Wow! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did something good for the industry. The EPA will give the Portland Cement Association (PCA) more than $2.4 million to lead a project that will improve both the quantity and quality of industry Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). It’s one of 38 grants that the EPA announced. EPDs are the most widely used tool…
Read MoreAuthor: Mark S. Kuhar
Tips for Efficient Conveyor Discharge
When Bulk Handlers Need Help Reducing Dust At The Conveyor Discharge Point, They Need Answers Fast. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar Every day, bulk handlers struggle with the conveyor discharge zone emitting dust, carryback, and spillage, some of the leading problems that cause equipment breakdowns, workplace safety violations and raise the cost of operation. Martin Engineering’s decades of research and…
Read MoreSustainability in Action: A Cement Industry Update
Research, Benchmarks and Plant Projects are Ongoing As The Industry Tackles Sustainability Challenges. By Mark S. Kuhar Whether it is Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage; Climate and Energy Benchmarking; or innovative developments at the plant level, the cement industry is continuously working to reduce its carbon footprint. Here are some of the latest developments. CCUS Opportunities in the Cement IndustryAccording…
Read MoreThe Benefits of Responsible Finance
To fund ongoing decarbonization efforts, Heidelberg Materials introduced a new Green Finance Framework, which is aligned with the most recent best market practices and standards. The company intends to issue Green Bonds to finance and/or refinance assets and capital expenditure associated with economic activities that meet or will meet the eligibility criteria defined in the Green Finance Framework. This will…
Read More2024 Is Here, So What Will It Bring?
It is 2024, and another new year has us looking ahead at what might be in store for the construction materials and cement industries. If you gauge a year by production volume, you could say 2023 was a bit of a disappointment. A look at the latest cement production numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reveals that shipments for…
Read More2024 Economic Report
This Year Should Provide A Transition To Stronger Growth For Construction And Thus For Cement Production. By Mark S. Kuhar After a year in which the economy and starts slowed considerably, the coming year should provide a transition to stronger growth for construction, according to the Dodge Construction Network’s (DCN) Outlook 2024 economic report. But before we get to that,…
Read MoreCement Industry Solar Update
By Mark S. Kuhar Cemex and Synhelion report prospective scaling of a high-temperature process to industrially-viable levels, where solar energy supplants fossil fuel combustion. This marks a significant milestone in the companies’ journey toward the world’s first fully solar-powered cement plant. An early 2022 energy lab demonstration in Spain saw researchers leverage Synhelion devices and fuel conversion methods to successfully…
Read MoreBetter Bulk Handling
New, Efficient Solutions Can Help Cement Producers Adapt To Ever-Changing Circumstances. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar Dry bulk ports and terminals, such as those used by cement producers, are in a state of constant change. The materials they handle change and so, too, do the quantities. Operators are constantly having to adapt to new requirements. They want to automate their…
Read MoreCracking the Code
Anti-Aging Solutions For Cement Plants And Tackling New Challenges Due To Refuse Derived Fuel. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar Fulfilling a large order may mean that a cement plant needs to keep running at full capacity over extended periods. This creates risk as major cracks and wear can develop in equipment. Vladimir Filipov, key customer manager at repair specialist Remoterm,…
Read MoreConstruction, Cement and Steel
It is tough to keep up with all of the fast-paced developments in the world of carbon reduction. Our sister website, Construction Materials Carbon Management [CM2] does a very good job of it. The following item is very intriguing: Cambridge University researchers have conducted the first scrap-metal trial melt in the Materials Processing Institute (MPI) Cement 2 Zero project, aiming…
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