Environmentalists move to nix fly ash from LEED point consideration

Environmentalists’ latest weapon to undermine the use of coal in power generation follows a curious trajectory: The U.S. Green Building Council’s public comment process for LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] rating system revisions. A group comprising federal and state environmental and law enforcement agency officials, PEER contends that construction-grade fly ash—the most widely used coal combustion residual (CCR)—should…

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MonierLifetile deploys photocatalytic cement in smog-wise profile

Boral Roofing has turned to titanium dioxide-dosed cement for Smog-Eating Tile, the latest addition to concrete offerings under the MonierLifetile brand. The specialty cement’s photocatalytic properties speed up oxidation of pollutants and contaminants deposited on concrete surfaces. Smog-Eating Tiles are molded with a base and face mixes, the latter bearing the performance powder.

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Vulcan plant’s automated control gains throughput, saves energy

Vulcan Materials Company, the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates, a major producer of asphalt mix and concrete, and a leading producer of cement in Florida. Its Jacksonville-based Florida Rock division is a leading producer in the state of aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, concrete block, portland cement, and prestressed concrete. The company’s cement finishing mill is located in Newberry, Fla.

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Big Picture Strategies for Energy Efficiency

By Fabio Mielli Energy efficiency in cement plants is a central topic of concern. It’s a delicate and multifaceted variable that involves government regulations, societal pressures, cost and competitiveness. A cement producer successful in energy efficiency is synonymous of a successful company. As proof, recent Bloomberg research noticed that green companies from basic resources sectors perform 5% to 10% better…

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Mathematics: A Tool of Quality Control

by Clyde W. Moore The design and construction of portland cement plants includes provisions for the required raw materials. The number of raw material streams will be determined by an oxide analysis of the local materials and the need for added supplements. The simplest combination available will probably be a limestone, and a clay or shale, from a local quarry.…

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Brazil’s Votorantim orders six more vertical mills

FLSmidth has been awarded a contract worth approximately $32 million from Brazil’s Votorantim Cimentos, Ltda., to supply six OK mills for cement grinding. The mills will be installed with the new pyroprocessing lines, also purchased from FLSmidth, as announced in July 2010. The contract includes supply of the main equipment, process engineering, and site advisory and commissioning services for four…

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MIT: Operation accounts for lion’s share of structures’ CO2 emissions

Preliminary findings from Concrete Sustainability Hub research aimed at a new life-cycle assessment (LCA) model suggest that service phase encompasses 85% and 90% of carbon dioxide emissions, respectively, from highway pavements and residential buildings. Ongoing studies at the MIT-hosted Hub will quantify paving and building materials’ cradle-to-grave environmental costs, yielding what staff contends is the most comprehensive LCA model to…

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Five Holcim plants earn EPA’s Energy Star

Holcim (US) Inc. announced recently that for the third consecutive year, its Devil’s Slide plant in Morgan, Utah and the plant in Theodore, Ala., have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star. In addition, the newly commissioned Ste. Genevieve plant in Bloomsdale, Mo., the Trident plant in Three Forks, Mont., and the plant in Holly Hill, S.C. were…

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