Politicians and community leaders were on hand recently to celebrate St Marys Cement Bowmanville plant having received North America’s first International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 50001 certification, a framework for industrial facilities seeking to manage their energy use.
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Ash Grove upgrade amplifies EPA mercury rule’s high cost
Following board approval of a $125 million capital outlay, Overland Park, Kan.-based Ash Grove Cement will incorporate a new preheater, precalciner production system at its Midlothian mill outside the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. The equipment will position the facility among Texas’ lowest emitting cement producers and become the biggest ticket investment to date tied to the Environmental Protection Agency’s portland cement…
Read MoreHolcim on track to achieve sustainability targets
The 2011 Holcim Corporate Sustainable Development Report shows that the Swiss construction materials giant Holcim Ltd. is on track to achieve its sustainability targets. The self-imposed targets for reducing dust and NOx emissions have been met, and Holcim remains a leader in the industry with the lowest CO2 emissions per metric ton of cement produced. For CEO Bernard Fontana, sustainable…
Read MoreNonresidential building index debuts
McGraw-Hill Construction’s Dodge Momentum Index, a 12-month leading indicator of nonresidential building spending, will be available monthly for material and product interests; architectural, engineering and construction professionals; and, economist and Wall Street analysts. Based on a 91% correlation between Dodge construction planning reports and the Commerce Department’s Put in Place spending over the past 10 years, the index is poised…
Read MoreFederal agency data shows fly ash far from hazardous
An American Coal Ash Association-sponsored report analyzing the most up-to-date U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) information available concerning coal ash constituents concludes that the concentrations of metals in the material, with few exceptions, are below environmental screening levels for residential soils and similar in concentration to common dirt.
Read MoreCement consumption forecast adjusted favorably for second time in 2012
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. With the first half of 2012 experiencing favorable weather conditions, gains in residential and nonresidential construction activity and robust gains in cement intensities, the new PCA forecast nearly doubles the expected increase in cement consumption for the year. The association’s revised its spring forecast upward, anticipating a 6.9 percent increase in 2012 from 2011…
Read MoreEPA to hold NESHAP public meeting in Dallas
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. Acting on a request from the Dallas-area environmental group Downwinders at Risk, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing on its proposed rule, ‘‘National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants’’ (July 18, 2012 Federal Register), commonly known…
Read MoreCemex launches latest ready-mix brand for sustainable building
Source: Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico Mexican construction materials giant Cemex recently launched its latest global ready-mix concrete brand, Insularis, offering a portfolio of construction solutions and products designed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, thus intensifying the company’s commitment to bring about industry-transforming sustainable construction practices. Insularis is already being offered in Mexico and France, and the…
Read MoreCement Totals—May 2012
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were almost 7.5 million mt in May 2012, according to the USGS. This was 15.9 percent higher compared with shipments for May 2011. Shipments for the year through May were 29.4 million mt, up about 18 percent for the same…
Read MoreFlawed highway bill stabilizes flat funding levels through 2014
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Washington Office; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; Staff reports Although it represents no real gain in dollars made available via years of short-term extensions, HR 4348, which morphed into Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, or MAP-21, was signed into law by President Obama two days after the July 4…
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