Displaying items by tag: Trial

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.”

Spain: LafargeHolcim España has announced the launch of a joint venture called ECCO2 with Carbon Clean and Sistemas de Calor. The joint venture will develop carbon capture technology for use at the producer’s Carboneras cement plant in Almería. It will then seek to market captured CO₂ from the plant for use as a gas in local agricultural greenhouses. When commissioned in early 2023, the carbon capture system will have the capacity to capture 10% of the Carboneras plant’s CO2 emissions.

Japan: Taiheiyo Cement is among 13 participant companies whose proposed carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) demonstration hub has received approval to proceed with funding from the Japan Ministry of the Environment. Nikkei Business Trends News has reported that Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions, Uyeno Transtech, JGC, Chiyoda, Taisei Corporation, the University of Tokyo, Kyushu University, Japan NUS, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and QJ Science also collaborated in the development of the CCUS system. The trial will begin in early 2022 and conclude in the 2025 financial year.

France: Vicat plans to test hydrogen electrolysis technology provided by Genvia for a pilot project at its Montalieu-Vercieu cement plant. Genvia made the announcement following a tour of its facilities by President Emmanuel Macron. It will be working with Vicat, Hynamics, a subsidiary of EDF group, and EDF Energy on the initiative. Other pilot projects have been announced with steel producers ArcelorMittal and Ugitech.

Genvia is a hydrogen production joint venture between French Alternative Energies and the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Schlumberger New Energy, VINCI Construction, Vicat Group and the Occitanie Region. It is developing and promoting solid oxide technology to enable industrial decarbonisation through hydrogen production, energy storage and fuel applications at scale.

Greece: Titan Cement has recorded sales of Euro1.26bn in the first nine months of 2021, up by 5% year-on-year from Euro1.2bn in the first nine months of 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 4.3% to Euro220m from Euro229m, while its net profit rose by 41% to Euro81.9m from Euro58m.

During the third quarter of 2021, Titan Cement’s US low-carbon cement sales reached 50% of its total US cement sales. It also continued with hydrogen enrichment pilot studies in its cement kilns in Bulgaria and Greece.

Germany: Cool Planet Technologies and Hereon have signed a memorandum of understanding with Holcim Deutschland to deliver a carbon capture system for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) trial at the producer’s Höver cement plant in Lower Saxony. Cool Planet Technologies will install their system, which is based on Hereon’s PolyActive membrane technology. The system will have a capture capacity of 5600t/yr and operate from early 2022 to early-mid-2023. If successful, two subsequent expansions will increase the system’s capacity to 170,000t/yr, commencing operation in 2024, and 1.3Mt/yr, commencing in 2026.

The suppliers say that their membrane-based capture system is capable of reducing the energy intensity and eliminating the need for other chemical inputs in CCS.

India: Dalmia Bharat’s consolidated cement sales in the first half of the 2022 financial year were 5.1Mt, up by 6.2% year-on-year from 4.8Mt in the first half of the 2021 financial year. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 1.6% to US$178m from US$176m. The company recorded a net profit of US$67.1m during the period, up by 19% from US$56.3m. During the second quarter of the year, which ended on 30 September 2021, Dalmia Bharat commissioned a second line at its Cuttack, Odisha, cement plant and began trial production at its newly acquired Murli cement plant in Maharashtra.

The Orissa Diary newspaper has reported that managing director Puneet Dalmia said "We are pleased with our performance during the quarter. In spite of unprecedented costs related headwinds across all regions, our razor sharp focus on operational efficiencies and execution has helped us contain our costs and deliver an industry-leading performance. We have made considerable progress on our immediate priorities, including expanding our capacity, driving organisational transformation, reinforcing our brand and redefining our corporate governance framework. Looking ahead, we remain focused on further strengthening our momentum to drive sustainable and profitable growth and generate top-tier returns for our stakeholders.” He continued “As India's economy continues to rebound from the lows of last year, we expect the demand and pricing environment for the sector to improve for the rest of the 2022 financial year."

UK: The government has awarded funding to the planned HyNet North West low-CO₂ industrial cluster. The cluster will reduce industrial CO₂ emissions by 10Mt/yr in North Wales and North West England. It includes a planned 800,000t/yr carbon capture installation at Hanson UK’s Padeswood cement plant in Flintshire. The producer is currently carrying out a feasibility study at the plant. Parent company HeidelbergCement said that the project will play a ‘critical role’ in the UK’s transition to net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

Chair Dominik von Achten called the decision “A well-deserved recognition for the HyNet consortium and our colleagues working on carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the UK as part of this collaborative project. Cutting CO₂ emissions is a key priority for us, and we are delighted to add our Padeswood cement works to our growing range of CCS activities, as a key part of our pathway to reaching net zero.”

Germany: Scientists at the University of Kassel in Hessen have launched a study into the use of ash from waste incinerators in precast concrete production. The Hessische Allgemeine newspaper has reported that a waste-to-energy plant in Kassel will provide the ash for concrete production in partnership with local companies Kimm Baustoffe and Gebäudeke Baustoff-Recycling. The study aims to produce pre-cast concrete elements containing at least 30% ash, beginning with paving slabs and noise barriers.

Project leader David Laner said that ash has the potential to help lower concrete’s carbon footprint. He said “So far, it has been put to lesser-value uses; we make a product out of it - upcycling instead of downcycling.”