India: More than 75 representatives from academic institutions and businesses from across the world are attending the Innovandi Global Cement and Concrete Research Network (GCCRN) Spring Week taking place in New Delhi. The GCCRN has brought together 450 researchers and scientists from more than 40 universities and institutions, including the EPFL in Switzerland, South East University in China, University of Toronto in Canada, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, the University of Cape Town, Imperial College London in the UK, as well as 35 cement and concrete manufacturers and their suppliers. The focus of the conference is to work towards reaching net-zero CO₂ concrete production, including sourcing and improving alternatives to clinker, work on calcined clays, concrete recycling – plus its carbonation and durability - as well as kiln electrification and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS).

Claude Loréa, the Innovation and ESG Director at the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), said “Global Innovation collaboration and research will help unlock our industry’s decarbonisation mission. Spring Week is the key date in the GCCA’s Innovandi calendar. It provides an opportunity for our partners to meet face-to-face, exchange ideas, run workshops, and measure progress on key research projects in line with our industry’s 2050 Net Zero Roadmap. Our industry and our key partners are stepping up to the challenge and it’s fantastic to see the progress on some of the 75 PhD candidates supported by the GCCRN.”

The event is also updating attendees about progress made by projects involved with the Innovandi Open Challenge. This initiative matches start-ups with GCCA member companies from around the world, to help scale up research and technical innovation. Two of the six start-ups selected in 2022 at the first ever Innovandi Open Challenge, which focused mainly on carbon capture and utilisation, have already gone to pilot stage. Applications for the second challenge, which focuses on low carbon concrete, close on 15 May 2023.

The GCCRN was set up by the GCCA, a lobbying group representing more than 80% of the world’s cement and concrete manufacturers outside of China. All GCCA member companies are committed to decarbonising the industry by the mid-21st Century, in line with the GCCA’s Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap.

US: Germany-based Heidelberg Materials has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire The SEFA Group Inc., the largest fly ash recycling company in the US. Based in Lexington, South Carolina, the operations of The SEFA Group include five business units, five utility partners, 20 locations and more than 500 employees. The group currently supplies quality fly ash to more than 800 concrete plants in 13 states.

Heidelberg Materials said that the reuse of fly ash from energy generation in alternative products such as composite cements enhances its circularity efforts within its value chain by reducing the CO₂ emissions of its cement and concrete. The transaction is anticipated to close in June 2023.

“Fostering circularity by increasing the use of by-products and recycled materials from other industrial sectors is an essential part of our strategy,” said Dr Dominik von Achten, Chairman of the Managing Board at Heidelberg Materials. “Our focus is on rapidly and significantly reducing our CO₂ emissions and The SEFA Group will make an outstanding contribution in this regard to our US business.”

UK: Thermoteknix Systems, a global manufacturer of infrared and thermal imaging systems for the cement industry, has been presented with the King’s Award for Enterprise, recognising significant and sustained growth in the company’s international trade. Overseas sales for the company grew by 173% in a three-year period across key markets including North America, Europe and Asia.

Thermoteknix has been a multiple recipient of the public accolade awarded to UK business, having previously won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade once and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation twice. The awards have been renamed following the accession of King Charles III, emphasising his desire to continue the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II in celebrating the achievements of outstanding UK businesses each year, which she began in 1965.

Commenting on winning the first King’s Award honour, founder and managing director of Thermoteknix, Richard Salisbury said “We are extremely honoured to receive this award and would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment shown by our whole team in delivering outstanding results for our customers around the world in what continues to be fast-changing and challenging markets made all the more onerous during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Founded in 1982, Thermoteknix has sustained continued growth from its Cambridge headquarters, manufacturing and supplying advanced thermal imaging solutions to defence and security markets, and process monitoring. Thermoteknix successfully exports to more than 70 countries around the world.

Paul Douglas, Production Technician at Thermoteknix, is part of the team on site at the company's UK manufacturing facilities who prepare the Thermoteknix kiln shell scanners, and kiln and cooler cameras for delivery to Cement plant customers around the world.

UK: MOF Technologies, a Northern Ireland-based company whose technology efficiently captures CO₂ directly from industrial sources, is rebranding to Nuada. The new name is an ode to the company’s Celtic origins and is inspired by the ancient mythical king, Nuada, whose name means ‘to capture.’

Nuada says that its next-generation ‘heatless’ technology is ‘redefining carbon (CO₂) capture,’ slashing the energy penalty and costs associated with CO₂ capture.

Nuada has combined advanced solid adsorbents, named MOFs, with proven vacuum swing technology to enable the separation of CO₂ from flue gas using pressure instead of heat. This ‘heatless’ system represents a step change in innovation that slashes the energy penalty and cost associated with carbon capture, the main barriers for mass adoption in industry.

The company says that the new branding and direction have come at a critical time as the world is sprinting to decarbonise and mitigate the impacts of climate change. This is particularly the case in hard-to-abate industries like cement production, where carbon capture is essential to reaching Net Zero targets.