Displaying items by tag: Study

Mexico: Cemex has announced a raft of new carbon capture projects in Europe and North America. When commissioned, they will bring its total installed CO₂ capture capacity to over 3Mt/yr. The projects consist of three front-end engineering (FEED) studies to scale installations of Australia-based Leilac’s direct separation technology at Cemex cement plants in Germany, Poland and the US; a fourth FEED study for 95% capture installation at the Balcones, Texas, cement plant using RTI International's solvent capture technology and a development partnership for the cement industry's most comprehensive carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) studies at eight further cement plants in Europe, Mexico and the US.

Chief executive officer Fernando González said “CCUS brings together the essence of our strategic priorities: sustainability and innovation. Our Future in Action programme to achieve sustainable excellence and become a net-zero company is all about measurable, verified progress towards the most ambitious decarbonisation pathway in the industry. Although CCUS technologies are not ready to be scaled quite yet, it will take relentless work and innovation to ensure their viability in time to avoid the most damaging effects of climate change.”

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.”

Europe: RHI Magnesita is heading a European Union Horizon project called ReSoURCE. The project seeks to develop a sensor-based refractory waste sorting and powder handling system. It involves academic partners in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Norway and the UK. The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA) supplied Euro6m in funding for the study, while the UK government supplied Euro1m. Global refractory waste generation is currently 28Mt/yr.

RHI Magnesita chief executive officer Stefan Borgas said “On average, 60% of all spent refractories generated by refractory-consuming industries go to landfill, while only 30% are recycled. With the ReSoURCE project, we aim to increase it up to 75%. This means we can achieve significant savings of CO₂ emissions per annum. With this research project, we have the chance to make a difference in the world.”

US: Lehigh Hanson has secured US$3.7m-worth of funding from the US department of energy for its planned front-end engineering design (FEED) installation of a carbon capture system at its Mitchell cement plant in Indiana. The funding was part of a total US$31m pot awarded to 10 different carbon capture projects across multiple industries. All of the projects have the capacity to capture over 95% of emissions from their respective plants.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America is supplying its carbon capture system for use at the Mitchell cement plant, at a total project cost of US$4.8m.

Australia: Adbri is part of a consortium of eight Australian industrial manufacturers, developers and port operators collaborating with AGL Energy on a feasibility study for a green hydrogen plant at the site of the latter’s Torrens Island power plant in South Australia. AFR Online News has reported that any future hydrogen plant established by the partners would rely on solar and wind power, which has large potential in the region.

The South Australian government previously launched its first US$414m green hydrogen project in Whyalla in March 2022.

Russia: A study commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers of Building Materials and the Construction Industry (NOPSM), SM PRO and Soyuzcement, the national cement manufacturing union, has found that 80% of components required for repairs and upgrades to cement plants in Russia are manufactured abroad. The research was intended to assess the sector’s requirement for foreign equipment and to determine the prospects for import substitution. The results of the survey were presented in late May 2022.

Anton Solon, the executive chair of NOPSM, noted that Russian cement sector holds a ‘critical’ dependence on imported equipment. He said that domestic analogues were either ‘significantly’ inferior to imports or simply not available. The main equipment affected included separators, burners, drives, compressors and grinding mills. Parts for packaging lines, some types of quarry equipment, grinding media, refractories, additives and linings were also negatively affected. However, he did point out that low-efficiency and large-sized gas cleaning plants (including bag and electrostatic precipitators) were produced domestically. Vyacheslav Shmatov, the chairman of Soyuzcement, called for the development of local engineering products to remedy the situation.

Mexico: Cemex has reported its successful completion of laboratory tests aimed at converting CO₂ emitted by cement kilns into carbon nanomaterials. The producer said that it was able to turn 50% of available carbon in a flue gas stream into nanomaterials. Possible industrial uses for carbon nanomaterials include in building materials, biomedicines, electronics and agriculture. Cemex says that its next step will be to scale the technology for a cement plant pilot study.

CEO Fernando Gonzalez said “This breakthrough technology is significant for Cemex, not only because it offers the potential to commercialise carbon emissions, but because it demonstrates the value of our Smart Innovation platform. The path to carbon neutrality will be built with innovation, and we remain committed to being at the forefront in developing new circular technologies and processes.”

Germany: Rohrdorfer and Austria-based Andritz Group are in the process of installing a 2t/day CO₂ separation plant on the roof of the former’s Rohrdorf cement plant in Bavaria. The pilot plant will capture CO₂ from the plant’s emissions for use by the regional chemicals industry. The Ingenieur newspaper has reported that it will cost Euro3m and is scheduled for commissioning before June 2022. It is the first installation of its kind at a German cement plant.

Rohrdorfer’s plant and process engineering manager Helmut Leibinger said “We must begin to see CO₂ as a product of value rather than a problem. With CO₂ as a carbon source, Germany can protect the climate and at the same time become less dependent on oil and natural gas. In addition, value creation and jobs will remain in the country.”

Spain: Cemex’s Mósteles clinker pilot batch production unit at IMDEA Energy Institute in Madrid Autonomous Community has produced its first batch of solar-heated clinker. The unit uses Switzerland-based Synhelion solar radiation technology. The technology uses a solar receiver and gaseous heat transfer fluid to heat raw materials.

Cemex chief executive officer Fernando Gonzalez said “The production of the first solar clinker is an exciting milestone for this transformational technology. It is proof of our commitment to deliver tangible outcomes through innovation to achieve our goal of delivering only net-zero CO₂ concrete by 2050.” He concluded “Cemex is building a better future, and that future must be sustainable.”