Total construction starts fell 4% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.04 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonresidential starts led the drop as manufacturing fell 22% following strong performance in March. To balance the decline, nonbuilding starts rose 7%, and residential building stats gained 12%. On a year-to-date basis through April, total construction starts were 7%…
Read MoreContinental Cement to Get FLSmidth Alternative Fuel Tech
Continental Cement, a wholly owned subsidiary of Summit Materials, awarded FLSmidth a contract for the first commercial installation of the FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer at its Davenport cement plant in Buffalo, Iowa. FLSmidth’s FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer enables cement plants to replace fossil fuels with waste-derived fuels in the calciner. The technology offers a lower CAPEX solution than competing technologies, noted FLSmidth, with the…
Read MoreArdex Americas Banks On Pneumatic Conveying Line
Ardex Americas, a supplier of engineered cements, adhesives and high-performance building products, encountered wear problems at the elbows of its pneumatic conveying lines handling sand at its Dallas, Ga. plant. The lines transfer materials between bulk handling trucks, eight silos, and batch-weighing and blending operations. Six of the silos hold cement, limestone and plaster. “Those materials are not very abrasive…
Read MorePerfecting the Process
World’s Largest Calcined Clay Kiln Requires Precise Metering And Blending. By Ernesto Duran Argos Rio Claro, Colombia, owned and operated by its parent company Cementos Argos, wanted to achieve a higher clinker substitution rate for its portland cement, by blending alternative cementitious materials. This substitution is helping to advance the company’s sustainability drive to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050…
Read MoreSmart Kiln Maintenance
Refractory Maintenance Is Unavoidable, But An Experienced Crew With The Right Equipment Can Minimize Scheduled Downtime And Virtually Eliminate Installation Mistakes That Could Lead To Emergency Maintenance. By Heather Harding Time is money. No place is this adage more appropriate than the manufacturing industry. When even one piece of the system is down, whether for routine maintenance or an unexpected…
Read MoreSilo Inspections Can Save Lives
Though It’s Important To Inspect Silos Frequently, In-House Silo Inspections Carry Too Many Limitations And Safety Concerns To Warrant Skipping A Professional Assessment. By Dennis Blauser In the summer of 2022, a grain silo in Iowa had a catastrophic failure. Two workers were unloading grain into a holding shed onsite at the time of the silo failure. Though one worker…
Read MoreUN Secretary General Calls for Immediate Action on Net Zero
António Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, called for “sustained and immediate” action on net zero while addressing around 200 cement and concrete industry leaders at the Global Cement and Concrete Association’s CEO Gathering and Leaders Conference in Zurich.
Read MoreDOE Backs Carbon Capture Study at Ash Grove Plant
The Ash Grove cement plant in Foreman, Ark., will receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for a $15.2 million front-end engineering design (FEED) study to implement an integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS) system at the facility.
Read MoreUsing Coarse Alternative Fuels
The Availability Of High-Quality Alternative Fuels Is A Key Barrier To The Widespread Adoption Of Alternative Fuels In The Cement Industry. However, There Are Now A Number Of Solutions On The Market That Allow The Use Of Coarse And Low-Quality Materials, Without The Traditional Preparation Requirements. by Jonathan Rowland The use of alternative fuels (AF) is widely promoted within the…
Read MoreHeidelberg Materials Inaugurates Innovative Plant
On June 13, Heidelberg Materials celebrated the opening of its new cutting-edge facility in Mitchell, Ind. – the second largest cement plant in North America. Don Marsh, editor of sister publication Concrete Products, was in attendance for opening day activities.
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