Global Concrete News

Ireland: New regulations effective from 1 September 2024 require all state-funded building projects in Ireland - including roads, schools, and hospitals - to use low-carbon concrete. The directive prohibits the use of CEM I cement, mandating a minimum of 30% replacement of clinker with low-carbon alternatives for public projects.

Kyrgyzstan: The government says that an upcoming 75m³/hr ready-mix concrete batching plant in Naryn region will enter operation before November 2024. Trend News has reported that the plant will be equipped with a 180t/hr aggregates crushing plant.

France: Cemex France reduced the total emissions of CO₂ from its concrete and aggregates logistics operations by 10% in the two years between 2021 and 2023. The company achieved this through various initiatives, including equipment upgrades, route optimisation and the substitution of alternative fuels, including hydrogenated vegetable oil in pusher vessels, and biogas where possible. The producer says that the reduction aligns with its FRET21 transport sustainability initiative, as well as its Future in Action 2050 net zero roadmap.

Cemex France is currently preparing to renew or expand its commitment to the FRET21 initiative for another three years.

US: A Licking County court has upheld the county council’s decision to deny a permit for Shelly Co. to build a ready-mix concrete batching plant near Alexandria. The company’s proposal also included the construction of an asphalt mixing plant at the site in Ohio. Local press has reported that Shelly Co. failed in its attempt to argue that floodplain regulations did not apply to the site due to its historical use as an aggregates quarry.

Finland: Betolar has procured a patent for a new accelerator solution for use in CEM III/B slag cement mixes. The company says that the product enables the achievement of conventional demoulding times in the production of concrete elements using slag cement with a clinker content of 20 – 34%. It will also enable its use in hollow-core slabs and as shotcrete in the mining industry.

President and CEO Tuija Kalpala said "Our patented innovation paves the way for the large-scale use of cement mixtures in the production of concrete elements and products, significantly reducing CO₂ emissions."