Source: American Coal Ash Association, Farmington Hills, Mich. Fifty-two percent of the coal ash produced during 2019 was recycled, marking the fifth consecutive year that more than half of the power generating station byproduct in the United States was beneficially used rather than disposed. The volume of fly ash used in concrete, 12.6 million tons, marks a 1 percent increase…
Read MoreMonth: December 2020
CalPortland migrates CNG power from concrete mixers to cement bulk tankers
Sources: CalPortland Co., Glendora, Calif.; CP staff Eyeing deliveries throughout southern California, CalPortland is deploying a compressed natural gas bulk tanker fleet as part of a strategy to capture fuel economy and lower the net greenhouse gas emissions associated with cement production at its Oro Grande plant. The producer has staged 24 CNG-fueled tractors with double bulk trailers along a…
Read MoreSouth Dakota State: Fifth Concrete Industry Management venue
Sources: Concrete Industry Management National Steering Committee; CP staff The South Dakota State University Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering will soon offer a four-year bachelor of science degree in Concrete Industry Management. The Brookings school will bring the program to prospects across the Midwest and complement the established CIM venues of Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro; New Jersey Institute…
Read MoreWells Concrete consolidates Midwest leadership in Spancrete deal
Sources: Wells Concrete, Albany, Minn.; CP staff Wells Concrete, the fifth largest precast, prestressed producer in the U.S., has acquired Waukesha, Wis.-based peer Spancrete. With more than 125 years of combined industry experience, principals note, the partnership aligns two companies dedicated to innovation.
Read MoreRevised ACI benchmark factors internal curing, recycled aggregates, SCC, MOE
Sources: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.; CP staff The American Concrete Institute has expanded the scope of ACI 301-20, Specifications for Concrete Construction, to include internal curing, mineral fillers and recycled aggregates, along with evaluation requirements for elements cast with self-consolidating mixes and structures with defined modulus of elasticity requirements. Compliance details throughout the document have been updated to…
Read MoreLafargeHolcim ties bond yield to carbon performance in financing first
Sources: LafargeHolcim Ltd., Zurich; CP staff LafargeHolcim is breaking new ground in financing instruments among heavy building materials operators. Investors in its 850 million-euro ($1.03 billion) sustainability-linked bond will earn a higher coupon upon 2031 maturity should the producer not meet a primary objective—cutting net carbon dioxide emissions per ton of cementitious material output—by the end of the decade.
Read MoreSt. Marys, McInnis Cement pursue joint venture
Sources: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Montreal; CP staff The parent companies of St. Marys Cement Inc., Toronto, and McInnis Cement Inc., Montreal plan to combine their production and distribution assets serving Canada and United States markets from the Atlantic seaboard to the Great Lakes. With respective stakes split 83 percent and 17 percent, their joint venture will…
Read MoreChemical supply hitches hit accelerator, MRWR, strength-enhancing admixtures
Source: CP staff Domestic and overseas chemical processors and distributors indicate potential price increases in the 40-75 percent range for sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN), a key compound concrete admixture producers use in non-chloride set accelerators, mid-range water reducers and strength-enhancing agents.
Read MoreLanxess capacity upgrade eases black pigment supply bottleneck
Sources: Lanxess, Cologne, Germany; CP staff Lanxess has expanded Bayferrox black synthetic iron oxide pigment output potential by 5,000-plus metric tons per year at its Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany plant—the world’s largest processing operation of its kind.
Read MoreFEMA: Big data proves high building code standards’ ROI
Sources: Federal Emergency Management Agency; CP staff FEMA presents the benefits of constructing at a higher building code standard for natural disasters such as winds, floods and seismic activity in a new report, “Building Codes Save: A Nationwide Study.” The agency finds that 18.1 million buildings constructed at a higher code standard save the nation about $1.6 billion annually.
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