Oxyfuel Makes the Cement Industry Greener

It’s no secret that the cement industry is a large CO2 emitter. Nevertheless, it is impossible to imagine our everyday lives without cement. A switch to more sustainable processes is essential to protect the climate and remain competitive. One solution, from the experts at thyssenkrupp Polysius, is called Oxyfuel. Understanding OxyfuelLarge quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) are released during cement…

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The Variability Challenge

As The Use Of Alternative Fuels Grows, So Too The Challenges They Pose To Equipment And Process. by Jonathan Rowland Fossil fuels are often maligned for their carbon emissions. Yet they are not the world’s most successful energy source without reason. Fossil fuels pack a punch when it comes to calorific value and offer consistent chemical composition, moisture content and…

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3 Key Allowances in Ceramic Refractory Anchoring Design

To Accommodate Expansion Movement Within Anchoring Systems, Vital Allowances Must Be Incorporated. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar Research shows that more than 40% of monolithic refractory failures are the result of improper anchor design and installation. Failures commonly attributed to the refractory component are instead often caused by shortcomings in the actual anchoring system. Like any material, refractories will expand…

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Striving for Net Zero

Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton, Canada, Plant Works To Implement CCUS Technology. By Kristin Dispenza The concept of carbon capture has been around for decades. While it has been implemented more widely in other sectors, such as coal-fired power generation, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) has not historically been applied to a cement kiln.  There are significant differences and complexities between…

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Here Comes the 2023 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference 

• The Conference will take place at the Dallas-Hilton Anatole, April 23-27. • To register, go to www.cementconference.org. The 2023 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference will feature 750 attendees, 400 companies, 15 training modules and 30 sponsors. Brian Shul will be the keynote speaker. He is a Vietnam-era attack pilot and retired major in the United States Air Force. Shul completed a…

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Economic Strength in Construction Shows No End in Sight

A couple of issues ago, I wrote in Concrete Products, sister publication of Cement Products, about how we are willing ourselves into a recession even as the economic indicators point in a different direction. Like so many periods in the past, this is an anxious time in the economy as we try to understand its direction, and despite the positive…

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Quarterly Reports a Mixed Bag

Publicly traded U.S. cement producers just reported results, and those results are a mixed bag. At Summit Materials, Cement Segment net revenues increased 23.6% to $97.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Cement Segment adjusted cash gross profit margin increased to 47.1% in the fourth quarter, compared to 42.7% in the prior-year period as strong pricing gains more than…

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