Sources: Blue Planet Systems Corp., Los Gatos, Calif.; CP staff A $10 million funding round positions Blue Planet to advance a carbon capture and utilization system netting concrete-grade synthetic limestone. The Silicon Valley company is approaching commercialization of a process that converts diluted carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-powered electricity generating stations, cement or steel mills, and petroleum refineries to carbonate…
Read MoreTag: limestone
Volvo programs autonomous dump truck as ‘limestone transport solution’
Volvo Trucks North America parent, Volvo Truck Corp. of Sweden, recently entered an agreement to equip Norway limestone producer Brønnøy Kalk AS with six dump body-bearing FH cabover models programmed for driverless operation. Following individual vehicle demonstrations last year, the fleet will be deployed in 2019 to haul rock from underground mine to crusher—navigating a three-mile tunnel and outdoor road route at a wheel loader operator’s direction.
Read MoreVolvo, limestone producer test autonomous on/off-highway truck
Sources: Volvo Truck Corp., Goteborg, Sweden; CP staff
Volvo Trucks North America’s European parent has entered an agreement to equip Norway limestone producer Brønnøy Kalk AS with six dump body-bearing Volvo FH cabover models programmed for driverless operation. Following individual vehicle demonstrations this year, the fleet will be deployed in 2019 to haul rock from underground mine to crusher, navigating a three-mile route of tunnels and outdoor roads at the direction of a wheel loader operator.
Read MoreLehigh earmarks $600M for Indiana mill modernization, rail upgrade
Sources: Lehigh Hanson Inc., Irving, Texas; CP staff
Lehigh Hanson’s most ambitious undertaking to date entails a four-year, $600 million-plus modernization and expansion of the Lehigh Cement Co. Mitchell plant, aimed at increasing capacity from present 662,038 metric-ton-per-year level; lowering energy usage and emissions per ton of finished cement; and, continuing to leverage the southern Indiana site’s limestone riches.
Read MoreASTM C09 standard covers calcium carbonate, mineral fillers
Sources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; CP staff
ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates’ latest standard, C1797, Specification for Ground Calcium Carbonate and Aggregate Mineral Fillers for Use in Hydraulic Cement Concrete, addresses limestone and similar materials exhibiting potential to improve mix characteristics and hardened structure performance.
Read MoreMcInnis Cement sites first U.S. terminal at Port of Providence
Sources: McInnis Cement, Montreal; CP staff
Rhode Island and Providence officials joined McInnis Cement executives for an early-August groundbreaking at the deep-water Port of Providence, where the producer is building a 30,000-plus ton capacity terminal linked to its Port-Daniel-Gascons mill under construction in eastern Quebec.
Read MoreArtistic Paver builds Golden State footprint, polished stone program
North Miami Beach-based Artistic Paver Mfg. has shored up its West Coast presence, opening a southern California distribution center for Steplock and Roadlock series paving units from the company’s Case Grande, Ariz., plant. Offerings will include the latest addition to the Steplock West Coast line, Limestonelock, promoted as a “sophisticated paver with the smoothness found in limestone,” available in ‘polished’ or ‘polished and antiqued’ finishes’ plus Almond, Holly Brown or Linen Grey colors.
Read MoreFLY ASH, LIMESTONE/CEMENT BLENDS BOOST COMPRESSIVE STRENGTHS
Research in Mississippi shows that portland cement/limestone blends (PLC) result in notable compressive strength improvements in mixtures with high Class C fly ash replacement versus conventional Type I portland cement, say Jay Shannon and Dr. Isaac L. Howard, P.E., Mississippi State University, and V. Tim Cost, P.E., F.ACI, and Wayne M. Wilson, P.E., Holcim (US) Inc., in their 2015 TRB paper, Benefits of Portland-Limestone Cement for Concrete with Rounded Gravel Aggregates and Higher Fly Ash Replacement Rates.
New Quebec administration supports McInnis Cement
Leaders in the newly elected Quebec government have confirmed the major financial commitment—$100 million equity stake plus $250 million in senior debt—the predecessor administration announced earlier this year for the $1.1 billion McInnis Cement plant and marine terminal in Port-Daniel-Gascons.
Read MoreYork Building Products adds New Holland Concrete operations
With seven block and paver plants in eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland, York Building Products has become the mid-Atlantic market’s largest concrete masonry source after closing on much of Martin Limestone’s New Holland Concrete business. “New Holland’s portfolio of products will help ensure the future growth of the York Building Products brand, and we are excited about the integration of products between the two companies,” says Jason Schmitz, vice president of Operations at York Building Products, York, Pa.
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