It is 2024, and another new year has us looking ahead at what might be in store for the construction materials and cement industries. If you gauge a year by production volume, you could say 2023 was a bit of a disappointment. A look at the latest cement production numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reveals that shipments for…
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This Year Should Provide A Transition To Stronger Growth For Construction And Thus For Cement Production. By Mark S. Kuhar After a year in which the economy and starts slowed considerably, the coming year should provide a transition to stronger growth for construction, according to the Dodge Construction Network’s (DCN) Outlook 2024 economic report. But before we get to that,…
Read MoreBy Mark S. Kuhar Cemex and Synhelion report prospective scaling of a high-temperature process to industrially-viable levels, where solar energy supplants fossil fuel combustion. This marks a significant milestone in the companies’ journey toward the world’s first fully solar-powered cement plant. An early 2022 energy lab demonstration in Spain saw researchers leverage Synhelion devices and fuel conversion methods to successfully…
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New, Efficient Solutions Can Help Cement Producers Adapt To Ever-Changing Circumstances. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar Dry bulk ports and terminals, such as those used by cement producers, are in a state of constant change. The materials they handle change and so, too, do the quantities. Operators are constantly having to adapt to new requirements. They want to automate their…
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Anti-Aging Solutions For Cement Plants And Tackling New Challenges Due To Refuse Derived Fuel. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar Fulfilling a large order may mean that a cement plant needs to keep running at full capacity over extended periods. This creates risk as major cracks and wear can develop in equipment. Vladimir Filipov, key customer manager at repair specialist Remoterm,…
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It is tough to keep up with all of the fast-paced developments in the world of carbon reduction. Our sister website, Construction Materials Carbon Management [CM2] does a very good job of it. The following item is very intriguing: Cambridge University researchers have conducted the first scrap-metal trial melt in the Materials Processing Institute (MPI) Cement 2 Zero project, aiming…
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New Raw Mill Increases Productivity And Efficiency At CalPortland’s Mojave Plant. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar At CalPortland Co.’s Mojave plant, kiln production was being limited by the raw mill, which couldn’t cope with the increasing demand of a hot market. The company made the decision to invest in a new mill, and settled on an OK raw mill 48-4…
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Registration for the International Cement Seminar & Exhibition (ICSE), the premier event for the cement industry, is officially open. The Nov. 14-15 event at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta will bring together industry leaders to discuss the latest trends and technologies in cement production. ICSE is sponsored by Cement Products and sister publications Rock Products and Concrete Products. Keynote…
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The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has been busy lately. Following an impressive showing at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas, and a very successful IEEE/PCA trade show in Dallas, PCA has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2023 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award. It’s the fourth consecutive year PCA has been recognized by…
Read MoreTo Accommodate Expansion Movement Within Anchoring Systems, Vital Allowances Must Be Incorporated. Edited by Mark S. Kuhar Research shows that more than 40% of monolithic refractory failures are the result of improper anchor design and installation. Failures commonly attributed to the refractory component are instead often caused by shortcomings in the actual anchoring system. Like any material, refractories will expand…
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