Germany: thyssenkrupp has launched thyssenkrupp Calvion, a new company focused on industrial decarbonisation technologies including oxyfuel, direct air capture, quicklime and phosphogypsum recycling. The company said that thyssenkrupp Calvion comprises a team with expertise in industrial process technologies, large-scale plant engineering, flash calcination and CO₂ solutions.
Vietnam: Vietnam exported 3.4Mt of cement and clinker worth US$132m in April 2026, up by 15% in volume and 18% in value year-on-year. In the first four months of 2026, according to the government’s National Statistics Office. Since January 2026, exports have reached 13.4Mt, worth US$492m, up by 20% in value and 20% in volume year-on-year.
Canada: Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a cement production process that reduces energy demand by 70% and CO₂ emissions by 98% compared to conventional production. The researchers used electricity to lower the energy requirements of the process, with the reaction taking place at 60°C. The product of the reaction was then converted into belite in a kiln at 650°C. The team also tested the process on recycled cement instead of limestone to further reduce emissions. The new method reduced emissions to 20kg/t of CO₂ compared to 500-800kg/t of CO₂ from conventional cement production. The electrochemical reactions produced hydrogen, which could be burned to provide the thermal energy for the second step of cement production. The university has filed an international patent application for the technology.
One of the researchers, Curtis Berlinguette, said “Our team was motivated to address cement production emissions at the source. We used electricity and recycled cement to make precursors that formed a type of cement called belite at lower temperatures than were previously known.”
Brazil: Cement sales in Brazil increased by 2% year-on-year to 5.4Mt in April 2026, while sales in the first four months of 2026 rose by 2% year-on-year. The National Cement Industry Union (SNIC) attributed demand growth to housing and infrastructure activity, supported by the Minha Casa, Minha Vida housing programme. The economic outlook that sustains demand continues to be influenced by the ‘heated’ labour market and the Minha Casa, Minha Vida programme has led to a steady rise in real estate sales.
SNIC president Paulo Camillo Penna said “Despite the positive results in cement sales so far, the activity is already feeling the effects of the conflict in the Middle East. We had a strong impact with the readjustment in petcoke, a component that is mostly imported, which accounts for about 40% of the production cost. In the domestic market, pressures persist with the readjustments of diesel oil and road freight, a mode that represents about 90% of cement distribution in the country.”
