After one of Silicon Valley’s biggest manhunts, the man responsible for an 4 a.m. shooting spree on October 5 at Lehigh Hanson’s Permanente cement plant in Cupertino, Calif., was shot down in a hail of gunfire early on the morning of October 6 in Sunnyvale.
Read MoreCategory: News
Cement Regulatory Relief legislation clears the House
Sources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md. Today’s bipartisan passage of “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011” (H.R. 2681) by the U.S. House of Representatives was overwhelmingly called a triumph by construction industry leaders. A year-long effort to reform what they believed would be job-killing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations on the…
Read MoreMIT researchers provide comprehensive LCA for buildings
Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. The need to decrease energy usage and subsequent emissions from the building sector has been at the forefront of U.S. green movement. To address this, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Concrete Sustainability Hub conducted a life-cycle assessment (LCA) study to evaluate and improve the environmental impact and study how the “dual…
Read MoreTXI reports lower quarterly results
Source: Texas Industries Inc., Dallas TXI reported financial results for the quarter ended Aug. 31, 2011. Results for the quarter indicated a net loss of $7.4 million or $.27 per share. Results for the quarter ended Aug. 31, 2010, were a loss of $23.7 million or $.85 per share and included an after-tax charge of $18.0 million or $.65 per…
Read MoreNew ASTM cement standard simulates shearing by cement paste
Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa. A new standard, ASTM C1738, Practice for High-Shear Mixing of Hydraulic Cement Pastes, provides for preparing a mixture of cement paste that will simulate the shearing experienced by the cement paste in concrete, and was developed by Subcommittee C01.22 on Workability, part of ASTM’s Committee C01 on Cement.
Read MoreLafarge marks Canada’s National Precast Day with Habitat home plan
Sources: Lafarge North America, Reston, Va.; Staff reports During an October 4 open house that drew 500 students, architects and engineers to its Edmonton precast plant, Lafarge announced participation in a local Habitat for Humanity NetZero energy duplex project.
Read MoreAlternative energy sources prove beneficial in reducing GHGs
A study released recently by an independent research center reveals using household garbage, tires, and even plastic to manufacture cement would produce fewer greenhouse gases and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill than the fossil fuels currently used. Conducted by the London, Ontario-based Network for Business Sustainability, a non-profit research group based at the Richard Ivey School of…
Read MoreResearch confirms cement industry’s energy thrift
An Environmental Protection Agency-commissioned survey finds energy intensity in cement production dropped 13% from 1997–2007. Duke University researchers compared producer-collected energy usage data against Department of Commerce figures, confirming a 1%-plus improvement trend per year to factor into EPA’s cement industry energy curve. The power savings equate to a reduction of almost 1.5 million metric tons of energy-related carbon.
Read MoreCemex gets approval for Fairborn quarry expansion
According to reports in the local Ohio media, Cemex USA’s Fairborn plant in Xenia was given the green light for its quarry expansion request. The Xenia Township zoning board allowed the company to rezone 290 acres of land for mining, despite pleas from dozens of residents who spoke out against the expansion during a hearing at Central State University.
Read MoreCSA, codes enable Lafarge Canada to up limestone content in cement
In response to ever-increasing market demand for sustainable building solutions, Lafarge North America recently introduced a new portland-limestone cement (PLC) commercial offering in Canada. Widely used in Europe for over 25 years, PLC is a new category of cement that provides performance similar to conventional portland cement with up to 10% less CO2 emissions.
Read More