Cement News tagged: Environmental
Falling crude oil challenges uptrend, China cuts coal capacity
By Frank O Brannvoll, Cimeurope sarl, Belgium Last month the US$/EUR trading range was set at €1.04-1.08 and has held within €1.05-1.075 at €1.0720. Other than the US Federal Reserve Bank raising its overnight rate by 0.25 per cent to one per cent, there is no other major news. The increase did not have an impact on the US$/EUR rate with the expected range going forward between €1.05-1...
APC: Moroccan cement producers use renewables for 80% of energy requirements
Moroccan cement producers source about 80 per cent of its energy from renewable energy sources, Mohamed Chaibi, president of the Moroccan cement association, APC, said. Leading the way is LafargeHolcim Maroc as three of its cement plants use mainly wind energy, up to 85 per cent of the total, thanks to its own wind farm near by. The company has also concluded power purchase contracts with ...
Fiji: Pacific Cement and Tengy Cement sued over clinker shipments
The Fiji Fish Marketing Group is suing Pacific Cement, Tengy Cement and a third company, citing damage caused by the offloading of clinker in Lami, the Fiji Times reports. The Fish Marketing Group claims that the clinker has caused damage to its property and presents a risk to human health, adding that it has been forced to close its factory during the offloading process. The hearing beg...
South Africa's proposed carbon tax could cost PPC ZAR90m
South Africa’s proposed draft carbon tax bill published in November could see PPC liable for an estimated ZAR90m in carbon tax, according to Pretoria News. However, PPC CEO, Darryl Castle, said the cement producer was currently looking at a number of initiatives to reduce this tax burden. He added that the tax regime did not apply to imports into South Africa. Furthermore, he said it had no...
UAE: Arkan testing hazardous waste recycling
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Arkan have agreed a test project which will see hazardous waste material from smelting pots recycled for use as cement kiln fuel. EGA is the largest industrial unit of Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi’s strategic development conglomerate. EGA said yesterday that it would provide between 1000-3000t of the spent smelter pot inner-lining (carbon waste ...
Myanmar: Mandalay plants ordered to install emissions monitoring equipment
Mandalay's region government has ordered the cement factories in Kyaukse and Thazi townships to install air-testing devices. The Environmental Conservation Department conducted an investigation on cement factories’ emissions in February and instructed the plants to install two devices, gas and ambient analysers. "I've reported the cement factories in Kyaukse to the government after the ...
Irish Cement to receive fossil fuel replacement go-ahead
Limerick City and County Council have informed Irish Cement of their intention to grant the cement producer planning permission for its fossil fuel replacement project at its Mungret plant in Limerick, Ireland. The Mungret works is the last remaining cement plant in Ireland to start a fossil fuel replacement programme. The practice has been successfully used in Ireland for the past nine yea...
EU: cap on emissions windfall set at 2.2% per year
The European Parliament and the Council (Environment Ministers) agreed on 28 February its negotiating position for the revision of the Emission Trading System (EU ETS), says Cembureau. According to the proposed directive, now due for deliberation in a trilogue of meetings. The cap on emissions will fall by 2.2 per cent a year – the so-called linear reduction factor – until at least 2024. Thi...
Irish Cement granted permission for Limerick plans
Limerick City and County Council has granted Irish Cement planning permission for an extension to its facility in Mungret. A spokesperson for the local authority stated permission for the development has been granted subject to 16 conditions, which were not fully disclosed.
Lafarge Jordan tells staff to have three-month paid vacation
Lafarge Jordan (LafaregHolcim group) announced on Saturday that it was giving its workers at the Fuheis cement factory a three-month paid vacation to reduce costs. The paid vacation went into effect as of 2 March, according to Lafarge, which said in a statement that it guarantees full commitment to the financial and administrative rights of the cement factory workers during the paid leave....
Myanmar: Mawlamyine Cement ordered to redo environmental study
The government of Mon State, Myanmar, has ordered another environmental impact assessment on Mawlamyine Cement Ltd (MCL), according to Soe Naing, head of the Mon State's environmental conservation department. “Ohn Win, minister for natural resources and environmental conservation, directed us to confirm the report was conducted by a third-party organisation. So we will have to conduct an as...
SINTEF partnership brings commercial carbon capture close
Hawaii-based Westec Environmental Solutions (WES) is partnering with SINTEF in Norway to push forward the development of carbon capture with more advanced technology. WES's innovative contractor design captures CO 2 with the assistance of a solvent. This approach has the advantage over previous technologies in that the vessels are compact and can tolerate solids formed by precipitates wit...
United States: St Marys Cement Detroit plant releases dust
Residents living near St Marys Cement’s Detroit plant have complained of releases of dust by the plant, according to reports in the local press. News website Local 4 details the case of a family living opposite the plant whose car was coated in material that proved difficult to remove. A statement released by the plant, which is owned by a subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos, said that: “t...
Zambia: three companies awarded Nyimba limestone mining rights
Three companies have been awarded prospecting rights for limestone mining in Nyimba District, Eastern province, Zambia. GTJ Ltd working with the Zambia Consolidated Mines Investment Holding (ZCCM-IH), Vikram Investment and Zawari Natural Resources Ltd are the entities that have been given the rights. Ministry of Mines Permanent Secretary, Paul Chanda, said, "Government has given three co...
Irish Cement to reduce fossil fuel use, plans WHR project
Irish Cement is currently preparing to replace fossil fuels at its Platin works in Co Meath, Ireland. The project started with a planning application to Meath County Council in November 2015, and will shortly be lodged with An Bord Pleanála for decision. At present, a series of public information briefing sessions is scheduled to take place between 2-4 March 2017. The application is ...
Ireland: council to monitor Irish Cement Mungret emissions
Limerick City and County Council is to set up a station to monitor the air quality near the Irish Cement plant in Mungret. The move comes ahead of a planned demonstration in opposition to the firm’s plans to use tyres and plastics at its site instead of fossil fuels to produce cement. Irish Cement stated that due to the fact that the burning will take place at such a high temperature (1500˚...