said Ian Riley, the chief executive office (CEO) of the WCA CEO.

The February 2021 issue of Global Cement Magazine will include an interview with Ian Riley, WCA and Alex Cameron, Decarb Connect

UK: Yorkshire Water is trialling a new concrete surface applicant designed to prolong the lifespan of concrete. It says that the alumina and zirconia silicate ceramic surface treatment protects concrete from wet/dry and freeze/thaw cycles, peeling, flaking, chalking and delaminating. This reduces the need for replacement of concrete structures, reducing CO₂ intensity by 43% compared to bare concrete, according to the company. Advanced materials producer Haydale supplied the product.

Senior project manager Jonathan LeMoine said “In early 2021 we will be using one of our capital partners to apply the material to a number of our chemical bunds. The results will be immediately apparent and will pave the way for a larger programme of works protecting our assets.” He added “We often invest in trialling new technologies and techniques to pave the way for lower emissions in our capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) solutions. We’re excited to see the results from this trial, and hope that it will provide a low carbon alternative to demolishing and rebuilding.”

Vietnam: Vietnamese cement export growth is forecast to slow in 2021. The Viet Nam News newspaper has reported on research by SSI Research that expected exports to remain stable due to high infrastructure spending in China, but that growth is unlikely due to the full recovery of Chinese domestic cement supply in 2020. SSI Research forecasts a total 2021 cement and clinker sales growth of 2% year-on-year to 104Mt from 102Mt. It predicts a 5% - 7% increase in domestic sales. The country’s installed cement production capacity is due to rise by 7% or 7Mt in early 2021.

Italy: Germany-based HeidelbergCement is reportedly considering a relocation of its subsidiary Italcementi’s research centre from Bergamo, Lombardy to Heidelberg in Baden Württemberg, Germany. The Italia Oggi newspaper has reported that Italcementi said, "The reorganisation of innovation and product research activities will be concentrated on a global level to better enhance the important skills acquired in Bergamo, making them available to all the countries that are part of the group. The process of relocation to Heidelberg of the research activities will be defined in detail during 2021 and at the same time all the possible solutions for the workers involved will be implemented through internal or external relocation offers."

The proposed move has attracted local resistance. Chamber of Deputies member for Lombardy Maurizio Martina said, “All the institutions, from the national government to the regional council, must promote an initiative to discuss with the owners the choice of moving the HeidelbergCement research centre to the German headquarters. The agreements signed in 2016 were different: we are talking about one of the most important research centres in the world, which brings quality employment and added value to Bergamo and Lombardy, and it is essential to do everything to ensure that it remains in our territory."