Displaying items by tag: sustainability
Central Environment obtains government grant for construction and demolition waste recycling operations
18 July 2024New Zealand: Recycling company Central Environmental has secured a US$972,000 grant from the Ministry for the Environment. Local press has reported that the grant will go towards a US$2.43m expansion of its construction and demolition materials recycling operations. The company says that this will allow it to expand its footprint across southern and central North Island.
Managing director Ian Butcher said that the company has diverted 60 – 70% of parent company Central Demolition’s waste from landfill. It processes 80,000t/yr of concrete into materials for roadbuilding.
Europe: In 2023, 29.7Mt of slag entered the built environment in building materials in the EU and the UK. 20.3Mt (68%) of the slag was granulated blast furnace slag, of which 18.3Mt (90%) was ground for use in cement production, with the other 2Mt (10%) serving as aggregates. The remaining 9.4Mt of the slag was steelwork slag, of which 600,000t (6.4%) was used in cement and concrete production, with the rest used for roadbuilding.
Between 2000 and 2023, slag substituted for 752Mt of limestone, clay and sand in clinker production and for 405Mt of aggregates across the EU and UK construction sectors.
Thomas Reiche, chair of the European slag association EuroSlag and managing director of the FEhS Building Materials Institute, said "Despite the tensions on the European steel market, ferrous slags were once again able to make an important contribution to resource conservation, climate protection and the circular economy in 2023."
Sweden: Peab has won a contract to build the new Gothenburg Grand Central station for US$870m. The construction firm will integrate its Eco-Betong reduced-CO2 concrete in the building. MarketLine News has reported that the project is set to begin immediately, with the station opening progressively up to early-mid 2027.
Peab’s West regional head Stellan Haraldsson said "The new station building will serve passengers from all of western Sweden and is a testament to our commitment to sustainable community building.”
Australia: Climate Tech Cement and Polevine are due to showcase a newly developed reduced-CO2 geopolymer concrete in a ‘major infrastructure project’ in Western Australia. Proactive News has reported that the partners will supply backing blocks for the project later in July 2024.
The joint venture aims to develop geopolymer concrete formulations to achieve strengths of 10MPa, 20MPa, 30MPa and 40MPa and to assess their performance and costs.
Al-Kifah Precast discusses regional growth plans
10 July 2024Saudi Arabia: Al-Kifah Precast says that it is preparing to expand into other Middle Eastern countries, having more than tripled its sales since 2020. CEO Ehab Abu Salim says that the producer was a strategic supplier of precast concrete for Red Sea Global’s Red Sea Project in Tabuk Province, and now aims to support other major projects like the Neom new city and Amaala resort, also in Tabuk Province. Gulf Construction News has reported that the company has invested in research and development to establish best practices, as in its partnership with a UK-based company to produce marine concrete elements. It has reduced its CO2 emissions through the use of alternative materials such as fibreglass, steel rebar and pozzolans.
Abu Salim said “Having a facility in the Red Sea Project was a strategic move. The plant produces all types of precast elements and we are also looking to improve the facility. We have an expansion planned; very soon it will be serving the entire region." He added “Precast technology helps to speed up projects, is more sustainable, offers higher quality, and the price is on par and sometimes even lower than using traditional construction solutions.”
Holcim completes acquisition of Cand-Landi Group
27 June 2024Switzerland: Holcim has acquired recycling, ready-mix concrete and aggregates company Cand-Landi Group. The company employs 250 people across its operations in Western Switzerland. Holcim plans for Cand-Landi Group to supply alternative raw materials and fuels for use at its Eclépens plant. It says that the acquisition will increase its recycling capacity of construction and demolition materials by 100,000t/yr.
Holcim CEO Miljan Gutovic said "The acquisition of the Cand-Landi Group will advance decarbonisation and circularity in Switzerland, a lighthouse market for innovation at Holcim. I look forward to welcoming all 250 employees of the Cand-Landi Group and investing in our next chapter of growth together."
Cemex USA launches Vertua® concrete in Florida
20 June 2024US: Cemex USA has launched its Vertua® range of reduced-CO2 concrete in Florida. The producer marked the launch with the announcement of a major residential construction supply contract with Rockwell Construction in Sarasota County. The project, for developer Mattamy Homes, is called Brightmore.
Cemex’s US regional president said "We are thrilled to bring Vertua® to Florida and collaborate on Mattamy Homes' new residential endeavour in Sarasota County. This product represents a significant leap forward in sustainable construction, helping set a higher standard for environmentally responsible building practices not only in the region, but throughout the country."
UK: Ramboll has established its Sustainability Leadership Group to spearhead the decarbonisation strategy for UK construction. The team aims to be ‘powerhouse’ of cross-disciplinary expertise to support clients at every stage of their sustainability journey, through setting and achieving ambitious goals for their construction projects. Lora Brill will serve as the group’s Head of Sustainability for Buildings, while Austen Bates and Brogan MacDonald will serve as Sustainability Leads for Building Services and Building Structures, respectively, alongside Jac Yarwood as Head of Sustainable Solutions.
Lora Brill said, "I’m excited to put in place this exceptionally talented team that brings structural engineering, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering and sustainability consultancy together to lead Ramboll’s incredible breadth and depth of technical expertise on sustainability in building design and engineering. The team will continue to drive more engagements in key industry initiatives like ConcreteZero and SteelZero, and lead our own such as CO2mpare, which transparently shares building projects carbon data. We are committed to being the Partner for Sustainable Change and this leadership team is just one more step in ensuring that we challenge current thinking and champion innovative approaches to sustainability."
ConcreteZero is an emissions measuring and reporting association for concrete jointly founded by Ramboll in mid-2022.
Sumitomo Mitsui Construction achieves 100% renewables at Notogawa precast concrete plant
14 June 2024Japan: Sumitomo Mitsui Construction has successfully switched its Notogawa precast concrete products plant to 100% renewably-powered production. Nikkei News has reported that the company has switched the plant’s boilers to green hydrogen. These were previously the source of 60% of the plant’s emissions. The plant has also switched to using electricity entirely from renewable sources.
Sumitomo Mitsui Construction says it is working to make each of its precast plants carbon neutral.
Lafarge Canada and Hyperion Global Energy launch Tandem Carbon Recycling System at Bath cement plant
12 June 2024Canada: Hyperion Global Energy has fired up its pilot Tandem Carbon Recycling System at Lafarge Canada’s Bath cement plant in Ontario. The system mineralises captured CO2 to produce mineral components for alternative building materials. It has a capture capacity of 1000t/yr. The partners will test the Tandem Carbon Recycling System in producing Lafarge Canada’s 30 – 90% reduced CO2 ECOPact concrete.
Lafarge Canada’s Eastern Canada regional president and CEO of David Redfern said "Our collaboration with Hyperion marks an exciting milestone in our decarbonisation journey and the advancement of our circular construction technologies. We look forward to advancing our net zero strategy by leveraging carbon utilisation technology like Hyperion's, enabling us to further reduce CO₂ emissions from our operations while at the same time producing innovative and sustainable building solutions."
Hyperion CEO Heather Ward said "Working together with an innovative partner like Lafarge on this exciting pilot project allows us to apply our proprietary carbon recycling technology to large-scale industries, and make an immediate, measurable reduction on carbon emissions. At the same time, we are advancing our vision to offer a scalable and affordable decarbonisation solution for industry, and a market-driven profit incentive on the cost of carbon removal."