US: Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, has warned that Orcem Americas’ proposed slag cement plant in Vallejo breaks state environmental laws. In a letter to Vallejo's planning and development services co-ordinator he said that the project would violate the California Environmental Quality Act, according to the Irish Times newspaper. Becerra also raised issues with nitrogen oxide and CO₂ emissions. The intervention is an unusual move, as the state's attorney generals do not normally intervene in planning disputes.

Orcem Americas’ chief executive officer (CEO) Stephen Bryant said that a new environmental impact report would be prepared to address Becerra’s concernsd by the end of November 2018. The company, a subsidiary of Ireland’s Ecocem, is proposing to build and operate a US$50m slag grinding plant in Vallejo. However, the project has faced opposition from local environmental groups.

Spain/UK: Harsco’s Metals & Minerals division has won a multiyear contract with Spain’s Celsa Group. The agreement will span nine years with Celsa Barcelona and five years with its Cardiff operations. Under the deal, Harsco will provide Celsa Barcelona with on-site slag handling and scrap management services. The slag handling will include activities for under-furnace digging, ladle wrecking, and hot slag transport. In addition, Harsco’s scrap management experience will ensure the transport of scrap between the internal and external scrapyards, and the management of both sites. Celsa Cardiff will be provided with on-site metal recovery and meltshop services. No value for the deal has been disclosed.

Bangladesh: Confidence Cement plans to install a slag dryer unit at its plant in Madambibirhat, Bhatiary near Chittagong. The upgrade is intended to allow for uninterrupted production at its Unit-2 and Unit-3 lines, according to the Financial Express newspaper. The company also intends to demolish its 600t/day Unit-1 line due to high electricity costs and overall running costs.Confidence Cement to install slag dryer unit

Germany: The 10th European Slag Conference will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece on 9 – 11 October 2019. The conference is jointly organised by the Laboratory of Building Materials of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Euroslag and Aeiforos. The title of the Conference is: Slag based products – best practices for Circular Economy. Key topics at the conference will include: legal framework; utilisation and best practices; research and innovation.

Euroslag is the European association of all main organisations and companies concerned with all aspects of manufacturing and utilisation of ferrous slag products. Thessaloniki's main university, Aristotle University (AUTH), is the largest in Greece and in the Balkans. The Laboratory of Building Materials (AUTH) is devoted to research on utilisation of industrial by-products. Aeiforos, part of the Sidenor Group, offers a large range of services in the field of by-product management and valorisation since 2001.