On the cusp of more sustainable cement production

With its participation in the BIBM congress, the Cementir group clearly affirms its ambitions to make concrete construction in general and cement production in particular even more environmentally friendly during the coming years. The holding company operates in 18 countries and, with an annual capacity of 13 MIO tons, leads the world in terms of white and gray cement production. The intention in Amsterdam is to draw additional attention to Aalborg Portland white cement as an important link in more sustainable construction.

To meet its climate goals and keep global warming below 1.5°C, Cementir has already taken several steps. Earlier, it laid out its goals in a 10-year roadmap. In a broader context, the group is also mobilizing significant financial resources to support a wide variety of sustainable products, raw materials and production methods.

With products such as Aalborg White, Aalborg Extreme, Aalborg Excel and new initiatives such as FUTURECEM, it is making a strong effort to reduce carbon emissions by 30%. Other measures should also help: the use of alternative raw materials to traditional clinker, the use of natural gas as fuel and better control of thermal energy and electricity consumption at production sites in Belgium and Denmark. New technologies such as Carbon Capture (GSC) will also play an important role here.

Years of research were accompanied by heavy investments and led to the development of a new and unique production process in 2021: FUTURECEM. High-temperature combustion of clinker, the basic raw material in cement production, is polluting and environmentally unfriendly. The more clinker can be avoided, the better for our environment. FUTURECEM, patented in large parts of the world, reduces the proportion of clinker by mixing in other raw materials such as calcined clay and lime-based fillers. The latter reduce the proportion of clinker in the cement by more than 40%, while the final product still retains the same strength as pure Portland cement.

Because it is not enough just to improve the composition of the cement, the development of FUTURECEM was part of a broader approach that evaluated cement production from the extraction and processing of raw materials, through the application of the cement in concrete production to its processing on the construction site. A far-reaching commitment in other words because more sustainable cement production is only one piece of the climate puzzle.

Maurizio Romero, President of Aalborg Portland France and Aalborg Portland Belgium, and Jean-Fabien Criquioche, Director of Aalborg Portland France and Belgium, unanimously agreed: "At Cementir and Aalborg Portland, we are continuing unabated on the path we have taken. With what we have already achieved, we are forerunners in our sector and are especially well on track in the final transition to a low carbon cement industry. Of course we will be in Amsterdam thickly highlighting the myriad benefits of our white cement. But more importantly, we will have the opportunity there to meet our existing and new customers in one place and listen to their concrete and day-to-day needs. No one knows better what is going on in the market than the customer himself." 

Tomorrow's city colors ever greener

Urbastyle, the Belgian manufacturer of street and urban furniture in concrete, has long been drawing the map of ecology and sustainability. The family business, based in Tournai, is creating a worldwide furor with its striking and timeless creations in concrete for public spaces. 

Urbastyle distinguishes itself with frankly innovative designs, for which it regularly sets up collaborations with internationally leading designers. And this is completely in line with the slogan 'Urban needs blend with artistic design'.

Urbastyle produces, both on a large scale and in small and personalized custom series, street furniture, large-format tiles and structural elements in architectural concrete, among other things. It uses mainly white cement from Aalborg for this purpose, from sustainability and aesthetic considerations. Indeed, white Portland cement from Aalborg is produced in deference to the environment and allows beautiful, smooth finishes in architectural concrete.

Jan Laroy, managing director of Urbastyle, says: "Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in our sector, especially in public tenders. This is why we now often work with eco-friendly raw materials. However, we have also adapted our production methods to this trend. For example, we recently developed a technology for 3D printing concrete elements. This new technology allows unbridled creative applications and unique pieces, saves on raw material consumption, reduces waste and eliminates labor-intensive, environmentally damaging formwork."