Concrete

thyssenkrupp develops technology for carbon capture

Published

5 years ago

March 5, 2021

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The production of cement releases large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2). Only a third of these CO2 emissions result from the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal or petroleum coke, while the biggest share is released by the calcination of limestone. Depending on quality, limestone ??the main component of cement ??consists of 35% to 44% CO2.

Luc Rudowski, Head of Innovation at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, Business Unit Cement Technologies: ??educing CO2 emissions in cement production is one of the most important challenges facing the industry today. As part of our #grey2green journey we are developing technologies and solutions for sustainable cement production without losing sight of plant profitability and productivity. One example of this is the newly developed polysius? pure oxyfuel technology for optimum CO2 separation. Other solutions developed from more sustainable cement production using polysius? activated clay or polysius? booster mill, the optimal use of alternative fuels with prepol? SC, to reducing NOx emissions through Cemcat? SCR.??/p>

Oxyfuel ??pure oxygen replaces air in the kiln

The Oxyfuel technology replaces ambient air in the clinker production process with pure oxygen introduced into the front zone of the cooler. As the nitrogen content of the air is no longer present, the CO2 concentration in the kiln exhaust gas can be increased to up to 100%. This much more efficient CO2 separation serves as the basis for the downstream utilisation or storage of carbon dioxide.

However, the advantage of reducing the exhaust gas to a virtually pure CO2 stream means that there is too little gas in the preheater to operate the cyclones. In the first-generation. Dr. Georg Locher, Head of R&D: ??ith the second-generation polysius? pure oxyfuel process, exhaust gas recirculation can be eliminated, resulting in considerable savings in investment and operating costs, and making polysius? pure oxyfuel the best-in-class technology for CO2 capture. Another advantage is that existing kiln plants can also be retrofitted with this process. By using the polysius? pure oxyfuel process, our customers profit from optimised operating costs, while freeing our communities and environment from high CO2 emissions.??/p>

Research company CI4C investigating use of polysius? pure oxyfuel

The four European cement manufacturers Buzzi Unicem-Dyckerhoff, HeidelbergCement AG, SCHWENK Zement KG, and Vicat plan to investigate the industrial-scale use of Oxyfuel carbon capture technology in cement production in a demonstration plant. To this end, the research company ??I4C – Cement Innovation for Climate??was established. The aim is to capture 100% of the CO2 and use it with the help of renewable energies to produce so-called ??efuels?? i.e. climate-neutral synthetic fuels such as kerosene for the aviation industry.

Dr. Markus Sauer, Senior Proposal Manager: ??he research company CI4C and thyssenkrupp are currently investigating the use of our polysius? pure oxyfuel technology in a demonstration plant. Working with our long-standing customers, we would be delighted if we could demonstrate the efficiency of our technology for the first time on an industrial scale.

Source: Emily Thomas, Editorial Assistant, World Cement, March 2021

Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

1 week ago

April 1, 2026

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The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

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Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

2 weeks ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.