Global Cement News

Japan: Tokuyama Corporation has installed ABB’s Expert Optimizer automated optimisation system in the kiln line of its Nanyo cement plant. The system controls the line’s calciner, kiln and cooler processes. The supplier says that the technology will reduce the Nanyo cement plant’s thermal energy consumption by 3%.

Tokuyama Corporation "We selected ABB's Expert Optimizer to equalise operations and improve operational efficiency. As expected, we have significantly reduced the number of the operator manual operations normally spent on manual tasks.” It added “We believe that this solution will also support our young operators in learning the know-how of our operations efficiently."

Brazil: Cimento Gaúcho has inaugurated its 400,000t/yr Montenegro grinding plant in Rio Grande do Sul. The producer invested US$20.4m in the facility, which will initially produce 100,000t/yr of cement. Besides the local market, Cimento Gaúcho also plans to supply cement from the Montenegro grinding plant to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The El Pais newspaper has reported that the plant will create 30 direct jobs, and a further 120 indirect jobs.

Cimento Gaúcho is a joint venture of Hipermix and Uruguay-based Compañía Industrializadora de Minerales.

India: Bokaro Steel Plant has won granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) supply contracts with ACC and UltraTech Cement. Under the contracts, Bokaro Steel Plant expects to supply 1.3Mt of GBFS from its facilities in Jharkhand for use in cement production in the state. The Pioneer newspaper has reported that the contracts will run until August 2026.

US: Terra CO2 has performed a successful demonstration pour of its OPUS silicate-based supplementary cementitious material (SCM) at a construction site in Texas. Terra CO2 supplied the SCM to indiGO Auto Group for the construction of its Porsche Sugar Land car dealership in Houston. It says that the product delivers durability, strength and functionality on a par with other, traditional SCMs. Tonne-for-tonne, the use of OPUS reduces projects’ CO2 emissions by 70%, and their NOx emissions by 90%, compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

Terra CO2 CEO Bill Yearsley said "Our work at Terra CO2 is about forging a viable path for sustainable construction. We're set on creating a blueprint for the future where performance, cost-effectiveness and sustainability coexist seamlessly across projects. We're moving beyond the lab, beyond the processes that have held us back as an industry, and introducing a sustainable solution to real-world applications."

India: Adani Group recorded earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$2.85bn in the first quarter of the 2024 financial year, up by 42% year-on-year. The conglomerate’s cement business contributed an EBITDA of US$235m, up by 54% year-on-year. This represented 8.2% of the quarterly total. The group sold 15.4Mt of cement.

Financial Express Online News has reported that Adani Group said “The robust portfolio performance was primarily driven by the renewable power business under Adani Green, the infrastructure businesses under Adani Enterprises and the cement businesses under Adani Cement.”