Displaying items by tag: certification

Norway: Private accreditation body DNVGL has certified Aker Solutions’ 400,000t/yr carbon capture and storage (CCS) system installation at Germany-based HeidelbergCement subsidiary Norcem’s 1.2Mt/yr integrated Brevik plant in Telemark as safe. HeidelbergCement Northern Europe director of sustainability and alternative fuels Per Brevik said, “The promising results from pilot testing in Brevik give us confidence that realisation of the full-scale capture plant will be successful. We trust that the project risk related to novel technology elements is low.”

Following an 18-month test of the partial installation, the certification ensures that the full-scale project will receive government funding.

Italy: Italcementi’s integrated Calusco plant near Bergamo has been awarded a Responsible Sourcing Scheme (RSS) certificate for its concrete and related supply chain operations. The certification looks at the entire production process from transportation to recycling raw materials. It is the first cement plant in the Italian subsidiary of HeidelbergCement to obtain the certification.

Italcementi suspended operation at its plants in March 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak due to government decree.

Germany: Schwenk Zement’s 1.2Mt/yr Karlstadt cement plant in Bavaria, 1.0Mt/yr Allmendingen and Mergelstetten cement plants in Baden Württemberg and 0.86Mt/yr Bernburg cement plant in Saxony-Anhalt have all achieved the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC)’s gold certification, enabling the use of their cements in concrete for CSC certified sustainable buildings. Schwenk building consultancy head Werner Rothenbacher said, “Schwenk is committed to sustainable cement production at all locations. More works will follow soon.” In addition to its cement plants, Schwenk operates numerous ready-mix concrete production facilities in Germany.

In 2019 20% of German new-builds were CSC certified.

Tunisia: Carthage Cement has obtained CE marking for its products to help it penetrate the European market. It plans to start a 0.15Mt cement export contract in March 2020.

Ghana: The Department of Trade and Industry has declared a moratorium on the construction of new cement plants in response to a cement surplus on the domestic market. Chamber of Cement Manufacturers executive secretary George Dawson-Ahmoah said that consumption stands at 6.5Mt/yr nationally. Ghana’s eight producers are utilising 50% of an total installed capacity of 12Mt/yr, according to All Africa News. “The government is investigating measures to prevent imports,” said Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry. This may involve cement quality certification by the Ghana Standard authority.

US: The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) has awarded Conservation Certificates to Cementos Argos’ 1.5Mt/yr integrated Newberry plant in Florida and 0.6Mt/yr Atlanta grinding plant in Georgia. Cementos Argos has installed a bat roost at the Newberry plant and planted bee and butterfly gardens with bird boxes for year-round resident bluebirds. The company said that the certification signals its ‘long-term commitment to managing quality habitats for wildlife.’

Russia: Eurocement’s Maltsovsky integrated plant in Bryansk Region has gained European certification for its CEMI 52.5N, CEMI 42.5R and CEMII / A-S 42.5N products. Local testing and independent certification confirmed the new designation. Following an earlier certification for CEMI 42.5N the plant now hopes to grow its exports to the European Union.

Poland: The Swiss-based Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) has acknowledged Górażdże Concrete’s sustainable management of resources in the concrete production process. Przemysław Malinowski, Górażdże president, stated that the company has sought to ‘minimise its impact on the environment in all areas of the supply chain.’ This included sourcing its cement from producers who demonstrate effective waste heat recovery and alternative fuel substitution practices, with a view to promoting the circular economy.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) established the CSC to promote care for the economic, social and environmental impacts of concrete production by auditing the entire production process. In a Polish concrete sector of 25Mm3/yr total production capacity, Górażdże is the sole holder of CSC certification.

Namibia: The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has recognised Ohorongo Cement’s commitment to quality with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certification. The former follows technical auditing of the entire cement-making process to ensure ‘quality at the core of all processes,’ according to New Era, while the latter signifies the attainment of ‘the global standard for an effective environmental management system.’ The company commented that: “Ohorongo ensures that all operations and practices exhibit responsibility towards all stakeholders and the environment.”

Ohorongo Cement’s 69.8% owner Schwenk Namibia failed to sell to Singaporean-based International Cement Group (ICG) in September 2019.

Ecuador: Sambito, the Ecuadorian environmental consultant, has endorsed the certification of two LafargeHolcim cement products as carbon neutral. Metro Ecuador has reported that both Agrovial and Base Vial, prepared at low heats for foundations and roads respectively, have 54% lower emissions than ‘traditional’ cement. Carbon neutrality was achieved by Holcim Ecuador’s ownership of the 6078 hectare Cerro Blanco Protected Forest, 2175 hectares of which suffices to offset the emissions from production of both products.