Cement News tagged under: US

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PCA reveals 2023 as US cement industry's most energy-efficient year to date

25 October 2024, Published under Cement News

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has released its latest US Labor-Energy Input Survey, revealing that 2023 was the US cement industry’s most energy-efficient year to date. Alternative fuels comprised 16 per cent of the industry’s fuel mix, up from 14.6 per cent in 2022, with natural gas use reaching 31 per cent of total consumption—the highest level since the 1970s. Concurrently, coal and petroleum coke dropped to their lowest share since 1974. This efficiency boost marks the third a...

US cement sales continue to slide in July

16 October 2024, Published under Cement News

Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico amounted to 9.286Mt in July, down 2.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) from the 9.338Mt recorded in July 2023. Unfavourable weather—including extreme heat for west and east coasts, the third wettest July on record and the earliest recorded category 5 hurricane—has dragged on cement demand.   Excluding for sales to Puerto Rico and overseas territories, cement consumption in the US fell 0.7 per cent YoY t...

Princeton University study uses human bones as model for strengthening cement

15 October 2024, Published under Cement News

Inspired by the structure of human bone, researchers at Princeton University have developed a new cement-based material that is 5.6 times more damage-resistant than conventional alternatives. This breakthrough, detailed in a September 10 article in 'Advanced Materials', offers a significant improvement in the durability of cement-based materials commonly used in construction. Led by Reza Moini, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Shashank Gupta, a PhD candid...

Holcim expands alternative thermal energy capacity at Hagerstown

21 May 2024, Published under Cement News

Holcim US Inc 's  Hagerstown plant in Maryland, USA, is accelerating its net-zero journey by expanding its alternative thermal energy capacity to 45 per cent, representing 58,000tpa of engineered fuel. The US$11m project will improve the plant’s sustainability profile by replacing traditional fuels with alternative thermal energy, engineered from materials at their end of life, that would otherwise be landfilled, such as non-recyclable paper, plastics and fibres, according to the company. ...

CRH revenue up 2% YoY in 1Q24

16 May 2024, Published under Cement News

CRH has reported total revenue of US$6.5bn in the opening quarter of 2024, ended 31 March. This marks a two per cent expansion compared to the same period a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA over the 1Q24 came in at US$445m, up 15 per cent YoY, while the adjusted EBITDA margin advanced 80bps to 6.8 per cent. The gain in adjusted EBITDA was attributed to the continued delivery of the company’s integrated solutions strategy, strong commercial progress, ongoing costs control and further operation...

CRH continues to invest in Ukraine

08 May 2024, Published under Cement News

CRH has invested a total of US$80m in Ukraine since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to Guillaume Cavalier, president of CRH in Central and Eastern Europe. This brings the company’s investment in Ukraine over its 25-year history in the country to over US$500m, reports bne IntelliNews.  “Investing in the expansion of production now is crucial to ensure the potential growth of the Ukrainian cement market following its integration into the EU,” Cavalier remarked, highli...

Tarmac embraces Schaeffler OPTIME solution

04 April 2024, Published under Cement News

Schaeffler’s OPTIME wireless condition monitoring solution is helping prevent unplanned downtime of machines and auxiliary equipment at the Tarmac Tunstead limestone plant near Buxton, Derbyshire, UK. The site benefits from the early detection of equipment failures, as the OPTIME app keeps the maintenance team informed on the condition of the machines at all times, without them having to take manual readings. Tarmac Tunstead is home to one of the largest limestone quarries in Europe.  ...

MDG Americas supplies material handling and storage

28 March 2024, Published under Cement News

Titan Cement , located in Medley, Florida , has initiated a project to add limestone to its existing cement production circuit. The project was designed by MDG Americas Inc and is in operation with three front end loader feed hoppers, three apron feeders, and three TRX surface feeders.  MDG Americas is also working with CEMEX to improve its coal/petcoke grinding plant process at one of the cement producer’s USA plants by converting from direct firing to separate storage and coal/petco...

US pledges US$1.2bn in funding for PCA decarbonisation projects

26 March 2024, Published under Cement News

The US Energy Department has announced more than US$1.2bn in federal funding for four decarbonisation projects in the US cement industry. In total, the energy department has pledged US$6bn in funding for 33 industrial projects designed to reduce carbon emissions across not only the cement industry but also iron and steel, concrete, aluminium, chemicals, food and beverages, and pulp and paper, which collectively account for around one third of US carbon emissions.  Commenting on the announ...

Breedon enters US with BMC Enterprises acquisition

07 March 2024, Published under Cement News

Breedon Group has announced its acquisition of BMC Enterprises Inc (BMC) for US$300m, marking the group’s entry into the US. BMC is a supplier of ready-mixed concrete, aggregates and building products, headquartered in St Louis, Missouri. The deal gives Breedon the opportunity to launch a scalable third platform. "This transaction will give us a platform that is well-placed to grow in the highly-fragmented US construction market, is culturally aligned with Breedon and has a familiar pe...