Displaying items by tag: sustainability

Brazil: The Falcão Bauer Quality Institute (IFBQ) has certified LafargeHolcim Brasil’s CP III-32 blast furnace slag cement for all construction applications. The certificate confirms that the product offers 50% reduced CO₂ compared to the average cement on the Brazilian market.

The Jornal Dia Dia newspaper has reported that sustainability manager Bruno Hallak said “The IFBQ is an institution recognised by the market and this certification confirms that we are on the right track. The production processes and methodologies evaluated can even be reproduced in other units, according to their local characteristics, increasing the gain for the environment.”

LafargeHolcim Brasil previously obtained IFBQ certification for its CP III-40 blast furnace slag cement, which offers a slightly less reduced clinker factor than CP III-32 cement, in 2021. It was the first cement of its type in Brazil to receive the certification. The company produces both cements at its Vitória grinding plant in Espírito Santo.

UK: A team of researchers from six UK universities has filed a patent for a clinkerless cement product called Cambridge Electric Cement. Local press has reported that the project, called UK Fires, saw researchers successfully produce the cement using renewable power from recycled cement powder and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Following its successes, UK Fires has obtained a further Euro2m in funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to continue its work into the range of concrete wastes suitable for use in Cambridge Electric Cement production.

US: Cementos Argos subsidiary Argos Florida Cement has won the Slag Cement Association (SCA)’s Durability and Infrastructure awards at its 2022 Sustainable Concrete Project of the Year Awards. The producer won the awards for its supply of slag cement to two projects in Florida in 2021. Its involvement in the American Bridge Company’s SR 679 Pinellas Bayway Bridge – Structure E replacement won it the Durability award, while its involvement in Superior Paving’s State Road 52 realignment. Argos Florida Cement congratulated its customers, who also received the awards.

France: The Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB) has certified Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies’ clinkerless H-UKR alkali-activated slag cement for structural use in buildings of all types. BusinessWire News has reported that the certification confirms the product’s safety, sustainability, lifespan and performance in conformity with Eurocode 2 and Eurocode 8 design standards.

Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said “In the midst of ongoing frenetic communication regarding carbon neutrality, Hoffmann Green Cement is as usual endeavouring to back its announcements with verified and evaluated elements. The granting of these evaluations further objectifies the quality of our cement, notably with the awarding of a lifespan of 100 years. In this regard, we would like to thank the CSTB’s teams for drafting this unprecedented technical appraisal and our own teams who are working tirelessly on seeking innovative decarbonised solutions to preserve tomorrow’s world.”

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) has started using two electric trucks to transport slag as part of its E-Truck project. They are being used to transport slag from the Steel Authority of India Limited’s (SAIL) Rourkela plant to the cement producer’s plant at Rajgangpur. The company has also commissioned two charging stations at its Rajgangpur plant and three more are to be installed by March 2022. The E-Trucks initiative is intended to reduce Dalmia Cement Bharat’s carbon emissions from transportation and decrease its logistics costs. A further 20 electric trucks are intended to start use by the end of the 2022 financial year.

“Achieving environmental sustainability has always been a priority for us at Dalmia Cement Bharat from a business and a social standpoint. While we are grateful that our government is creating the right policy and investment environment that encourages organisations to take positive environmental action, as private organisations we need to take the lead,” said Mahendra Singhi, managing director and chief executive officer, Dalmia Cement Bharat. He added that the company was confident that it would able to achieve its sustainability goal of becoming carbon negative by 2040.

India: The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has certified the sustainability claims of Dalmia Cement’s portfolio of blended cements. The portfolio consists of composite cement, Portland pozzolan cement and Portland slag cement. The council employed a full-cycle assessment of the cements’ impacts.

Head of sales, marketing and logistics Sanjay Wali said “We see GreenPro’s accreditation as a milestone in our journey to becoming carbon-negative by 2040. This also reaffirms our blended cement products’ green supremacy, which is accelerating the global transition from a grey to green reality.”

India: Tata Steel has begun the export of Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag from its steel production processes to Bangladesh. The United News of India has reported that a Bangladeshi cement producer has purchased the material for use in its cement production. China-based cement shipping company Cemcoa will deliver the slag.

Chief operating officer Subodh Pandey said that Tata Steel continually pursues operational and market-facing innovations by creating value out of its by-products, as part of its quest to a sustainable future. It has achieved 100% granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), fly ash and LD slag recycling.

UK: Harsco has published its environmental report for 2019 - 20, a year in which it divested its industrial division, selling three subsidiaries, and acquired US-based hazardous and contaminated waste processing specialists Clean Earth and Stericycle Environmental Solutions, “creating a leading national hazardous waste management platform.” Globally, Harsco derived 80% of revenue over the twelve-month period that ended 30 June 2020 from environmental services, compared to 60% over the twelve months ending 30 June 2017. Chair and chief executive officer (CEO) Nicholas Grasberger said, “Advancing sustainability and being a more purpose-driven company will play an essential role in Harsco’s future.”

US: Harsco has appointed Cope Willis as its Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental Solutions. In this newly created role, Willis will be responsible for driving Harsco’s environmental and corporate sustainability initiatives. He will lead efforts to integrate and embed sustainability throughout the company, and will serve as advisor, subject matter expert, and key influencer in business development efforts.

Willis joins Harsco from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he served as Director of Sustainability Services. He reports to Harsco Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Nick Grasberger. He holds a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and a PhD in Earth Science from the University of California – Santa Cruz.