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By Lehigh Ben, on January 16th, 2012
Titan America LLC, a heavy building materials producer in the United States, recently announced the fact that four of its distribution terminals have achieved the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry. The four sites include: Castle Hayne, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Front Royal, Virginia; and Chesapeake, Virginia.
The challenge is a call to action to improve energy efficiency of America’s commercial and industrial sites. To receive recognition from the EPA for completing the challenge, the parent company must be an ENERGY STAR partner and the site must achieve a minimum of 10% improvement in energy efficiency within five years. At each of the four sites, Titan has achieved this goal with an average intensity reduction of 21.76%. Management at the plant and corporate level recognize the amount of team effort necessary to achieve this reduction. Don Ingerson, VP of Cement and Aggregates, Sales and Marketing, said, “This achievement was the result of a supreme team effort. The focus on reducing energy by each and every one of our people at the terminals is an excellent example of our commitment to continuous improvement; with that, our energy management knowledge continues to grow as we share it with our customers and our community”.
Hopefully the ENERGY STAR challenge will continue to spur many industrial and commercial sites to improve energy efficiency and reduce our impact on the environment.
By Lehigh Ben, on January 6th, 2012
Among other emissions, Carbon dioxide is a headache for many cement producers. Finding the right balance between environmental-responsibility and financial-stability is difficult. For industrial plants shifting towards carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), economic performance suffers due to the high cost of installing and running the necessary equipment. However, a way of offsetting those costs is now in development at Sandia National Laboratories.
A new type of turbine, utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) instead of traditional steam, is being tested at Sandia. These turbines use the S-CO2 compressed at 73 bar and at 33 °C and run on the Brayton Cycle (where steam turbines utilize the Rankine Cycle). The benefits of this new type of system lie in footprint in the plant along with initial investment. The use of the Brayton Cycle allows for a drastic reduction in turbine size. A 300 MWe S-CO2 turbine has an outside diameter of approximately 1 meter and needs only three stages of turbomachinery. The corresponding steam turbine would require a diameter of five meters with 22-30 stages of turbomachinery. This reduction in size translates to a decrease in the initial investment on the system.
Any plant that could employ this system successfully should see the device pay for itself over a short interval of time. Depending on the turbine size chosen, a plant could remove itself from the grid by generating all its own power needs and perhaps even sell power back to the utility companies. With the ever-changing technology, what was once a headache for the cement industry might turn out to be a godsend for the financial competitiveness.
Information gathered for this article appears in the January 2012 issue of Mechanical Engineering, the official magazine of ASME. The article was entitled, “Mighty Mite” and was authored by Steven Wright.
By Lehigh Ben, on November 24th, 2011
Aķcansa Cement, a joint venture of HeidelbergCement and Sabanci Holding, recently announced the installation of a $24 million waste heat recovery unit at their Çannakale, Turkey, plant. Aķcansa, which produces 6.5 tonnes of clinker and 9 million tonnes of cement annually in three plants within Turkey, is a major producer of both cement and ready-mixed concretes.
The new unit will have approximately 15.2 MW of capacity, drawing enough radiant heat from the clinker production process than for an annual energy savings of 105 million kWh. This equates to about 30% of the plant’s current energy needs. This installation now gives the Çannakale plant the distinction of being the largest facility in Europe with a functional heat recovery unit. Additionally, the new unit will allow the plant to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 60 thousand tons annually, taking a stride forward for a cleaner, healthier globe.
By Lehigh Ben, on November 1st, 2011
Recently, HeidelbergCement has partnered with the BirdLife International foundation, a preservation group, to promote biodiversity at quarrying sites supplying the cement giant. Already a leader in promoting this diversity, HeidelbergCement hopes to further strengthen its lead in this field which started with the issuance of a binding guideline on biodiversity management in 2009, the first of companies to do so.
Bernd Scheifele, Chairman of the Managing Board of HeidelbergCement and a signer of the agreement between the two companies, said, “This open and cooperative collaboration should also send a message to our stakeholders. We will give BirdLife insight into the workings of our quarries and sand and gravel pits throughout the Group and implement biodiversity management projects at these sites together. These projects should make our impact on flora and fauna transparent, assess the effects, and deliver improved approaches that will allow us to give back to nature more than we have taken.”
By Hannah, on October 14th, 2011
Lehigh Cement Company’s Union Bridge Plant is aiming to reduce its environmental impact in the area of consumption as well as emissions. Rather than being content to implement technology that will remove a higher percentage of pollutants from the emitted air, the Union Bridge plant is also looking at alternative fuels – engineered fuel in particular. At one point the plant tried burning old tires and even cocoa bean shells, however neither proved to be sufficiently successful to warrant being continued.
However, biosolids and processed or dried sludge currently constitute a small percentage of the fuel used in the plant. According to the plant manager, both biosolids and sludge have proven to be very efficient and environmentally friendly. With this experience behind them, Union Bridge is looking to follow the example set by many European cement plants and begin using fuel engineered from waste products. At this point, Lehigh Cement has fully developed their specifications for the engineered fuel and the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) has issued a 6-month trial permit. The problem is the lack of abundance of the engineered fuel to begin the trial!
Although Lehigh Cement Company’s intentions seem good, nearby community members are suspicious. However, during the trial, emissions will be carefully monitored to check for mercury, carbon monoxide, and other emissions that may result from this waste-based fuel. At the end of the trial period, Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) will examine the collected data and determine whether to grant or deny Lehigh Cement a permit to use engineered fuel. In the mean time, Lehigh Cement Company, Union Bridge wishes to be open about the change and invites anyone to visit the plant to discuss concerns and learn more about this initiative.
By Lehigh Ben, on August 18th, 2011
Is relief is on the horizon for the cement industry? Recently, two representatives introduced a bill titled “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011.” If passed, this legislation will require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to re-propose three rules aimed at the portland cement industry. These rules were targeting the solid waste incineration initiatives started by many companies.
The president and CEO of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) Brian McCarthy said, “The bill introduced…by Reps. Sullivan and Ross will allow the industry to continue its dialogue with the EPA with the goal of crafting rational and feasible emission standards. We are not shying away from environmental regulations. We take our environmental stewardship seriously and have a long history of investing in continuous improvements that preserve U.S. manufacturing capacity and the economy.” If current regulations remain in place, approximately a fifth of domestic plants could be forced to close and cost the industry $3.4 billion over three years.
By Hannah, on August 15th, 2011
Although some cement companies are prepared and able to meet the new emissions standards by the 2013 deadline, many will be forced to lay off workers, reduce production, or even close down entirely. In fact, according to Keith Williams, managing environmental process engineer for Buzzi Unicem USA in Stockertown, 20% of U.S. plants will go out of business when the new emissions standards take effect.
Whether this estimate is high or low, the U.S. will take a double hit. Not only will national cement yield decrease, but the price of that which is still produced will rise due to the increased cost resting on the cement industry. As a result, the price of cement on the market threatens to rise on two accounts – in accordance with supply and demand as well as due to transferred costs. This being the case, the natural result will be a spike in cement imports – especially in light of the growing cement industries in other countries (see Ethiopia Cement Boom) and the U.S.’s looming infrastructural overhaul (see Infrastructure and Cement). Although it is true that this situation poses a problem in regards to the further out-sourcing of jobs in an already suffering job-market, the real irony comes from another angle. If the U.S. is forced to import more cement, much of this cement will be coming from countries with emissions levels that are significantly higher than those currently met by U.S. cement companies. Add to this the emissions from cross-ocean transport, and the result is a definite net increase in worldwide emissions. Although it is true that the U.S. cannot control emissions outside its own borders, if the EPA truly wishes to effect a reduction in emissions, then it must act based on an awareness of world-wide impact. The world is increasingly global and, as a result, NIMBY (not in my back yard) needs to take a back seat to the issue of “leakage”.
By Hannah, on August 14th, 2011
As society has become increasingly aware of the damaging effects of toxic emissions on the environment and public health, various methods have been employed to limit industries’ impact. While in the United States the EPA simply sets standards that must be met by all companies, the European Union establishes a set number of emissions allowances that are issued to each country and, in turn, granted to each various companies as deemed wise and necessary. Furthermore, if a company’s annual emissions are below the level granted, this credit is carried over to the next year and added to their new grant – in essence rewarding the company for a job well done and promoting the growth of the low-impact companies. While this arrangement seems logical, effective, and easy to manage, the built-in reward system is threatening to back-fire. In fact, between the top 10 holders of excess allowances – including Cemex, Holcim, Heidelberg Cement, and Italcementi – the total surplus of carbon permits alone has reached 240 million tons. With so much ‘available’ emissions, the incentive to implement new technologies and to further reduce emissions is low. While some businesses are pushing for lower fewer annual allowances, others oppose such a change. However, as more and more allowances are available for sale between companies, the reins held by the EU authority become longer and longer. It remains to be seen when and how will they pull them back in.
By Hannah, on August 7th, 2011
As time continues to tick by and July 2013 approaches, cement companies like Lehigh Cement are starting to feel the pressure of the new EPA emissions standards – standards they must meet by that date. Lehigh’s Glenn Falls plant, however, refuses to simply stand by. While still in the process of arriving at a final number, the plant estimates the cost of attaining these standards to be in the millions. According to the plant manager, the company would need to revamp much of the process line as well as purchase new equipment to monitor the emissions levels to ensure that the new standards were being met. With these expenses the plant may even be forced to lay off more workers – a blow to the community, especially considering that the Glenn Falls plant already laid off one third of its workers just 5 months ago.
Although the Glenn Falls plant has several member of Congress on its side, it faces opposition from New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Massachusetts – states that played a role in leading the EPA to issue the new standards. However, Glen Falls is not the only one trying to take a stand. The Portland Cement Association recently filed legal briefs with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in order to challenge the new NESHAP rule issued by the EPA (see PCA case as well as Titan Cement Caught in Crossfire).
By Lehigh Ben, on August 1st, 2011
A Lafarge plant near Tulsa, Oklahoma, is facing last minute resistance to the planned installation of a fuel quality waste (FQW) storage system. Tulsa city Councilman Roscoe Turner and environmental group LEAD (Local Environmental Action Demanded) have begun openly opposing the plant’s efforts.
Lafarge desires to install a series of tanks to utilize forty-eight million gallons of FQW per year. The FQW is industrial waste such as paint solvents that the company will gather and burn in its kiln to supplement and eventually eliminate the plant’s dependence on coal for a fuel source. In response to the outcry, plant manager Jim Bachmann said, “These are common household materials that you probably have under your sink or in your garage right now. There are trucks coming through Tulsa with it every day…This is nothing new and nothing dangerous. We know how to handle it.” Lafarge is promoting the move as a win-win for the company and for the environment. It eliminates fossil fuel consumption while offering a viable alternate solution to landfilling for industrial waste. However, LEAD has a serious issue with this new system.
LEAD claims that burning the FQW will increase plant emissions. They predict an increase of particulate matter emissions from 19.3 to 400 tons per year and hazardous air pollutants to increase from 16 to hundreds of tons per year. LEAD’s other main concern centers around how the plant will receive the FQW. They predict that approximately 30 tractor trailers will be traveling to the plant through Tulsa’s highways every day. They are concerned for the potential for accident and exposure to hazardous waste that the area surrounding the plant will incur. Hatley said, “Within a mile or two of this plant, you can find schools, parks, churches. This is not a remote location.”
LEAD’s petition for a hearing to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality could mean the end of the Lafarge project. A hearing could lead to the revoking of Lafarge’s permits which allow them to install the system. If not revoked, Lafarge plans to begin operating the system within months.
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