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Adbri secures funding towards grinding and blending systems upgrade at Birkenhead cement plant 24 April 2024
Australia: The Australian federal government has granted Adbri US$32.5m for a new front-end engineering and design study at its Birkenhead cement plant. The study will assess the possible installation of a new vertical roller mill and post-production blending system at the plant. InDaily News has reported that the proposed upgrade will increase the plant’s production capacity and help to expand its range of reduced-CO2 cements. The funding falls under the government’s US$260m Critical Inputs to Clean Energy programme, which aims to help decarbonise the Australian economy by 2050.
CEO Mark Irwin said “With the Commonwealth’s support we have the potential to further accelerate the decarbonisation of our operations and products.”
Breedon Group reports first-quarter 2024 drop in sales 24 April 2024
UK: Breedon Group's sales dropped by 5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, according to a trading update from the company. It attributed this to macroeconomic uncertainty and unfavourable weather conditions in the UK. Sales volumes of its materials ‘softened,’ but prices remained ‘resilient,’ partly offsetting the decline. The quarter brought three new acquisitions, including the company’s first in the US. Two scheduled cement kiln shutdowns took place within budget and on schedule.
CEO Rob Wood said "We have laid good foundations for the remainder of the year: progressing pricing, pursuing efficiencies, completing two bolt-on acquisitions and launching our third platform by entering the US market. Although the economic landscape remains uncertain, I am confident our discipline and focus, coupled with our strong customer relationships, will see us deliver against our unchanged expectations for 2024."
Saudi Arabia: India-based software company Mastek has secured a contract for the comprehensive digitisation of production lines at Yanbu Cement’s plant in Yanbu. Capital Market News has reported that the planned optimisation will help to raise the efficiency of the plant. Yanbu Cement previously embarked on a programme of ‘digital and cloud transformation’ with Mastek in 2022. The partners say that their collaboration aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and Smart Industry 4.0 decarbonisation initiatives.
Holcim Deutschland and ThyssenKrupp break ground on Lägerdorf cement plant carbon-neutralisation project 23 April 2024
Germany: Holcim Deutschland has broken ground on the construction of a new kiln line and CO2 processing unit at its Lägerdorf cement plant in Schleswig-Holstein. The line will feature an OxyFuel kiln, supplied by ThyssenKrupp. ThyssenKrupp’s OxyFuel technology will assist in the capture of 1.2Mt/yr (nearly 100%) of CO2 from the plant. The partners described the upcoming upgraded Lägerdorf plant as one of the world's first carbon-neutral cement plants.
Holcim Deutschland CEO Thorsten Hahn said "We're laying the groundwork for a sustainable world through cement. Cement is essential for our cities, factories, homes, bridges and beyond. As we transition towards renewable energy, we must also construct the foundations and structures for wind turbines and railway tracks. With our climate-neutral cement plant, we ensure that this vital building material remains accessible without further harm to the atmosphere."
ThyssenKrupp Decarbon Technologies’ chief strategy officer Cetin Nazikkol said “It’s vital to switch to climate-friendly processes. By enriching CO2 by means of the pure OxyFuel technology we’ve developed, we help our customers capture almost all of the CO2 arising in the production process and so reuse it in a sustainable manner. Given that global cement production is more than 4Bnt/yr, we see enormous growth potential for our innovative technology.”
UK: Heidelberg Materials UK has opened a new circular materials hub at its Appleford depot in Oxfordshire. The site will recycle construction waste for use in low-CO2 building materials. The move advances the company’s strategy to conserve natural materials and support the circular economy.
Recycling managing director James Whitelaw said “Recycling, reusing and reducing the use of primary raw materials is crucial to reaching net zero. Our network of recycling hubs will allow us to provide the most sustainable products to our customers through circularity and innovation to enable building more with less.”