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Welcome to the March 2015 issue of Global Cement Magazine - the worlds most widelyread cement magazine. As usual, this issue brings you all of the latest global cement
news and a range of technical articles and commentary.
Looking into the global cement news, the biggest announcement since the previous
issue is that Irelands CRH has entered exclusive negotiations to purchase the assets to
be sold by Lafarge and Holcim as part of the conditions of their proposed merger. CRH
has seized the initiative ahead of several other players that were skirting around the
deal and, barring catastrophe, looks set to gain a more prominent seat at the top table
of cement multinationals. The assets to be sold include cement plants in Canada, Brazil,
the Philippines, Germany, Romania, the UK, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and
the Czech Republic. By far CRHs largest acquisition to date, its capacity will increase
by more than a third when the deal goes through. Also in February 2015, the Indian
competition authorities approved the merger of Holcim and Lafarge in that country.
The approval in India will require further cement asset sales, especially in the east Indian
market. In the increasingly concentrated Indian cement market, could CRH come in
and purchase these too?
There are, of course, a number of significant consequences for many major and minor
players in the global cement industry that will unfold when the LafargeHolcim merger
goes through. Interestingly, at the recent Global CemFuels Conference & Exhibition
in Dubai, UAE, presenter Dirk Lechtenberg highlighted the fact that many of the
Lafarge and Holcim plants to be sold are the respective companies best-performing for
alternative fuels. From alternative fuel substitution rates of 17.2% and 12.8% at Lafarge
and Holcim, LafargeHolcim will see an overall substitution rate of below 10% post
merger. By contrast, CRH, currently operates at 21.2% alternative fuels and will have
bagged even more plants with excellent alternative fuel performance post acquisition.
CRH will enjoy an overall substitution rate rise to over 30%. With low fossil fuel prices
ar present, some delegates at the Global CemFuels Conference appeared to have claimed
that high alternative fuel rates would be uneconomical in the short to medium term.
However (and as usual), in the long run it was agreed that increasing alternative fuel
substitution will remain a good way to increase margins and
environmental performance as traditional fuel prices gradually
rise again. For more, see the Global CemFuels review on page 59.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Global Cement Magazine - the
worlds most widely-read cement magazine!
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www.GlobalCement.com Global Cement Magazine March 2015
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GLOBAL CEMENT CONTENTS
Global Cement articles

8 Why cement and lime industries cannot take
emissions trading lightly
For a number of years the European Emissions Trading Scheme

has been a relatively minor factor in the cost of running a
cement plant but Philipp Ruf of ICIS warns that the easy times
may be coming to an end.
12 JSW Steels granulated LD slag (GLDS) for

cement production
JSW Steel describes its unique LD slag granulation facility,
which it has used to develop granulated LD slag (GLDS) with
favourable properties for use in cement.
12
18 Global CemFuels focus: Greece and Spain

The second in our series of articles on alternative fuels looks at
Greece and Spain. Both countries have seen a large slump in
construction since the financial crisis of 2008 and their cement
industries continue to see subdued demand.
18
23 Thorwesten Vent, Yara Industrial and

robecco: Seminar on explosion protection
in coal-grinding systems in Egypt
A summary of the recent explosion protection seminar held
in Cairo by Thorwesten Vent, Yara Industrial and robecco.
24 SICs ongoing lime projects
24
Italys Societ Impianti Calce (SIC) discusses its current

ongoing and recently completed lime projects in Mali,
Vietnam, Finland, Estonia, Russia and elsewhere.
26 A new use for the Aumund Samson Feeder

In conjunction with cement operators in North America,
Aumund Corporation, has developed a new use for the Aumund
Samson Feeder, as a Surface Storage Feeder (SSF).
26
28 Product and contract news

Haldor Topsoe and FLSmidth develop new catalytic filter bag
technology; Spectro Arcos launches new high-resolution ICPOES spectrometer; Aumund launches fourth service centre.
28
European cement
29 European cement news
LafargeHolcim to sell to CRH; Brembo and Italcementi to
produce cement-based brakes; Strong final quarter for
HeidelbergCement.
29
4
Global Cement Magazine March 2015
NOVEMBER2013
GLOBAL CEMENT
CONTENTS
Cement in the Americas
34 American cement news
St Marys Charlevoix expansion cleared; Cemexs net loss
narrows in fourth quarter; Appointments at McInnis Cement.
40 Capitol Cement: An independent
40
Texan cement producer

David Perilli visits the 0.9Mt/yr Capitol Cement plant in San
Antonio, Texas, USA. The plant is located right in the suburbs
of the city and is adjacent to a nearby airport, which places
unusual requirements on its layout and emissions.
Asian cement
46 Asian cement news
NORM Cement reaches full capacity; Iran halts clinker
production for 30 days; JK Cement starts production at Durg.
50 The highs and lows of Indias cement industry

We look at the past 12 months in the Indian cement industry,
including producers and production, consumption, accusations of cartels, the launch of Amma Cement and Coalgate.
Middle East and African cement

56 Middle East and African cement news
New CEO for PPC; Lafarge to expand in Zimbabwe;
Qatari investors to build cement plant in Ethiopia.
50
59 9th Global CemFuels Conference - Reviewed

We review the highly-interesting 9th Global CemFuels Conference, which took place in Dubai, UAE.
Regulars and comment

63 Global cement prices
Cement prices from around the world: Subscribers to Global
Cement Magazine receive additional information.
64 Subscription form for Global Cement Magazine

Use this form to subscribe to Global Cement Magazine, or
subscribe online at www.GlobalCement.com.
65 The Last Word
50
This issue: Mega-droughts on the way? After reading this you

might need a nice cup of tea.
66 Advertiser Index & Forthcoming issue features

The list of this issues advertisers and a preview of the editorial
contents of the next two issues.
59
GLOBAL CEMENT: DIARY DATES

1st Global SynGyp Conference
& Exhibition
20-21April 2015, Chicago, USA
www.GlobalSynGyp.com
24th AFCM Technical Symposium
21-24 April 2015, Hanoi, Vietnam
www.afcm-org.com
2015 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement
Industry Conference
26-30 April 2015, Toronto, Canada
www.cementconference.org
5th Global Cement Refractories &
Maintenance Conference
12-13 May 2015, Istanbul, Turkey
www.GC-RM.com
3rd Global CemPower Conference
1-2 June 2015, London, UK
www.CemPower.com
gl bal
3rd
cempower
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15th Global Gypsum Conference

& Exhibition
26-27 October 2015, New Orleans, USA
www.GlobalGypsum.com
11th Global Slag Conference
& Exhibition
17-18 November 2015, Bangkok, Thailand
www.GlobalSlag.com
10th Global CemFuels Conference
& Exhibition
February 2015, Prague, Czech Republic
www.CemFuels.com
More information on all events at...

www.Cement-Events.com
1-2 June 2015

London, UK
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
Waste heat recovery

Combined heat and power
Captive power generation
Electrical energy efficiency
Who should attend?
Cement and lime producers
Power plant providers
Waste heat recovery systems providers
Others interested in electrical energy eciency
Energy managers, project managers
Grinding experts
Analysts and Consultants
www.cempower.com
Diary Dates March 2015.indd 1
02/03/2015 09:00
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26.11.2012 20:07:08 Uhr
GLOBAL CEMENT: KEYNOTE
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Philipp Ruf, ICIS
Why the cement and lime industries cannot take

emissions trading lightly
For a number of years the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has been a relatively
minor factor in the cost of running a cement plant. Here however, Philipp Ruf of ICIS warns
that the easy times are over for manufacturers that have not hedged their carbon exposure.
ntroduced in 2005 after much anticipation, the

European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)
has somehow been pushed to the side-lines in recent
years. Prices dropped to levels that saw numerous
players exit the market. Now though, prices are
showing signs of a sustained and significant recovery. For those industries with high carbon emissions,
such as cement and lime manufacturing, the coming
months and years could see carbon become a major
business concern and, if managed properly, a significant opportunity.
The rise and fall of the EU ETS

Fundamentally, the EU ETS is a green initiative,
designed to be the cornerstone of the EUs carbon
reduction efforts. Rather than a top-down reduction
approach, the idea was that the ETS would leave it to
the market to deliver carbon reduction wherever it

was most efficient and cost-effective.
After 2008 the ETS suffered, as so many other initiatives have, from the aftermath of the global financial
crisis. Recession across Europe meant that industry
scaled back cement production. With the number
of European Emissions Allowances (EUAs) in the
market already set before the crash, lower demand resulted in oversupply and tumbling prices. After hitting
Euro31/t in April 2006, prices in 2012 hovered around
Euro7-10/t.
Despite this fall, European carbon prices had yet
to hit their crisis point. In January 2013, the EU ETS
entered its third and current phase. While a large
share of EUAs had, in the previous phase, been allocated to companies for free, they were now almost all
coming to the market via auction, meaning a larger
share of allowances was not directly banked
by over-allocated companies. Instead, they all
found their way to market. With oversupply
already an issue, prices lurched downwards
once again, dipping below Euro4/t in January
2013. They remained at around Euro4-6/t for
the rest of 2013.
But times are changing. After a sharp
increase and correction of prices in the first
quarter 2014, prices entered a more sustained
bullish corridor and reached a 10-month high
of Euro7.48/t in December 2014. According
to ICIS analysts, prices are set to rise further
and hit double-digits by mid 2015 for the first
time since 2012. This is being heralded as the
start of a long-term bullish corridor for carbon
prices with EUAs potentially heading for even
higher altitudes.
In March 2014, the European Commission (EC) finally introduced the policy
known as back-loading to address the issue
of oversupply. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, 900
million to-be-auctioned EUAs will be
withheld and re-introduced in 2019 and
2020. Though the effect was not immediately felt, back-loading is starting to show
its influence on carbon prices. Looking
ahead, the political appetite seems to be for

18.00
18
Start: Euro12.05 on 13 March 2009
High: Euro17.14 on 2 May 2011
16
16.00
Now: Euro7.47 on 12 February 2015
14
14.00
12
Carbon price (Euro/t)
12.00
Left - Figure 1: EU ETS carbon

prices between 13 March 2009
and 12 February 2015.
Source: Intercontinental
Exchange (ICE).
10.00
10
8
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
1
33
65
97
129
161
193
225
257
289
321
353
385
417
449
481
513
545
577
609
641
673
705
737
769
801
833
865
897
929
961
993
1025
1057
1089
1121
1153
1185
1217
1249
1281
1313
1345
1377
1409
1441
1473
1505
Low: Euro2.70 on
17 April 2013
2009
2010
2011
further EU ETS reform in the form of a Market

Stability Reserve (MSR) and, as adopted by heads
of state at the end of October 2014, more stringent
European emissions reduction targets for 2030 (40%
against 1990 levels, as opposed to 20% by 2020). All
these factors point towards a possible sustained trend
of climbing carbon prices.
Farewell to the good old days?

With the low carbon price levels experienced in recent years, there has been little financial incentive for
the cement and lime industries to take much notice
of the EU ETS carbon price signal. As long as carbon
compliance obligations did not affect their bottom
line, they were unlikely to be regarded with too much importance
in company boardrooms.
In the past, lower overall power
demand, scaled back industrial
production and a depressed construction industry coupled with
oversupply of allowances have
meant that the industry has not
needed as many allowances as predicted. It could also easily afford
the low prices for the ones they did
need. In some cases, overgenerous
free allowances actually allowed
some companies to sell EUAs at
a small profit. Now, as economies
around Europe continue to emerge
from recession, cement demand and
production are set to ramp up once
again. With EUAs to grow scarcer,
things are set to change.
Year
2012
2013
2014
In the utility sector, where the biggest carbon

compliance obligations lie, companies have been
using market analysis to craft very sophisticated
hedging strategies for some time now. Every
company approaches the issue differently, but almost
all have taken realistic steps to protect their profits in
a future carbon-constrained world. The cement and
lime industries need to look at doing the same.
In cement and lime manufacturing, with EU
annual emissions of 140-150Mt of CO2 equivalent,
sooner or later those managing carbon obligations
will have to start to do the same. At around Euro610/t, prices are still low enough to manage effectively
for current compliance obligations, but they are also
Below: A field of solar

panels now supplies the
Hanson Ketton cement plant
in the UK with 10MW
of electrical energy. Could such
installations become more
prevalent as the cost of
emitting carbon dioxide rises?
Right: Alternative fuels have

been used to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions in cement
plants all over Europe.
Below: The Capitol SkyMine,

adjacent to the Capitol Cement
plant in San Antonio Texas is
currently under construction.
When complete it will use
10% of the cement plants flue
gas to produce baking powder,
hydrochloric acid and bleach.
Find out more about the
Capitol Cement plant in this
issue and read about the
SkyMine process in the April
2015 issue of Global Cement
Magazine.
10
low enough for manufacturers to think about buying

against future production requirements.
In the cement and lime industry, this grace period
may last longer than in some others. In 2014, the
industry remained over-allocated by an estimated
22.5Mt, meaning it was still oversupplied. However,
this is expected to drop to 16.8Mt in 2015 and to
evaporate completely by 2019.
Though this burden is spread unevenly throughout industry participants, (some will already be short
and some very long), by 2020 cement and lime as
an industry is expected to be short by 9.8Mt. With
todays prices edging towards Euro8/t, this could cost
a total of around Euro80m.
A Euro30 price could come home early

In the medium term, cement and lime manufacturers should consider two main policy developments
which will have a key impact on EU ETS prices.
Firstly, EU member states agreed on energy and
climate targets for 2030 at the last European Council
meeting on 23-24 October 2014. These included a
40% EU domestic emission reduction target, which
translates into a 2.2% linear reduction factor between
2020 and 2030 for the EU ETS, up from the current
1.74%. This would mean that fewer auctioned and

freely-allocated allowances will be available to market participants, resulting in higher prices.
Secondly, EU member states are currently discussing the Market Stability Reserve (MSR), a
mechanism put forward by the Commission to reform the EU ETS. The aim of the MSR is to tackle
the supply-demand imbalance and make the system
more resilient to demand shocks. While the MSR is
supposed to start in 2021, several EU member states
including Germany, France and the UK are pushing
for a pre-2020 implementation.
Furthermore, member states are also discussing the possibility of transferring the 900 million
back-loaded EUA volumes directly into the reserve
instead of transferring them back to market in 2019
and 2020. According to ICIS analysis, if both of those
plans were to be adopted, EU ETS participants would
be looking at a Euro25/t and Euro40/t carbon price in
2020 and 2030 respectively.
At these prices, 2020s estimated total short position of 9.8Mt for the cement and lime industry could
cost almost Euro250m, giving industry boardrooms
a serious reason to look again at their carbon management strategy.
In every challenge, an opportunity

In this context, which approach should those in
cement and lime take on board? First, companies
should look for ways to reduce their emissions
through improved efficiency, technological innovation and less wasteful processes. Fundamentally, that
is the change the EU ETS was designed to incentivise,
and the only way to completely offset its effects is to
cut the carbon.
After that, the next best approach that companies
can adopt is to put in place long-term strategies to
hedge against potential shocks that the carbon market will inevitably bring.
It is natural (and correct) to
consider this task as a burden
and a risk. However it also represents a sizeable opportunity.
Those companies that make
the right calls at the right time
and put in place the most effective hedging strategies may
well find that they enjoy a significant competitive advantage
a few years down the line over
those in the industry who failed
to do so. Astute boards will be
looking at carbon trading both
as a risk and an opportunity to
outplay their competitors.
In summary, it is fair to say
that, with a carbon price at a
10-month high and rising, the
easy times are over, but the good
times do not have to be.
It has nothing to do with

politics that we promote
green ideas, it is just
part of our
nature
Now its time for LOESCHE innovative technology. For further information
please call +492115353 0 or visit www.loesche.com
1300948_AZ_Image_A4_04.indd 5
08.04.13 13:11
GLOBAL CEMENT: SLAG
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D Satish Kumar, R Sah, Ganapathi Prasad, S M R Prasad, JSW Steel Ltd, Vijayanagar Works, Toranagallu, Karnataka, India
D Yadav, S Gupta and S K Chaturvedi of National Council for Cement and Building Materials, Ballabgarh, Haryana, India
JSW Steels granulated LD slag (GLDS) for

cement production
Two types of slags are generated in the steel industries; iron-making and steel-making
slags. The use of iron slag, or blast furnace (BF) slag, as a constituent of concrete, either as
an aggregate or as a cementitious material, is well-established. Historically, steel slag, also
known as Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag, has not been successfully utilised for cement production
due to its non-uniform nature and high-metal content. However, recent developments have
enabled its application as an alternative construction aggregate and raw material in many
fields. JSW Steel, with its unique LD slag granulation facility, has developed granulated LD
slag (GLDS), which has favourable physical and chemical properties. Here its effective use as
a raw material for cement production is reported.
Introduction
Below - Figure 1: The JSW slag

granulation plant in
Karnataka, India.
12
Slags are by-products generated during iron and

steel production. Their disposal, recycling and reuse has been a major concern for steel makers. In
recent years, new technologies have been developed
to recycle slags in a variety of fields, such as cement
production, construction and agriculture. This helps
to preserve natural resources.
Slags are generated during two stages of steel
production, resulting in two different slag products:
Iron-making (BF slag) and steel-making (LD slag).
Slag formation is the result of a series of physical and
chemical reactions between the non-metallic charge
(lime, dolomite, fluxes), the energy sources (coke,
oxygen) and the refractory bricks. Owing to the high
temperatures (>1500C) during their generation,
slags do not contain any organic substances.
Generally, BF slag is granulated and used for cement production due to its cementitious properties,
while LD slag is dumped due to its unfavourable
physio-chemical characteristics. LD slag dumping
occupies land and has an adverse impact on the

environment.
Slags and other industrial by-products with similar compositions to the raw materials used for cement
production have been experimented with around the
world.1-3 They have been used at various stages of cement production, either as a raw material, blending
material and/or as a performance improver. BF slag
has long been used as an important raw material substitute for slag cement production due to its similar
composition and phases.4-6 LD slag has much higher
iron oxide, free lime and metallic iron fractions and
consequently has poorer hydraulic properties. Due to
these limitations, LD slags have seldom been used for
cement production.
In this research, LD slag has been granulated to
change its physio-chemical properties and lab-scale
feasibility studies have been carried out on its use in
cement production.
Granulated LD slag (GLDS)

LD slag is generated from the steel-making process,
which involves the refinement of pig iron and its
conversion into high-quality steel. X-ray diffraction
studies have shown that the major phases present in
LD slag are di-calcium silicate and ferrite, calcium
aluminate, wstite and free CaO and MgO. The main
reason for not having water granulation of LD slag,
as is used for BF slag, is to avoid the risk of explosion
when water comes into contact with the steel. Additionally, during water granulation Fe gets trapped
in the matrix, which makes removal via magnetic
separation difficult.
JSW steel has a 10Mt/yr capacity integrated steel
plant in Karnataka, south India that produces a
wide range of flat and long products. At JSW steel,
molten LD slag is subjected to granulation through
an innovative quenching technology (Figure 1),
which separates the metal and slag in a closed system
GLOBAL CEMENT: SLAG

Molten slag
(Figure 2) and washes out free lime and MgO. Sudden quenching of the molten slag leads to differential
contraction of metal and slag, resulting in good separation of both. Granulation leads to good stability
of the final slag with increased glass content. The
granulated slag particles have plain surface textures
with reduced free lime, reduced FeO and negligible
metallic iron. Hence, granulated LD slag (GLDS) is a
completely new product with favourable characteristics for the cement industry.
Water
Steam
Breaking
into
droplets
Left - Figure 2: Molten LD

slag is subjected to granulation
through an innovative
quenching technology to
produce granulated
LD slag (GLDS).
Sudden
quenching
Crushing
Characterisation of GLDS
Representative GLDS samples were collected from
the slag granulation unit. Physical and chemicomineralogical analyses and lab-scale trials were
performed.
GLDS slag is grey-black in colour due to its high
FeO content. The particles have sharp angular edges
(Figure 3), are <10mm in size and are easy to handle
and transport. The main constituent oxides present
are CaO, SiO2, Fe2O3, Mn2O3, Al2O3 and MgO (Table
1). GLDS contains CaO and Fe2O3 in large proportions, so it can be used to replace lime and iron ore.
The samples were subjected to trace element
analysis using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)
Spectroscopy (Table 2). Trace elements such as
barium, beryllium, chromium, copper, nickel and
strontium were found in negligible fractions.
The MODEL composition of the GLDS samples
show 51-56% glass grains, 13-15% semi-glassy grains
and 7-10% quartz. Minerals like hematite and magnetite were in the range of 7-8% each. The XRD phase
analysis shows the presence of manganosite, srebrodolskite, hematite, wstite and larnite (Figure 4).
Physical parameters like specific gravity, water
absorption and silt % (wet sieving) were found to be
3.48, 1.3% and 10.33% respectively (Table 3). The detailed physico-chemical and mineralogical analyses
of the GLDS samples established that GLDS does not
contain any unwanted impurities and is well within
the acceptable limits for cement production.
GLDS
Left - Figure 3: A sample

of GLDS.
Element Concentration
Ba
0.08
Be
0.0006
Cd
Nil
Oxide
Co
Nil
Cr
0.043
SiO2
10-13
Cu
0.001
Fe2O3
30-35
Ga
Nil
Al2O3
2-5
Ni
0.001
CaO
35-40
Pb
Nil
MgO
4-6
SO3
Nil
Se
Nil
Cement production applications
Sr
0.014
Na2O
0.10-0.15
Representative GLDS samples were collected from

the granulation unit and tested in the laboratory for
three different cement production applications.
Te
Nil
Mn2O3
5-8
Th
Nil
Cl
Zn
Nil
Sulphide
As a performance improver
To study the effect of GLDS as a performance improver, two 5kg batches were prepared using 3% and
5% of GLDS by weight. Crushed Ordinary Portland
cement (OPC) clinker and gypsum passing through
a 2.8mm sieve were ground with GLDS in a laboratory ball mill to achieve a fineness of 30010m2/kg.
The compositions of the prepared cement blends
are given in Table 4. Control OPC was also prepared
using the same gypsum and clinker. The fineness of
the cement blends was in a very narrow range, comparable to that of the control OPC.
Left - Table 1: Chemical

analysis of GLDS.
Far left - Table 2:
Concentration of trace elements
present in GLDS.
0.015-0.020
0.6-0.7
Parameter
GLDS
Specific gravity
3.69
Water absorption (%)
0.8
Silt (%) - wet sieving
1.5
Clay lumps
Nil
Organic impurities
Nil
Total deleterious material
Nil
Loose bulk density (kg/l)
1.88
Compact bulk density (kg/l)
2.07
Left - Table 3: Physical

properties of GLDS.
13
GLOBAL CEMENT: SLAG
Intensity (counts)
750
500
250
Right - Figure 4: X-ray
diffraction pattern of
GLDS sample.
10
20
30
40
50
60
Theta ()
Right - Table 4: Composition of

cement blends prepared
with GLDS.
Far right - Table 5:
Performance characteristics
of cement blends prepared
with GLDS.
14
The Blaine fineness of all the cement blends containing 3% and 5% GLDS was 29010m2/kg. The
initial and final setting times of the cement blends
prepared with 3% GLDS were 90min and 140min
respectively (Table 5). Similarly, the initial and final
setting times of the cement blends prepared with 5%
GLDS were 95min and 145min. These values indicated that the setting behaviour of the cement blends
was not changed much on addition of different slag
samples when compared with each other. However,
the values were relatively low compared to the control OPC, which could be attributed to the more
finely ground control OPC.
The cement blends were studied for their performance characteristics, including consistency, setting
time, compressive strength development and soundness. Mortar samples were cast for the control OPC
and the two cement blends (3% and 5% GLDS).
The effect of 3% GLDS did not yield the desired
results and the strength values were comparable
to that of the control OPC (Table 5). However, the
scenario improved with the addition of 5% GLDS;
the strength development improved at all ages. The
improvement in performance could be further
enhanced by increasing the fineness levels similar
GLDS (%)
Composition (%)
SO3 content (%)
to that of the control OPC. All of the cement blends

were, however, found to conform to the requirements standard specification for 42.5 grade OPC, as
well as for Portland slag cement (PSC). The cement
blends were also tested for soundness by Le-Chatelier
method and an autoclave test. The linear expansion
and autoclave expansion in the cement blends were
found to be in the range of 1-3mm and 0.08-0.217%
respectively. Hence, the cement blends can be considered as sound.
The 5% GLDS samples did not affect any other
performance parameters such as water requirement,
setting time and soundness. Therefore, the addition
of 5% of GLDS could be considered as a performance
improver in OPC.
Property
Control
OPC
GLDS
3%
5%
Fineness
333
292
287
Consistency
28.00
25.80 26.40
Initial setting time (min)
100
90
95
145
Final setting time (min)
180
140
Compressive strength at 3 days (Mpa)
34.50
33.35 35.85
40.50
39.30 42.65
Clinker
Gypsum
50.00
48.68 51.56
92.80
4.20
2.57
Soundness: Le-Chatelier (mm)
1.00
3.00
90.60
4.40
2.61
Soundness: Autoclave (%)
0.08
0.217 0.169
2.00
GLOBAL CEMENT: SLAG

As a blending material
5kg batches were prepared using granulated BF slag
(GBFS) and GLDS as blending materials in different proportions. To prepare the mix, crushed OPC
clinker and gypsum were passed through a 2.8mm
sieve and ground with crushed samples of GLDS
and GBFS individually in 30%, 40%, 50% and 60%
proportions separately. Each batch was ground in a
laboratory ball mill to a fineness of 33010m2/kg.
Compositions of the cement blends are given in
Table 6. The SO3 content in the cement blends was
2.57-2.59%.
The cement blends were studied for their performance characteristics such as setting time,
compressive strength development and soundness
and compared with control OPC (Tables 7 and 8).
The Blaine fineness of all the cement blends containing 30-60% by weight of GBFS and GLDS was
maintained at 33010m2/kg and were comparable
to each other. Initial and final setting times showed
that the setting behaviour of the cement blends was
not affected by the addition of GBFS when compared
with the addition of control OPC. However, the initial and final setting times were significantly affected
with the addition of 30-60% GLDS.
The addition of 30-60% GBFS and GLDS improved the strength. In the case of GBFS addition, the
compressive strength decreased at three and seven
days and improved to the desired level at 28 days, up
to 50% GBFS addition. However, at >50% addition,
the compressive strength development decreased
at all ages. A similar trend was observed for GLDS.
The compressive strength decreased at three and
seven days and improved at 28 days as expected. The
optimum addition was 40% GLDS; above this level
the compressive strength decreased at all ages. The
cement blends with up to 40% GLDS conform to the
standard specifications for 42.5 grade OPC and PSC.
The linear expansion by Le-Chatelier method and autoclave expansion of the cement blends were 1-4mm
and 0.03-0.23% respectively. It can be concluded that
GLDS can be added up to 40% as a blending material
in slag cement.
As raw materials
GLDS has high CaO and Fe2O3 content and can be
used as a replacement of both in cement production.
However, due to the lower limits of Fe2O3 required
in clinker, GLDS is used as the primary replaceable
constituent in the raw material mix.
About 10kg of raw mix, namely RM-C (control
mix) and RM-LD (raw mix replacing GLDS as the
iron source) were prepared. Limestone, blue dust,
GLDS and coal ash were mixed and ground in a ball
mill to a fineness of ~10% residue on a 90m (170
mesh) sieve. The mix was used to prepare the nodules
in a pan noduliser and dried in an electric oven at
1055C for two hours. It was later put in an electric
furnace and heated to 1400C for 20min. The result-
ant cooled clinkers were designated as CL-C and

CL-LD and were studied for chemical and mineralogical characteristics.
The chemical analysis of the CL-C and CL-LD
clinkers showed that CL-C contains 64.2% CaO and
21.6% SiO2 (Table 9). The SO3 was found to be 0.74%.
CL-LD contained 62.21% CaO and 22.63% SiO2. The
SO3 was found to be 0.45%. The compositions were
well within the specifications.
Clinker samples CL-C and CL-LD were evaluated
for mineralogical composition using optical microscopy. The results indicated that CL-C has uniform
alite grains, the majority in the range of 34-38m.
The belite grains were also uniform and in the range
of 30-35m. The majority of the alite grains were
well-crystallised and hexagonal to pseudo-hexagonal
in shape. Sub-rounded, lath and triangular grains of
alite were also observed. In contrast, the belite grains
were pseudo-crystalline with few rounded grains.
Sample
Left - Table 6: Composition of

cement blends prepared with
GBFS and GLDS.
Weight Composition (%)

GBFS
GLDS
Clinker
Cement
1: PSC-30-GBFS
30
65.60
4.40
2: PSC-40-GBFS
40
65.20
4.80
3: PSC-50-GBFS
50
64.80
5.20
4: PSC-60-GBFS
60
64.40
5.60
5: PSC-30-GLDS
30
65.40
4.60
6: PSC-40-GLDS
40
55.00
5.00
7: PSC-50-GLDS
50
44.60
5.40
8: PSC-60-GLDS
60
33.20
5.80
Property
Control OPC
Below - Table 7: Performance

characteristics of OPC and
cement blends prepared
with GBFS.
Far below - Table 8:
Performance characteristics of
OPC and cement blends prepared
with GLDS.
Cement blends with GBFS

30%
40%
50%
60%
Fineness (m2/kg)
333
326
321
331
334
100
110
110
120
130
180
185
190
195
210
34.50
32.50
29.00
26.50
24.50
40.50
40.00
39.00
36.50
31.00
50.00
54.50
55.00
56.00
47.50
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
0.08
0.08
0.06
0.05
0.03
Property
Control OPC
Cement blends with GLDS

30%
40%
50%
60%
Fineness (m2/kg)
333
342
333
339
332
100
110
45
30
20
180
185
110
105
105
34.50
30.50
26.00
19.50
15.00
40.50
40.00
37.50
28.50
26.00
50.00
52.50
52.00
43.00
39.50
1.00
2.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
0.08
0.23
0.29
0.42
0.62
15
GLOBAL CEMENT: SLAG

The belite clusters were 25-180m and in various
shapes. The optical microscopic investigations of
CL-LD showed that the clinker fired at 1400C had
well-developed homogeneously-distributed phases
with the majority of alite grains in the range of 3540m. The percentage of minimum and maximum
alite and belite grain sizes was very low and the same
was almost negligible at 1450C. The grain growth
of alite and belite was found to be well controlled,
which was attributed to the use of GLDS as raw
materials. The GLDS had acted as a catalyst during
clinkerisation. More than 90% of the alite grains were
found to be hexagonal with sharp grain margins.
The improvement in clinker mineralogy is likely to
have a positive impact on the quality of the cement
produced from it.
OPC, OPC-C and OPC-LD were prepared by
grinding the clinker, CL-C and CL-LD with 5.5%
gypsum to a fineness of 300m2/kg. The resultant
cement samples OPC-C and OPC-LD were cast in
mortar cubes and tested for setting time, compressive strength, Le-Chatelier and autoclave expansion.
The initial and final setting times were found to
be 110min and 165min for OPC-C and 70min and
160min for OPC-LD (Table 9). The 28 day strength of
OPC-LD is significantly higher than OPC-C (Table
Constituents (%)
Right - Table 9: Chemical

analyses of bulk clinkers CL-C
and CL-LD and analyses of
prepared cements OPC-C and
OPC-LD.
Below - Table 10: Performance

evaluation of prepared cements
OPC-C and OPC-LD and the
applicable standard
requirements.
Bulk clinker
Cement samples
Conclusions
GLDS is a new eco-friendly material for cement
producers. The physico-chemical and mineralogical
characteristics of GLDS show good similarity to the
materials presently being used for cement production. Extensive lab scale studies have confirmed that
GLDS can be used:
As a raw material for cement production - 4.25% by
weight can be used as a replacement of iron-bearing
additive in the raw mix;
As a performance improver - up to 5% by weight
improves the strength at 28 days without affecting
other parameters;
CL-C
CL-LD
OPC-C
OPC-LD
LOI
0.88
0.32
1.45
1.32
SiO2
21.60
22.63
22.08
20.89
Fe2O3
3.76
3.74
3.68
3.79
Al2O3
5.27
4.65
4.97
4.71
CaO
64.20
62.21
62.72
60.65
References
MgO
2.61
4.40
1.99
4.85
SO3
0.74
0.45
2.17
2.23
1. Aggoun, S., Cheikh-Zouaoui, M., Chikh, N.,

Duval, R., Effect of some admixtures on the setting
time and strength evolution of cement pastes at early
ages, Construction and Building Materials 22, 2008,
106-110.
2. Meric, J. P., Low energy clinker formation, The
8th International Congress on the Chemistry of
Cement, Rio de Janeiro, 1986, Paper 1.3, vol. I,
51-56.
3. Ghosh, S. N., Advances in Cement technology cement reviews and case studies on manufacturing,
quality control, optimization and use, Pergamon
Press, 1983.
4. Indian Standards 455 1989: Portland Slag
Cement Specification.
5. Indian Standards 12089 1987: Specification for
Granulated Slag for the Manufacture of Portland
Slag Cement.
6. Indian Standards 12269 1987: Specification for
53 Grade Ordinary Portland cement.
Na2O
0.33
0.19
0.40
0.21
K2O
0.82
0.86
0.76
0.82
Cl-
0.012
0.016
0.02
Barium
0.02
TiO2
0.25
Free CaO
0.17
0.23
Mn2O3
Property
OPC-C
OPC-LD
Standard requirement
Fineness (m2/kg)
306
310
25
110
70
30
165
160
600
32
42.50
27
43
57.50
37
55
68.50
53
1.00
2.00
10
0.05
0.012
0.8
16
10). This can be directly attributed to the addition of

GLDS, which has acted like a mineraliser owing to the
presence of manganese (an established mineraliser).
The presence of GLDS as a raw material had affected
the nuclei formation and resulted in controlled grain
growth of alite and belite with improved crystallinity.
Autoclave expansion was found to be 0.05% and
Le-Chatelier expansion was 1.0mm for OPC-C and
0.01% and 2.00mm for OPC-LD. The results show
high volume stability for both samples. The performance evaluation of OPC-LD established that the
cement produced with GLDS as a raw material has
better properties than OPC.
As a blending material - up to 40% GLDS by weight

could be added during the clinker grinding stage
to manufacture cement blends with compressive
strength comparable to control OPC and PSC.
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Global Cement Magazine 03_15.indd 1
02.02.15 18:07
GLOBAL CEMENT: ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Contents
Subscribe
Ad Index
Amy Saunders & Peter Edwards, Global Cement Magazine
Global CemFuels focus: Greece and Spain

In the second article in our series on the use of alternative fuels in cement industries around
the world, Global Cement looks at two countries in southern Europe: Greece and Spain. Both
countries have seen a large slump in construction activity since the financial crisis of 2008
and the cement industries of both continue to struggle amid low cement demand.
Greece
The company uses biomass and paper sludge as alternative fuels and intends to use refuse-derived fuel
(RDF) in the future. In 2012 it achieved an alternative
fuel substitution rate of 2.8% and an alternative raw
materials substitution rate of 13.5%.
There has been significant growth since 2007,
mainly due to increased substitution at the
4.5Mt/yr capacity Volos plant in Magnesia. According to its 2012 sustainability report, the supply
of alternative fuels was hampered by ongoing economic difficulties and administrative barriers, which
are hard to overcome. A permit to burn SRF at the
2.2Mt/yr capacity Milaki cement plant in Evia has
been delayed by more than 18 months.
Cement industry
Figure 1: Map of Greece

showing location of integrated
cement plants and the
capital Athens.
Source: Global Cement
Directory 2015.
Greeces cement industry

has seven cement plants that
are run by three companies.
They share a production capacity of 14.28Mt/yr (See
Figure 1). The industry is represented by the Hellenic
Cement Industry Association (HCIA).
Greeces cement industry suffered severely during
the 2008 financial crisis, but even before 2008, the
industry was unstable. The United States Geological
Survey (USGS) states that Greece produced 11Mt
of cement in 2012, the most recent year for which
it gives data. This is down from a ~15.5Mt/yr in the
early 2000s (See Figure 2).
According to Cembureau, in 2013 construction activity in Greece fell by 25% year-on-year and
cement consumption fell by 10% year-on-year. However, Heracles General Cement Co reported that in
the first half of 2014 sales grew by 9.3% year-on-year
to Euro123m, representing a Euro17.5m net loss,
which was vastly improved upon the Euro109m net
loss during the same period
of 2013. The company stated
that the market had entered
recovery due to increased
public sector construction
activity and co-financed infrastructure projects. Titan
Cement Co reported similar
results; its turnover in Greece
grew from Euro240m in 2012
to Euro250m in 2013, although
earnings before income, taxes,
amortisation and depreciation
(EBTIDA) fell from Euro32.1m
in 2012 to Euro13.9m in 2013.
1
6
3
5 ATHENS
Alternative fuels used by

cement producers
Heracles General Cement Co
(Lafarge): Heracles General
Cement currently operates two
cement plants in Greece that
share a combined production
capacity of 6.7Mt/yr.
18
Titan Cement: In 2014 Titan Cements three Greek

plants used a total of 85,500t of alternative fuels and
523,000t of alternative raw materials.
The 3.1Mt/yr capacity Kamari cement plant in
Voiotia has used dry sewage sludge, RDF, tyres and
alternative solid fuel made from oil refinery sludge
mixed with saw dust since 2001. In 2011 the plant
conducted a project to install a storage and feeding
1. Halyps Cement (Italcementi), Aspropyrgos, 0.7Mt/yr.

2. Heracles General Cement (Lafarge) Halkis, 3.0Mt/yr.
3. Heracles General Cement (Lafarge), Milaki, 2.2Mt/yr.
4. Heracles General Cement (Lafarge), Volos, 4.5Mt/yr.
5. Titan Cement, Kamari, 3.1Mt/yr

6. Titan Cement, Drepano, 1.9Mt/yr.
7. Titan Cement, Thessaloniki, 1.9Mt/yr.
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DiMatteo Processing Anzeige 1-1 07-2014.indd 1
09.10.14 10:57

The Titan Elefsis plant took part in
a major demolition project in 2011. A
temporary processing unit was installed
on-site in order to process demolition
waste and use the products as alternative raw materials. The project lasted
three months, during which time 6000t
of demolition waste was recovered as
raw material for clinker production.
Left: The Titan Drepano

cement plant in western Greece.
Source: Paul Touliatos, Titan
Cement - Winner of the Global
Cement Photography
Competition 2015.
Halyps Cement (Italcementi):

Halyps Cement operates the 0.68Mt/yr
capacity Aspropyrgos cement plant in
Athens, which took part in a pioneering
four-year pilot project for the use of alternative fuels that started in 2004. The
project was organised by the Hellenic
Ministry for Environment and a local
waste management company. Since
2004 the plant has used 235,000t of
waste in place of traditional fossil fuels.
The future for alternative fuels
16
16
Cement production (Mt)
15
15
14
14
13
13
12
12
11
11
10
10
9 9
8 8
2000
1
2002
3
2004
5
2006
7
8 2008
9
Year
10
2010
11
unit that enables 10t/hr of alternative fuels to be fed

into both of its kilns. The Kamari plant increased its
alternative fuels substitution rate from 14.3% in 2012
to 20.3% in 2013 and 25% in 2014. In 2014, the reduction in CO2 emissions due to the use of biomass
exceeded 50,000t.
The 1.9Mt/yr capacity Efkarpia cement plant in
Thessaloniki has a 340m3 alternative fuels silo that
can feed 10t/hr of biomass like rice husk or from recycling of packaging materials or RDF from end of
life vehicles into the kiln. In 2014, 7577t of alternative fuel was used as fuels, reducing CO2 emissions
by 6200t and reducing NOx and SOx by 13% and
19% respectively.
12
Greeces poor economic performance

has prevented the completion of many
private construction works in recent
years, making the cement sector reliant on public investment. However, in
October 2014 the IMF forecast that the
Greek economy would grow by 2.9%
in 2015. According to Halyps Cement
and Heracles General Cement, the advancement of the cement industry is
under threat from not only bureaucratic
procedures by local authorities, which
are stopping producers from achieving higher alternative fuel substitution
rates. Additionally, the supply of alternative fuels is much lower than demand.
Of course, the above needs to be put
2012
13
in the context of Greeces new left-wing
government, which is seeking to renegotiate the terms of the countrys debt
with its European creditors. The fate of
the economy is now far more uncertain
than when the IMF made its winter forecast. The
future of construction, the cement sector and alternative fuels in Greece may be decided from far outside
the sectors themselves.
Left- Figure 2: Greek cement

production from 2000 to 2012.
Source: United States
Geological Survey.
Spain
Cement industry
Spain has 37 cement plants
that are operated by 12 cement companies (See Figure 3). The country has a
combined production capacity of 49.6Mt/yr. The
industry is represented by the Association of Manufacturers of Cement (OFICEMEN).
19

In 2013 Spanish cement companies exported to 36
countries, mostly within the Mediterranean.
However, 2014 saw the start of a very gradual
turnaround in prospects for the Spanish cement sector. In the first quarter of 2014, cement production
grew by 5.6% quarter-on-quarter. However, cement
production volumes are still 72% lower than peak
production in 2007 and have a long way to go to
reach pre-recession values.
Spains construction industry has been badly

hit during the recent economic downturn and was
in steep decline for six consecutive years. Cement
production fell by 24.5% year-on-year to 16.3Mt in
2013, while consumption fell by 19% year-on-year
to 10.9Mt. Cement and clinker exports increased
in response, from 3.97Mt in 2011 to 5.94Mt in 2012
and 6.9Mt in 2013, according to Lafarge Cementos.
1. Cementos Alfa SA, Mataporquera Plant, 1.05Mt/yr

2. Cementos Cosmos SA (Votorantim), Oural Plant, 0.65Mt/yr
3. Cementos Cosmos SA (Votorantim), Toral de los Vados Plant, 1.6Mt/yr
4. Cementos Cosmos SA (Votorantim), Crdoba Plant. 0.95Mt/yr
5. Cementos Cosmos SA (Votorantim), Niebla Plant, 0.6Mt/yr
6. Cementos Lemona SA, Lemona Plant, 1.25Mt/yr
7. Cementos Molins Industrial SA, Vincen dels Horts Plant, 1.5Mt/yr
32 30
20. Cemex Espaa SA, Alicante Plant, 1.45Mt/yr

21. AG Cementos Balboa (Grupo Alfonso Gallard), Alconera Plant, 1.6Mt/yr
22. Holcim Espaa SA, Carboneras Plant, 1.5Mt/yr
23. Cemex Espaa SA, Gador Plant, 1Mt/yr
24. Holcim Espaa SA, Jerez Plant, 1Mt/yr
25. Holcim Espaa SA, Lorca Plant, 0.75Mt/yr
26. Cemex Espaa SA, Yeles Plant, 0.98Mt/yr (Mothballed since 2012)
33
34
12
3
31
11
37
19
Figure 3: Map of Spain showing
location of integrated cement
plants and the capital Madrid.
Source: Global Cement
Directory 2015.
MADRID
10
17
26
13
29
15
16
28
25
22
24
23
35
8. Cementos Molins Industrial SA, San Feliu de Llobregat Plant, 0.9Mt/yr

9. Cementos Portland Valderrivas SA, Alcal de Guadaira Plant, 1.8Mt/yr
10. Cementos Portland Valderrivas SA, El Alto Plant, 3.6Mt/yr
11. Cementos Portland Valderrivas SA, Hontoria Plant, 1.3Mt/yr
12. Cementos Portland Valderrivas SA, Olazagutva Plant, 1.25Mt/yr
13. Cementos Portland Valderrivas SA, Morata de Tajua Plant, 1.5Mt/yr
14. Cemex Espaa SA, Alcanar Plant, 2.19Mt/yr
15. Cemex Espaa SA, Buol (Grey) Plant, 1.36Mt/yr
16. Cemex Espaa SA, Buol (White) Plant, 0.31Mt/yr
17. Cemex Espaa SA, Castillejo Anover Plant, 1.73Mt/yr
18. Cemex Espaa SA, Lloseta Plant, 0.7Mt/yr
19. Cemex Espaa SA, Morata de Jalon Plant, 1.4Mt/yr
20
18
20
21
7,14,36
8,27
27. Lafarge Cementos SA, Montcada I Reixac Plant, 0.9Mt/yr

28. Lafarge Cementos SA, Sagunto Plant, 1.8Mt/yr
29. Lafarge Cementos SA, Villanueva de Sagra Plant, 2.35Mt/yr
30. SA Tudela Vegun, Abono I & II Plant, 0.85Mt/yr
31. SA Tudela Vegun, La Robla Plant, 0.85Mt/yr
32. SA Tudela Vegun, Tudela Vegun Plant, 0.2Mt/yr
33. FYM (Italcementi), Agora Plant, 1.05
34. FYM (Italcementi), Arrigorriaga Plant, 1.13Mt/yr
35. FYM (Italcementi), Mlaga Plant, 1.58Mt/yr
36. Uniland Cementera SA, Santa Margarida I els Monjos Plant, 2Mt/yr
37. Uniland Cementera SA, Vallcarca Sitges Plant, 1.45Mt/yr

Current situation
Biomass
8%
In 2012, 31 of Spains 37 cement plants were in

possession of permits allowing the consumption
of solid recovered fuel (SRF) and waste tyres.1 The
Instituto para La Sostenibilidad de los Residuos has
estimated that the industry consumes around 5Mt/yr
of SRF. In 2012 Spanish cement plants used 740,000t
of alternative fuels,33 reaching a substitution rate of
26%, the majority of which was biomass (Figure 4).
Partial biomass
13.7%
Alternative fossil fuels

3.9%
Alternative fuels used by cement producers
Traditional fossil fuels

74.4%
Lafarge Cementos: Lafarge operates three cement

plants in Spain with a combined production capacity of 5Mt/yr; the 0.9Mt/yr capacity Montcada I
Reixac plant in Catalonia, the 1.8Mt/yr capacity
Sagunto plant in Valencia and the 2.3Mt/yr capacity
Villanueva de Sagra plant in Toledo.
In its 2012 sustainability report, Lafarge Cementos
SA stated that it had reached an average alternative
fuel substitution rate of around 37%. In 2011 it used
198,000t of alternative fuels, including sewage sludge,
meat and bone meal (MBM), waste tyres and waste
plastics. In doing so Lafarge replaced 100,000t of fossil fuels.
The Villanueva de Sagra plant is Lafarges most

advanced with regards to alternative fuel technology.
In 2001 Fives Pillard installed an oil preparation unit
with ZVJK guns for the kiln burner, which enabled
the burning of alternative liquid fuels.3 In 2013 the
plant had achieved an alternative fuel substitution
rate of 50%,4 after an Euro11m investment in combustion and processing technology.
This also reduced its CO2 emissions
by 60,000t/yr as most of the alternative
fuel was carbon-neutral biomass.
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
0 0
2000
1
2002
3
2004
5
2006
7
Year
2008
9
10
2010
11
Left - Figure 4: Consumption

of traditional fossil fuels, partial
biomass, biomass and alternative fossil fuels by Spains cement
plants in 2012 (in %).
Source: OFICEMEN.
12
2012
13
FYM (Italcementi): FYM operates

three cement plants in Spain with
a combined production capacity of
3.76Mt/yr. The 1.05Mt/yr capacity
Agora plant in Guipuzcoa and the
1.58Mt/yr capacity Mlaga plant in
Mlaga both use waste tyres as alternative fuels.5 The Agora planta sources
its waste from Neuciclaje, which was
founded in 1997 by tyre companies and
cement producers. The Mlaga plant
sources its waste tyres from used tyres
suppliers throughout Spain.
Neuciclaje collects waste tyres
from a 120km radius around each of
its 10 processing plants. FYM owns a
30% stake in the company. Cementos
Lemona SA and Tires Vizcaya SL also
hold a stake. Neuciclaje was founded
with sponsorship from the Basque government and was the first facility of its
kind in Spain.
Left- Figure 5: Spanish cement

production from 2000 to 2012.
Source: United States
Geological survey.
Left: The 1.5Mt/yr Cementos

Molins cement plant at Sant
Vincen del Horts in Catalonia.
Cementos
Lemona:
Cementos
Lemona operates the 1.25Mt/yr capacity Lemona plant in Vizcaya. It uses
waste tyres, MBM and waste plastics
as alternative fuels. Its alternative fuels
substitution rate was 35.6% in 2013,
21

reportedly down from 2012 levels due to difficulties
with new technology. Its petcoke consumption fell
from 20,266t in 2011 to 14,950t in 2013.
Cementos Portland Valderrivas: Cementos Portland Valderrivas operates five cement plants in Spain
with a combined production capacity of 9.45Mt/yr.
In 2012 it used MBM, waste tyres, waste plastics,
coffee grounds, waste vehicles, waste solvents, sewage sludge, RDF, biomass, industrial waste and waste
oils. Its alternative fuel substitution rate was 20.2% in
2012, up from 13.2% in 2011. The 3.6Mt/yr capacity
El Alto plant in Madrid used 13% of alternative fuels
in 2012, up from 2.5% in 2011 and 0% in 2010. The
1.3Mt/yr capacity Hontoria plant in Venta de Baos
used 31% of alternative fuels in 2012, up from 24.2%
in 2011 and 13% in 2010.
Uniland Cementera: Uniland Cementera has been
99.99% owned by Cementos Portland Valderrivas
since 2013, when it bought a 26.4% stake from CRH.
The 1.45Mt/yr capacity Vallcarca plant in Catalonia
had an alternative fuel substitution rate of 21.5% in
2012, down from 23.1% in 2011 and up from 14.1%
in 2010. The 2Mt/yr capacity Santa Margarida els
Monjos plant in Catalonia had an alternative fuel
substitution rate of 24.3% in 2012, up from 10.2% in
2011.
Cemex Espaa: Cemex Espaa SA operates nine
cement plants with a combined production capacity of 9.7Mt/yr. In 2015 the company aims to have
achieved an alternative fuels substitution rate of
60% in Spain, comprising 36% biomass. According
to its 2010 sustainability report, Cemex Espaa had
achieved an alternative fuels substitution rate of 33%
in that year, of which 24% was biomass. In that year
it used 301,000t of alternative fuels in Spain, up from
244,000t in 2009 and 107,000t in 2008.
Cemex Espaa is using increasingly large volumes
of vegetable biomass and Enerfuel, a type of processed RDF. The company started trials with Enerfuel
in 2008 at three of its cement plants. In 2010 Cemex
consumed 110,000t and its Buol plant replaced 80%
of traditional fuels with Enerfuel.
SA Tudela Vegun: SA Tudela Vegun operates three
cement plants in Spain, with a combined production
capacity of 3.45Mt/yr. The 2.4Mt/yr capacity Aboo
plant in Asturias has an alternative fuel substitution
rate of 16%. The plant currently uses fuel, petcoke,
waste wood and waste tyres in the preheater. The
0.85Mt/yr capacity La Robla plant in Castille y Len
has used a variety of alternative fuels at the kiln main
burner in addition to petcoke, fuel oil and natural gas
since 2008.
production capacity of 2.4Mt/yr. This follows its recent acquisition of Cemex Espaas 0.9Mt/yr capacity
San Feliu de Llobregat plant in Catalonia.
The 1.5Mt/yr capacity Sant Vincen dels Horts
plant in Catalonia commissioned an alternative
fuels handling system from Vecoplan in 2010. The
system includes a 1000m3 storage silo which can
accept 250m3/hr of RDF. The RDF is transported
to the calciner in a closed conveying system, where
it is injected at a rate of 15t/hr.5 In 2012 the plants
alternative fuel substitution rate rose sharply to 30%.
During the same year, Euro2.5m was invested in upgrades to enable sewage sludge to be injected at the
kiln burner and SRF in the calciner of the preheater
tower. Additionally, the alternative fuels use permit
was expanded to include non-hazardous waste wood.
The future for alternative fuels

The IMF has predicted that Spains GDP will grow
by 1.0% in 2015. However, despite its strong start to
2014, cement production is expected to have fallen
once again, with Cembureau estimating an 8% yearon-year drop in output.
While most cement plants in Spain use alternative fuels, their substitution rates remain quite low by
European standards. Sources indicate that the acquisition of alternative fuels is complicated, suggesting
opportunities for external suppliers and processing
companies. Additionally, the Spanish population
remains relatively uninformed on the benefits of
alternative fuel firing for cement production, mistakenly thinking that their use will result in greater
emissions. A greater effort needs to be made by cement companies with local authorities to provide
information on the benefits and to alleviate concerns.
This would reduce both administrative delays and
delays due to protests.
References
1. 6th CEWEP Waste to Energy Conference, Wrzburg, 6-7 September 2012. http://www.cewep.eu/m_1000.
2.
Recupera
Residuos
en
Cementeras
website,
Valorizacin energtica de residuos en cifras, http://www.recuperaresiduosencementeras.org/reportaje.asp?id_rep=204.

3. Aggregates Business Europe website, In Spain Lafarge factory contributes Euro35mn to regional economy, http://www.
aggbusiness.com/sections/general/news/in-spain-lafarge-factorycontributes-35mn-to-regional-economy, 23 January 2014.
4. Kirchhoff, E. A Burning Question, http://www.pillard.com/EN/
press/article-Kirchhoff-uk.swf.
5. Vecoplan-Fueltrack website, Technical contribution for RDFhandling at the Cement Works of Cementos Molins Industrial, Spain,
http://www.vecoplan-fueltrack.com/case-studies/case-study-1.
Cementos Molins Industrial: Cementos Molins operates two cement plants in Spain with a combined
22
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GLOBAL CEMENT: SEMINAR REVIEW
Thorwesten Vent, Yara Industrial & robecco
Thorwesten Vent, Yara Industrial and

robecco: Seminar on explosion protection
in coal-grinding systems in Egypt
Established partners in explosion protection Thorwesten Vent, Yara Industrial and robecco
have held a seminar on explosion protection for Egyptian cement producers that are making
the switch to firing with coal.
he change from gas firing to coal firing is a great

challenge for the Egyptian cement industry. Producers are switching due to increased oil prices. With
the installation of essential coal grinding systems in
cement plants, the corresponding explosion protection systems are also required.
To better inform Egyptian cement producers
of the benefits of explosion protection measures,
Thorwesten Vent, Yara International and robecco
jointly held a seminar on 3 February 2015. Over
100 interested persons attended the one-day event
at the Fairmont Heliopolis hotel in Cairo to receive
up-to-date information about safety in coal grinding
systems.
Explosion protection experts from all three suppliers, together with collaboration with Mr Elraise
of ETEC Egypt, were able to demonstrate an allembracing explosion protection concept for cement
plants, from monitoring and control, to emergency
inerting and constructional explosion protection.
Their combined presentations were well received,
with numerous questions raised and many enquiries
for further details.
Left and below: Over 100

delegates heard about combined
explosion protection systems.
Left: From left to right: Ibrahim

Elraise of ETEC Egypt, Mohamed
Elraise of ETEC Egypt, Mark
Dziuba (Yara Industrial),
Christian Fink (robecco) and
Berthold Bussieweke
(Thorwesten Vent).
23
GLOBAL CEMENT: LIME
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SIC - Societ Impianti Calce S.r.l., Italy
SICs ongoing lime plant projects

Tracing its history back as far as 1840, Italys Societ Impianti Calce S.r.l (SIC) is a major
producer of lime plants and associated machinery. Here it discusses its current ongoing and
recently completed lime projects from around the world.
Vantaa Energy Oy, Helsinki, Finland

Vantaa Energy Oy, based in Vantaa, near Helsinki,
Finland contracted SIC to supply a 3.5t/hr lime
hydrator to produce slaked lime. This is used to
neutralise incinerator flue gases from Vantaas waste
incineration plant. Lab SA of Lyon, France, acted as
the main contractor. The project has completed its
running test.
Viru Keemia Grupp, Kohtla-Jarve, Estonia

SIC has supplied a 75t/day CBK lime kiln to Viru
Keemia Grupp in Estonia for the worlds largest shale
oil processing plant. The installation is currently undergoing tests.
In a world first process, limestone is taken from
the reject fraction of the oil shale excavation operations of Viru Keemia. The lime produced by the SIC
plant is then used for neutralisation of the exhaust
gases from the power plant and the process of oil
shale distillation.
It is difficult to burn the limestone because it contains a lot of of SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 , which may
lead to the formation of low melting eutectics. This
may cause blockages in a conventional kiln.
The fuel used to burn the lime is a mixture of two
gases obtained from the distillation process. These are
Petrotter with a calorific value of 9800-14,000 kCal/
Nm3 and Kiviter, which has a calorific value between

750-950kCal/Nm3. Another significant processing
problem in this installation is the large variation of
calorific value of the two gases over time and the difference of the heating power between them.
Overall, the fact that reject materials from the
production process are used for the purification of
the gaseous emissions of the same process, enable the
plant iself to have an environmental impact of close
to zero.
Tetranox, Rostov on Don, Russia

SIC is currently building a double shaft circular
cross-section DSS 400 lime kiln for lime producer
Tetranox in Rostov on Don, Russia. The kiln will produce 400t/day of burnt lime when completed. It will
be fired with natural gas and be fed with limestone of
30-60mm in diameter.
Carrires et Chaux du Mali, Bamako, Mali

SIC has recently completed a single shaft HPK 100
lime kiln for Carrires et Chaux du Mali, in Bamako,
Mali. The kiln is fired using heavy oil and will produce 100t/day of burnt lime once commissioning is
completed in the coming months. The lime produced
will be used in the extraction of gold.
Right: Work is ongoing at the

Carrires et Chaux du Mali plant
near Bamako.
24
GLOBAL CEMENT: LIME

Societ Chaux el Hamma, Gabes, Tunisia
Societ Chaux el Hamma is currently constructing a new SIC lime hydrator in Gabes, Tunisia.
The 5t/hr hydration plant has an HPS fluxed separator, enabling the production of not only
standard slaked lime, but also slaked lime with
high chemical purity and a particle size of less
than 15m.
Huong Hai Group, Ha Long City, Vietnam

Lime producer Huong Hai Group is in the process
of installing two double shaft DSS 300 kilns from
SIC. Each will produce 300t/day of burnt lime. The
scope of supply also includes coke combustion
equipment, lime screening and storage equipment
and two lime hydrators, each rated at 15t/hr.
This is the largest project currently under construction in the lime business on the Indochina
Peninsula. The objective of the project is not only
to meet demand for lime and associated niche
products in the important Vietnamese market but
also to satisfy neighbouring countries with the same
products. For these reasons, the project has been

designed with a high degree of flexibility.
Astra Industrial Group,

Al Khars, Saudi Arabia
Astra Industrial Group has recently
completed the construction phase
of the installation of a lime grinding, screening and fine grinding
plant from SIC. The lime produced
at Al Khars, Saudi Arabia, will be
used for a variety of further processes, including in oil and steel
production. SICs fine-grinding
Type S mills will enable the company to produce material down
to 15m.
Above: The 75t/day Viru Keemia

Grupp CBK lime kiln at
Kohtla-Jarve, Estonia.
Left: A wide range of lime

products will be produced
by Huong Hai Group in
Vietnam, thanks to a large
new SIC installation.
Left: Installation of the Vantaa

Energy lime hydrator. The slaked
lime produced will be used to
neutralise exhaust gases from
the companys waste incinerator.
25
GLOBAL CEMENT: MATERIAL HANDLING
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Jason Birnbaum, Aumund Corporation
A new use for the Aumund Samson Feeder

In conjunction with cement operators in North America, Aumund Corporation, a US-based
unit of Germanys Aumund Group, has developed a new use for the Aumund Samson Feeder,
as a Surface Storage Feeder (SSF). This use enables simplification of the complex material
handling equipment often found in feeding systems, with associated reductions in both
installation and running costs. It also adds increased flexibility with respect to handling
different materials and adapting the plant layout to changing production demands.
he ability to react quickly to changing demand

and short-term fluctuations in fuel or raw-material costs are decisive factors in running a profitable
operation in the modern cement industry. However,
a production process that involves deep pits, bunkers
and/or bins demands the construction of massive
foundations as well as a favourable underlying geology that allows such structures to be built. A quick
relocation of the machinery due to changing production processes or evolving market situations is
impossible, leading to rather limited flexibility.
At many plants the vast buffer storage capacities
provided by bunkers and bins are rarely required. The
storage capacity provided by a Surface Storage Feeder
(SSF) like the Samson Feeder has frequently proven
to be completely sufficient. The Samson Feeder is
surface mounted without the need for special foundations and it can be relocated easily within the plant
or even between sites. Furthermore the SSF can handle materials of different consistency from cohesive
and sticky to abrasive. It can be supplied in virtually
any size and length to build a buffer capacity based
on the plants needs.
Aumund (SSF) in operation
Right: The Samson Storage

Feeder SSF from Aumund
functioning as a storage buffer.
1. Samson Storage Feeder SSF
storage capacity.
2. Optional cover.
3. Samson Feeder.
4. Samson Head
Chute / Storage Bin.
5. Weigh-feeder.
6. On-going conveying system.
7. Material.
26
The SSF receives material directly from either rear

tipping trucks or front end loaders. The entry section
provides a certain storage capacity within
the unit itself for initial material receiving
with quick vehicle turnaround times. The
total amount of storage depends upon the
application, material density, feed rate and
the size of the unit. The SSF keeps a constant
level of material within its head chute to act
as a surge bin, which is then extracted at an
either constant or variable rate determined
by the customer by means of a weigh feeder,
weighing belt or similar device.
A combination of several SSF units can
be used when more than one material is to
be added. The different materials can be metered at determined percentages based on
the plants needs. Enclosures on the SSF can
also be included to prevent environmental
contamination when handling dusty materials or

materials that need to be kept dry.
The key element of the feeders flexibility and
performance is the fact that material is stored horizontally. In no case can the material height exceed
the width, making bridging impossible. Also due to
the large width, high storage capacity is possible. The
conveying and discharge function is carried out at
very low belt speed. This allows a higher belt angle
than would be otherwise considered, resulting in
compact elevation rise to allow weigh-feeder or conveyor belt loading.
Existing design complexities

Cement plant design for raw mill feed incorporates
a covered additive storage area. These frequently
use front-end loaders to load multiple materials via
hoppers and feeders. Systems such as these feed a
reversible conveyor belt system that distributes the
additive to several bins. Such layouts dictate that additive storage areas are some distance from the feed
bins to allow a 15 incline belt to convey material to
the top of the raw mill feed bins. The various additives are then metered out of the feed or buffer bins.
Depending upon the material properties, the bins
often have to be of special construction and have inefficient storage shapes in an attempt to avoid flow
3
4
67
GLOBAL CEMENT: MATERIAL HANDLING

problems. Expensive liners and/or special feeders
may be required. If hard rocky additives are required, apron feeders and belt weigh feeders may
be needed. These metering devices and the assortment of feeders then finally feed onto the mill feed
belt. This represents a complex and expensive setup that requires a lot of maintenance and can be a
major cause of downtime. It is also inflexible and
would require significant modification and investment if changes are needed.
Samson Feeder 2
Weigh Feeder 2
Samson Feeder 1
Weigh Feeder 1
View A-A
A
Aumund TKF
Chain Conveyor 1
Simplification enabled by an SSF

In the ideal plant layout the additive storage building should be placed next to the mill feed belt by
using the Samson Feeder as an SSF. This eliminates
the need for special bins, feeders, belt transfer
and distribution systems. In the new system, the
loader feeds additives directly to the SSF units. A
bank of three to five units can be arranged along
the storage building. These would feed directly
onto the mill feed belt via weigh belt feeders. Each
feeder receives material via a loader. The feeder,
in turn, maintains a level of material in the outlet
chute, which feeds the weigh feeder.
Due to the SSFs 3m (10ft) profile, maintaining
such a material level is no problem. Even if time
between loading the unit leads to gaps on the
feeder, the constant material supply to the production process can be maintained by relying upon
the buffer function of the SSF. Its variable speed accommodates the needs of the weigh feeder, while
the weigh feeder monitors the requirements of the
raw meal mix and grinding process. For operation
and maintenance, the plant has only three or four
SSF and belt feeders to deal with, all of which are
located on ground level.
Finish Mill 1
Finish Mill 2
Above: Multiple Samson

Storage Feeders at Lehigh
Cement in Edmonton, Canada.
Left: Aumund SSFs in
operation at Lehigh Cement in
Edmonton, Canada.
North American case-studies

In the Americas installation costs have become
by far the greatest contributor to the overall total
cost of any industrial project. Smaller and simpler
pieces of equipment, such as an SSF, offer an opportunity to reduce installed cost in some critical
areas of a plant, while also offering some real operational benefits.
Aumund provided two Samson Feeder Systems to Lehigh Cement at Edmonton in Canada.
The task was to feed synthetic gypsum into separate finish mill lines. The material is loaded into
the Samson feeders by front end loaders. It is then fed
directly onto the finish mill belt conveyor via a weigh
feeder and a TKF chain conveyor.
Aumund also supplied a Samson Feeder to the
Lafarge cement mill at Whitehall, Pennsylvania,
USA. In conjunction with a weigh feeder and a
transfer conveyor belt, it feeds Lime Mud directly
onto the finish mill belt. The material is fed into the
Samson Feeder by both a rear tipping truck and a
front-end loader.
Aumund TKF
Chain Conveyor 2
Left: Samson Storage Feeder

SSF at the Lafarge cement plant
in Whitehall, Pennsylvania,USA.
Additional opportunities
Beyond simplifying the material feeding process at a
cement plant, the use of the Samson Feeder opens up
further new opportunities. This type of wide surface
storage feeder offers a flexibility far beyond conventional storage/feeder systems at the same time as
offering lower installed costs and lower maintenance.
Horizontal storage, although not a new concept, may
now be a concept that has come of time, due to equipment development and evolution.
27
GLOBAL CEMENT NEWS: PRODUCT & CONTRACT NEWS

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US: Haldor Topsoe and FLSmidth develop new catalytic filter bag technology
aldor Topsoe A/S and FLSmidth A/S have signed a

cooperation agreement that marks the beginning of
a joined global effort to commercialise a newly-developed
unique catalytic filter bag technology. The product,
EnviroTex catalytic filter bags, was designed over the past
four years. It is capable of removing dust, volatile organic
compounds and nitrogen oxides in one integrated and
cost-effective process. The product has been thoroughly
tested and proven efficient for several applications.
Developing this product has been a combination of
the very best that Topsoe and FLSmidth have to offer from
a research and development perspective, said Bjerne S
Clausen, CEO of Haldor Topsoe. By combining FLSmidths
expertise in industrial filtration processes with Topsoes
leadership in catalysis, we have created a unique product
that will allow customers to meet increasingly-stringent
environmental legislation, at a fraction of the operating
cost that even the best available technologies offer today.
The key differentiating factor about the patent-pending
catalytic filter bags lies in the fact that EnviroTex consists of
three layers of filter fabric. Each layer contains a tailored

catalyst optimised for the removal of specific kinds of
compounds from the off-gas that passes through it.
The three layer structure is unique. Not only because
it provides us with the flexibility to tailor different catalytic
combinations for different industries; it also makes it possible to handle the removal of several critical compounds
in one integrated process. This can significantly reduce
the cost of off-gas cleaning because todays standard is to
use separate stand-alone systems to address removal of
specific compounds. This translates into complexity and
higher customer operating cost, said Clausen.
As part of FLSmidth and Topsoes agreement, the product will be manufactured at FLSmidths bag production
facilities in Georgia, USA. The bags will then be catalysed
and assembled at Topsoes catalyst production site in
Houston, Texas. Topsoes production site will be expanded
with an entirely new production line dedicated to the
production of EnviroTex catalytic filter bags. The goal is to
complete construction of this facility by the end of 2015.
Brazil: Aumund launches fourth service centre
umund has established its fourth global service centre with an
integrated warehouse in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The centre is

intended to improve the availability and operation of customers
equipment through maintenance. The central location will serve
customers in South America, where 10% of Aumunds equipment
is supplied and installed. The centre follows its other service centres in Germany, the US and China.
The new centres service team consists of 10 personnel, including supervisors, inspectors and technicians for field service
activities. All inspectors have been trained in Aumunds PREMAS
maintenance framework. In addition to keeping spare parts in
stock, the new service centre will also service and repair equipment manufactured by Schade Lagertechnik GmbH and Samson
Materials Handling Ltd.
Germany: Spectro Arcos launches new

high-resolution ICP-OES spectrometer
Analytical Instruments, part of the Materials

Analysis Division of Amtek Inc, has launched its new
Spectro Arcos high-resolution ICP-OES spectrometer,
which features the fast and convenient selection of
axial plasma or radial plasma observation in a single
instrument without any optical compromise.
Designed for use in the most demanding elemental analysis applications in industry, science
and academia, the new Spectro Arcos surpasses the
performance limitations of conventional ICP-OES
instruments. It dramatically improves sensitivity, stability and precision, while lowering operating costs
with the introduction of innovative components,
unique capabilities and optimum flexibility.
The new Spectro Arcos establishes a new ICP-OES
performance class for complex analytical tasks, resolving a wide array of inherent problems in traditional
spectrometer design. Features of the new Spectro
Arcos include axial or radial plasma observation,
ORCA optical system, innovative power generator,
elimination of the need for purge gases and no external cooling system.
pectro
Aumunds new service centre in Minas Gerais, Brazil will serve the entire market in South America.
28
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NEWS
World: LafargeHolcim to sell to CRH
afarge and Holcim have entered exclusive negotiations

to sell a number of assets to Irelands CRH for Euro6.5bn
as part of their planned merger. The assets include
operations in Europe, Canada, Brazil and the Philippines.
The combined assets, which include Lafarge Tarmac in the
UK, generated Euro5.2bn of sales in 2014, with estimated
2014 operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of Euro744m.
The projected transaction is a key step towards the
creation of LafargeHolcim and the value offered reflects
the strong quality of the selected assets. With this announcement, we remain firmly on track to complete our
proposed merger in the first half of 2015, said Wolfgang
Reitzle, designated chairman of the Board of Directors of
LafargeHolcim and Bruno Lafont, designated CEO of the
future combined company.
The divestment process will be carried out in the
framework of the relevant social processes and ongoing
dialogue with the employee representatives bodies. It will
be submitted to the relevant competition authorities and
to the shareholders of CRH. The divestments are subject to
the completion of the merger, including a successful public
exchange offering and approval by Holcims shareholders
in the second quarter of 2015. The closing of the planned
merger is expected in the first half of 2015.
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CUSTOMERS
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UK: SITA UKs new SRF facility completed
ITA UK has completed the construction of its Solid Recovered

Fuel (SRF) plant at Malpass Farm in Rugby, Warwickshire. The
plant will undergo a series of commissioning tests before starting full-scale production of Climafuel SRF, which will be used to
power the kiln at the adjacent Cemex UK Rugby cement plant.
The residual waste material will primarily be collected from
commercial and industrial businesses. Once received on site,
any metals, plastics and paper will be extracted for recycling.
Materials with high chlorine content, which could damage the
kiln, will also be extracted. Any residual waste material that is
removed from the production process will be processed into refuse derived fuel (RDF) for use in waste-to-energy applications.
To produce the SRF, the remaining material is sifted, shredded and blended, while being continuously analysed using
infrared technology. This allows the plant operators to ensure
that the fuel has the precise chemical composition and calorific
value required by Cemex UK.
The waste material that will be delivered to this facility
would have gone to landfill but, instead, we are going to take
out anything that can be recycled and then turn whats left into
a replacement fuel, said SITA UKs head of Alternative Fuels
Andy Hill. We have been producing this fuel successfully at our
sister plant in Birmingham for the past couple of years, but this
new facility implements the latest technology and will substantially increase our production capacity, said Hill. Between the
two plants, well be producing around 250,000t/yr of Climafuel.
SITA UK is also currently investing in new SRF facilities at the
Port of Tilbury in Essex, which are currently under construction.
SITA UK supplies SRF to Cemex UK and to Cemex Latvia.
29
HARDTOP Bimetal Castings provide
high wear resistance

increased durability
reduced overall costs
high efficiency
reduced expense for maintenance
minimised downtime
raised production
added profit
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GLOBAL CEMENT NEWS: EUROPE

News in brief
Switzerland: Holcim faces insider trading probe
Russia: BaselCement made

37% more cement in 2014
BaselCement produced 2Mt of cement and

clinker in 2014, 37% more than in 2013. At
the Serebryansky Cement plant, which was
only commissioned in the middle of 2013,
production reached 1.02Mt, 95% more than
in 2013. Shipments of cement and clinker
from Achinsk Cement increased by 5% and
exceeded 0.9Mt.
Poland: Cement production fell

by 0.1% in January 2015
Cement production fell by 0.1% year-onyear to 520,900t in January 2015, while sales
rose by 15.4% year-on-year to 638,500t,
according to Polands Cement Producer
Association. In 2014, cement production increased by 6.8% year-on-year to 15.4Mt and
sales rose by 6.6% to 15.6Mt.
UK: Cemfjord update

The cement vessel that sank in the Pentland
Firth near Scotland in January 2015, the
Cemfjord, will be left on the sea bed. Eight
men are presumed dead. The vessels owner
has confirmed that there will be no attempt
to retrieve the bodies. The Marine Accident
Investigation Branch is still investigating.
Russia: Sibirsky Cement reports

net loss for 2014
Sibirsky Cement has reported a net loss
of Euro8.39bn in 2014, compared to a net
loss of Euro10.1m in 2013. Revenues of
Euro18.6m were the same as 2013.
Ukraine: Volyn Cement reports

a higher net loss in 2014
Dyckerhoffs Volyn Cements net loss grew
to Euro14.4m in 2014 from Euro2.8m in
2013. The plants assets were Euro36m on
1 January 2015 and its long-term liabilities
reached Euro39.9m.
Norway: Emission reductions

Non-European Union (EU) member Norway
joined the EUs 40% emission reduction
target of the 2030 Climate and Energy
Framework in February 2015. According to
local media, Norways own efforts have so
far increased its emissions.
30
he Swiss Attorney Generals office has opened an investigation into

possible insider trading in the securities of cement producer Holcim
Ltd, the office has said in a statement. The investigation was first reported
by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, which said that suspected insider
trading took place just before Holcims announcement in April 2014 of a
plan to merge with Frances Lafarge. The investigation is probing a possible
offence by a secondary insider, not someone with authorised access to insider information, but who obtained such information in an unauthorised
way, the Attorney Generals office said.
Russia/Brazil: Magnezit Group and Vamtec sign

cooperation agreement
efractory materials producer Magnezit Group has signed a cooperation

agreement with the Brazilian company Vamtec, a diversified manufacturer and trader of materials for metallurgical plants and cement plants.
The agreement specifies distribution and promotion of Magnezit Groups
products and services in Brazil. It also includes research collaboration in
the metallurgical industry.
In recent years we have carried out a number of changes in the
company, including the construction of a plant for the production of magnesia clinker in Satka, Chelyabinsk and the purchase of a new deposit in
Krasnoyarsk. Cooperation with Vamtec will let Magnezit Group find new
possibilities for growth and continue its efficient development of business
in the South American market, said general director of Magnezit Group
Sergei Odegov.
Vamtec SA was founded in the 1980s. It carries out the development,
production and promotion of materials and services for the steel-making,
non-ferrous metallurgy, foundries and other industries.
Lithuania: Kuusakoskis revenues up by 20%
innish-owned Lithuanian recycling company Kuusakoski saw its

revenues grow by 21% year-on-year to Euro32.5m in 2014. Its
profit doubled to approximately Euro290,000. In 2015, Kuusakoski
expects the waste tyre collection business to fuel its growth.
We hope that Akmenes Cementas will resume burning waste
tyres at its cement plant this year. If that is the case, we could supply tyres to the plant. It would enable us to increase the quantities of
tyres that we collect and to generate more revenues from car service
centres for the collection of old tyres and their supply to the disposal
facility, said Kuusakoskis CEO Verslo Zinios.
France: Vicat sales rose by 6% in 2014
icats total sales rose by 6% year-on-year to Euro2.42bn in 2014 from

Euro2.29bn in 2013. Its cement sales rose by 13.7% year-on-year to
Euro1.26bn. Vicat attributed the growth to the strong markets in Asia and
improvement in the US and Egypt.
By region, cement sales fell by 4.4% year-on-year in France to Euro356m
with an increased decline seen in the fourth quarter of 2014. This was
blamed on a slowdown in the construction sector. In the rest of Europe
cement sales declined less sharply, by 5% to Euro174m. In the US, cement
sales rose by 16.7% to Euro114m. In Asia, including Turkey, India and
Kazakhstan, cement sales rose by 20% to Euro466m. In Africa and the
Middle East, cement sales rose by 23% to Euro374m.

Belarus: Cement producers expected to
export 1.8Mt of cement in 2015
Germany: HeidelbergCement reports

higher fourth quarter revenue
elarusian manufacturers are expected to export 1.8Mt

of cement in 2015, including 1.3Mt that will be supplied to Russias Eurocement, according to construction
minister Anatol Chorny. Belarus sold 980,000t of cement
to Eurocement in 2014. Belarus cement output is expected to total 6.1Mt in 2015, up from 5.8Mt in 2014.
This year we have signed an exclusive contract for the
supply of 1.3Mt, said Chorny. The contract is advantageous to Belarus because 50% of the total amount shall
be paid in advance and the rest shall be paid within 10
days of the delivery date. If the price of cement in the Russian market is lower than in Belarus, the Russian company
will cover the losses. If the price is higher, the difference
will be equally divided. Belarus will also export cement to
Russias Kaliningrad, Poland and Lithuania in 2015.
Belarus AAT Krychawtsementnashyfer in Krychaw,
Mahilyow, operated at a loss in 2013. This was caused by
its old production plant, which still uses natural gas to
manufacture cement. In contrast, the companys new production facility generated a profit of about Euro676,000 in
2014. To reduce the cost of cement production, Krychawtsementnashyfer installed a cement kiln fuelled by waste
tyres in 2014 and plans to start using coal dust as a fuel in
2015, according to Chorny.
eidelbergCements profit rose by 1.7% in the fourth

quarter of 2014 thanks to strong demand in the US
and Asia. HeidelbergCement said that the weak Euro and
the mild winter in Europe had also contributed to its profit
increase. Its operating income before depreciation (OIBD)
increased to Euro625m in the fourth quarter of 2014 and its
revenue grew by 6.4% to Euro3.31bn. HeidelbergCement expressed optimism in view of the economic growth forecasts,
but warned of geopolitical and monetary policy risks.
Italy: Italcementis 2014 revenues fell
talcementi generated consolidated revenues of

Euro4.16bn in 2014, down by 1.8% year-on-year at
current exchange rates and down by 0.7% annually at
constant exchange rates. In 2014 cement sales grew
in all geographical areas, except from west-central
Europe, where they fell by 0.7%. In the fourth quarter of
2014, Italcementi registered a 2.7% rise in cement sales,
mainly due to growth in North America, Asia, Spain and
Greece. As a result, revenues rose by 2.3% to Euro1.04bn
in the fourth quarter of 2014.
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Portugal: Semapas 2014
profit fell by 23%
ortugals conglomerate Semapa,

which owns cement maker
Secil and pulp and paper producer Portucel, has posted a 23%
fall in its 2014 net profit due to
tax adjustments and a financial
loss. Semapas net profit fell to
Euro113m in 2014. Earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 2.6%
year-on-year to Euro410m. Its total
sales rose by 1.5% to Euro2bn, with
cement sales up by 5%.
Italy: Buzzi Unicems

cement sales flat in 2014
uzzi Unicem has reported sales

of Euro2.50bn in 2015, down
from Euro2.51 in 2014. Buzzis sales
rose in the Czech Republic and the
US, grew slightly in central Europe,
were flat in Russia and continued to
drop in Italy and Poland, according
to a preliminary financial statement
for 2014.
The Italian cement producers
net debt dropped by Euro34m
to Euro1.06bn in 2014 due to
cash flow from operations, disposal of non-strategic assets
and a careful dividend policy.
The group expects its recurring
earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA)
in 2014 to have risen to slightly over
Euro400m, in line with its previous
guidance.
Buzzis board of directors are
called to approve the consolidated
audited 2014 profit and loss statement on 27 March 2015.
Ukraine: Kading to acquire 70% of System Cement
ining company Kading Companies has signed an agreement to acquire

70% of Ukraines System Cement Group, which is located in Vinnitsa.
Kading said that its next objective would be to produce consolidated audited
financial statements. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Kading Companies
is focused on mining operations that are producing or can be producing
within six months of acquisition. Kading is looking to expand globally, with its
initial focus on South America, West Africa and now Ukraine.
Crimea: Cement price disputes in Crimea
he Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has found that the Stroiindoustria

Bakhchisaray cement plant in Crimea violated antimonopoly law by unreasonably raising cement prices. In April-May 2014, Bakhchisaray increased prices by an
average of 45%. The FAS established that Bakhchisaray held a dominant position
on the cement market in the Crimea Federal District. Completing the investigation,
the FAS did not reveal any economic, technological or other justifications for the
increased prices of the company products. The case against Bakhchisaray was initiated following an inspection of the largest producers of construction materials in
Crimea to verify whether prices complied with the antimonopoly law.
UK: Lafarge completes new hub for sustainable supply of

raw materials to London
ssential raw materials needed for redevelopment projects in London can now
be delivered more sustainably after a new rail distribution centre was opened
by Lafarge. Aggregates and cement can now be supplied from Lafarges new rail,
river and road distribution hub at West Thurrock, Essex to construction projects
across London, including Thames Gateway and the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games. Millions of tonnes of aggregates will be required for Londons
regeneration and with each train carrying 1500t, Lafarge will eliminate tens of
thousands of lorry movements, improving efficiency and reducing fuel use.
Russia: LSR completes cement plant sale to Eurocement
SR Group has completed the sale of its cement plant in Slantsy, Leningrad to
Eurocement. Following the closure of the deal, Eurocement has acquired full operating control over the facility. The plant, which began operations in September
2010, operates a 5000t/day clinker line and a 1.86Mt/yr cement line.
LSR reiterated that the divestment is part of its strategy of focusing on projects
with the highest returns on invested capital and the fast-growing real estate development business. As a result, LSR has significantly reduced its debt and made
its business 100% Ruble-based.
Italy: Cementir raises EBIT by 36% in 2014
ementir Holdings earnings before interest and tax (EBIT)

were Euro104m in 2014, up by 35.7% year-on-year. Its
revenues dropped by 4.1% to Euro948m, mostly due to the
appreciation of major currencies against the Euro.
During 2014, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation
and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 13.4% to Euro192m,
as non-recurring items of some Euro12m pushed the result
up. EBITDA margin grew to 20.3% in 2014, up from 17.2% in
2013. Cementirs net debt dropped to Euro278m at the end
of 2014 from Euro325m at the end of 2013.
32
Cementirs operating results in 2014 beat its own targets,

due to efficiency improvement efforts, according to chairman and CEO Francesco Caltagirone Jr. In its outlook for
2015, Cementir expects to post EBITDA of some Euro190m
and halve its net debt at around Euro230m at the end of the
year. It expects to raise its sales of both cement and readymix concrete, to increase the proceeds from waste treatment
in Turkey and the UK and to achieve efficiency savings on its
energy costs.
NEWS: EUROPE
Germany: HeidelbergCement appoints
Dominik von Achten as deputy chairman
he Supervisory Board of HeidelbergCement has added

the position of a deputy chairman to its managing board.
Dominik von Achten, member of the Managing Board in
charge of the North America Group area, Group Purchasing
and the Competence Centre Materials, has been appointed
as deputy chairman of the Managing Board effective from 1
February 2015. At the same time, Bernd Scheifele had his
tenure as chairman extended until 2020.
Denmark: FLSmidth returns to profit
ement plant producer FLSmidth reported that its orders

fell by 15% year-on-year to Euro2.39bn in 2014, down
from Euro2.81bn in 2013. Earnings before amortisation and
impairment of intangible assets (EBITA) increased by 56% to
Euro217m compared to Euro140m in 2013. Profit for 2014 increased to Euro109m from a loss of Euro101m in 2013.
We delivered a solid 2014 result in a challenging market.
We increased profit by more than Euro208m and created a
strong cash flow, said Group CEO Thomas Schulz. Our midto long-term outlook is strong and we will use the time now
at the bottom of the industry cyclicality to trim and position
FLSmidth for the coming upturn. We are well prepared for a
tough 2015 where we expect to improve our market position.
Italy: Brembo and Italcementi team up

to produce cement-based brake pads
talcementi and Italian brake systems maker Brembo

have joined forces in a project to produce cement-based
brake pads with low ecological impact. The research is
funded by the Life programme of the European Union
and is being conducted by Brembo, Italcementi and the
Mario Negri Institute, which for many years has been
committed to biomedical research and the impact of
pollutants on the environment and health.
The Cobra project was launched at the end of 2014.
Some 41 researchers with varying skills and experience
will work within the project for the next four years. The
novel brake pad production technology will be based on
an innovative hydraulic binder composition instead of
on phenolic resins, at comparable braking performance.
State-of-the-art brake pads are constituted by thermosetting phenolic resins, which are suitable for friction and
relatively high contact temperature applications. Moreover, reinforcing and filling constituents, about 90% in
mass, are incorporated into the polymeric matrix.
The raw materials involved in the hydraulic binder production will allow lower energy consumption (75-83MJ/
kg phenolic resin compared to 3-9.4MJ/kg cement) and
water consumption (94-282L/kg phenolic resin compared
to 1.7-5.1L/kg cement). In addition, the technology will
avoid the emission of aerosols and secondary ultrafine
particulate, PM0.1 in particular, generated by traditional
phenolic-resin-made pads during braking.
33
Intercem Engineering GmbH

Oelde
| Germany
Intercem
Engineering GmbH
info@intercem.de
Oelde | Germany
Phone+49
2522 92058-0
info@intercem.de
Phone+49 2522 92058-0
GLOBAL CEMENT NEWS: THE AMERICAS
Subscribe
News in brief
Mexico: Cofece approves LafargeHolcim merger
Canada: Refractory works
Radex-Heraklith Industriebeteiligungs (RHI)

of Austria has received a US$11.6m order
from Lafarge in Canada. RHI will deliver materials for the expansion of Lafarges cement
plant in Exshaw, Alberta.
Dominican Republic: Cementos

Andino suspends 170 workers
Cementos Andino Dominicanos temporarily suspended 170 workers on 20 January
2015. Company executives stated that the
decision was made to divert resources to
speed up completion of its clinker facilities.
Ecuador: Cementera Nacional

establishes JV with Yura
Cementera Nacional (33.5%) has formalised
a joint venture with Cementos Yura (63.5%)
to expand its installed production capacity to 2400t/day clinker at the Riobamba
cement plant. The US$230m investment
project will extend over the next 40 months.
US: Ash Grove appoints CFO

Ash Grove Cement has appointed David
Meyer as its new chief financial officer (CFO)
and vice president. He has replaced Randy
Vance, who was promoted to president and
COO in August 2014. As CFO, Meyer will
direct accounting, treasury, internal audit,
tax and information technology functions.
Colombia: Argos receives

Sustainability award
For the second consecutive year, Cementos
Argos has received the Silver Class distinction in RobecoSAMs 2015 Sustainability
Yearbook. Argos had one of the best performances for sustainability, according to the
Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). It is
one of just three global cement companies
that was included in the DJSI index in 2014.
US: Vulcan Materials profit up

Vulcan Materials has reported US$38m
of profit in the fourth quarter of 2014, up
from US$9.1m in the same period of 2013.
Revenue during the period increased by
11% to US$755m. Vulcan said that the latest
results benefited by around US$7m as the
result of lower diesel fuel costs.
34
Contents
Ad Index
he National Competition Commission (Cofece) in Mexico has approved

the merger between Holcim and Lafarge, as it does not see any risk to
free competition in the country.
Colombia: Cemex condemns assassination
emex, which is building a cement plant in Magdalena Medio, has condemned a recent attack that resulted in the death of German Clavijo
Rojas, head of Cemex security. Cemex wants local authorities to investigate so that the criminals can be apprehended. Clavijo Rojas was travelling
in a car with another person, who was injured, when they were fired upon.
US: Lafarge to use waste plastic and asphalt

shingles at its cement plant in Michigan
he Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has

granted approval for Lafarge North America to use scrap plastic
and asphalt shingles at its cement kilns in Alpena, Michigan.
Lafarge had requested to be allowed to burn additional fuels in the
five kilns at its cement plant. Prior to receiving approval to use plastics and shingles as a fuel, the company had used coal, petcoke, clean
wood and non-halogenated polyethylene and polypropylene as fuel.
In its application, Lafarge said that it could use nearly 140,000t/yr of
plastics, more than 82,000t/yr of wood and 54,673t/yr of shingles as a
replacement fuel for coal and petcoke.
Lafarge was issued a permit in 2012 to install technology to allow
for a trial burn of shingles in the kilns. The permit required Lafarge to
conduct stack testing for emissions of concern from the combustion
of the shingles. The emissions tests demonstrated that the emissions
were less than what Lafarge had originally estimated, according to
the DEQ.
Following analyses conducted by the DEQ, staff concluded that
the proposed project would comply with all applicable federal air
quality requirements and with all of the Michigan DEQ Air Quality
Division regulations. The staff concluded that the project, as
proposed, would not violate any federal policies.
Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cement manager

appears on US$50m fraud charge
he manager of Trinidad Cement Limiteds (TCL) Employees Credit

Union, Darren Singh has been denied bail after he appeared before a
Port-of-Spain Magistrate charged with fraudulently transferring US$50m
from the credit unions Unit Trust Corporation (UTC) account to a Republic
Bank account.
It is alleged that Singh, with intent to defraud, caused the transfer of
US$50m from the credit unions UTC account to a Republic Bank account
at Tropical Plaza, Pointe-a-Pierre in the name of TCL Credit Union on 18
January 2013, using a forged UTC wire transfer.
Prosecutor Callister Charles objected to bail being granted on the basis
of the nature and seriousness of the offence, as well as allegations that
threats had been made to witnesses in the case. Singhs attorney Candice
Lopez countered that her client was a married man with five children and
was the sole breadwinner of the family. She also said that Singh was the
manager of the TCL Credit Union, had no previous convictions and was
prepared to abide by any condition laid down by the court.
NEWS: THE AMERICAS

US: Charlevoix plant expansion cleared
he Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners has

approved the proposal by St Marys Cement to expand
its cement plant in Michigan. St Marys Cement, part of
Votorantim Group, is planning a US$130m upgrade to
the Charlevoix plant, which would increase its production
capacity from 1.3Mt/yr to nearly 2Mt/yr.
In a 5:1 vote that followed the hearing, the county board
approved the upgrade plan. The commissioners described
their votes in support as important to sustaining the
economy in Charlevoix County. The proposal now moves to
the state Department of Environmental Quality for final approval. If the Charlevoix plans are rejected, St Marys officials
have said that they will seek to reopen the Illinois plant.
The Vicat - King

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EN, DIN, ASTM, BS
Barbados: Arawak Cements biggest client

jumps ship
he largest client of Barbados Arawak Cement Co, Ready

Mix Limited, has started importing its own cement.
Graham Proverbs, general manager of Ready Mix, confirmed
that the company has offloaded its first 15,000t shipment
of cement, which it had imported from Suriname. 15,000t/
month is the same amount that it formerly purchased from
Arawak Cement, part of Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL). The
bottom line is price, said Proverbs. Arawak can supply us,
but at what cost? We are their largest single user on the island and we have to pay the same price as everybody else.
Automatic Vicat apparatus

acc. to EN 196-3, DIN 1164,
ASTM C187
230 V / 50 Hz,
with delay timer
US: Ash removal ahead of schedule
he Southern Environmental Law Centre has said

that Santee Cooper is four years ahead of schedule
on a coal ash clean-up plan that the two sides negotiated in 2013 to settle a pollution-related lawsuit. The
settlement called for all of the coal ash stored in unlined lagoons at the closed Grainger facility in Conway,
South Carolina, to be removed by 2023. Santee Cooper
is on target to finish the project by 2019.
Santee Cooper is also removing ash from its Jefferies
generating station in Moncks Corner and plans to start
removing coal ash from its Winyah station near Georgetown later in 2015. The coal ash is being recycled for
use by cement manufacturers. SEFA Corp is building
a recycling plant at the Winyah facility to handle coal
ash there and from Santee Coopers other sites. It is due
to open in 2015. We expect our ash reuse numbers
to increase even more significantly at that point, said
Santee Cooper spokeswoman Mollie Gore. The coal ash
lagoons at the sites will be restored as wetlands.
Santee Cooper has aggressively pursued innovative
opportunities to empty its ash ponds at the Winyah,
Jefferies and Grainger stations through recycling, or
beneficially reusing, the ash, said Lonnie Carter, Santee
Coopers CEO. Im pleased we were able to come up
with solutions that provide both environmental and
economic benefits and are also cost-effective.

35
Computer controlled Vicat apparatus

with 6 or 8 measuring places
acc. to EN 196-3, EN 480-2,
ASTM 191, test method B
230 V / 50 Hz
TESTING Bluhm & Feuerherdt GmbH

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27/02/2015 11:35
NEWS: THE AMERICAS

Colombia: Cementos Argos persists with
waste tyres scheme
ementos Argos vice president of innovation Camilo Restrepo has persisted with a project to use waste tyres as
an alternative fuel in Colombia. Some 120,000-130,000tyres/
yr are wasted in Colombia. Cementos Argos already uses
waste tyres as fuel in the US and Honduras and said that
the same will be done in Colombia. It put forward its plans
to local associations and has been discussing these for five
years. Cementos Argos could use 60,000-70,000t/yr. Its kilns
will have to be adapted at a cost of US$520m each. It will
start with its plant in Rioclaro, where tests are underway
already. The plant can use 15,000-20,000t/yr of waste tyres.
Brazil: More than 90% of Brazilian

cement has sustainable additives
ccording to data from the Brazilian construction

industry association SNIC, in 2013, 91% of all the
cement commercialised in Brazil had some additives in
addition to the clinker.
Brazil has one of the highest clinker substitution
rates in the world, said Edvaldo Rabelo, executive director of energy, sustainability and safety for Votorantim
Cimentos. The addition of alternative raw materials
generates gains such as reductions in gas emissions,
water consumption and the burning of fossil fuels.
Votorantim Cimentos Research and Development
manager Silvia Vieira said that its plant in Porto Velho,
Rondnia is considered a model in climate change
initiatives. In operation since 2009, the plant saw
alternative raw materials as a means of reducing operational costs. Located in the north of Brazil, there is a lack
of limestone for clinker production and the high cost of
transporting it from other mines is prohibitive.
This led us to think about producing calcined clay
pozzolan at the plant and increasing the proportion of
substitutes. After research, the involvement of scientists to establish technical specifications and diverse
tests, we developed our own furnace for producing the
material, said Silvia.
Colombia: Cemex Latams profit grows
emex Latam Holdings made a net profit of US$64m in

the fourth quarter of 2014, a 144% increase from the
same period of 2013. Net sales fell by 13% to US$400m from
the fourth quarter of 2013, when demand was bolstered by
major roadworks in Colombia, by far the companys most
important market, with government-led infrastructure and
housing investments ongoing.
Cemex Latam Holdings fourth quarter earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA)
fell by 15% to US$134m. During the entirety of 2014, net
profit rose by 4% to US$273m, with a 1% increase in sales
to US$1.73bn. Cemex Latam Holdings debt was cut by 13%
to US$1.14bn.

37
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NEWS: THE AMERICAS

Mexico: Cemexs net loss narrows in the fourth quarter of 2014
emex has reported a net loss of US$178m for the

October-December 2014 period, compared with a loss
of US$255m in the fourth quarter of 2013. Lower financial
costs and higher operating profits helped to narrow the
loss. Sales fell by 1% in the quarter to US$3.8bn as weaker
currencies against the US Dollar offset greater sales
volumes in most markets. Adjusting for exchange rates,
sales were up by 5% from the fourth quarter of 2013.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 9% to US$701m in the quarter,
bringing the total for the full year to US$2.7bn. Adjusting
for currencies, EBIDTA was up by 16% in the quarter.
A construction recovery in Mexico led to a 5% rise in
sales to US$827m, while in the US sales rose by 13% to
US$923m. Sales fell in Europe and South and Central
America, but rose in Asia. Cemex sold 17.2Mt of cement in
the fourth quarter of 2014, up by 5% year-on-year.
Chief executive Fernando Gonzlez said that Cemex

narrowed its net loss in 2014 for a third consecutive year.
Despite an earnings recovery, Cemex maintains high
levels of debt that were taken on during past acquisitions.
Cemex lowered its total debt in 2014 to US$16.3bn from
US$17.5bn at the end of 2013.
We continued to improve our debt maturity profile
and interest expense through our debt reduction of
almost US$1.2bn and our refinancing activities of approximately US$5bn during the year, said Gonzlez.
Cemex expects to sell up to US$1.5bn in assets over
the next 12-18 months and its investments are forecast to
reach US$800m in 2015. It expects cement sales volumes
to grow by the mid-single digits in 2015 and to generate US$300m in cost and spending reductions during
the year. Cemex also expects to pay US$500m in debt
payments in 2015.
Canada: New McInnis

Cement appointments
lexandre Rail has been named

as plant manager of McInnes
Cements Port-Daniel-Gascons plant
in Gasp. Rail has 15 years of experience in heavy industry. He joined
the company from ArcelorMittal,
where he served as a steel plant
manager for seven years.
McInnis Cement has also named
Mark T Newhart as vice president
of Logistics and Distribution and
as a member of the management
team. He will develop an efficient
distribution network and have
responsibility for transport management and marine terminals.
With Newharts appointment,
McInnis Cements management
team is now complete. It comprises:
Christian Gagnon as CEO; Andr
Racine as senior vice president of
Corporate Development and Legal
Affairs; Jim Braselton as senior vice
president of Commercial and Logistics; Gatan Vzina as senior vice
president of Operations; Claude
Ferland as CFO; Mark T Newhart
as vice president of Logistics and
Distribution; Marc Lachapelle as
senior director of Human Resources;
Maryse Tremblay as director of Communications and Corporate Social
Responsibility. McInnis Cement has
also announced the relocation of its
corporate office in Montreal.

Global Cement Magazine 39
Chain Conveyors
Conveying up to 1,000 t/h
Silo Dischargers
Discharging up to 1,000 t/h
GLOBAL CEMENT: PLANT VISIT
Contents
Subscribe
Ad Index
David Perilli, Global Cement Magazine
Capitol Cement: An independent

Texan cement producer
Capitol Aggregates cement facility, Capitol Cement (Capitol), is a privately-owned cement
plant located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Owned and operated by the Zachry Corporation
and under the third generation of family leadership, the plant began manufacturing cement
in 1965. The facility is situated in suburban San Antonio and close to the citys airport. Due
to its proximity to the airport, height restrictions are imposed on edifices at the plant. At
the time this article was written, the worlds first industrial scale carbon capture unit for a
cement plant, the Skyonic SkyMine, was being built at the plant. Global Cements David
Perilli visited the operation and had the opportunity to speak with Capitols Vice President of
Cement Operations, Gerry McKervey.
Global Cement (GC): Can you tell our readers about

the history of the company and cement plant?
Gerry McKervey (GM): The founder of the company,
H B Pat Zachry, is the grandfather of the current
owner, David Zachry. He started the business with
a few mules and carts building roads. He eventually
graduated to building bridges, performing his own
engineering, and then formed companies ranging
from insurance to oil and gas.
In the 1960s, Mr Zachry realised the need for
predictable delivery of cement was important to the
success of his projects and thought there had to be a
better way for this to happen. One day, he was driving
past our present location and saw a neglected rotary
kiln. Being the innovator he was, the kiln gave him

the idea and opportunity to start his own cement
plant. The neglected plant was previously utilised
as a lithium beneficiation plant. Petrolite ore was
imported from South Africa and was added with
limestone in a kiln to recover the lithium. Once Mr
Zachry purchased the plant, he was able to convert
the long wet kiln for cement production. Full scale
production began in 1965.
Process and production

GC: Can you talk us through the production
process used here?
GM: We have a quarry on site which contains a
Right: The height of the

pre-heater tower at the
Capitol Aggregates San Antonio
Cement Plant is limited by
the close proximity of the San
Antonio Airport.
40
Global CementMagazine March 2015

weathered limestone known as marl. It
has plentiful argillaceous (silica, alumina,
iron) materials. We mine two different
benches of marl and supplement with
some purchased limestone.
After grinding in a modified Loesche
LM24 vertical roller mill, the raw material enters a four-stage pre-heater, which
was added to the plant in 1984. This has
since undergone some upgrades. In 2000,
we extended the capacity with the addition of a down draft calciner. In 2013,
we replaced the top cyclones with one
large cyclone. We also installed a new ID
fan and some auxiliary equipment at the
same time.
The maximum finished grinding capacity we had in approximately 2005, with
the current mills, was about 0.9Mt/yr.
Our bulk cement storage capacity
is about 50,000t, which we are able to
despatch to rail wagons, trucks or to the
on-site manual bagging plant.
GC: How is cement despatched?
GM: Mostly, we despatch bulk cement, although we
do deliver some packaged product. We are able to
load to trucks or rail wagons. This is a manual not
automated process, which is handled by onsite staff.
Currently, we are not sending product out by rail due
to the high local demand. Previously, we sent out approximately 10-15% by rail.
GC: When did the plant last stop for maintenance?
GM: The last major halt was during the upgrade in
2013. A planned major outage was scheduled for
2014; however we decided to delay this to the end
of February, 2015. Maintenance is a critical factor

in staying productive and we are proactive in our
approach. The downdraft calciner burns a large portion of the fuel and the thermal loading on the kiln is
pretty light, so we can typically operate for 18 months
without replacing the kiln refractory.
Fuel usage
GC: What are the main fuels used at the plant?
GM: We mainly use coal as our fuel, but it can be
fairly expensive as it needs to be brought in from out
of state. We also use some petcoke. We are able to use
natural gas; however, we feel it is not a cost effective
option for our facility at this time.
Top: The view to the west

shows just how close the San
Antonio airport is to the plant.
Above: The view to the north
east over the Capitol Cement
quarry. This image highlights
the proximity of suburban San
Antonio and the nearby
Alamo Cement plant, just five
miles away.
Below: Map of Texas showing

location of Capitol Cement and
major population centres.
Profile: San Antonio Cement Plant

Founded:
1965
Location:
San Antonio
Precalciner:
FLSmidth four-stage pre-heater with downdraft calciner
Cement kiln:
FLSmidth, 220t/day
Cooler:
FLSmidth seagull cross-bar cooler
Cement production capacity:
0.75 - 0.9Mt/yr
Profile: Gerry McKervey

Plant manager Gerry McKervey trained as a mining engineer and
worked at a copper mine before transferring to the cement industry. He
joined Alluvial Cement in 1984, worked for a precursor to Italcementis North American subsidiary Essroc for 20 years and then
joined Lehigh Cement in Mason City, Iowa. He has worked for Capitol
Aggregates since 2008.
Fort Worth Dallas

El Paso
AUSTIN
Houston
San Capitol
Antonio
Cement
www.GlobalCement.com Global CementMagazine March 2015
41

The current rules for emissions in
the United States are changing and
will require monitoring of PM, HCl,
mercury and hydrocarbons. Foreseeing these upcoming changes, we have
already ordered a PM analyser to comply with the new rules before they are
implemented.
Right: The raw material

storage building at Capitol
Cements San Antonio plant.
GC: Whats the next EPA regulation

that is going to affect the plant?
GM: The NESHAP requirements are in
the immediate future, which concerns
GC: Does the plant co-process any
alternative fuels at present?
Right: The kiln and clinker

cooler (far left).
GM: Unfortunately, we are not able to

co-process alternative fuels. Our current air quality permits limit us from
doing so. At the moment, we are looking to establish better production rates
due to the capacity increase before we
look to change the permitted fuels.
Emissions and regulations

GC: What sort of environmental
controls do you have in place and
what are you monitoring?
GM: The Texas Department of Environmental Quality regulates our air permits and we
currently monitor CO, NOx and SOx. The agency
requires monitoring of dioxins and furans, which is
required every 30 months, and we are in full compliance. In the future, plants will be required to monitor
particulate matter (PM), which we are actively preparing for.
mercury, HCl, PM and hydrocarbons. If we ever need

to make a change to our permit, CO2 will then come
into play. We are always looking for innovative ways
to reduce our carbon footprint.
GC: Do you ever get complaints from the people
living near to the cement plant?
GM: Being in the middle of the city, we are keenly
aware of our neighbours and take great pains
to make sure the plant in no way affects their
daily lives.
Carbon capture
Right: Looking into the cooler.
GC: Skyonics is in the process of building a

carbon-capture plant adjacent to this cement
plant. How was the relationship developed and
what led to its construction?
GM: The relationship began with our owner,
David Zachry. He was on a personal quest to
find promising technologies to help reduce Capitols carbon footprint. An introduction via the
Southwest Research Institute led him to Skyonic
and the initial meeting revealed mutual interests
between the two companies. The plant agreed to
host a laboratory scale process onsite, basically
42
The Gl bal Cement Directory 2015

The Global Cement Directory 2015 is now available
Up-to-date listing of all global cement plants*

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Basic process information (wet/dry, number of kilns)
Contact details: Telephone and Fax numbers
Up-to-date capacities and location maps
Country reports for key regions, including

China, India, USA, Brazil, Germany, Austria,
UK and Russia.
Cement capacities for countries / regions
Top 100 global cement companies 2015
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Distribution and
customers
GC: Where is your market?
GM: We are the southernmost cement plant in Texas,
so our market tends to go
south, but we also have customers in the north. We are
able to distribute our product wherever our customers
are located.
Right: The plants cement mill.
GC: How seasonal are

despatches from this plant?
Right: A bulk tanker truck loads

up with cement. We send zero
cement by train now, says Gerry
McKervey. We dont need to go
very far to push our product.
in two trailers, where Skyonic could capture

the CO2 from the kiln gas and produce baking
soda and other by-products. Through investments and additional government interest, the
Skyonic industrial-scale plant, known as SkyMine, is now under construction.
Capitol supplies SkyMine with flue gas and
also leases a portion of the property to them for
the facility. It is a collaborative but fairly arms
length relationship between us. For example,
we have separate air permits.
Once the SkyMine is fully commissioned,
it will take about 10% of our stack emissions.
This is an innovative relationship between
the two and helps us eliminate emissions and
reduce our overall carbon footprint. This is
something very unique for a cement plant to
do, and we are on the cutting edge of technology for our industry.
Right: The Capitol Cement

plant has a partnership with
Skyonic, a company engaged
in carbon-capture and use.
Its facility, seen here under
construction, is adjacent to
the Capitol Cement plant. The
SkyMine, as the plant is known,
will process around 10% of the
cement plants flue gas when
fully operational.
44

GM: Being in Texas, in a warm
climate we do not have a lot of
seasonality. We tend to see peaks
in late October as companies are
trying to finish projects before
Thanksgiving and the holidays.
GC: What are the plants targets
for 2015?
GM: We want to maximise our
future production potential and
continue acting as good corporate citizens. We have a hierarchy
of priorities, first of which is the
safety of our employees and the
protection of our community.
That includes the environment,
maintenance of the assets including the kiln shell, the reserves and
the quality of what we do.
GC: What is the plants safety
record like?
Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel

A San Antonio city landmark, the Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel was
built by HB Zachry Company in a record-breaking 202 working days
in time for the HemisFair of 1968. Built in a modular fashion, 496
pre-cast lightweight structural concrete rooms were fitted by crane in
46 days. Before arriving on the construction site, each room was fully
kitted out with a television, radio, bed, carpeting and more!
GM: Our safety regulatory body

is the Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA), which
keeps track of incident rates and
severity rates. We are on par with
our rates, but we are always striving for better ones.
There is a monument at the
front of the plant called the sentinels of safety that is part of our
core values. We have a behaviourbased safety programme with
mandatory training for everyone. Our employees are our best
asset and ambassadors for safety
companywide and safety is our
number one priority.
Outlook
GC: The PCA reports strong
growth in the US cement industry lately. Does this sentiment
match your experiences here?
GM: Yes, it does. We are lucky in that we are not restrained by the market. It is a good place to be. Texas
is different from the rest of the country. Warmer
weather gives us an advantage and we are able to
keep production rates high. With the recent drop in
crude oil price, there seems to be some concern what
that means for Texas overall and the cement industry specifically. Right now, we do not see any signs
of a curtailment in oil development, which is a good
thing. We are optimistic about the growth in the cement industry for this year and for Capitol.
GC: What one change to

the cement industry would
help you sleep easier with
respect to your business
long term prospects?
GM: We need a sensible
system for environmental
regulation. For Capitol, that
means looking at things logically for the benefit of the
community. For instance,
for the CO2 BACT coming
up, the government does
not count any efficiency
in electrical consumption
as having an influence on
greenhouse gases. The cement industry consumes
about 2% of the electrical
energy in this country. If we
work on electrical energy,
surely we will have an impact on the amount of greenhouse gas produced by
the power companies. However, at the moment credit
is not given for those actions and currently, there
are no incentives to improve electrical efficiency.
It is a missed opportunity. Capitol has a goal to reduce the total amount of greenhouse gas we produce
whether or not we are given credit or incentives for
these actions.
Left: The Sentinels of Safety

lists the years that the plant has
had without a lost time accident
and acts a safety reminder to
all staff.
GC: Thank you for talking with us today.

GM: You are welcome!
www.GlobalCement.com Global CementMagazine March 2015
45
GLOBAL CEMENT NEWS: ASIA
Contents
Subscribe
Ad Index
News in brief
India: Lafarge to buy back stake from Barings Asia
Azerbaijan: Production up 22%
Construction materials producers made

goods worth US$585m in 2014, some 22.2%
more than in the same period of 2013, according to the Azerbaijani State Statistics
Committees report. During the period,
Azerbaijan produced 2.98Mt of cement,
a 40.5% increase compared to the same
period of 2013.
China: West China Cements

CEO and deputy CEO resign
West China Cement said that Tian Zhenjun
has resigned as CEO and has been replaced
by Ma Weiping, who will also take on the
role of executive director. Low Po Ling
has also resigned as deputy CEO. Zhenjun
and Po Ling both confirmed they have no
disagreement with the board.
afarge India has begun the process of buying back the 14% stake it sold
to global private equity investor Barings Asia in May 2013. The move is
part of the sale agreement that Lafarge signed with Barings Asia, which
said that any changes in shareholding structure would trigger the buyback clause. The process has just started and will take a few months. Now
that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared the LafargeHolcim merger proposal, the buy-back process should to gather steam.
India: JK Cement starts production at Durg
K Cements new US$276m cement plant in Durg, Chhattisgarh has

started production. The plant has an installed capacity of nearly
2.7Mt/yr. Following commissioning, JK Cements installed cement
production capacity stands at 9.3Mt/yr. A part of the US$4bn JK
Organisation, the Durg plant will produce various types of cement,
including Ordinary Portland cement, Portland pozzolana cement and
slag cement. The Durg project had in 2013 attracted the wrath of the
local inhabitants, who set fire to part of the plant. They were reportedly angered by the reluctance of JK Cement to give jobs to people
affected by the project. This caused serious damage at the construction site.
Oman: Raysuts profit grows

Raysut Cement reported a 9.2% increase in
its fourth quarter profit. It made US$17m in
profit in the three months to 31 December
2014, up from US$15.6m in the same period
of 2013. Raysut made US$71.2m in profit in
2014 compared to US$71.5m in 2013.
India: Wonder Cement

appoints executive director
Wonder Cement has appointed Jagdish
Chandra Toshniwal as its new executive
director. Prior to joining Wonder Cement,
Toshniwal was Ambuja Cements business
head of the northern region.
Indonesia: Semen Indonesia

appoints Suparni as CEO
Semen Indonesia has appointed its
operational director Suparni as its new CEO.
Suparni replaces Dwi Soetjipto, who has
joined the oil and gas company Pertamina.
The shareholders also appointed Rizkan
Chandra to the board of directors.
India: 100,000 bags of Amma

Cement sold
In the first 15 days of the Tamil Nadu state
governments Amma Cement scheme, in
which 20,000t of subsidised cement was
made available across the state, 100,000
bags weighing 5000t were sold.
46
Nepal: Dangote starts preparations to set up plant
team of technical experts from Nigerias Dangote Group has visited

potential sites in Makawanpur and Dhading to study the feasibility
of opening a 6000t/day cement plant there. Limestone samples collected
from the sites have been sent for laboratory tests.
According to K R Rao, team leader and director of Dangote Groups
cement production division, Dangote will choose the site and start the
land acquisition process within two months. He expects the plant to commence production by June 2017. The government has already approved
the proposal to invest US$550m to establish a cement plant, for which
Dangote has registered Dangote Cement Nepal Private Limited.
Nepal currently consumes 3.5Mt/yr of cement and imports 1.5Mt/yr.
Dangote expects the cement market in Nepal to grow to 6Mt/yr by 2020.
The government has prioritised infrastructure development and mega
projects like hydropower plants, road, airport and irrigation projects are
being implemented in different parts of Nepal, driving cement demand.
Dangote has not yet decided on a power supply for the plant. Though
our initial plan was to invest in a hydropower project, we have aborted it
as it takes a lot of time to develop. We are thinking of investing in coal or
diesel-fed power plants to arrange a stable power supply, said Rao. The
proposed plant needs a 35MW supply of uninterrupted power.
Philippines: Cement industry sales up in 2014
ement industry sales in 2014 increased by 9.6% year-on-year,

according to the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) president Ernesto M Ordoez. Ordoez said that local
market sales reached 21.3Mt in 2014, compared to 19.4Mt in 2013. Sales
for the fourth quarter of 2014 jumped by 15.7% to 5.2Mt, up from 4.5Mt
in 2013. The increase in sales was supported by the continuous growth of
construction projects. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
showed that construction activities in January-September 2014 grew by
39% year-on-year to US$6.17bn.

Vietnam: Consumption up 47%
India: JK Group chairman Gaur Hari Singhania dies
he latest figures from the Department

of Building Materials under the Ministry
of Construction state that Vietnams cement
consumption reached 5.87Mt in January 2015,
up by 47% year-on-year from 4.37Mt in January 2014. Of the total, the Vietnam Cement
Industry Corporation (VICEM) sold 1.41Mt of
cement to local markets, 46% more than in
the corresponding period of 2014. Cement
exports were estimated at 1.5Mt during the
period. The Ministry of Construction has predicted that cement consumption in 2015 will
reach 71-73Mt, a 4-7% rise from 2014. Local
consumption is expected to be 52-53Mt and
exports will reach 21-22Mt.
Director of the Department of Building
Materials Le Van Toi noted that as Vietnamese
producers have been part of the cement export
market for four years, they have experience in
market exploration and contract negotiation.
Chairman of the Vietnam Cement Association,
Nguyen Quang Cung, agreed with this view,
adding that most global cement manufacturers target foreign markets because exports
can help balance supply and demand. Cung
also pointed out that local cement businesses
had made significant investments in modern
production lines, branding Vietnam as a major
cement exporter in Southeast Asia.
Several private cement producers have
seen positive results in their exports. Chairman of Vissai Cement in Ninh Binh Province,
Hoang Manh Truong, said that Vissai Cements
cement exports were equivalent to its domestic sales. Truong added that Vissai Cement
had signed a 1.2Mt clinker export contract in
Bangladesh, which brought its market count
to 20 countries and territories, including the
US, Germany, Mozambique, Congo, Indonesia,
China, France and Australia.
K Group chairman Gaur Hari Singhania died on 4 February 2015 after

a heart attack. Singhania, aged 80 years, was also the president of JK
Organisation and had been a promoter director of JK Cement Ltd since
its inception in 1994. He is survived by a son, Yadupati Singhania.
Azerbaijan: Norm Sement reaches full capacity
orm Sement has reached its design capacity, according to company

CEO Hasan Yalcinkaya. The plant has 5000t/day of clinker production capacity and 2Mt/yr of cement production capacity. Yalcinkaya said
that in 2014, Azerbaijans domestic cement demand was 4.3Mt and it
is expected to be the same or higher in 2015. Norm Sement plans to
improve its energy-efficiency and to invest in the production of oil well
cement in 2015, which it will export to Kazakhstan and Russia.
Iran: Clinker production halted for 30 days
rans cement plants all stopped producing clinker for 30 days on 14

January 2015. Abdolreza Sheykhan, an official with Irans Cement
Producers Association, said that at the time, the country had 17Mt
of clinker in store.
We have stopped producing clinker in order to turn the current
inventory to cement, said Sheykhan. He added that the country
needs only 10Mt until the end of the current Iranian calendar year
on 20 March 2014. The Iranian Oil Ministry will pay US$7/t of cement
to production plants to compensate for their loss. Irans current
cement output is around 6.5Mt/month, said Sheykhan. The countrys need, however, is around 4.55Mt/month.
Iran exported nearly 9.25Mt of cement in the first eight months
of the current Iranian year, which started on 21 March 2014, down
by 8.5% year-on-year. Sheykhan had previously said that the insecurity in Iraq and reduction in the number of destination markets
for Irans cement are the major reasons behind the fall in exports.
Azerbaijan was one of the major importers of Irans cement, but
the country has now reached self-sufficiency and has reduced its
imports from Iran, said Sheykhan. He named Russia and African
countries as new markets for Irans cement exports, adding that by
taking the mentioned markets, Iran can increase its cement and
clinker exports by 1.5Mt/yr.
India: Sanghi Industries to invest US$40.5m in energy and port developments
anghi Industries plans to invest US$40.5m in the next few

years with a focus on sustainable development, innovation and energy conservation. The company plans to invest
US$24.3m to develop a 15MW waste heat recovery system
(WHR) and another US$16.2m to further develop its facilities
at Navlakhi Port in Gujarat State.
Sanghi Industries has signed a contract for installation of
a WHR system at its cement plant in Kutch, Gujarat, whereby
15MW of power will be generated from the waste heat
released. With the technology, valuable fossil fuel savings
will be made, foreign exchange costs will be saved and there
will be a significant reduction in the emission of pollutant
gases. Sanghi Industries will recover more than 70% of the
waste heat generated from its cement plant.
For the conservation of coastal soil, the company will

start a mangrove plantation spread over 2km2 of the Gujarat
coast. It will protect the ecology and coastal environment
and improve socio-economic development.
Our focus is on increasing efficiencies at our manufacturing facilities, as well as reducing our carbon footprint by
cutting down on pollutants that affect the environment, said
Alok Sanghi, director of Sanghi Industries. Also, in line with
the Ministry of Shipping agenda to increase transportation
through the coastal sea route, Sanghi Industries has set up
a terminal with an investment of US$8.1m at Navlakhi Port.
We will invest an additional US$16.2m to further develop the
terminal at Navlakhi as the sea route reduces our transportation cost considerably.
47

Uzbekistan: Ahangarancement
produced more cement in 2014
hangarancement, part of Eurocement,

produced 1.24Mt of clinker in 2014, up by
6.2% or 0.72Mt from 2013, as well as 1.7Mt of
cement, up by 5% or 0.80Mt compared to 2013.
Ahangarancement shipped 1.72Mt of cement to
consumers in 2014, up by 6.5% or 0.11Mt yearon-year. It also started to produce two new types
of cement, PC 400 KD20 and SSPC 400 D20, in
2014. Ahangarancement produced 84,610t and
47,922t respectively. Its mining operations produced and shipped 1.61Mt of limestone in 2014.
India: UltraTech buys two Jaypee plants
aiprakash Associates (Jaypee Group) has announced that it will

sell two cement plants in Madhya Pradesh to UltraTech Cement.
The assets comprise cement plants and grinding facilities in Bela and
Sidhi with a total capacity of 4.9Mt/yr, along with a 180MW power
plant to supply them.
UltraTech will pay US$740m in non-convertible loan certificates
and shares worth US$16m for the plants. It will also assume a net
debt and negative working capital of US$128m associated with the
businesses. This puts the overall value of the transaction at US$628m.
The sale is part of Jaypees programme to pay-down its debt. It
has sold assets worth US$3.6bn in pursuit of this aim, including some
US$1.6bn of assets in its cement business.
Vietnam: Vissai Group starts to build US$488m

cement plant in Nghe An
oang Phat Vissai Group began work on its Song Lam cement
plant with an investment of US$488m in Vietnams central
province of Nghe on 4 February 2015.
Located in Bai Son Commune and being transformed from the
current Do Luong cement plant, the new 5.6Mt/yr clinker plant will
be developed in two phases and will be ready for operation within
18 months, according to company chairman Nguyen Ngoc Oanh.
The first phase will last until 2017, with two production lines with
a combined capacity of 12,000t/day of clinker installed. The second
phase, adding 6000t/day of clinker, will be developed in 2017-2020.
Vietnam has 74 cement production lines with a combined
output estimated at 81Mt/yr, while sales of cement and clinker
are projected to be 73Mt for 2015, according to the data from the
Ministry of Construction. Of the sales, 5253Mt are expected to be
sold to the domestic market, while 2122Mt will be exported.
Bangladesh: New CEO of Holcim Bangladesh
umanta Pandit has been appointed as CEO of Holcim Cement

(Bangladesh) Ltd. Pandit joins Holcim Bangladesh from Emirates
Cement, a subsidiary of UltraTech India, where he was heading the
business in Bangladesh as country manager.
India: Coal block allocation process begins
he Coal Ministry has begun to allot mines to central and state public
sector units with the allotment of 36 coal blocks. The Supreme Court
had in September 2014 scrapped 214 of 218 coal blocks allocated by the
government over the past two decades. The previous practice of selective allocation was ruled illegal and arbitrary by the court. Coal fuels 60%
of the countrys power production.
Out of 101 mines, we are looking at 98 mines, as the coal ministry
has examined them and it was discovered that there were three blocks
in a No Go area, said Coal Ministry secretary Anil Swarup. Out of 98
mines, 36 blocks are going for allocation. 46 mines will be auctioned; 23
blocks are in schedule II and 23 blocks are in schedule III. The remaining 16 will be auctioned in the future, said Swarup. Around 167 bidders
have requested to visit the coal block site. Coal India plans to engage an
external consultant to examine various structures and implementation
models to auction the coal linkages.
48
Thailand: SCGs profit down
iam Cement Group (SCG) posted a smaller

net profit for 2014 than 2013, although it
expects earnings to rise in 2015 due to demand
from the governments planned infrastructure
projects, according to SCG president and chief
executive Kan Trakulhoon.
SCGs net profit in the fourth quarter of
2014 was US$271m, up by 11% from the same
quarter in 2013, as greater margins for petrochemicals offset losses incurred from high
inventories. However, for the entirety of 2014,
SCGs net profit was down by 8% at US$1.03bn.
Trakulhoon said that cement demand
would rise by an estimated 6% to 42Mt in
2015. Our forecast is based on GDP growth of
around 4% in 2015 and we expect demand for
cement to start rising in the second half of the
year, said Trakulhoon. With greater demand at
home in 2015, SCG expects cement exports
to other ASEAN countries to fall to 4Mt from
4.4Mt in 2014.
SCG plans to issue up to US$91.9m in bond
debt in April 2015. The bond issue will be
separated into two tranches, worth US$45.9m
each, of three and four-year bonds. The money
raised by the bonds is expected to be used up
by the companys investment plans in 2015.
It also aims to raise the ceiling of its bond issuance by US$1.53bn to US$7.66bn, with the
funds used to finance expansion in Thailand
and throughout Southeast Asia.
According to its five-year plan for 20132018, SCG has set aside US$6.13-7.66bn for
investment expansion such as mergers and
acquisitions. More than US$1.53bn will be
spent in 2015 on investment, mostly in ASEAN
countries. We will still focus on cement and
construction material products, as we see a
great opportunity in 2015 when the ASEAN
market becomes a single and bigger market, said Trakulhoon. SCG spent US$1.38bn
on investment in 2014, down slightly from
US$1.53bn in 2013.
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India: Ramco Cements plans to

commission Vizag plant in April 2015
China: MIIT to transfer six cement plants

being built in Sichuan
amco Cements expects to commission its

US$76.9m grinding plant in Vizag, Andhra
Pradesh in April 2015. The company said that, while
it has witnessed increased cement sales in Kerala and
West Bengal, in other states where it has operations
cement demand had become sluggish.
In its unaudited standalone results for the three
months that ended on 31 December 2014, Ramco
Cements showed a decline in income from operations to US$132m, compared to US$141m in the
corresponding quarter of 2013. Net profit for the
quarter fell to US$3.72m from US$4.14m in the same
quarter of 2013. In the first nine months of its current
fiscal year, Ramco Cements sold 5.66Mt of cement
to the domestic market, compared to 6.2Mt in the
corresponding nine months of the previous year.
Exports amounted to 129,000t, taking total sales to
5.79Mt in the first nine months of Ramco Cements
2015 financial year.
Ramco Cements said that its cement production
was 8% lower and sales fell by 9% in the first nine
months of the 2015 financial year compared to the
corresponding period in the previous year. Sales
declined in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
Telengana and Odisha.
he Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

(MIIT) has released a plan to transfer the production
capacity of six cement projects that are currently being built
in Sichuan Province. The schemes, which have a total cement
production capacity of 6Mt/yr, will be publicised on the
national production capacity replacement quota platform
for future transfer.
India: Cement profits flat
ltraTech Cement has announced a marginal increase in

its consolidated net profit at US$65.1m for the quarter
that ended on 31 December 2014, compared to US$64.3m in
the same period of 2013. Its total income stood at US$968m
in the quarter, whereas total income was US$841m in the
quarter that ended on 31 December 2013. UltraTech said that
business prospects remain challenging. It expects demand
growth in the long term to be around 8% and the key drivers
will continue to be housing and infrastructure spends.
Grasim Industries posted a consolidated net profit of
US$54m during the quarter that ended on 31 December
2014, compared to US$53.7m during the same period of 2013.
The company reported net sales of US$1.28bn compared to
US$1.14bn during the same quarter of 2013. Its consolidated
revenue from the cement division was US$962m during the
2014 quarter, up from US$836m in the same period of 2013.
49
COUNTRY REPORT: INDIA
Contents
Subscribe
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Amy Saunders, Global Cement Magazine
The highs and lows of Indias cement industry

The Republic of India has been independent from the UK since 1947. Composed of 29
States and seven Union Territories, India is the seventh-largest country by land mass, spanning 3.29Mkm2. It is the second most-populous country in the world, with 1.24bn inhabitants in 2014.1 India had the worlds third-largest economy by GDP (PPP), at US$7.28tn in
2014. It is a major hub for agriculture and tourism and has a rapidly-expanding service
industry. With the second-largest cement industry in the world, India is home to a busy and
diverse market. Global Cement reviews Indias top cement producers and trends from 2014.
Economy
India is one of the BRICS economy countries (Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa), which are
characterised by fast-growing developing economies.
In July 2014, the leaders of the BRICS countries
launched the New Development Bank (NDB) as an
alternative to the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF). Headquartered in Shanghai,
China, it will start lending to any United Nations
(UN) members in 2016. The plan to set up a bank
to finance infrastructure projects began in 2012 after
the BRICS countries saw investors divert money
from emerging economies, hurting their currencies.
The NDB was established for US$100bn and has an
additional US$100bn in reserves.
Indias GDP was US$1.49tn in 2013 (using official
US$ exchange rate) and grew at a rate of 3.2% during
the year (Figure 1). GDP by purchasing power parity
(PPP) was US$7.28tn in 2014, the worlds third-largest. GDP growth rates have stuttered in recent years,
with a recent peak of 10.3% in 2010.2 GDP/capita

grew to US$4000 in 2013, compared to US$3900 in
2012 and US$3800 in 2011.
Indias population grew by 1.25% in 2014, contributing to its ever-growing labour force and demand
for housing. GDP is contributed to by agriculture
(17.4%), industry (25.8%) and services (56.9%).1
Industrial production grew by 0.9% in 2013. The
labour force, some 487m in 2013, worked primarily
in agriculture (49%), compared to 20% in industry
and 31% in services. Unemployment rose from 8.5%
in 2012 to 8.8% in 2013, while inflation (GDP deflator
index) fell from 7.2% in 2012 to 6.9% in 2013.
India is a major global trade hub with large import volumes and ever-increasing exports. In 2013,
some US$313bn of goods were exported, up from
US$297bn in 2012, while US$468bn of goods were
imported, down from US$489bn in 2012. Imports
and exports consisted mainly of petroleum products,
crude oil, raw materials, machinery and chemicals.
Right: The Taj Mahal in Agra,

Uttar Pradesh, is inarguably
Indias most famous landmark.
It was built in 1632-1653 by
emperor Shah Jahan in memory
of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
In 1983, the Taj Mahal became
recognised as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. It hosts millions
of visitors every year due to its
identity as a national icon.
50

Cement industry overview
Holcim India: ACC and Ambuja Cements
India is one of the worlds largest cement producers

and consumers, second only to China. According to
the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in 2014
India produced 280Mt of cement and had 280Mt/yr
of clinker production capacity, unchanged from 2013
(Figure 1). A large number of cement producers, both
local and multinational, operate in India. Holcim,
Lafarge, HeidelbergCement and Vicat all have a
presence in the country, however, Indias domestic
producers hold the most sway, including UltraTech
Cement, Chettinad Cement, JK Cement, Dalmia
Group and The India Cements, among others.
According to the Global Cement Directory 2015
and independent research, in 2014 India had 174
integrated cement plants, 155 of which were active,
with production capacity in excess of 301Mt/yr
(Figure 2). There were also 91 grinding plants with
more than 109Mt/yr of production capacity. The
capacities of several integrated and grinding plants
remain unknown. Of the integrated cement plants,
capacity was localised in the west and south of the
country. Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu
all had capacities greater than 30Mt/yr. Plans for
13 new integrated plants were announced in 2014,
mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. One new
cement plant was proposed by Meghalaya Cement in
West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh, which would be
the states first integrated plant if built.
As for the other BRICS economy countries,
Indias cement consumption is growing, primarily due
to strong infrastructure and housing developments.
In spite of heavy investments, factors including
fuel and energy shortages, raw material availability
and regional market trends have posed significant
challenges to cement producers in 2014-2015.
Holcim is present in India via its two subsidiary

companies, ACC Cement and Ambuja Cement.
Combined, the companies have 15 cement plants with
44.9Mt/yr of integrated cement production capacity,
making Holcim Indias largest cement producer. Its
plants are well-placed throughout the country, with
one or two integrated plants in most states. As such,
Holcim is resistant to the regional market forces often
experienced in large countries. Holcim also has 15
grinding plants with more than 16.1Mt/yr of production capacity throughout India.
In July 2013, Holcim announced its intention
to consolidate its operations in India.3 It received
approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA), the Foreign Investment Promotion
Board (FIPB) and public shareholders. Accordingly,
Holcim India has been merged with Ambuja and
Holcim Indias 50% stake in ACC has been transferred
to Ambuja, making it a holding company of ACC.
Holcim now has a 61.4% stake in Ambuja. While the
restructuring and removal of duplicate roles is ongoing, several top-level management changes were seen
in 2014, including the appointment of Bernard Terver
as the head of Asia.
In August 2014, the Delhi Governments Revenue
Department fined Holcim India for evasion of stamp
duty and directed it to pay stamp duty of US$36m
and a penalty of US$11m within 30 days. Collector
of Stamps (HQ) Lalit Mohan said that Holcim had
violated the payment of stamp duty with the merger
with Ambuja. The stamp duty on the merger order
is payable at the rate of 3% on the total amount of
US$1.2bn, which is US$36m, said Mohan. In its submission to the Revenue Department, Holcim stated
that there was no transfer of movable and immovable
300
GDP (US$tn)
GDP growth (%)
Inflation (%)
Clinker capacity (Mt/yr)
10
250
200
150
100
50
Cement production (Mt) and clinker production capacity (Mt/yr)
GDP (US$tn), GDP growth (%) and inflation (GDP deflator index, %)
12
Left - Figure 1: Indian GDP

(using US$ official exchange
rate, US$tn), GDP growth (%),
inflation (GDP deflator, %),
cement production (Mt)
and clinker capacity (Mt) in
2000-2014.
Sources: The World Databank,
the USGS Mineral Yearbooks.
0
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
Year
51

Andhra Pradesh
>49.55Mt/yr
1. Jaiprakash Associates, Durga, Guntur
0.86Mt/yr
2. Jaiprakash Associates, Balaji, Krishna
1.00Mt/yr
5.00Mt/yr
3. Vicat, Bharathi, Kadapa
4. Bhavya Cements, Guntur
1.40Mt/yr
2.50Mt/yr
5. Dalmia Bharat, Kadapa
6. The India Cements, Chilamkur, Kadapa
1.39Mt/yr
7. The India Cements, Malkapur, Reddy
2.75Mt/yr
0.73Mt/yr
8. The India Cements, Yerraguntala, Kadapa
9. JSW Cement, Nandyal, Kurnool
4.80Mt/yr (PSC)
0.66Mt/yr
10. KCP Cement, Macheria, Guntur
11. KCP Cement, Muktyala, Krishna
1.52Mt/yr
12. Ramco Cements, Jayanthipuram, Krishna
3.65Mt/yr
1.35Mt/yr
13. Panyam Cement, Nagar, Kurnool
14. Parasakti Cement, Jettipalem, Guntur
1.68Mt/yr
15. Penna Cement, Boyareddyapalli, Anantapur 2.00Mt/yr
16. Penna Cement, Talaridheruvu, Anantapur
1.80Mt/yr
17. Rain Cements, Kurnool
2.16Mt/yr
3.20Mt/yr
18. Sree Jayajothi Cement, Jothi, Kurnool
19. Sri Chakra, Narasimhapuri, Guntur
0.70Mt/yr
5.60Mt/yr
20. UltraTech, Bhogasamudram, Anantapur
21. Zuari Cement (Italcementi), Kadapa
3.80Mt/yr
22. Sagar Cements, Tadipatri, Anantapur
1.00Mt/yr
>0Mt/yr
23. Ramco Cements, Visakhapatnam
24. Ramco Cements, Kilimigunda, Kurnool
(Plan)
3Mt/yr (Plan)
25. Prism Cement, Kurnool
(Plan)
26. Teja Cement, Kadapa
Arunachal Pradesh
27. Meghalaya Cement, West Kameng
0Mt/yr
(Plan)
Assam
28. Barak Valley Cement, Karimganj
29. Calcom Cement, Dima Hasao
30. Cement Corp of India, Karbi-Anglong
2.63Mt/yr
0.33Mt/yr
2.10Mt/yr
0.20Mt/yr
Bihar
31. Kalyanpur Cements, Banjari, Bihar
1.00Mt/yr
1.00Mt/yr
Chhattisgarh
32. ACC, Jamul, Durg
33. Ambuja, Bhatapara, Baloda Bazar
34. Cement Corp of India, Tandur, Raipur
35. Century Cement, Baikunth, Raipur
36. Lafarge, Arasmeta, Champa
37. Lafarge, Sonadih, Baloda Bazar
38. UltraTech, Hirmi, Raipur
39. UltraTech, Rawan, Raipur
40. JK Cement, Durg
41. Shree Cement, Raipur
42. Emami Cement
>19.30Mt/yr
4.00Mt/yr
2.90Mt/yr
1.00Mt/yr
2.10Mt/yr
1.60Mt/yr
0.55Mt/yr
1.90Mt/yr
2.50Mt/yr
2.75Mt/yr
>0Mt/yr
>0Mt/yr
Gujarat
21.24Mt/yr
5.50Mt/yr
43. Ambuja, Kodinar
44. Sidhee Cement, Sidheegram, Junagadh
1.20Mt/yr
2.40Mt/yr
45. UltraTech, Kutch, Bhuj
46. UltraTech, Kovaya, Amreli
4.80Mt/yr
47. UltraTech, Jafrabad, Amreli
0.50Mt/yr
2.60Mt/yr
48. Sanghi Cement, Sanghipuram, Kutch
(Expansion to 3.5Mt/yr announced)
49. Shree Digivijay (Votorantim), Via Jamnagar
1.30Mt/yr
50. Sparta Cement, Kutch
1.00Mt/yr
51. Tata Cement, Mithapur, Jamnagar
0.44Mt/yr
1.50Mt/yr
52. Saurashtra Cement, Ranavav, Probandar
Haryana
53. JCB India, Ballabgarh, Faridabad
Himachal Pradesh
54. ACC, Gagal, Bilaspur
55. Ambuja, Darlaghat, Solan
52
>0Mt/yr
>0Mt/yr
6.94Mt/yr
4.40Mt/yr
1.60Mt/yr
56. Asian Cement, Solan

57. Cement Corp of India, Rajban, Sirmaur
58. Reliance Cement, Shimla
1.30Mt/yr
0.24Mt/yr
(Plan)
109. JUD Cement, Best Cement, Jaintia Hills

0.50Mt/yr
110. Meghalaya Cement, Khaliehriat, Jaintia Hills 0.50Mt/yr
111. Meghalaya Cement, Lumshong, Jaintia Hills 0.50Mt/yr
Jammu and Kashmir

0.76Mt/yr
59. Jammu & Kashmir Cements, Khrew, Pulwama 0.40Mt/yr
0.36Mt/yr
60. Khyber Industries, Khonmoh, Srinagar
Odisha
112. OCL India, Rajgangpur, Sundergarh
113. Toshali Cement, Ampavalli, Koraput
Jharkhand
61. ACC, Chaibasa, Jhinkpani
62. Burnpur Cement, Patratu, Hazaribagh
Rajasthan
>43.86Mt/yr
114. ACC, Lakheri, Bundi
1.50Mt/yr
1.80Mt/yr
115. Ambuja, Rabriyawas, Pali
116. Binani Cement, Binanigram, Sirohi
4.85Mt/yr
117. Birla Corp, Chanderia, Chittorgarh
2.50Mt/yr
0.40Mt/yr
118. DCM Shriram, Shriram, Kota
119. JK Cement, Gotan, Nagaur
0.4Mt/yr (white)
1.00Mt/yr
120. JK Cement, Mangrol, Chittorgarh
121. JK Cement, Sirohi
4.20Mt/yr
3.25Mt/yr
122. JK Cement, Nimbaher, Chittorgarh
123. Managalam Cement, Morak, Kota
1.00Mt/yr
3.00Mt/yr
124. Shree Cement, Beawar
125. Shree Cement, Ras, Beawar
3.00Mt/yr
126. Trinetra Cement (The India Cements), Banswara
1.80Mt/yr
127. UltraTech, Aditya, Chittorgarh
5.00Mt/yr
3.10Mt/yr
128. UltraTech, Kotputli, Jaipur
129. UltraTech, Birla White, Jodhpur
0.56Mt/yr (White)
130. Mangalam Cement, Kota
3.25Mt/yr
3.25Mt/yr
131. Wonder Cement, Tehsil, Chittorgarh
(Expansion to 6.75Mt/yr underway)
132. JCB India, Jaipur
>0Mt/yr
>0Mt/yr
133. JCB India, Jaipur
134. Ambuja
1.5Mt/yr (Under construction)
1.23Mt/yr
0.90Mt/yr
0.33Mt/yr
Karnataka
29.95Mt/yr
1.60Mt/yr
63. ACC, Thondebhavi, Chickballapur
64. ACC, Wadi, Gulbarga
5.79Mt/yr
0.30Mt/yr
65. Bagalkot Cement, Bagalkot
66. Chettinad Cement, Kallur, Gulbarga
2.50Mt/yr
0.57Mt/yr
67. HeidelbergCement, Tumkur
68. Jaiprakash Associates, Gulbarga
0.60Mt/yr
3.00Mt/yr
69. JK Cement, Muddapur, Bagalkot
70. JSW Cement, Vijaynagar, Bellary
0.60Mt/yr (PSC)
71. Kesoram Industries, Gulbarga
5.75Mt/yr
0.29Mt/yr
72. Ramco Cements, Mathodu, Chitradurga
73. UltraTech, Rajashree, Gulbarga
3.20Mt/yr
2.75Mt/yr
74. Vicat Sagar Cement (Vicat), Gulbarga
3.00Mt/yr
75. Orient Cement, Gulbarga
76. Zuari Cement (Italcementi), Gulbarga
3.20Mt/yr
(Under construction)
3.00Mt/yr (Plan)
77. Shree Cement, Kodala
78. Reliance Cement, Gulbarga
5.50Mt/yr (Plan)
79. Anjani Cement (Chettinad Cement), Gulbarga
3.00Mt/yr (Plan)
4.30Mt/yr (Plan)
80. JSW Cement, Chittapur, Gulbarga
Kerala
81. Malabar Cement, Walayar, Palakkad
0.42Mt/yr
0.42Mt/yr
Madhya Pradesh
>26.66Mt/yr
82. HeidelbergCement, Narsingarh, Rajgarh
3.10Mt/yr
83. ACC, Kymore, Katni
2.70Mt/yr
>0Mt/yr
84. Shree Cement, Bhilai, Satna
85. Birla Corp, Satna
1.73Mt/yr
3.80Mt/yr
86. Century Cement, Maihar, Satna
87. HeidelbergCement, Damoh
1.03Mt/yr
88. UltraTech, Rewa
3.20Mt/yr
89. UltraTech, Sidhi
2.00Mt/yr
90. UltraTech, Vikram, Khor, Neemuch
3.00Mt/yr
6.10Mt/yr
91. Prism Cement, Mankahari, Satna
92. Reliance Cement
5.00Mt/yr (Plan)
93. KJS Cement, Satna
94. Ambuja
Maharashtra
19.40Mt/yr
95. ACC, Chanda, Chandrapur
3.70Mt/yr
4.50Mt/yr
96. Ambuja, Awarpur, Chandrapur
97. Century Cement, Manikgarh, Gadchandur
2.80Mt/yr
98. Murli Industries, Naranda, Chandrapur
3.00Mt/yr
3.60Mt/yr
99. UltraTech, Awarpur, Chandrapur
100. UltraTech, Hotgi, Solapur
1.80Mt/yr
5.00Mt/yr
101. Reliance Cement, Butibori
(Under construction)
102. JCB India, Pune
(Plan)
(Plan)
103. JCB India, Pune
Meghalaya
104. Dalmia Bharat, Adhunik, Jaintia Hills
105. Cement Industries Ltd, Amrit, Jaintia Hills
106. Star Cement, Jaintia Hills
107. Green Valley Industries, Jaintia Hills
108. Hills Cement, Mynkee, Jaintia Hills
6.60Mt/yr
1.50Mt/yr
1.00Mt/yr
0.60Mt/yr
1.00Mt/yr
1.00Mt/yr
4.24Mt/yr
4.00Mt/yr
0.24Mt/yr
Tamil Nadu
33.85Mt/yr
135. ACC, Madukkarai, Coimbatore
1.08Mt/yr
5.50Mt/yr
136. Chettinad Cement, Ariyalur
137. Chettinad Cement, Karikkali, Dindigul
4.30Mt/yr
1.70Mt/yr
138. Chettinad Cement, Puliyur, Karur
139. Dalmia Bharat, Ariyalur
2.50Mt/yr
140. The India Cements, Dalvoi, Ariyalur
1.85Mt/yr
0.60Mt/yr
141. The India Cements, Sankri, Salem
2.05Mt/yr
142. The India Cements, Tirunelveli
143. Ramco Cements, Alathiyur, Ariyalur
3.05Mt/yr
144. Ramco Cements, Govindapuram, Ariyalur
4.00Mt/yr
145. Ramco Cements, Virudhnagar
1.50Mt/yr
146. Tamil Nadu Cements, Virudhunagar
0.40Mt/yr
0.50Mt/yr
147. Tamil Nadu Cements, Perambalur
148. UltraTech, Reddipalayam, Ariyalur
1.40Mt/yr
149. Dalmia Bharat, Dalmiapuram, Trichy
4.00Mt/yr
150. MHI (CRH)
(Plan)
Telangana
25.05Mt/yr
151. Anjani Portland Cement, Nalgonda
1.30Mt/yr
3.00Mt/yr
152. Sagar Cements, Nalgonda
153. Bheema Cements, Nalgonda
0.90Mt/yr
154. Deccan Cement, Nalgonda
1.79Mt/yr
3.50Mt/yr
155. The India Cements, Nalgonda
156. Keerthi Industries, Nalgonda
0.59Mt/yr
3.20Mt/yr
157. MHI (CRH), Mellacheruvu, Nalgonda
158. NCL Industries (CRH), Nalgonda
0.99Mt/yr
159. Sri Lalita Cement, Surva Shakti, Nalgonda
1.00Mt/yr
1.20Mt/yr
160. Penna Cement, Ganeshpahad, Nalgonda
161. Rain Cements, Ramapuram, Nalgonda
1.00Mt/yr
1.40Mt/yr
162. Zuari Cement (Italcementi), Nalgonda
163. Penna Cement, Tandur, Reddy
2.00Mt/yr
164. Kesoram Industries, Karimnagar
1.50Mt/yr
0.33Mt/yr
165. Mancherial Cement, Adilabad
166. Orient Cement, Devapur, Adilabad
1.35Mt/yr

Uttar Pradesh
7.40Mt/yr
167. ACC, Tikaria, Nagar
3.00Mt/yr
0.50Mt/yr
168. Jaiprakash Associates, Dalla, Sonebhadra
169. Jaiprakash Associates, Sadwa, Allahabad
0.60Mt/yr
170. UltraTech, Aligarh, Kasimpur, Aligarh
1.30Mt/yr
171. Reliance Cement, Rae Bareli
2.00Mt/yr
172. Ambuja
West Bengal
173. Burnpur Cement, Asanol, Burdwan
174. Century Cement, Murshidabad
1.33Mt/yr
0.33Mt/yr
1.00Mt/yr
Summary
Active integrated cement plants
Active integrated cement plant capacity
Grinding plants (not shown here)
Grinding plant capacity
155
>301.41Mt/yr
91
>109.505Mt/yr
Jammu & Kashmir

60
59
56
57
54-55
Himachal Pradesh
Haryana
Punjab
Arunachal
Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Rajasthan
129
115
116, 121
134 117
126
53
119
122
127
131
170
51
52
43-44
47
90
82
Gujarat
94
Madhya Pradesh
93
83
92
46
Maharashtra
102-103
169
Bihar
87
Kerala
61
Meghalaya
Tripura
West Bengal
173
Manipur
28
Mizoram
Odisha
112
113
164
165-166
Telengana
151-162
23
1, 4, 10, 14, 19
2, 11-12
9, 13, 17-18, 24-25
15, 16, 20, 22
3, 5-6, 8, 21, 26
Andhra Pradesh
65, 75
70 71
72
Karnataka
67
81
36
34-35, 38-39, 41
32, 40 33, 37
64, 66, 68, 71

163
73-74, 76, 78-80
62
7, 158
77
69
31
Jharkhand
62
Nagaland
104-111
174
89
88
84-86, 91
29-30
95-99
100
Goa
Assam
42
Chhattisgarh
101
Mumbai
Sikkim
168
45, 48, 50
49
27
New Delhi, Delhi

128
132-133
124-125
Uttar Pradesh
114, 118
167
172
123, 130
120
171
150
135
136-141
143-144
147-149
145-146
142
Tamil Nadu
Figure 2: Integrated cement plants and those planned or

under construction in India in 2014. States colour-coded
by cement production capacity Source: The Global Cement
Directory 2015 and Global Cement research.
0Mt/yr
0-2Mt/yr
2-5Mt/yr
5-10Mt/yr
10-30Mt/yr
>30Mt/yr
53

assets from the transferor company (Ambuja) with
the transferee company (Holcim India), except shares
held by Ambuja in other companies that were transferred to Holcim. Subsequently, Holcim did not see
itself as liable for stamp duty.
During 2014-2015, ACC commissioned a grinding
and blending plant in Udupi, Karnataka. The plant
uses fly ash from Udupi Power Corporations thermal
power plant and can blend 30,000t/month of cement.
Clinker from ACCs plant in Wadi, Gulbarga is used
for cement production at the blending plant. ACC
also invested US$499m to modernise its Jamul plant
in Chhattisgarh by decommissioning the existing
plant and building a 4Mt/yr modern cement plant.
It is expected to be finished by the second quarter
of 2015. In the future, ACC plans to add a 1.5Mt/yr
grinding unit to its plant in Jharkhand.
The construction of Ambujas three 1.5Mt/yr capacity greenfield cement plants in Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh continued in 2014-2015.
Its works on 0.8Mt/yr of additional clinker capacity in
West Bengal and Rajasthan also continued.
UltraTech Cement (Aditya Birla Group)

UltraTech Cement, part of the Aditya Birla Group, is
Indias second-largest cement producer by integrated
production capacity. It had 15 cement plants and
32.2Mt/yr of capacity in 2014, mostly concentrated in
the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
This includes 0.56Mt/yr of white cement production
capacity from its plant in Jodhur, Rajasthan. UltraTech
also had 11 grinding plants with 13.2Mt/yr of production capacity, which are more evenly distributed
across the country.
During 2014, UltraTech made several sizeable
investments, including the acquisition of Jaiprakash
Associates 4.8Mt/yr cement plant in Gujarat. The
plant came with a 57.5MW coal-fired power plant,
Right - Table 1: The top 15

cement producers in India in
2014, as ranked by installed
integrated cement production
capacity. Sources: The Global
Cement Directory 2015 and
Global Cement research.
54
Company
Plants
Capacity (Mt/yr)
Holcim
15
44.97
UltraTech Cement
15
32.16
Chettinad Cement
14.80
JK Cement
14.60
Dalmia Group
14.50
The India Cements
12.97
Ramco Cements
>12.49
Century Cement
9.70
Vicat
7.75
10
Shree Cement
>6.00
11
JSW Cement
5.40
12
Zuari Cement
5.20
13
Penna Cement
5.00
14
Sagar Cements
5.00
15
HeidelbergCement
4.70
90 years of limestone reserves and a captive jetty at

Sewagram, Maharashtra, for US$627m. As part of
the deal, UltraTech absorbed US$614m of debt from
Jaiprakash Associates and issued UltraTech shares
worth US$25.2m to Jaiprakash Associates. UltraTech
also bought two of Jaiprakash Associates cement
plants with 5.2Mt/yr of combined cement capacity
and one 0.56Mt/yr grinding plant, all in Madhya
Pradesh. A 180MW power plant that supplies all of
the plants was included, for a total of US$740m in
loan certificates and US$16m of shares. UltraTech
has assumed a net debt and negative working capital
of US$128m associated with the businesses. This puts
the overall value of the transaction at US$628m.
UltraTech was also reportedly in talks to buy
Jaiprakash Associates cement assets in Solan,
Himachal Pradesh, for US$644m. The assets include
a 2Mt/yr grinding and blending plant and a 2Mt/yr
integrated cement plant. No further updates have
been forthcoming regarding this deal.
In 2014, UltraTech Cement Middle East
Investments acquired a 51% stake in Omani gypsum
mining company Awam Minerals LLC, which has
a license to mine gypsum deposits in the south of
Oman. The gypsum will be suppled to UltraTechs
cement plants in India, among others, addressing its
gypsum shortage.
Chettinad Cement
Chettinad Cement, including its majority stake in
Anjani Portland Cement, had five integrated cement
plants and 14.8Mt/yr of cement production capacity
in 2014. Three of its plants are located in Tamil Nadu,
making it sensitive to regional market forces and
intense local competition. Although it had no active
grinding plants, Chettinad Cement has two under
construction in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. It
is Indias third-largest cement producer.
Chettinad Cement acquired additional holdings
in Anjani Cement, both on the market and through
off-market transactions, during 2014. By the end of
the year, Chettinad Cement had increased its stake to
66.08%. Anjani Cement has a 1.3Mt/yr cement plant in
Nalgonda, Telangana and plans to construct a 3Mt/yr
cement plant in Gulbarga, Karnataka.
In 2014, Chettinad Cement announced multiple
expansion plans of its own, including a 3Mt/yr greenfield cement plant in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh and
two additional 2Mt/yr grinding plants in Solapur,
Maharashtra. It also intends to expand its 2.5Mt/yr
cement plant in Gulbarga, Karnataka to 5.75Mt/yr
and to install an on-site 130MW captive thermal
power plant.
JK Lakshmi Cement
JK Lakshmi Cement had 14.6Mt/yr of active integrated cement production capacity in India in 2014,
including 0.4Mt/yr of white cement capacity. It is
Indias fourth-largest cement producer. Of its six

cement plants, four are in the northwestern state of
Rajasthan, making it sensitive to regional market
forces. It also had three grinding plants with 6.35Mt/yr
of production capacity.
In 2014, JK Cement commissioned its 2.7Mt/yr
capacity cement plant in Durg, Chhattisgarh. In 2013,
the under-construction plant had attracted the wrath
of the local inhabitants, who set fire to part of it.
They were reportedly angered by the reluctance of JK
Cement to give jobs to people affected by the project.
During 2014, JK Cement also commenced shipments from its expanded cement plant in Mangrol,
Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. It plans to eventually increase
the plants capacity to 3Mt/yr.
Dalmia Group: Dalmia Bharat and OCL India

Dalmia Group operates Dalmia Bharat and OCL
India, which between them had five cement plants
with 14.5Mt/yr of cement production capacity in
2014. This makes Dalmia Group Indias fifth-largest
cement producer. Dalmia Group also had three
grinding plants via OCL with 4.65Mt/yr of capacity,
as its 2Mt/yr grinding plant in Paschim Medinipur,
West Bengal, was completed in 2014.
In September 2014, Dalmia Group announced
that is was looking at a merger of its listed cement
companies Dalmia Bharat and OCL. Dalmia Bharat
owns a 48% stake in OCL. As part of the plan, Dalmia
Bharat would also merge its unlisted arm, Dalmia
Bharat Enterprises, with itself. Dalmia Bharat Enterprises would eventually own a minority stake in the
merged listed entity. A previous merger of Dalmia
Bharat and OCL India failed in 2008. There have been
no updates regarding the merger since.
In March 2014, Dalmia Bharat acquired Jaiprakash
Associates 74% stake in Bokaro Jaypee Cement,
which was formed as a 74:26 joint venture project between Jaiprakash Associates and the Steel Authority
of India Ltd (SAIL), for the operation of a 2.1Mt/yr
capacity grinding plant at Bokaro, Jharkhand. Later
in 2014, Dalmia Bharat acquired the final 26% stake
from the SAIL for US$150m.
The India Cements

The India Cements is Indias sixth-largest cement
producer. Including its subsidiary company Trinetra
Cement, it had eight integrated cement plants with
12.9Mt/yr of cement production capacity in 2014.
Most of the plants are located in southern India, in
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The India Cements also had two grinding plants with 2.2Mt/yr of
production capacity in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
In May 2014, The India Cements announced plans
to merge with its subsidiary, Trinetra Cements, to
consolidate its cement operations. The merger would
also include Trishul Concrete Products and involve
selling land near its plants in Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh. No further announcements have been made.
The India Cements plans to increase the
production capacity of its cement plant in Salem,

Tamil Nadu, from 0.6Mt/yr to 1.70Mt/yr with an investment of US$13.3m. The plant will have a new line
and the existing kiln will be optimised. The project is
currently waiting for environmental clearance.
No significant events were reported from Ramco
Cements or Century Cement, Indias seventh- and
eighth-largest cement producers, in 2014.
Vicat Group
Vicat Group was the ninth-largest cement producer
in India by installed integrated cement capacity in
2014. It had two cement plants with 7.75Mt/yr of production capacity and no standalone grinding plants.
In September 2014, Vicat completed the acquisition of Sagar Cements 47% stake in their joint
venture company, Vicat Sagar Cement. Sagar and
Vicat entered into the joint venture in June 2008 to set
up a 5.5Mt/yr cement plant in Gulbarga, Karnataka.
The first phase of the plant, which was to reach a
production capacity of 2.75Mt/yr, was completed in
December 2012 and production commenced in January 2013. The plant includes its own captive power
plant and access to the rail network.
Shree Cement
Shree Cement, Indias 10th-largest cement producer,
had four cement plants and >6Mt/yr of installed
capacity in 2014. Only the production capacity of
its two 3Mt/yr plants in Rajasthan are known and
accounted for. Shree Cement also had five grinding
plants with 9.5Mt/yr of production capacity. Three of
the plants are in Rajasthan.
During 2014, Shree Cement acquired Jaiprakash
Associates 1.5Mt/yr capacity grinding plant in Panipat, Haryana, for US$59.6m. It also won a two-year
extension from the government to establish a 3Mt/yr
mega-cement plant, limestone mine and 150MW
power plant at Kodala, Karnataka.
In the near future, Shree Cement plans to expand its captive limestone-mining project at Raipur,
Chhattisgarh from 4.8Mt/yr to 8.6Mt/yr. The project
is part of its integrated cement plant. The expansion
is currently waiting for environmental clearance and
is expected to commence within two years. It also
plans to set up a 3Mt/yr grinding plant in Dhenkanal,
Odisha for US$74.4m. The location would enable
utilisation of the fly ash produced at nearby power
plants. A 2Mt/yr grinding plant in Aurangabad,
Maharashtra is also on the cards for US$54m. The
plant would also have a 12MW biomass-based
captive power station.
Scan the QR code

below or enter the
bit.ly code into
your web-brower
to read more about
the Indian cement
industry
online,
including
about
Amma
Cement,
Coalgate, gypsum
shortages and the
future....
JSW Group
JSW Cement, part of JSW Group, was Indias number
11 cement producer in 2014 with two cement plants
and 5.4Mt/yr of production capacity. It also had two
grinding plants with 1.5Mt/yr of capacity...
See more
http://bit.ly/
1DOJitk
55
GLOBAL CEMENT NEWS: M EAST & AFRICA

South Africa: New CEO for PPC
he board of PPC has been newly-constituted

following the companys annual general meeting.
Shareholders have elected six new board members.
From a reduced list of 10 nominees, shareholders
elected former Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni,
former PPC finance director Peter Nelson, Nicky Goldin,
Timothy Leaf-Wright, former Afrisam CEO Charles Naude
and Daniel Ufitikirezi. Ufitikirezi is chairperson of PPCs
Rwandan business. The appointment of Darryll Castle as
CEO was also approved by shareholders and Tryphosa
Ramano retained her position as CFO.
Zimbabwe: Chinese cement plant project

threatened by mineral rights tussle
lans to build a cement plant in Zvishavane by Chinese

investors have been challenged as it has emerged that the
mining rights in the area belong to Shabanie Mashaba Mines
(SMM). This may delay the project as SMM is still the subject
of an ownership dispute between the government and South
African-based businessman Mutumwa Mawere. The project
was intended to be built 30km away from Zvishavane along
the Zvishavane-Mbalabala road. It was part of the deal made
with China after president Robert Mugabes visit to China in
2014, as well as negotiations between the Joint ZimbabweChina Permanent Commission.
Ethiopia: Qatari investors

to build plant in Ethiopia
Qatari business group plans to

invest US$500m in Ethiopia. The
group met with Ethiopias president to
discuss their investment plans, which
include a cement plant in Dire Dawa,
as well as other industrial facilities. No
specifics have been announced as to
the capacity of the cement plant.
Contents
Subscribe
Ad Index
Zimbabwe: Lafarge plant expansion
afarge Cement Zimbabwe is going ahead with its

upgrade plans to increase its cement production
capacity from 390,000t/yr to 450,000t/yr. The upgrade
will cost US$15-20m, according to Lafarge Cement
Zimbabwe CEO Amal Tantawi.
Lafarge has a nominal capacity. We could produce
up to 450,000t, but we do have some challenges that we
are working on. Beyond that, we want to stabilise and be
able to reach our maximum capacity, but that will not
come before 2016, said Tantawi. The challenges that we
are facing are the cement mills that cannot reach their
capacity, but we are looking at installing new mills by
2016. Once we do the upgrade, we will be able to operate
at a maximum capacity of 450,000t.
Tantawi said that 2014 was not a good year. Group
revenue for the half year that ended in June 2014 declined by 12.5% to US$28.2m, while gross profit was
US$9.4m, compared to US$14.1m in the same period
of 2013. Traditionally, the second half of the year has
always been better in terms of business growth and that
trend is expected to continue in 2015. Going forward,
the construction industry has positive growth prospects
premised on the mounting housing backlog and the
pressing need for overall infrastructural rehabilitation
and development. The company is well positioned to take
advantage of the expected growth in the construction
sector, said Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe in a statement.
Egypt: Misr Beni Suef Cement starts US$26.2m coal mill
isr Beni Suef Cement has begun the construction of a US$26.2m coal mill at
its cement plant. The coal will be used as an alternative to natural gas and
mazut, a low-quality fuel oil. Misr Beni Suef received part of the funding through
a US$13.1m loan from the Egyptian Gulf Bank (EGBE). Company managing director Farouk Mustafa expects the coal mill to be completed in October 2015.
Mustafa said that using mazut is a temporary solution to the insufficient natural
gas supply, to avoid halting production during gas outages. He added that this
solution does not prevent losses due to a lack of energy, which has resulted in a
50% capacity utilisation rate.
Egypt: Court halts appeal against privatisation of cement plant
he Supreme Administrative Court has decided to pause

an investigation into the appeal against the privatisation
of Beni Suef Cement Company.
The court ordered the reinstatement of workers to the
company, but decided to suspend looking into the appeal
of the privatisation. The suspension is pending another
court decision in a case questioning the constitutionality of
a law that was issued in 2014, which bans third parties from
challenging sales or investment contracts signed between
the government and investors.
The law in question stipulates that courts must suspend
viewing appeals of contracts, even if the cases were brought
to court prior to the issuance of the law. The law was approved
in April 2014 by former interim president Adli Mansour and
was heavily criticised by the Egyptian Centre for Social and
56
Economic Rights (ECESR) for its issuance. The ECESR said

that the law wastes the rights of citizens and workers from
detecting suspicions of corruption in contracts.
The controversy over Beni Suef Cement is more than a
decade old. The plant, which has 1.5Mt/yr of cement production capacity, was sold in 1999 when it was owned as a joint
venture project between Lafarge and Titan. In 2002, Titan
acquired the shares owned by Lafarge and has since whollyowned the plant.
In February 2014, an administrative court ruled in favour
of the privatisation, but ordered the reinstatement of the
workers, as stipulated in the sales contract. The court ruling
was appealed by the workers, who want the privatisation to
be reversed, as well as by company officials, who do not want
to bear the costs of reinstating the workers.
1213 MAY 2015
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27/02/2015 16:42
GLOBAL CEMENT NEWS: MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

Guina-Bissau: Scancem applied to IFC for
Euro11m grinding plant loan
axime Cardoz and Scancem, a HeidelbergCement

subsidiary, have applied to the International Finance
Corporation (IFC) for a Euro11m loan to help finance GuineaBissaus first clinker grinding plant. The project is estimated
to cost a total of Euro22m.
The Cardoz Cimentos de Bissau project is 60% owned by
Cardoz and 40% owned by Scancem. It will be located 1.5km
from the port of Bissau, in an area that absorbs 50% of the
countrys cement consumption. Cement consumption in
Guinea-Bissau is dependent upon imports, mainly sourced
from Senegal via the countrys sole port at Bissau. Cement
imports account for 80% of its international trade.
Zambia: Amaka Cement Industries plant
cirocco Enterprises Limited has entered into an agreement

with a consortium to construct a state-of-the-art 2500t/
day cement plant in Makeni, Lusaka at cost of US$200m.
Scirocco Enterprises managing director Moustafa Saadi said
that the company, Amaka Cement Industries Limited, had
been incorporated in Zambia.
Saadi said that Scirocco has entered into an agreement
with a Chinese firm and an international investor to carry out
the project. The agreement has been signed and a feasibility study is being undertaken to establish the viability of the
project. As soon as the exploration work that needs to be
carried out is finalised, an environmental impact assessment
will be carried out to comply with the prevailing laws, said
Saadi. We expect that the process can be concluded quickly
without any undue delays.
Construction of the plant is set to start in September 2015
and is expected to be completed by 2017. Amaka Cement
Industries would produce two grades of cement for the local
and international markets.
Tanzania: Twiga Cement shut over dust
he National Environment Management Council

(NEMC) has closed down Tanzania Portland Cement
Company (Twiga) for environmental pollution. NEMC
senior legal officer Heche Suguta said that the plant
was also required to pay US$26,944 in penalties. The
NEMC established that the plant was discharging a huge
amount of dust. We have asked the plant management
to work this out several times, but they have not taken
any steps to mitigate the problem, said Suguta.
Previously, Twiga had four chimneys to emit its
pollutants, but three have broken down and the plant
now uses just one out-dated chimney, which has been
overwhelmed. The NEMC has received complaints from
residents surrounding the area that the dust from the
plant was causing headaches and respiratory problems.
Twigas managing director and area manager for East
Africa Alfonso Rodriguez said that Twiga has ordered a
new filter, which might take a month to arrive.
58
News in brief
Nigeria: Dangote Cements new CEO
Dangote Cement has appointed Onne van der Weijde as
CEO, effective from 1 February 2015. Van der Weijde, exHolcim India head, replaced Devakumar Edwin.
Saudi Arabia: Sales rose by 3% in 2014

Saudi Arabias cement sales rose by 3% year-on-year to
57.2Mt in 2014, up from 55.3Mt in 2013. In the fourth
quarter of 2014, Saudi Arabias cement sales reached
14.6Mt, compared to 12.7Mt in the same period of 2013
and 11.6Mt in the third quarter of 2014. In December
2014, Saudi Cement Company sold 785,000t, followed
by Southern Province Cement with 769,000t and Yanbu
Cement with 623,000t.
Tanzania: Energy and minerals minister

resigns over graft scandal
The energy and minerals minister has resigned amid a
graft scandal, though he called himself incorruptible and
denied wrongdoing. Sospeter M Muhongo became the
third cabinet member, after the attorney general and the
minister for land, to lose his job over the scandal, which
involves the transfer of at least US$122m. The scandal
erupted in November 2014 when lawmakers concluded
that senior government officials had fraudulently authorised the transfer of public funds to a private company.
South Africa: New chairman for GBCSA

The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has
appointed Seana Nkhahle from the South African Local
Government Association (SALGA) as its new chairman.
Nkhahle takes over the reins from long-time chairman
Bruce Kerswill, who played a leading role in the formation
of the council.
Egypt: 19 cement companies have

applied for coal usage in Egypt
The Egyptian Ministry of Environment has received 19
requests from cement companies to use coal. The ministry is reviewing the environmental evaluation reports
submitted by the companies to ensure that they comply
with safety standards. Out of the 19, three have already
started experimental usage of coal; Arabian Cement,
Suez Cement and Lafarge.
Kenya: Mombasa Cement sues Kenindia

Mombasa Cement wants Kenindia Insurance to pay it
US$17.5m for losses it suffered in 2012 from an accident
on its premises in a suit filed at the Nairobi High Court.
It is seeking a total of US$24m, inclusive of interest, for
losses it incurred in 2011-2012 following the collapse of a
cement blending silo on its premises.
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GLOBAL CEMENT: CONFERENCE REVIEW
Robert McCaffrey, Editorial Director
9th Global CemFuels Conference - Reviewed

The 9th Global CemFuels Conference on alternative fuels (AF) for the cement industry has
successfully taken place in Dubai on 16-17 February 2015, with 140 delegates from 31
countries, including 24 presentations, and with 26 exhibitors on AF-related equipment
and services. The 10th Global CemFuels Conference, Exhibition and Awards will take place in
Prague in February 2016.
he 9th Global CemFuels

Conference started with a
welcome party in the exhibition
area, showcasing 26 companies
offering a wide range of alternative fuels equipment and
services: Exhibitors reported
many useful sales leads over the
course of the event.
First Day - 16 February

2015
Jan Theulen of HeidelbergCement started the conference
by pointing out that even in his
group, which has made strenuous efforts to increase AF usage
rates, many plants are still
hardly using AF at all. Jan suggested that the first 5% of AF
use is the hardest: AFR (alternative fuels and raw materials)
are blamed for any process
disturbance. Jan admitted that,
if not processed correctly, even
a feed including 1% of contaminated soil could lead to
VOC emission limit problems.
If the kiln is run at lower than
1% O2 at the kiln inlet it is hard
to burn AF without generating
CO peaks. However, other
factors can have much greater
effects - sulphur input from
tyres, for example, is dwarfed
by the potential variability of
sulphur input from raw materials such as limestone. The
first permit that is granted
for AF use at a plant will be
scrutinised in detail and officials can typically take the
view that even if AF is used
elsewhere, that the same rules do not apply here, or
that the AF is different. Jan stated that ongoing train-
ing for employees is crucial,

with plant personnel, mangers
and executives all receiving
training at HC, partly through
a popular dedicated section on
AF on the companys intranet.
HeidelbergCement has ambitious targets to increase AF use
to 30% thermal substitution
rate (TSR) company-wide by
2020. The companys new cement plant in Tula in Russia
started to use AF only one year
2
after the plants start-up, using
locally-available sawdust. In another example, Jan spoke about
a plant in Jakarta which uses
1.2Mt/yr of coal in its eight kiln
lines, even while Jakarta generates 10,000t/day of municipal
solid waste (MSW), all of which
currently goes to landfill. A
simple pilot plant was built that
tripled the calorific density of
3
the waste by covering it and by
blowing air through it to dry it,
making it useable for cement
fuel. At the Ammasandra plant
near Bangalore, very simple
devices were constructed by
plant personnel in order to use
locally-available AF including glass fibres from windmill
blades. At a project in Togo, the
company diverted part of the
4
waste that was due for landfilling towards reuse at its cement
plant. Waste sampling showed
that proper preparation could
add sufficient value to make its
use economic. He concluded
that each plant must make its
own path to success.
Dr Bassem Nassouhy of Lafarges EcoCem company suggested that with the worlds population
1: A delegate from Southern

Province Cement Company
(Saudi Arabia) asks a question of
one of the presenters.
2: Peter Streinik (left) speaks

with visitors to the UNTHA
shredding technology stand.
3: All smiles at the ECARU stand.

From left to right: Ahmed Essmat
(ECARU), Tamer El Gouahri
(Beeah), Hisham Sherif (ECARU),
Randa Mohammed (ECARU) and
Andre van Steenberge
(Cimenteries CBR).
4: Packaging specialists
Alghadeer Packaging Materials
Factory pose for the camera.
They received many
quality visitors.
59

5
5: The exhibition stand of AF

preparation and dosing experts
Di Matteo Frderanlagen GmbH.
From left to right: Luigi
Di Matteo, Clelia Di Matteo,
Svetoslav Chopov
(all Di Matteo) and Christophe
Pringuet (Fives FCB).
6: Rob Leighton (left) and Ben
Morgan (second left) of FPE
Global speaking with visitors on
the FPE Global stand.
7: Heikki Jyrkinen (left) of

waste baling, wrapping and
unwrapping experts Cross Wrap
Oy meets Marcos Aritzi of Rekom
A/S on the Cross Wrap stand.
8: The Masias Recycling team
in discussion.
9: Christophe Garcia of
PRCIMCA on the
company stand.
10: Discussions ongoing on the
Entsorga stand.
heading towards 9 billion by 2050, we

should do more with less and that we
should reuse everything. A cement
plant can be at the heart - or at least
be a vital link - in a circular industrial
economy, reusing industrial byproducts
from other industries. Use of AF has
a positive environmental impact, but
also, of course, has a positive business
impact as well. Production of a tonne
of cement requires the use of 1.6t of
raw materials, and 0.1t of oil equivalent (TOE). Bassem pointed out the
many advantages that the cement kiln
has over the destruction of waste in an
incinerator, since the kiln has a long
residence time, much higher temperature and incorporation of any slag or ash
into the clinker, as well as self-cleaning
of the exhaust gases in the preheater. Dr
Nassouhy said that before a load of AF
can be delivered to the cement plant,
it must first be analysed, then a quotation for acceptance created, before the
delivery takes place: pretreatment then
takes place before use at the
cement plant. He then enumerated Lafarges 31 companies,
10
12 of which are wholly-owned,
that deal with waste for AF. The
company has a target of 50%
TSR by 2020, but is at a TSR rate
of around 20% in 2015. In the
Czech Republic, the companys
11: Pietro Cella of Entsorga (left) in discussion with

Metsos Jens Ole Simonsen.
11
60
12: Vecoplans Michael Held (left) and Patryk Max

(centre left) with Saad Abuhantach of Loesche Middle East
(centre right) and Majdi Khalil of CTP Team Srl (right).
12
highest AF user, the Lafarge plant

has a TSR of around 80%, followed
by Germany, Austria and Poland. Lafarge EcoCem in the UAE is engaged
in processing a wide variety of waste
streams created within the Emirates
and further afield, including hydrocarbon sludges, drill cuttings, spent
pot liners and other wastes.
Dirk Lechtenberg of MVW
Lechtenberg spoke about the effects
of the reduction in the oil price and
also on the possible effects on the cement industry of the LafargeHolcim
merger. The merger aims to create
a company with a total capacity of
around 230Mt of cement production capacity, with many obligatory
divestments in various markets, but
mainly in Europe. Due to these divestments, the alternative fuel TSR
rate will be reduced company wide
after the merger, from around 17% to
below 10%. It is possible that CRH,
which will take over many of the
divested (high TSR) European
plants, will become the company
with the highest TSR, at over
30%, higher even than the current leader, Cemex. To state the
obvious, oil production at the
moment is higher than demand
so that the price has dropped.
At the same time, the coal price
12: The Schenck Process stand. Left to right: Omar

Khammash (Kada Engineering Supplies), Kalarivayil
Satheesan (Schenck) and Erich Rexin (Schenck).
13

14: Jori Kaaresmaa of BMH
Technology Oy (left) explains an
aspect of his companys
Tyrannosaurus range of shredding equipment to a visitor.
15
14
16
15: Many enquiries were

received at the WTW & MHC
Group stand.
16: Molinaris Giovanni
Gervasoni (left) and Laura
Quarteroni are all smiles at
their exhibition booth.
17: Lindner recyclingtechs
Marco Egger (left) and Andr
Gomes pose for the camera.
17
has dropped dramatically. The cost of collection and
processing of AF is around Euro35/t for 4000kCal/
kg fuel. Dirk pointed out that if the coal price drops
to around US$50/t then the use of AF will not make
much economic sense - unless you receive a gate fee
for processing the waste. Dirk forecast tough times
for the AF industry in the next few years - especially
in MENA - due to the low price of oil and coal.
Ed Verhamme of Alternative
Resource Partners next spoke
about pricing factors for AF. He
said that cement plant managers will ask themselves a simple
question: Is it cheaper than coal?
If the potential alternative fuel
is cheaper than coal, then it is
likely to be considered - and if
not cheaper than coal, then it
will probably not be considered.
However, AF has other costs associated with its
use, including storage, feeding, processing, quality
control, loss of production, continuous emissions
monitoring and other issues. Ed pointed out that
whatever your prospective AF, you will find somebody, somewhere, trying to eliminate that waste from
the market within the next five to 10 years, so that
you have to have flexibility in AF fuel supply. Costs
involved in AF supply are collection, transportation,
21
18
19
pre-processing, documentation, receiving, handling,

treatment, co-processing, monitoring and reporting.
The price that can be levied or achieved is partly dependent on the costs involved in alternative disposal
of the material. Landfill costs in Europe, for example,
never decrease, whereas in the US there is seldom
a tax for placing material in a landfill. Ed pointed
out that cement kilns are often versed against incineration and EfW (energy from
waste) facilities and these facilities often do not care too much
about the quality and calorific
value of the material. Incinerators
in continental Europe have now
achieved R1 status, to allow the
materials that they use to count
20 as being recycled. At the moment,
the UK is exporting around 1.5Mt
of refuse-derived-fuel (RDF) to
continental Europe, since the UK has not built sufficient EfW facilities and there is currently a major
surplus of EfW facilities in the continent - so that
material is traveling down the route of most value.
Andy Hill of Sita UK next gave a manufacturers
perspective on RDF. Sita handles around 8.7Mt/yr
of post consumer material and is part of major international group Suez Environmental. Andy spoke
of the evolution of societies towards being circular
22
18: Salem Abdullah Al-Hajry

(centre) and Hilal Saif Al-Dhamri
(left) of Oman Cement
Company consult alternative
fuels consultant Dirk
Lechtenberg of MVW
Lechtenberg & Partner
19: Wear gurus Kalenborn smile

for the camera: Stavros Krekos
(left) and Ernst Brusche (right).
20: Brian McGrath of OLM

Technical Services (left) meets
Ben Sawley of Resource Co Asia
during the Global CemFuels
speed-dating session.
Below: In the best presentation

awards, voted for by the
delegates, Neville Roberts of
N+P was third (21), Jan Theulen
of HeidelbergCement was
second (22) and Ted T Reese
was the winner. Ted also won
the Global CemFuels Personality
of the Year Award, which he is
seen accepting from conference
convenor Robert McCaffrey (23).
23
61
24: The joint Thorwesten Vent,

Yara International and robecco
stand won the prize for the best
exhibition stand.
25: Tom Dannemiller of

analytical experts SABIA Inc.
receives visitors.
26: The FLSmidth stand. From

left to right: Daniel Ap (Lafarge
Emirates Cement), Peter Erbel
(FLSmidth Wadgassen GmbH),
Hassan Jradi (FLSmidth Pfister
GmbH) and Thomas Jennewein
(FLSmidth Pfister).
27: Putzmeister Solid Pumps

Roman Eggert (left) welcomes
Convaeros Sales and Services
Marcus von Reden (centre) and
Juan Carlos Hernandez (right)
during the relaxed drinks
reception on the first evening of
the event.
28-31: Winners of the Global

CemFuels Awards 2015.
28: HeidelbergCements Slite
plant won AF project of the year
for its efforts to burn at a TSR
rate of over 60%.
29: N+P won AF supplier of
the year.
30: Putzmeister Solid Pumps
took away the prize for AF
technology of the year.
31: Cemex won AF user
of the year.
28
62
economies, with recycled (former waste) resources becoming

input materials for other industries. New jobs are generated
as recycling is increased. Andy
said that in the last seven years
around 20Mt of waste has been
24
diverted from ending up in landfills in the UK. However, there
are significant costs involved in
upgrading materials so that they
can be used as fuels in the cement industry: basic RDF has a
calorific value (CV) up to 15MJ/
kg, with SRF (secondary recy25
cled fuel) having values above
this and typically having lower
particle size, lower moisture and
higher quality parameters. Andy
suggested that the SRF export/
import market in Northern Europe is a long-term market, with
players now seeking long-term
contracts. Sita now has permits
26
to export 4.6Mt of RDF from
the UK each year. He said that
some brokers add real value,
if they innovate in logistics,
in technology and if they can
respond fast to any market
changes. However, the company
has built supply chains to bring
its manufactured fuels directly
to the customer, for example in
lime, in power, in iron and steel
27
and in cement. Andy pointed
out that the alternative fuel
industry in the UK has been attractive for illegal operators, and in response to this there will be stricter
rules to smoke out the crooks: financial bonds will be
put in place before permits are issued and there will
be fit and proper person tests. He forecast that SRF
will soon be exported to non-EU countries when the
conditions are right.
Brian McGrath of OLM consultancy next asked
the question why do some plants have high TSR, and
many other plants have low or zero rates? He pointed
out that a plants license to operate is never actually
given by the local community, but can certainly be
29
30
withdrawn. Vociferous campaigns

against AF use in cement plants
have meant that projects have
had to be abandoned in the past.
Dealing with the community is
a case of managing perceptions,
he said. One approach to communication is to start early: an
invitation to an open day, followed
by a public meeting (listening,
not telling), then an invitation to
form a community liaison committee and then a willingness to
engage with the process may all
be sensible and effective steps.
Brian pointed out that the regulators are essentially interested
in what goes up the kiln stack.
Dioxins, furans, volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), acid gases
such as sodium, fluorine, chloride and sulphur, nitrous oxides,
heavy metals and dust do not
necessarily increase with AF
use, and some can be reduced
significantly. There are many
technical risks in using AF, but
all of them can be managed. A
level of 200mg/kg of total chlorine in the fuel may be extended
to 300mg/kg if SO3 levels are low,
in order to avoid heavy and problematic coating and blockages.
Brian finished by saying that
higher volumes of gas will also be
needed when using AF...
Scan the QR code below or enter the bit.ly

code into your brower to read more about the
CemFuels Conference & Exhibition, see the conference photo gallery and access the video....
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GLOBAL CEMENT: PRICES
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Here Global Cement Magazine presents its monthly review of global cement prices, in US$ for easy comparison. Much more price information
(including the latest information on prices and market trends throughout the global cement industry from our price correspondents) is only
available to subscribers of Global Cement Magazine.
To get the latest prices, you should subscribe - See page 64. In this
issue subscribers receive further information from the US, as well as
Ghana, the Philippines, Honduras, South Africa, Sudan and Sri Lanka.
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If so, Global Cement Magazine needs you!
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Indonesia: The government of Indonesia has announced a US$0.24/bag (50kg) cut in the price
of cement, which currently trades for around
US$3.94/bag in Jakarta. Cement prices are not
actually regulated by the government, but analysts
have suggested the government may try to influence them through its control of Semen Indonesia,
which has a 44% market share.
India: On 5 February 2015, the Confederation
of Real Estate Developers Associations of India
(CREDAI) urged the state government of Andhra
Pradesh to take the measures necessary to bring
about a reduction in the price of cement.
CREDAI State president A Siva Reddy said the
construction industry was facing hardships due to
prices that have hit US$6.40/bag (50kg) in Andhra
Pradesh. He pointed to neighbouring Telengana,
where cement cost around US$4.47-4.83/bag. He
also railed against rapidly-increasing sand prices.
Just a day later, on 6 February 2015, the Andhra
Pradesh government turned down a request from
cement companies to increase cement price. The
Cabinet sub committee led by Finance Minister
Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, which reviewed the
cement prices with cement company representatives, said that their request was not justified.
Indeed, the committee asked them to bring
down the price to the level of July 2014, when it
was about US$3.70/bag, in light of reductions in
transport costs due to lower diesel prices.
Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy said, Looking after the welfare of the people is not the
responsibility of the government alone.
Industry should keep this aspect in
mind. They have no option but to
cut the prices. We have provided
several concessions including in
the form of lower taxes. Even
though there is no demand
for cement, hiking its prices
is a matter of concern for
the government.
Gaza: Re-building efforts in Gaza
following the summer-autumn
2014 conflict with Israel are having
a devastating effect
on cement prices and
with it the ability of
local residents to rebuild
their homes and businesses.
Cement inside the UN-monitored Shamali warehouse, where
locals hope to be able to get the cement
they need to build their homes after the recent
conflict, costs US$6.81/bag (50kg). Those wishing
to buy cement have to check whether or not their
name is on the list of those allowed to purchase
the commodity at that price.
Outside the warehouse traders re-sell the
same bags at about US$40/bag. One of the traders
outside the warehouse reported to the UK-based
Guardian newspaper that he is happy to sell cement at inflated prices outside the warehouse.
Some people come, their name is not on the list
and so they buy cement from us, he says. He claims
he doesnt make more than US$23.8/t of cement
he re-sells.
Tanzania: The National Environment Management
Council (NEMC) closed down Tanzania Portland
Cement Company (TPCC) indefinitely on 5 February 2015 over concerns about dust pollution. This
has led to fears that cement prices could rise in the
east African nation as TPCC makes around 1.4Mt/yr
of Tanzanias 3.0Mt/yr cement supply.
US: Martin Marietta has announced a price increase
of US$10/t in Texas and California, where it recently
bought the cement plants of Texas Industries.
Prices are for cement in metric tonnes, unless stated otherwise. Where a source has given a range,
the published price is the minimum value.
FOB {+ the named port of origin} = Free On Board: The delivery of goods on board the vessel at the
named port of origin (loading), at sellers expense. Buyer is responsible for the main carriage/freight,
cargo insurance and other costs and risks.
CIF {+ the named port of destination} = Cost, Insurance and Freight: The cargo insurance and delivery
of goods to the named port of destination (discharge) at the sellers expense. Buyer is responsible for
the import customs clearance and other costs and risks.
ASWP = Any safe world port.
Conversions to US$ from local currencies are as at the time of original publication.
63
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GLOBAL CEMENT: THE LAST WORD
Mega-droughts on the way? After reading this you might need a nice cup of tea.
Robert McCaffrey Editorial director, Global Cement Magazine (rob@globalcement.com)
y younger daughter Jemima (a teenager at last)

has recently completed a homework assignment
on hydroelectric power in Brazil (as you do). Its actually on YouTube.1 I was able to supply her with a snippet
of information that I had recently gleaned, that parts of
Brazil are suffering from severe drought, with some reservoirs at only 5% of their capacity. In fact, the drought
has been so bad that some of the Carnival parades that
take place in Brazil at this time of year have been scaled
back (such as the most famous, in Rio de Janeiro) or cancelled altogether, with towns saying that they couldnt
spare the water to clean the streets after the parades.
I wondered to myself what would happen if the
reservoir capacity reached zero. At the moment, the
water supply is being constricted by turning it on only
for a few hours per day. When the reservoirs hit zero,
they can turn on the water supply as much as they like,
and nothing will come out of the taps (or the toilets or
the showers). As anyone who has ever been camping
or caravanning will know, water becomes the centre of
your universe. Without water, nothing can happen - no
cooking, no washing up, no wet shaving, no coffee and
no tea. Not for nothing do scientists say that the prime
requirement for life to occur elsewhere in the universe is
the presence of water. To our understanding, life requires
water: where there is no water, there is no life.
The day that the taps run dry will be a shock, akin
to the moment that my air-tank ran out of air while still
18m down in the Gulf of Thailand, where trying to suck
in more air has no effect (what happened next is another
story). Just as you cannot live without air, you cannot live
without water. Okay, maybe you can live for a week without water but after that, you die. So, when the taps do
finally run dry, what will those people do? What would
you do? You would move to somewhere with water.
This kind of thing has happened before. The great
Mayan civilisation of Central America, which flourished
for hundreds if not thousands of years, may have been
fatally impacted by relatively mild drought in the 800s
and 900s BCE. As Professor Eelco Rohling of Southampton University says, These reductions amount to only
25 to 40% in annual rainfall, but they were large enough
for evaporation to become dominant over rainfall, and
open water was rapidly reduced.2 Researchers found
that a relatively modest decline in rainfall was enough to
deplete freshwater storage systems in the Yucatan lowlands, where there are no rivers. Societal disruptions
and abandonment of cities are likely consequences of

critical water shortages, especially because there seems
to have been a rapid repetition of multi-year droughts,
added Prof Rohling.
Abandonment of cities? That couldnt happen today,
could it? Well, one mega-city has effectively been abandoned to climate (or at least weather) effects already this
century - New Orleans - leaving behind only a rump
population. Could it happen elsewhere? A recent study
of the continuing effects of climate change3 suggests
that it could. Longer droughts (longer even than the
current decade-long drought in California) of perhaps
20, 30, 40 or even 50 years are forecast to occur again in
the western US and Mexico by the end of the century.
Researchers went back into proxy climate records (tree
rings) and found that droughts of these durations were
much more common in the great drought epochs of the
so-called Medieval Climate Anomaly in the US in the
12th and 13th Centuries. If the atmosphere warms as
some models suggest, then after 2050 the Southwest and
the Central Plains in the US would likely shift to even
drier conditions than even the previous mega-droughts.
Toby Ault, a co-author of the study, pointed out that if
Tuscon in Arizona, where precipitation has been at 80%
of expected levels since the late 1990s, continued at the
same level of rainfall for another two decades, it would
qualify as mega-drought conditions.
Now, Im not a strong believer in man-made climate
change. In fact, this week I went to a lecture by climate
scientist Professor Christopher Essex where he pointed
out that the basic Stokes-Navier equations underlying
much climate modelling have yet to be solved in 3D,
while the spatial resolution required for even the most
basic-but-realistic model of the global climate has not
been remotely approached. Oceanic circulation and the
interaction of oceans and atmosphere are vastly underresearched. He pointed out that the role of water vapour
in the atmosphere has not been quantified (overall, is it
a positive or negative greenhouse gas? Theyre still arguing this very point4). He suggested that current climate
models were effectively hokum. Maybe, but the taps in
Brazil are running dry, and they might also do so soon in
parts of the worlds wealthiest country, the USA.
1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOZTeov9Ns
2 http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17149812
3 http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31434030
4 http://bit.ly/1Mjtilo
65
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CONFERENCE, EXHIBITION & AWARDS 2015
The 11th Global Slag Conference will return to Bangkok, Thailand

- one of its most popular previous locations. The strategicallylocated event is expected to attract slag producers, users,
cement-makers, traders and shippers from Japan, China, Thailand,
Indonesia, Korea, the US, India and the Middle East, as well as
from around the rest of the world. The conference will allow all
attendees to maximise their profits from slag, will keep them
up-to-date with the industry state-of-the-art and will provide
extensive networking and business opportunities.
Slag for profit

Slag and slag cement
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Beneficiation of slag
and slag products
Slag cement
production and use
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New applications for slag
and slag products
Who should attend?

Slag producers
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Equipment vendors
Traders and shippers
Academics & researchers
Exhibition enquiries:
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59 9th Global CemFuels Conference - Reviewed

Regulars and comment

64 Subscription form for Global Cement Magazine

65 The Last Word

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www.GlobalCement.com Global Cement Magazine March 2015

GLOBAL CEMENT: DIARY DATES

15th Global Gypsum Conference

More information on all events at...

1-2 June 2015

CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

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Start: Euro12.05 on 13 March 2009

High: Euro17.14 on 2 May 2011

Now: Euro7.47 on 12 February 2015

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Left - Figure 1: EU ETS carbon

further EU ETS reform in the form of a Market

Farewell to the good old days?

In the utility sector, where the biggest carbon

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