Cement News tagged under: concrete

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Holcim launches Phoenix, 3D-printed bridge

19 December 2023, Published under Cement News

Holcim has launched Phoenix, the first-of-its-kind 3D-printed concrete masonry bridge built using 10t of recycled materials, at its Innovation Hub in Europe. Using its proprietary ECOCycle® circular technology, Holcim developed a custom concrete ink for Phoenix with recycled materials inside. Phoenix demonstrates how circular construction combined with 3D concrete printing can enable low-carbon infrastructure applications.  Circular construction, using computational design and 3D print...

3D printing concrete: motivations, status and outlook

11 December 2023, Published under Cement News

While automating concrete construction is not a novel idea, its more recent adoption has been driven by a need for productivity and sustainability. But what is its future? By Timothy Wangler, ETH Zürich Institute for Building Materials, Zurich, Switzerland.     Figure 1: 3D printing technology enables considerable material and carbon footprint savings (right) with structures consisting of ribbed slabs, reminiscent of Pier Luigi Nervi’s designs (left) M...

Assessing the value of concrete and cement as a carbon sink

08 December 2023, Published under Cement News

This week, the Mineral Products Association (MPA) prepared a 112-page report for the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to ascertain a two-tier recarbonation model that measures the amount of CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere by concrete in the UK. 'Recarbonation' or carbonation describes how concrete and other cement-containing products naturally absorb and permanently store CO 2 during their lifetime, reversing the calcination reaction. While the Intergovernmental Pan...

Hoffmann Green to supply clinker-free cements to CRBPE

05 December 2023, Published under Cement News

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has signed a commercial partnership with CRBPE (Conception Réalisation Béton Prêt à l’Emploi), which manufactures and delivers a wide range of ready-mixed concrete products for professionals and private customers in the Aube region of France and neighbouring areas. The agreement, which runs until the end of 2027, involves supplying Hoffmann Green Cement’s clinker-free cements to CRBPE’s four concrete plants. According to CRBPE, the partnership is...

Cement-free mineral foams for 3D printing

05 December 2023, Published under Cement News

ETH Zurich has launched a project known as Airlements, which pioneers the use of cement-free mineral foams derived from recycled industrial waste, including fly ash from industrial blastfurnaces, to produce 3D printed building components. Spearheaded by doctoral researcher Patrick Bedarf from Professor Benjamin Dillenburger’s Digital Building Technologies group, the technology promises to reduce heating and cooling costs and to revolutionise the efficiency of construction material usage. ...

Mission Possible reports says CCUS is falling short

05 December 2023, Published under Cement News

Ten of the world’s largest cement and concrete companies, including Heidelberg Materials , CEMEX and Holcim , have joined architects, engineers and construction firms in a collective acknowledgement for action, known as Mission Possible Partnership (MPP). MPP has developed a new strategy with industry input that sets out milestones and commitments needed by government, industry and investors over the next 25 years to make net zero emissions in concrete and cement a reality. The strategy,...

Swiss team draws on archives to develop low-carbon binders

01 December 2023, Published under Cement News

A team of experts from EPFL (Switzerland), ETH Zurich and a Geneva-based architecture firm has developed a new type of non-reinforced concrete made from stone offcuts. Their method, known as ‘Cyclopean’, draws on ancient technologies uncovered in historical archives to reduce the use of carbon-intensive cement-based binders.  In October this year, the team built six load-bearing walls in Lucery-Villars, Switzerland, using recovered stone-quarry waste and fieldstone. The prototype str...

CEMEX supplies Vertua to Puerto Vallarta airport

24 November 2023, Published under Cement News

CEMEX is supplying its Vertua lower-carbon concrete for the construction of Terminal 2 at Puerto Vallarta’s International Airport, Mexico, which aims to be one of the most sustainable terminal buildings in Latin America. The 68,000m 2 new terminal is planning to be one of the most efficient in terms of sustainability, with the aim of obtaining LEED certification and minimising the carbon emissions associated with the construction process. CEMEX is contributing over 85,000m 3 of Vertua...

New ACC plant marks third investment by Holcim Romania

17 November 2023, Published under Cement News

Holcim Romania has completed its EUR15m investment in its autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) plant in Adjud, expanding the unit’s capacity by approximately 45 per cent. The project involved the replacement of the old production line and the introduction of new technology enabling increased dimensional accuracy and a better surface and edge finish, reports bne IntelliNews.  “Together with our technology partner, Aircrete, we rethought the entire industrial process, making it more efficien...

Strong 3Q results from Vulcan boost full-year forecasts

27 October 2023, Published under Cement News

Vulcan Materials Co has reported revenues of US$2186m in the third quarter of 2023, up from US$2088m in the same period a year earlier. Gross profit over the same timeframe has advanced from US$493m to US$591m, while adjusted EBITDA has improved from US$507m to US$602m.  In the 3Q23 the aggregates segment saw its gross profit increase by 17 per cent YoY to US$508m (equivalent to US$7.95/t), while the gross profit margin expanded 200 basis points. Cash gross profit per tonne improved 18...