Displaying items by tag: White cement

Cementir Group launched two of its lower carbon cement products in the Middle East and Africa markets this week. We’ll take a look at this in more detail and cover other recent products news from cement producers.

Egypt-based Sinai White Cement will manufacture the products under Cementir’s D-Carb umbrella. One will be a Limestone Portland cement, to the CEM II/A-LL 52.5N specification EN197-1, with around a 10% clinker reduction. The other will be CEM II/B-LL 42.5N with around a 20% clinker reduction. Both of these reductions are in comparison to Aalborg White CEM I 52.5R. D-Carb is the name of Cementir’s product range for white low-carbon cements. It was launched in European markets in 2024, with II/ALL 52.5R cement, and then expanded to Asia Pacific regions, including Australia, in early 2025. Cementir says that its customers can switch to D-Carb from CEM I as it “integrates well with their production processes without requiring major formulation changes.”

In late October 2025 Dyckerhoff revealed that it was the first cement manufacturer in Germany to receive general building authority approval (abZ) for the use of CEM VI (SLL) cement in accordance with DIN EN 197-5. The German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) granted approval for Dyckerhoff’s Lengerich cement plant. CEM VI is a newer type of composite cement similar to CEM II but with a lower clinker content. The SLL type that Dyckerhoff wants to make has a clinker content of 35 – 49 %, granulated blast furnace slag of 31 – 59% and limestone of 6 – 20%. The company says that this cement can be used in more than 60% of all concrete types produced in ready-mixed concrete plants. Its composition is also useful for low-carbon concretes when no fillers, such as fly ash, are available. Dyckerhoff added that the low hydration heat of the cement has a particularly positive effect in massive cast components.

Earlier in October 2025 Rohrdorfer held an inauguration ceremony for a new pilot unit for calcined (they say tempered) clays at its Rohrdorf cement plant. The pilot project started in July 2025 and has been processing up to 50t/day of raw clay. When Rohrdorfer launched the project in early 2024 it said that it was going to use waste heat from the main production line and was also considering the use of hydrogen to provide the remaining amount of heat required. Waste gases produced during calcination were also going to be fed back into the existing waste gas cleaning system of the clinker production line after leaving the pilot plant to further reduce emissions. Rohrdorfer said that its approach was going to be the first time waste heat recovery was going to be used in conjunction with calcining clay.

Meanwhile, in West Africa, Dangote Cement inaugurated its new 3Mt/yr cement plant near Abidjan in the Ivory Coast in mid-October 2024. Around the same time the company launched various products in the country, including its CEM I and CEM II brands 32.5R, 3X42.5N, 3X42.5R and 52.5N. This is a more traditional range of cement products compared to the ones above but note the highlighting of strength. This has been a key selling point for products in this part of the world previously, hence its focus. CEM II is a blended cement that uses lower levels of clinker. One clinker substitute in CEM II products is calcined clay. Gebr. Pfeiffer, for example, said in August 2025 that it was to supply a vertical roller mill to Ciments de Côte d'Ivoire (CIMCI) for clay grinding at its cement plant. There are also a number of other calcined clay projects in the Ivory Coast and other countries in West Africa. Further afield, JK Cement in India also started to market its LC3 clay calcined cement product line in October 2025.

Finally, US-based Amrize launched its ‘Made in America’ label for its cement range this week, “offering builders the guarantee of American manufacturing and quality, supporting American jobs and local communities.” Readers may recall that Amrize was recently owned by Switzerland-based Holcim. However, the company is currently keen to point out that its cement products are “made in the US from its raw materials and processing to manufacturing, meeting rigorous US performance standards.” Amrize does sell blended cements including FortiCem Portland-Pozzolan Blended Cement, ECOPlanet Cements and OneCem Portland Limestone Cement.

Most of the news stories highlighted above demonstrate a trend for blended cements with lower clinker factors. There’s no real change here. This has been happening for a long time and it is being driven by both profit and sustainability motives, although the current bunch of stories may also be turning up to coincide with the COP30 conference in Brazil. Note the inclusion of places outside of Europe and the drive for new blends. Another factor to consider here is protectionism in certain markets, as Amrize’s marketing drive suggests. New blends will also require new certifications, standards and approvals as is the case with Dyckerhoff’s work on CEM VI (SLL). The next trend to watch for will be the market reaction to carbon captured cements, such as Heidelberg Materials’ evoZero product. Will end users pay a premium for zero-carbon cements?

Egypt: Cementir Group has launched two reduced-CO₂ white cement products produced at its Egyptian subsidiary Sinai White Cement across the Middle East and Africa. The D-Carb® range comprises a limestone Portland cement (matching CEM II/A-LL 52.5N requirements according to EN197-1) with around 10% less clinker than the company’s well-known Aalborg White® CEM I 52.5R product, and a CEM II/B-LL 42.5N product that has 20% less clinker than Aalborg White.

“In 2024 and early 2025, we progressively introduced D-Carb products across Europe and the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, where we have received positive feedback from diverse industry segments,” said Michele Di Marino, Chief Sales, Marketing and Commercial Development Officer of Cementir Group. “Today, extending this portfolio to the Middle East and Africa with two tailored variants represents an important milestone in Cementir’s journey toward net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Spain: Maritime traffic between the ports managed by the Valencia Port Authority - Valencia, Sagunto and Gandia - and Israel rose by 25% in 2024. The ports of Valencia and Sagunto maintain a direct connection with Ashdod, 40km south of Tel Aviv. Since the start of the conflict in Gaza and until September 2025, Israel has imported more than 165,000t of white cement from the Port of Valencia, compared to virtually none in 2023, according to official data from the Port of Valencia via the El Diario newspaper. Up to 15 ships carrying white cement from Çimsa Cementos’ Buñol plant have reportedly departed from Sagunto for Ashdod. Industry experts said these exports represent around 12% of Buñol’s 700,000t/yr capacity. For comparison, Holcim’s Sagunto plant produces 110,000t/yr of white cement.

US: Çimsa has started production at its new grey cement grinding facility in Houston through its subsidiary Cimsa Americas Cement Manufacturing and Sales Corporation, according to Yatirimlar news. The plant has an annual capacity of 600,000t/yr and commanded an investment of US$82m, reportedly making Çimsa the first and only Turkish cement producer with grey cement production operations in the US.

The company, which already operates a 300,000t/yr white cement grinding plant in the country, said the new facility strengthens its position in the US market by adding grey cement production capacity.

CEO Umut Zenar said “Our goal in doing so was to transform Çimsa into a global building materials company with both geographical production diversity and a differentiated product range. During this process, we strengthened our existing operations while continuing our path with international acquisitions and new investments. With the acquisition of the Bunol factory in Valencia, Spain, which we completed in 2021, we became the world's second largest producer in the white cement market. Then, with the Mannok investment we completed in 2024, we strengthened our presence, especially in Ireland and the UK, and accelerated our transformation with the new products we added to our portfolio. Today, we are happy to launch our new investment in the USA. We have been present in the US market for a long time through exports. This new investment, which we have implemented within our US-based company, is a turning point for us. We are no longer a brand that only exports to the USA, but also a player with on-site production power. In this way, we gain logistical advantages and offer much more to our customers. We will be able to provide fast and efficient service. We also aim to increase our sales volume and strengthen our market position with our local manufacturing capabilities in the US. It will also contribute to increasing the share of our foreign currency-based revenues.”

UAE: Asian Paints has announced that its subsidiary, Asian White Inc. FZE, has begun commercial production at its new white cement manufacturing facility in Fujairah. The plant, has an initial capacity of 265,000t/yr, and marks Asian Paints’ entry into the white cement market as part of its broader diversification and international growth strategy. It previously announced its proposed entry into the white cement market back in 2022.

India: Travancore Cements, a state-owned producer under the Kerala government, has restarted production of white cement after a month-long shutdown, unveiling a three-phase restoration plan to stabilise the company, according to The Hindu newspaper. The company has secured 1000t of raw materials to resume operations.

A company official said “About 540t of raw materials have already arrived, which has helped save US$11,411 in deferred costs. The current plan is to increase white cement production gradually, targeting an average output of 2000t/month.”

The first two phases of the plan include increasing clinker unit capacity, developing value-added white cement products and restoring the company’s drydock. The third phase, dependent on receiving US$2.6m from a land sale in Kakkanad, will focus on clay calcination, green cement production and other diversification programmes in association with with the Board of Public Sector Transformation.

Algeria: Biskria Ciment has exported 28,000t of white cement to the US from the port of Annaba aboard the M/V Anhui, according to the Annaba Port Company via L’Expression newspaper. The exports continue despite a 30% US customs duty on Algerian imports.

The company said it is maintaining shipments by leveraging the quality and price competitiveness of its cement.

Syria: Northern Region Cement has inaugurated the US$20m Al-Fayhaa Northern Cement plant, officiated by Saudi investment minister Khalid Al-Falih, according to Argaam news. The plant is owned by subsidiary Northern Jordan Cement and has a production capacity of 0.15Mt/yr of white cement.

Malaysia: Cementir Group subsidiary Aalborg Portland Malaysia has launched CEM II/A-LL 52.5N with 12% lower CO₂ emissions compared to Aalborg White CEM I 52.5N. The product, part of the D-Carb family, maintains high and consistent early-age performance and is aimed at supporting industrial decarbonisation. It will be distributed primarily in Australia, with further availability across Asia.

Aalborg Portland APAC managing director Fabrizio Piero Carraro said “The demand for low carbon white cement is rapidly increasing across APAC markets, particularly in more mature markets like Australia. This growth is being driven by clear policy direction, defined industrial decarbonisation targets and rising environmental awareness among industry players. As a result, we are seeing a strong shift toward white cement solutions that offer both reduced carbon emissions and high performance.”

Spain: Çimsa Cementos España, a subsidiary of the Turkish group Sabancı, plans to invest €12.55m in its Buñol white cement plant close to Valencia during 2025. This will be followed by €7.1m in 2026 and €5.4m in 2027. The investments will be primarily for the development of alternative fuels, energy efficiency and new business lines. These significant investments follow €10.8m spent during 2024, when the manufacturer launched a photovoltaic installation near its plant to supply 18% of its energy needs.