Displaying items by tag: Sustainability

Poland: Polish cement producers are set to build carbon capture installations, supported by government policies. After a decline in production from nearly 19Mt in 2022 to about 16.5Mt in 2023, the industry is facing an increase in cheaper imports from outside the EU, particularly Ukraine, and CO₂ emission fees that account for 30% of the cost of 1t of cement, according to the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper. The EU has also introduced a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) for imports.

Despite these challenges, the Kujawy cement plant in Bielawy, owned by Holcim, is launching the large-scale implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.

Holcim Polska's president, Maciej Sypek, said "The construction of carbon capture installations in our plants will cost between €320m and €400m. We received a €264m grant from the European Commission's Innovation Fund." According to Sypek, the project is currently in the design phase, with construction expected to start in 2025 and operations beginning in early 2028.

The implementation of CCS at the Kujawy plant could potentially lead to an industry-wide adoption of the technology, costing between US$3.7bn and US$4.9bn, according to the newspaper. Holcim Polska plans to liquefy the CO₂ and transport it by rail to a terminal in Gdańsk, where it will be shipped to the North Sea for underground storage. Cement producers are urging the Polish government to appoint a commissioner for CCS infrastructure and to enact legislative changes to support the construction of such installations. They also believe that rapid modernisation of the energy sector needs to occur to support the energy-intensive process of gas capture.

Pakistan: On 18 April 2024, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED) launched two studies focusing on the decarbonisation of Pakistan's cement sector. The initiative focuses on collaboration and technology sharing to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.

Professor Muhammad Fahim Khokhar from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) said "The global CO₂ emissions released from the cement sector are 37.4Gt, which is rising at 1.1% per year."

The study by PRIED and NUST showed a 30% increase in cement sector CO₂ emissions in 2020 relative to 1990-2000, reaching 49.6Mt/yr. The study proposed strategies for cement sector decarbonisation, such as alternative fuels, clinker substitution, renewable energy, process electrification, energy efficiency and carbon capture technologies.

According to researcher Saleha Qureshi, the major challenge for decarbonisation is that cement industries in Pakistan rely on over 65% coal in the calcination process. Other challenges identified were lack of regulatory and policy support, absence of performance-based standards, high transition cost and limited incentive available for the transition.

Global: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has received nearly 100 applications from worldwide tech start-ups for its Innovandi Open Challenge, which targets the decarbonisation of cement and concrete. This year's challenge is centred on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies.

Thomas Guillot, GCCA’s Chief Executive, said "There are already more than 100 CCUS cement industry pilots, projects and announcements in the pipeline across the world – with the world’s first commercial scale carbon capture and storage plant set to complete later this year. Innovation will help our industry to deploy this technology further and faster."

Claude Loréa, GCCA’s Cement, Innovation and ESG Director, said "It’s really encouraging to see nearly 100 applications for our Innovandi Open Challenge and from all parts of the world. As well as the US, UK and India, we’ve received applications from China, Greece and Australia for the first time. It demonstrates the high level of interest in working with our industry to make cement and concrete net zero. We’re looking forward to assessing all the applications, in detail."

The association, alongside over 50 experts from member companies, will now review and shortlist the most deployable technologies, offering shortlisted start-ups access to key industry resources and networks.

Colombia: Cementos Argos and Sistema Verde have collaborated to transform nearly 27t of waste from the Estéreo Picnic music festival in Bogotá on 21 – 24 March 2024 into alternative fuel for Cementos Argos' Cartagena plant. The initiative, which includes converting materials such as plastics and cardboard into fuel, aligns with Cementos Argos’ aim to reduce fossil fuel use and CO₂ emissions per tonne of cement by 29% by 2030.

Mauricio Giraldo, director of alternative resources at Cementos Argos said "We are very pleased to be part of this alliance with which we join the global need to join efforts to make an adequate use of waste in a safe, controlled and clean manner. Our goal as a company is to dispose of more than 300,000t/yr of waste, and with actions like this, we continue to contribute to achieving this goal.”

Philippines: Holcim Philippines will invest US$35m in sustainability initiatives at its four plants over the next three years. The investments will also include US$17.5m for its waste management arm, Geocycle, increasing capacity for local government unit waste processing.

Chief sustainability officer Samuel Manlosa Jr. said "There is also a side where, if we want to take in more volume, we need to increase our capacity to shred and prepare the materials. Our cement plants, even as sophisticated and technologically advanced as they are, were constructed 20 years ago when norms were different, so we had to make changes in the process to make sure that the plants were able to accept more."

The company will further invest between US$8.7m and US$17.5m in renewable energy and electrification of its vehicle fleet. President and CEO Horia Adrian said "We are purchasing electricity right now, but we have plans to put in place solar facilities and we are looking at the possibility of using electricity generated from biowaste here. By the end of 2024, some of them should be ready."

He concluded that investments at the Bulacan and La Union plants are set to start this year, with those in Davao and Lugait scheduled for 2025.

US: Fortera has inaugurated its first ‘green’ cement production facility in North America, located in Redding, California. The 2787m² ReCarb plant operates alongside the existing CalPortland cement plant, capturing CO₂ emissions and mineralising the CO₂ into calcium carbonate for production of the company’s low-carbon ReAct cement. The process reportedly reduces emissions by 70% compared to traditional methods, yielding a tonne of ‘green’ cement for every tonne of limestone input. The facility aims to capture 6600t/yr of CO₂ and to produce 15,000t/yr of ‘green’ cement.

According to Fortera CEO Ryan Gilliam, Fortera currently has 20 upcoming projects with various cement producers, which will cost US$150m each. This includes a plant in the Midwest that will be a 25-fold capacity increase compared to the Redding plant, producing 400,000t/yr of ‘green’ cement.

Thailand: Biochar Life and Siam Cement Group (SCG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop biochar-infused cement and sustainable building materials. This collaboration aims to utilise biochar in the construction industry and reduce carbon emissions.

The partnership will begin with a pilot project at Chiang Mai University, focusing on constructing biochar-infused cement roads. Biochar Life will evaluate the scalability of biochar production to meet SCG's material requirements. Both companies will engage in research and development to optimise the production and application of biochar in construction, considering environmental benefits and carbon removal credit opportunities.

SCG also plans to extend Biochar Life’s smallholder farmer program, incorporating mobile industrial units and other technologies. This joint effort is directed towards incorporating carbon-negative biochar into building materials. This will lower construction-related carbon emissions, aid in atmospheric carbon sequestration, and improve the durability and performance of these materials.

China: A new study from Hong Kong Polytechnic University showcases sustainable cement production methods, focusing on low-clinker cements and alternative solutions for incinerator fly ash (IFA). The research demonstrates that using carbonated-washed IFA mixed with slag, coal fly ash, or metakaolin can replace 60% of Portland cement, forming ternary blended cement. This approach reportedly reduces the carbon footprint of cement production.

The study found that slag was the most effective, improving pore structure and increasing ettringite and hemicarboaluminate formation with a blend of 40% slag and 20% IFA. It achieved 90% of the compressive strength of pure Portland cement after 90 days.

The researchers said "This study demonstrated the promising potential of the blended cements to simultaneously divert IFA from landfills and reduce the clinker content of cement."

Philippines: A recent study from Cebu, Philippines presents a method for reducing greenhouse emissions in the cement industry. The research, supported by the Department of Science & Technology (DOST) of the Philippines, focuses on partially substituting cement with coal fly ash (CFA). According to the University of San Carlos researchers, CFA's efficacy as a cement substitute depends on its source, with variations in quality, performance, and water requirements when used in paste and mortar formulations.

The study evaluated CFA from a Philippine power plant, examining its use as a partial cement substitute. Researchers designed paste and mortar mixtures with different CFA-to-binder ratios and water-to-binder ratios. The study revealed that increasing the amount of CFA in cement up to 20% by weight could enhance compressive strength, ‘outperforming’ pure cement mixtures.

The study concluded that substituting a portion of cement with CFA not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also improves the compressive strength of the resultant material.

Thailand: Siam Cement Group (SCG) has introduced a new low-carbon cement, contributing to Thailand's net-zero ambitions. According to the company, SCG is Thailand's first cement manufacturer to produce this eco-friendly cement, reducing CO₂ emissions to as low as 0.05t during production. The new cement reportedly matches or is stronger than traditional Portland cement. SCG achieved this by improving its manufacturing processes, using clean energy sources and waste heat utilisation, leading to a 38% decrease in energy consumption. The company also modified raw material ratios in order to further reduce emissions.

SCG's president of the cement and green solutions department, Surachai Nimlaor, said “Since cement production consumes a considerable amount of energy and emits CO₂ during the process, we decided to find out how we could reduce this impact." He continued “With the initial low-carbon cement formula, we have reduced emissions by 15 to 20%. Moving forward, our goal is to develop new formulas that can reduce carbon emissions by up to 50%.”