Displaying items by tag: US

US: Harsco Corporation recorded net sales of US$1.85bn in 2020, up by 23% year-on-year from Euro1.50bn in 2019. The group’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 10% to US$238m from US$265m. Harsco Environmental’s fourth quarter net sales rose by 2% to US$246m from US$243m. Its adjusted EBITDA rose by under 1% to US$52.0m from US$51.0m. The company attributed the division’s growth to higher demand for applied products and lower general and administrative spending, partially offset by a less favourable services mix and contract changes.

Chairman and chief executive officer Nick Grasberger said, “Against a challenging market backdrop in 2020, Harsco made significant progress on its strategic, operational and financial objectives. While the disruption caused by the global pandemic could not have been predicted, our teams executed well, with a consistent focus on our key priorities – operating safely, serving customers, preserving financial flexibility and executing our Environmental Solutions business from Stericycle (ESOL) integration and operational recovery plan in Rail.”

US: The US Department of Energy has awarded a grant of US$1.5m to a combined industry and academic team led by Cornell University’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The team will research uses of slag and other waste products from steel production. The study aims to investigate the overall material efficiency of steel production in order to reduce waste. It will explore several avenues, including the use of recovered silica for heavy metals capture at industrial plants and the synthesis of calcium carbonate from slag for use in steel production. Additionally, the team hopes to produce useable iron oxide from the by-products.

Assistant professor Greeshma Gadikota said, “This exciting project directly addresses our societal mission of meeting our resource needs in an environmentally sustainable manner. Iron and steel use is ubiquitous in our infrastructure.” She added that the study is “A unique opportunity to engage and train our students in developing innovative technologies that are central to our ability to live.” The study’s title is ‘Integrated reuse and co-utilisation of slag, sludge and dust with inherent heavy metal capture and nanoscale calcium carbonate production as an enhanced fluxing agent in steel plants.’

World: Global steel production was 1.86Bnt in 2020, down by 1% year-on-year from 1.88Bn in 2019. The decrease is the first since 2015. The sharpest declines were recorded in the US (17%), Japan (16%), the EU (12%) and India (11%). Chinese steel production rose for a sixth consecutive year to 1.05Bnt, up by 5% from 1.00Bnt. The rest of the world produced 811Mt, down by 8% from 879Mt. China’s share of world steel production rose to 57% from 53%.

Canada: Carbicrete has secured US$1.5m in funding from US-based SQN Venture Partners (SQNVP). The funds will finance research and development activities at its new Lachine laboratory, as well as operations at its Drummondville pilot plant in Quebec. It said that this brings its total funding received from major investors in 2020 to US$8m with investment already agreed from Harsco Environmental, the Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). The technology company is developing concrete products made with steel slag for the construction industry.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Chris Stern said, “This venture debt cash injection following our equity financing further underlines the thesis that the financial markets are believing in value-added, carbon-negative technologies such as CarbiCrete that mitigate CO₂ in our atmosphere. We are proud to have SQNVP as an investor in our company.”

US: CRH subsidiary Ash Grove Cement says that it is undertaking an upgrade of its Port Manatee, Florida deep water cement terminal to install a high capacity FLSmidth Kovako unloader and modernise existing material transfer and electrical systems, as well as establishing self-loading capabilities. The aim of the upgrade is “to improve Ash Grove’s capacity to import cement clinker, slag and fly ash to meet the existing and future needs of customers in the Florida and South Georgia markets.

Regional president Monica Manolas said, “The underlying fundamentals in the Florida market are positive with good population and employment growth. The upgrade of the Port Manatee import terminal will expand our capabilities and strengthen our ability to meet growing demand in the region.”

The company says that construction will begin in early 2021 and the upgraded terminal will open in late 2021.

Belgium: The World Steel Association says that global steel production in the first half of 2020 was 873Mt, down by 6% year-on-year from 929Mt. Global June 2020 steel production also fell, by 7% year-on-year to 148Mt from 159Mt in June 2019 and by 0.7% month-on-month from 149Mt in May 2020. China produced 91.6Mt in June 2020, up by 4.5% from 87.7Mt, corresponding to 62% of global steel production for the month. The sharpest falls occurred in the US, by 35% to 4.7Mt from 7.2Mt, and in France, by 35% to 800,000t from 1.23Mt.

Belgium: The World Steel Association (WSA) forecasts that total global steel consumption in 2020 will be 1.65Bnt, down by 6.4% year-on-year from 1.77Bnt in 2019, due to the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on steel-intensive industries. The WSA estimated that demand will decline by 17% in developed countries, with the steepest falls in Japan, South Korea and the US, and by 18% in India. China’s steel consumption is expected to rise by 1% due to increased infrastructure spending and a swift post-coronavirus recovery. Construction, a mostly seasonal sector, had already reached full productivity in April 2020.

The WSA expects steel demand to increase by 3.8% year-on-year in 2021 to 1.72Bnt globally. The sharpest recovery is expected to be in developing countries, where the WSA says that total demand will increase by 9.2%, following a fall of 11.6% in 2020.

US: The Slag Cement Association (SCA) has announced the recipients of its 2019 Slag Cement Project of the Year Awards. A total of 12 construction projects from across North America were chosen to showcase the broad applications of slag cement. Two research projects on slag cement use have also been recognised in the program. The winning project teams include four state Departments of Transportation (DOT), two Canadian procurement authorities, one bridge authority and the Florida Army National Guard.

“The rise in DOT and infrastructure projects we are seeing reflects the increase in demand for materials that enhance concrete’s durability, resiliency, and ultimately the value of concrete,” said SCA board president, Ed Griffith.

The event was originally scheduled to be held at the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Spring Convention in early April 2020 but was postponed due to coronavirus-related state lockdowns.

The winners included:

Project: Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport Aircraft Mooring Apron Replacement
Slag Cement: Argos
Award: Sustainability

Project: Chase Center
Slag Cement: Cemex
Award: Architectural

Project: Court and Walnut Parking Garage
Slag Cement: Skyway Cement
Award: Architectural

Project: Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Slag Cement: Lehigh Hanson
Award: Durability

Project: Dublin Ohio Pedestrian Bridge
Slag Cement: Skyway Cement
Award: Green Design

Project: Estates at Acqualina
Slag Cement: Cemex
Award: Durability

Project: Giant Mine Underground Stabilization
Slag Cement: LafargeHolcim
Award: Innovative Applications

Project: HWY 50 Paving Florida Hernando County
Slag Cement: Argos
Award: Sustainability

Project: I-41 Interchanges and Bridge
Slag Cement: St Marys Cement
Award: High Performance

Project: Peace Bridge
Slag Cement: St Marys Cement
Award: High Performance

Project: Sarah Mildred Long Bridge
Slag Cement: LafargeHolcim
Award: Innovative Applications

Project: Summa Hospital West Towers
Slag Cement: Lehigh Hanson
Award: Green Design

Project: Bio-friendly Slag Cement Benefit to the Drainage Systems
Researcher: Arash Rahmatian, University of Houston

Project: Blast Furnace Slags - Rapid Reactivity Testing and Effects of Varying Replacement Levels on Cement Paste Properties
Researcher: Sivakumar Ramanathan, University of Miami

US: The Slag Cement Association (SCA) data shows that slag cement shipments rose by 10.8% year-on-year to 3.8Mt in 2019 from 3.5Mt in 2018. This is the fourth consecutive year that slag cement shipments have increased at a rate of 10% or greater. The SCA collects shipment data from its members.

“We have seen a substantial increase in slag cement use as concrete professionals become more and more familiar with the product” said Ed Griffith, president of the SCA.

US: Researchers from the University of Southern Florida (USF) testing the resistance to deterioration of cements containing between 30% and 70% of slags of various aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) and magnesium oxide (MgO) contents when exposed to sulphates have discovered a general decrease in resistance with increased Al₂O₃ content. Real Estate Weekly News has reported that increased MgO was found to increase resistance, especially at 30% slag replacement.