Netherlands: Malvern Panalytical has launched a next version of Epsilon 1 X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. The upgrade has reduced the product’s size to 0.15m². Its precision has been improved by integrating a high-power X-ray tube and a new detector.

“With the new generation of our compact Epsilon 1 benchtop XRF spectrometers, you can take a small yet powerful lab directly to your sample for fast product screening and process control”, said Lieven Kempenaers, Malvern Panalytical Product Manager for benchtop XRF systems.

The Epsilon 1 product is available in a number of versions tailored for difference applications. The Epsilon 1 Lube Oil delivers ASTM 6481-compliant elemental analysis of unused lubricating oils; the Epsilon 1 Sulfur in Fuels quantifies sulphur content in fuels according to ASTM D4294-10 and ISO 20847; the Epsilon 1 Academia enables characterisation of unidentified samples, using Omnian software for standardless analysis; and the integrated camera in the Epsilon 1 for Small Spot Analysis simplifies the investigation of very small objects, inclusions or inhomogeneities.

China: Tianrui Cement sales revenue rose by 19.5% year-on-year to US$1.5bn in 2018 from US$1.25bn in 2017. It attributed the growth to a 15% increase in the price of cement. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 15.3% to US$573m from US$497m. Its sales volumes of cement remained stable at 29.4Mt compared to 29.3Mt in 2017.

Philippines: The Cement Importers Association of the Philippines (CIAP) has defended cement imports from Vietnam. In a statement the association said that all legally imported cement sold in the Philippines met the required standards, according to the BusinessWorld newspaper. It made the comment in response to media reports that ‘substandard’ Vietnam-sourced cement was saturating the market.

CIAP said that the controls imposed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) were tougher for imported cement than for locally produced cement. Local manufacturers are audited once per year compared to checks for every batch of imported cement. The DTI said it was going to impose a provisional tariff on imported cement in early 2019.

Philippines: Republic Cement plans to install bag filters on its clinker conveyors, cement mills and packaging lines at its Batangas and Teresa plants in 2019 to replace electrostatic precipitators. It follows the installation of kiln bag filters, according to the Business Mirror newspaper. Following the upgrade it reduced its dust emissions by 75% to 20mg/Nm³, below the national limit of 150mg/Nm³. The cement producer is also considering building concrete roads at its unit to further reduce dust emissions.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines has launched a new blended cement product called Solido. It is intended to produce concrete that is better than that made from Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in terms of durability and compressive strength. The product is also more environmentally friendly than OPC as it uses less clinker. The cement producer is also offering technical training, test and field support to potential users. It says it has launched the product to support the country’s construction boom.

Kenya: An attempt by the East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) to sell some of its land has been threatened by local residents. 5000 local residents say that the disputed land belongs to them, according to the Standard newspaper. They hold a title deed to the land and a court halted construction work on the site in February 2019. The residents also claim that they have been subject to excessive force by the police.

The EAPCC is selling land in a government-backed arrangement to try and clear its debts after it made a loss in 2018. The land has been set aside for Kenya Railways to build a rail container terminal. The railway operator has already made a US$12m down payment on the property. The cement producer maintains that it owns the land. However, the government has agreed to negotiate with the protestors.

Senegal: Momar Ndao, the president of the Consumer Association of Senegal, has asked the government to place controls on the price of cement. His comments followed an increase in the price of cement set by local producers, according to the Senegalese News Agency. He proposed that a technical commission study the situation and make recommendations to the National Consumer Council.

Ghana: Solomon Namliit Boar, the regional minister-designate for the newly created North East Region, says that negotiations are on-going for a new cement factory to be built at Gbandaa in the Nalerigu Municipality. The project is intended to make use of a 20Mm3 limestone deposit in the area, according to the Daily Guide newspaper. The project has remained in the planning stage for some time with Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamadu Bawumia assuring local residents in 2017 that the government would find investors.

Panama: The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) is planning to introduce regulations testing cement imports for Hexavalent chromium (chromium VI). Edgar Arias, Director of Standards and Industrial Technology of the MICI, said at a trade forum that the new rules had been agreed, according to La Estrella de Panamá newspaper. At present cement is tested at the discretion of the importer. Under the new regulations cement will be tested before it leaves its country of origin, when it arrives in Panama and for a third time at the point of sale at the discretion of the authorities.

Panama imports 10,000 – 20,000t/month of cement from countries including China, Turkey and Vietnam. Around 20 importers handle the market. Import tax on cement ranges from 10 – 20% depending on the point of origin.

Egypt: Suez Cement’s Kattameya plant has been damaged by the collapse of a soil barrier around a nearby wastewater treatment lake. The incident caused a flood of 1.5Mm³ of treated water that reached the edge of the cement plant. The plant’s quarry, some power cables and lighting and a road was damaged. No members of staff at the plant were hurt.

The subsidiary of HeidelbergCement estimates that the flood caused around Euro0.5m worth of damage. It says that it previously raised the issue of the wastewater treatment lake with its owner in 2010 following a risk assessment. This led to the construction of the soil barriers.