Displaying items by tag: Product

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Readymix and Finland-based Betolar have launched two new reduced-CO₂ concretes, produced using ground granulated blast furnace slag and natural pozzolans with Betolar’s Geoprime technology. One of the products is cement-free and the other has an ultra-low (2.5%) cement content. TradeArabia News has reported that the dual launch concludes a successful partnership between the companies, which began in 2023.

Saudi Readymix technology and strategy director Chris Leptokaridis said "Saudi Readymix has been at the forefront of developing new technologies to meet our customers' increasing demand for eco-friendly, low-CO₂ solutions. Our partnership with Betolar has enabled us to successfully deliver on this goal, offering groundbreaking concrete recipes that significantly reduce carbon emissions."

Betolar senior researcher Ahmad Alzaza said "This project pushed the boundaries of innovation by bringing low-carbon technology into the ready-mix concrete space. We are proud to have contributed to a solution that will help advance sustainable construction across Saudi Arabia."

Netherlands: Ireland-based Ecocem has agreed a deal with Overslagbedrijf Moerdijk (OBM) to expand production and storage capacity at the company’s Moerdijk slag cement grinding plant. The project is intended to allow the unit to both produce and store the company’s advanced cement technology (ACT) product. It will quadruple the storage capacity for key materials at the site up to 40,000t. Ecocem has signed a long-term agreement to lease the site from OBM, who will manage the handling and storing materials on Ecocem’s behalf.

This expansion of the Moerdijk plant is part of Ecocem’s plans to expand its manufacturing and storage capacity to support the commercialisation of ACT across all its plants. It follows the expansion of its Dunkirk plant in France, which was announced in June 2023. These expansion plans will be supported by licencing and partnership strategies to accelerate availability and adoption of scalable low clinker cement at speed.

Conor O’Riain, Managing Director (Europe), at Ecocem, said: “We are increasing our capacity at all of our locations and our deal with OBM is a hugely important aspect of our expansion strategy. It will accelerate our ability to manufacture ACT our low clinker cement technology and make it available commercially by 2026. At the same time, we are actively pursuing licensing and partnership agreements in the construction industry to ensure the benefits of this technology are shared widely and we accelerate progress to Net Zero.”

In February 2024 Ecocem said that its ACT technology received an ETA (European Technical Assessment), which provides the technology with a route to full commercialisation by 2026.

Brazil/UAE: Harsco Environmental is preparing to present its AgroSilicio fertiliser product made from steel slag at the United Nation’s 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) climate summit taking place in the UAE in November and December 2023. The product has been certified for usage by the Brazilian government, and the state of Minas Gerais invited the company to present it at the event.

AgroSilicio uses recycled steel slag and repurpose it as a calcium silicate-based product that possesses the characteristics of fertiliser and soil conditioner. Harsco Environmental says that the calcium silicate properties of AgroSilicio give the product its versatility. It is being promoted to farming markets in agribusiness. The product is part of the company’s Ecoproducts range and it was introduced in parent company’s Enviri's 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance Report.

Wender Alves, LATAM Regional President at Harsco Environmental, said "Leaders in Minas Gerais State, Brazil are striving to balance industrial growth and sustainability.” He added "It was a breakthrough when we realised that slag from steel production could be transformed into quality fertiliser for the Brazilian agriculture business. We are proud that this has helped significantly reduce the carbon footprint and are honoured to present this on behalf of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, at the world's most important environmental forum."

Sweden: Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has launched a new slag handling bucket intended for use with vehicles such as wheel loaders. It has designed the slag bucket specifically for this application unlike previously, where a rock bucket was used as the base for its steel mill buckets.

The new bucket has a floor made from thick plate with a protruding design to protect the integrity of the side plate welds. Welded to this is an 80mm single piece cutting edge. The side cutters are two parts, with the lower half made from thicker steel, while at the top there is a reinforced spill guard. The bucket uses a reinforced interface to protect the connection of the bucket to the loader. It uses a lower-than-standard digging depth, which takes into account the fitment of protective tire chains. The company offers the slag buckets as part of its standard attachments but they can be customised via Volvo CE’s Customer-Built Attachments program.

Volvo CE sells a range of wheel loaders marketed for the slag handling market including the L150H, L180H, L220H, L260H and L350H models. These vehicles feature additional thermal protection, including heat resistant fuel and oil lines, fire protecting materials throughout, as well as additional guarding against slag explosions, falling objects and air blown debris. They also include bullet proof glass, a cab air filtration system that circulates 90% of cab air through the main filter and an emergency limp home function. The slag handlers form part of Volvo CE’s wider application-specific wheel loader configurations, which also include agriculture, rehandling and rock, block, log and waste handlers.

India: Finland-based Betolar has launched its first concrete products manufactured using Geoprime on the Indian market. Geoprime is an additive designed for use in cement-free concrete production with ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). The new concrete product range consists of precast blocks, paving slabs and tiles, and is currently on display at World of Concrete India in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Betolar's India managing director Abhishek Bhattacharya said "We are happy to introduce our first products to our customers for the Indian markets. We have now moved from laboratory tests into the production phase, and can show concretely how well this solution works. It is great to hear the feedback from the concrete industry in the region to our sustainable solution. Decarbonisation of the concrete industry is a very current and important topic."

Ireland: Ecocem has launched Superfine, a ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) for use in specialist applications in the European market. The product is a GGBS that has been ground to a very fine particle size. It is intended to be added to other products to improve their strengths in applications such as high performance and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). It can also be used to improve the finish of concrete and reduce the amount of pigment required.

Superfine will be launched across Europe, with the product already being trialled in Abu Dhabi and specified in projects across Ireland. It is designed to be used as a specialist additive in binders, industrial mortars, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and precast concrete.

Susan McGarry, the managing director of Ecocem Ireland, said “After extensive time in research and development, launching Superfine onto the Irish market is testament to our global range of innovative and sustainable concrete solutions.”

Brazil: The Falcão Bauer Quality Institute (IFBQ) has certified LafargeHolcim Brasil’s CP III-32 blast furnace slag cement for all construction applications. The certificate confirms that the product offers 50% reduced CO₂ compared to the average cement on the Brazilian market.

The Jornal Dia Dia newspaper has reported that sustainability manager Bruno Hallak said “The IFBQ is an institution recognised by the market and this certification confirms that we are on the right track. The production processes and methodologies evaluated can even be reproduced in other units, according to their local characteristics, increasing the gain for the environment.”

LafargeHolcim Brasil previously obtained IFBQ certification for its CP III-40 blast furnace slag cement, which offers a slightly less reduced clinker factor than CP III-32 cement, in 2021. It was the first cement of its type in Brazil to receive the certification. The company produces both cements at its Vitória grinding plant in Espírito Santo.

UK: A team of researchers from six UK universities has filed a patent for a clinkerless cement product called Cambridge Electric Cement. Local press has reported that the project, called UK Fires, saw researchers successfully produce the cement using renewable power from recycled cement powder and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Following its successes, UK Fires has obtained a further Euro2m in funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to continue its work into the range of concrete wastes suitable for use in Cambridge Electric Cement production.

Poland: The Building Research Institute has issued environmental product declarations (EPDs) for Cemex Poland’s CEM III slag cement and five other cements produced at its Chełm and Rudniki cement plants and Gdynia grinding plant. The company additionally obtained EPD certification for its Vertua Classic and Vertua Plus concrete products, which contain cement produced using supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs).

Materials director Michał Grys said “For us, product certification is another important step towards sustainable construction and a sustainable future. EPD declarations provide our clients with additional confirmation of the properties of products offered by Cemex Poland. They also improve their chances of obtaining LEED or BREEAM certificates for their investments.”

Austria: Neuson Hydrotec is promoting its MRP40300 type mobile screener and crusher. The tracked product was developed to screen waste slag-containing material on site using magnetic separators and then crush it for reuse. The unit consists of: a vibrating feed and dosing unit, for converting discontinuous feed into continuous feeding of the bulk material into the plant; a vibration sieve for separation into up to four fractions; up to three magnetic separators for separating bulk materials; and discharge belts for the continuous discharge of the individual fractions.

“With the MRP, we were able to create the missing link between breaking steel slag and the finished, sorted end product. It was important to us not only to crush the steel-containing slag with our patented jaw crusher, but also to be able to subsequently separate the iron-containing material and slag into different fractions. Our customers can now look after several company locations with our mobile machines. The construction of stationary systems at each location is no longer absolutely necessary,” said Markus Zweimüller, head of the business machines division at Neuson Hydrotec.

Linz-based Neuson Hydrotec is a manufacturer of hydraulic and drive technology products for mobile and stationary applications.