Holnam plans additions to remove stack odor Holnam Inc. announced that it will construct and install a scrubber and oxidizer at its cement manufacturing plant in Dundee, Mich. The project, expected to cost the company more than $25 million, is the culmination of nearly five years of research that sought to eliminate odors and the non-steam portion of the visible plume from the plant's main stack.

The equipment also will significantly reduce emissions of sulfur, sulfur oxides, and hydrocarbons from the stack, which already are well within the plant's permit compliance limits, according to Holnam.

Research confirmed that the source of the exhaust odor stems from the essential raw ingredient-limestone, a product second only to water as the most widely used construction material in the world. "The limestone in this area of the state, and which we mine in our quarry, has natural oily compounds running through the rock formation," explained Steve Rowe, plant manager. "They are released during the manufacturing process when the rock is heated in our kilns, and it is from those compounds that the odors originate."

The scrubbers and oxidizers are anticipated to remove close to 5% of the hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide, significantly reducing the occurrence of a visible exhaust plume.

Construction will begin following the process of contract awards and equipment purchase. The system is expected to be fully operational within 12 months after construction begins.

PCA photo contest deadline extended The deadline has been extended until Nov. 30, 1998, for Rock Products Cement Edition readers for the Portland Cement Association's 1998 Cement Industry Best Safe Practices photography contest.

The goals of the contest are to honor innovative practices, programs, and projects throughout the industry; communicate these ideas to others in the North American cement industry; and to raise the profile and importance of the safety programs both inside and outside the industry.

To be eligible for the 1998 contest, safety projects or programs must have been completed between April 1996 and October 1998. Entry forms can be obtained by contacting Ann Dougherty at PCA: (847) 966-6200; fax: (847) 966-5272.

Southdown moves ahead on Kentucky expansion The board of directors of Southdown Inc. approved the expansion and modernization of the Louisville, Ky. cement plant owned by Kosmos Cement Co., a joint venture owned 75% by Southdown and 25% by Lone Star Industries.

The project, initially announced in 1997, will increase plant capacity by 700,000 tons to about 1.6 million tpy. The $93 million project involves the addition of a new preheater tower with a precalciner, as well as finish grinding and material handling upgrades. Permits for construction have been received, and the project should be completed in the year 2000.

Lafarge buys Seattle plant Lafarge recently completed the acquistion of a cement plant in Seattle from Holnam Inc. The price and terms of the purchase, which also includes a limestone quarry and two cement distribution facilities, were not disclosed.

The plant has an annual production capacity of 420,000 tons of clinker. It becomes the 15th full-production facility in Lafarge's cement network. This acquisition, along with the ongoing expansion of Lafarge's Richmond plant near Vancouver, B.C., will give the company a much broader base in the Pacific Northwest. The Richmond project is expected to be completed in mid-1999.

South American orders Czech company PSP Engineering will supply equipment to upgrade production lines at Votorantim, Brazil, in a contract thought to be worth in the region of US$4 million.

"The equipment will be supplied by the end of this year, although production is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year," said PSP spokesperson Ludek Fesar.

PSP also is hoping to supply investment units and replacement parts for the cement group Santos, which holds a 10% market share in the country. "About 40 million mt is manufactured here per year, and each year is expected to bring a 10% increase," Fesar added.

The spokesperson also said that PSP currently is negotiating a complete supply of technology for another cement group for about US$60 million, and the results of the talks should be known later this month.

Dragon Cement honored for pollution prevention Dragon Cement and Concrete, a Portland, Maine-based cement and ready-mixed concrete company, was given a Maine Department of Environmental Protection Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence for pollution prevention by changing its process of treating wastewater at its Thomaston cement plant.

The award recognizes Dragon's initiative and approach in the management of its wastewater from the cement-making process with the installation of a new closed-loop wastewater system. The process involved reconfiguring alkaline wastewater flows to disinfect the plant's septic wastewater. Now disinfected, the septic wastewater, combined with wastewater from other parts of the facility, is used in the manufacturing process, reducing the need to purchase fresh water from the Thomaston Water District. Dragon estimates savings from the project will total more than $25,000 per year.

This is the second environmental award the company has received in 1998. In April, Dragon was awarded a Governor's 1998 Waste Reduction Award for reducing kiln dust by 65% at the Thomaston plant.

Financial news Benefiting from continued strong construction activity and the acquisition of a major construction materials supplier, Lafarge Corp. recorded a 42% increase in net income for the second quarter of 1998 to $85 million, and a 28% jump in the third quarter to $123.7 million. Net sales reached $674.8 million for 1998's second quarter, up 41% from the second quarter of 1997; net sales in the third quarter totaled $810.2 million, a gain of 32%. With all three operating regions in the company's cement group improving their results from the previous year, cement operating profits rose 13% to $99.3 million in the second quarter. In Canada, Lafarge posted a 3% increase in operating income during the third quarter, despite a softening of the Canadian economy.

Giant Cement Holding announced results of its second quarter and six months ended June 30, 1998. Net income for the quarter was $4.9 million, compared with $5.7 million a year earlier. For the first six months of 1998, net income was $5.8 million, compared with $6.9 million in the same period in 1997.

Southdown completed the merger transaction with Medusa Corp. at the end of the second quarter of 1998, creating the second-largest cement company in the United States. Operating earnings before merger-related charges for the second quarter increased 14.7% to $83.6 million. After recording an $82.9 million pre-tax charge in the quarter relating to the merger, Southdown reported a net loss of $23.1 million. Excluding this charge, net earnings for the quarter were $50.8 million, compared with $44.4 million in the prior year's second quarter. For the six-month period ended June 30, 1998, results were a net loss of $7.4 million.

Holderbank's consolidated net sales grew 1.8%, while operating profit increased 21.5%. Group net income after minority interests improved 32.4%, and cash flow from operating activities by 76.4% thanks to favorable weather conditions in Europe. The North and South America regions were cited as playing an increasingly important role in achieving these numbers.

In the second quarter of 1998, Puerto Rican Cement Co. reported a net income of $3.62 million, compared with $5.15 million for the same period in 1997. Consolidated net sales for the quarter decreased 9.4% to $39.3 million. Cement sales decreased during the quarter as a result of inclement weather affecting construction activity and a proportionally higher volume of bulk cement carrying a lower unit price.

U.S. cement figures Portland and blended cement shipments in the United States and Puerto Rico totaled nearly 10 million mt in June 1998, 10% more than revised shipment data in June 1997. Cumulative shipments through June 1998 were 45.3 million mt, a 7% increase compared with the same period a year before.

New Mexican cement plant planned In a multimillion-dollar contract with Cementos Y Concretos Nacionales, a subsidiary of Cementos Cruz Azul, GE Industrial Systems is supplying multiple drive systems and motors for a new cement plant in central Mexico.

The order includes an inverter with three 2,800-kW synchronous motors. This drive system will be used to sequentially start the plant's two raw roller mills and cement roller mill, and switch them to run at fixed speed across the line. An additional eight medium-voltage drives and motors will be installed for large fan applications.

The plant, located in Tepezala, Aguascalientes, northwest of Mexico City, has a planned annual production of 1 million tons of clinker. The plant's first mill was scheduled for start-up and commercial operation in mid-1998, with the remaining operation planned to start-up in February 1999.

Loma Negra builds greenfield plant Loma Negra has begun work on a greenfield site in the Olavarria district of Buenos Aries, Argentina. The project has been named ALF 2000 in honor of both the owner, Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat, and the year in which production is expected to begin.

The plant will expand Loma Negra's already large cement division. The company is currently producing 6.8 million mt in six mills, or 55% of the market share for Argentina. For this project, Loesche GmbH will supply the raw meal grinding system with a capacity of 450 mtph.

Cemex begins "Year 2000 Compliant" program Cemex USA and its subsidiaries are currently engaged in a worldwide project to certify its companies as Year 2000 Compliant, with a target date to obtain this certification of Dec. 31, 1998.

The project includes the certification of Year 2000 Compliance for the procurement process in the following areas: all information technology assets acquired and in operation; all purchases of information technology assets; and Year 2000 Compliance of all strategic and critical suppliers and vendors.