Nestled In Limestone-Rich Indiana, A New Flagship Plant Leaves No Doubt That Heidelberg Materials North America Is All In On Negating Carbon Dioxide Emissions. By Don Marsh On a scale of new clinker capacity – and environmental metrics tuned to carbon-minded market and regulator sentiments – no North American and few cement plants globally will match Heidelberg Materials’ rebuilt Mitchell,…
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Shrinking the Environmental Footprint
According to Command Alkon, decarbonization of the cement and construction industry is essential to reach the goals set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. This includes a goal to reach net zero global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Importantly,…
Read MorePCA on a Roll
The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has been busy lately. Following an impressive showing at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas, and a very successful IEEE/PCA trade show in Dallas, PCA has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2023 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award. It’s the fourth consecutive year PCA has been recognized by…
Read MoreQuarterly 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…
Read MoreThere is an Alternative
Alternative Fuels Are Not Without Their Controversies And Challenges, Both In The United States And European Union. By Jonathan Rowland Cement Products spoke to the European cement association (CEMBUREAU) and the Portland Cement Association (PCA) about the use of alternative fuels in the European Union (EU) and United States. – Ed. While widely acknowledged to be an essential element in the cement…
Read MoreChasing the Carbon Cure
There is no doubt that reducing the cement industry’s carbon footprint is a priority. The Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality recently celebrated one year of progress. PCA said notable achievements over the past year across the value chain include: Multiple cement manufacturers in the United States, with support from the Department of Energy, have begun pilot projects…
Read MoreTalking Carbon
I’ll state the obvious: carbon is a hot topic right now. Portland Cement Association (PCA) Chairman Ron Henley (GCC America) told a New York Climate Week gathering that U.S. producers have exceeded expectations outlined nearly one year ago with release of the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality. That is good news. What is happening in the North American market is…
Read MoreContinental Cement’s Davenport Plant Moves to PLC
Continental Cement Co., a subsidiary of Summit Materials, converted 100% of its annual production at its Davenport, Iowa, plant to portland-limestone cement. In 2021, the plant produced 1.1 million tons of cement. “Continental Cement has been working with our customers and specifiers to commercialize portland-limestone cement in all of our markets, and we are delighted that PLC adoption has progressed…
Read MorePCA: IIJA to Boost Cement Consumption Cement Shipments Rise 5.4% in December
Portland Cement Association Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Ed Sullivan presented his annual economic forecast, with specific focus on the cement industry and the increasing demand for construction materials accelerated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). In particular, Sullivan noted that through November 2021, the U.S. as a whole saw a 3.6% year-over-year growth in cement consumption,…
Read MoreBuzzi Unicem, Alamo Cement Move Toward PLC Production
In keeping with their commitment to the environment and the Portland Cement Association’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality goals, Buzzi Unicem USA and Alamo Cement Co. will transition from ASTM C150 Types I and II portland cement production to ASTM C595 Type IL, or portland-limestone cement. CEO Massimo Toso said the companies will implement the full conversion by the end of…
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