Philippines: Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer says a ready2grind system it supplied to Petra Cement started in early December 2019. The clinker grinding mill is operational at a grinding plant on the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao. No value for the order has been disclosed. Petra Cement’s sister company , Big Boss Cement, has also ordered a modular mill system from Gebr. Pfeiffer.

France: LafargeHolcim France says that it has “responded to the demand for low-carbon concretes” with the launch of a CEM-II Portland limestone cement product with 25% lower carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions than Ordinary Portland Cements (OPC) in its Galaxim Planet range. The new addition to the range, of which LafargeHolcim plans to produce 100,000t by 31 December 2020, contains 35% limestone, up by 23% from 12% in ordinary Portland limestone cement.

LafargeHolcim France south region cement sales director Olivier Mespouilles said, “Our goal is to offer all builders a cement offering properties equivalent to a conventional cement with the advantage of a reduced carbon footprint. This tour de force was successful thanks to the involvement of all our teams, and we are the first player in France to offer this type of limestone cement in such a volume." The cement is due to enter the market in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. From 2021 the company hopes to supply 80% of customers there with the low-carbon cement.

Russia: Eurocement subsidiary Kavkazcement has announced the launch of a new CEM-II Portland limestone cement product. The company says that the cement has a wide range of applications, from “general purpose structures to objects operating under aggressive environmental conditions: concrete and reinforced concrete structures, monolithic structures, massive foundations and indoor structures, as well as in screeds, plaster mortars and dry building mixes.” Kavkazcement general director Nikolai Muradov said, “The use of cements with mineral additives provides a high-quality concrete surface; in finished products, the risk of efflorescence, cracking and other defects is reduced.” Customers can purchase the product in 50kg or 1t bags.

US: Mexico-based Cemex has announced its investment in Arqlite, a producer of aggregates from waste plastic. Arqlite won the Cemex Ventures Global Construction Startup Competition in 2019. Other investors in the company, which began its research and development process in Argentina in 2016, include Kamay Ventures and Chris Graff.

The Cemex Ventures Global Construction Startup Competition 2020 remains open to applicants until 26 July 2020.

UK: Germany-based Loesche has joined a network of expert companies that “share relevant information and results regarding the reduction of environmental impact and the use of coal and enhanced energy security globally” in becoming an IEA Clean Coal Centre knowledge partner. The company said, “We are excited to be part of this renowned group of companies that aim to improve the environmental impact by use of green technologies, renewable resources, and alternative use of energy sources for more sustainable engineering projects.”

Germany: Following a comprehensive review of its assets HeidelbergCement has announced a Euro3.4bn impairment to its company value compared to the figure from a precious valuation prior to the second quarter of 2020. The company gave the reasons for the impairment as: the demand impacts of the coronavirus pandemic; economic effects on operations in individual countries; notably in the UK post-Brexit; and an increase in the market risk premium used by the Institut für Wirtschaftsprüfer (German public auditing body) for valuation to 7% from 6%. The largest regional impairment was Euro2.7bn, in Western and Southern Europe. Euro2.3bn of the total impairment, “relates to the Hanson acquisition” by HeidelbergCement in 2007.

Tanzania: Huaxin Cement subsidiary African Tanzanian Maweni Limestone has ignited the kiln and begun trial production of clinker at its newly upgraded 0.75Mt/yr Maweni Limestone clinker plant. Huaxin Cement acquired the subsidiary in May 2020 and begun upgrading the kiln line on 1 June 2020, in spite of the fact that only 14 Huaxin Cement management team colleagues remained in the country due to the company withdrawing staff to China prior to the coronavirus lockdown.

Huaxin Cement says that it will not upgrade the plant’s grinding unit “for various reasons.” The company said, “subject to the epidemic prevention and control situation, the company will send an excellent management team to implement advanced cement process technology and management. We are committed to turning Maweni Limestone into a benchmark industrial enterprise in Tanzania and promoting the local cement industry to achieve quality.”

US: Air Products has shared details of a partnership with ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers (TUCE). Under the partnership, Air Products will build and operate water electrolysis plants for hydrogen production using TUCE’s equipment, engineering and technical services. TUCE chief executive officer (CEO) Denis Krude said, “We are set to supply one 1GW of water electrolysis plants per year, and we are prepared to ramp up the capacity in this rapidly evolving market.” The engineering company has to date realised a total rating of 10GW across 600 electrochemical plants for customers globally.

Belarus: Belarusian Cement Company (BCC) sold 1.85Mt of cement over the first five months of 2020, up by 12% year-on-year from 1.65Mt in the corresponding period of 2019. The Belarusian Architecture and Construction Ministry has reported that, of BCC’s three subsidiaries, Krichevtsementnoshifer recorded the largest sales growth in the period, of 9.6% to 465,000t. Belarusian Cement Mill sold 657,000t, up by 3.6%, including 249,000t to Russia, and Krasnoselskstroymaterialy sold 568,000t, up by 0.2%.

Nigeria: BUA Group subsidiary BUA Cement has shared plans to establish a 3Mt/yr-capacity integrated cement plant in Guyuk, Adamawa State. The Sun newspaper has reported that the company also plans to establish a 50MW power plant in nearby Lamurde, also in Adamawa State. BUA Group chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu said, “We will use new technologies to supply power to the proposed cement plant and communities of Guyuk and Lamurde.” The state’s limestone deposits with provide the raw material for clinker production.