India: ACC and Ambuja Cements have together installed a Geocycle Bubble Barrier plastic waste separator in Bhakra Beas Management Board Lake at Sunder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh. The installation will collect the waste for use as refuse-derived fuel at ACC’s Gagal cement plant in the state.

The Holcim India subsidiaries’ first such installation, on the Mantola Canal in Uttar Pradesh, has collected 500t of plastic waste since its commissioning in April 2021, and is targetting a total of 2400t in 2022.

Holcim India CEO and managing director Neeraj Akhoury said "We are committed to building a sustainable future by adopting clean and green technologies. Our efforts and expertise in co-processing has created a unique solution to sustainable disposal of the marine plastic waste that creates pollution. This initiative will also contribute towards promoting circular economy. Taking this mission ahead, we will continue our efforts to implement this innovative technology across the country."

Germany: Australia-based FCT Combustion has successfully delivered a new Turbu-Flex burner to replace the existing burner at HeidelbergCement’s Hanover, Lower Saxony, cement plant. FCT Combustion will also supply burner accessories and add-ons, an igniter, a flame sensor, fans, blowers and spare parts. The project aims to improve combustion control and maximise alternative fuel (AF) use in the plant’s cement production.

US: Cemex USA plans to increase its rate of alternative fuel (AF) substitution at its 2.2Mt/yr Brooksville, Florida, cement plant to 30%. It will also increase its AF use at its 1Mt/yr Demopolis, Alabama, cement plant. At both plants, the new fuel mix will include biomass. The producer says that it will complete the plants’ transitions before 2023.

US: Lafarge North America has reported that its Paulding, Ohio, plant achieved 99% alternative fuel (AF) substitution in its cement production, up from 95% in past years. The operator said that the fuel change saved 205,000t of CO₂ emissions in 2021.