Global Slag News

US: Heidelberg Materials North America has inaugurated the Port Canaveral slag cement plant and terminal in Florida, following an expansion. MENAFN News has reported that the producer invested US$24m in the installation of a new roller press at the facility.

Heidelberg Materials North America said "Heidelberg Materials' investment in the Port Canaveral slag cement facility is reflective of our commitment to supporting sustainable and resilient construction projects in the state of Florida and throughout the country. It is also aligned with our goal to significantly reduce our carbon footprint by 2030 and another milestone in our overall strategy to grow our portfolio of more sustainable products, technologies and customer-focused solutions on the path to Net Zero."

Germany: Building materials research institute FEhS-Institute says that cement producers used 7.9Mt of German ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) in cement production in 2022. This corresponds to 71% of the 11.1Mt of slag produced by the domestic iron and steel industries during the year. Other applications for the slag included aggregates production (3.1Mt - 28%) and internal recycling at the refinery (500,000t - 4.5%).

Managing director Thomas Reiche said "Unlike recycled materials, iron mill slags are already high-quality and climate-friendly secondary raw materials in their 'first life.' For decades they have made an important contribution to a sustainable recycling economy in Germany. To ensure that this can continue in the future after the transformation of the steel industry, we have been researching new slags together with our partners since 2013 - for example, with the Direct Reduction Of Iron Ore Electric Furnace Slag and Save CO2 projects to develop Blast Furnace Slag 2.0."

France: Cemex France and Ecocem have signed a deal to collaborate on the development of reduced-CO₂ concrete development at 10 Cemex France ready-mix concrete batching plants. The partnership will explore methods that include the use of supplementary cementitious materials in place of clinker. Cemex hopes that the collaboration will help to realise its goal of a 55% CO₂ emissions reduction across its European operations by 2030.

Cemex Western Europe vice president materials and Cemex France president Michel Andre said “Cemex continues to reinforce its commitment to advancing the sustainability agenda with the announcement of this extended partnership with Ecocem. We know that if we are to achieve our global ambition of operating as a net-zero business by 2050 we must prioritise exploring innovation and new technologies with like-minded companies who share our dedication to leading the industry’s transition to a lower carbon and circular economy.”

UK: Contractors poured 736m³ of cement-free concrete in an 11-hour continuous pour at the Hurst substation tunnel drive shaft of the London Power Tunnels project on 11 May 2023. Construction Index News has reported that Capital Concrete supplied the concrete. It uses a formula developed by Earth Friendly Concrete to replace 100% of cement with fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) in the presence of an activator and admix solution. The supplier said that the concrete will reduce CO₂ emissions by 64% compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC), corresponding to 111kg/m³ of concrete.

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has commissioned its H2 plant, a 1000t/day clinker-free cement plant, adjacent to its existing H1 clinker-free cement plant in Bournezeau, Pays de la Loire. L'Usine Nouvelle News has reported that the new plant took 24 months to build and cost Euro22m. The main part of the plant consists of a 70m tower, where activated clay, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and gypsum are mixed to produce the cement. It is installed with solar panels capable of supplying 50% of its energy consumption. The producer says that its clinker-free cement has over 90% lower CO2 emissions than cement produced with ordinary Portland cement (OPC). It aims to sell 24,000t of the product throughout 2023.