AI-wise software developer probes “CO2 Reduction in Cement Logistics”

Source: Inform Software Corp., Atlanta Inform Software, a provider of artificial intelligence-based optimization programs facilitating improved decision making, processes and resource management across diverse industries, will present a 20-minute webinar, “CO2 Reduction in Cement Logistics,” on February 23, 9 a.m. EST. Participants will learn the true footprint of their cement logistics, the latest truck technology trends and their limitations, how…

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CalPortland moves CNG power upstream, from mixers to bulk tankers

Eyeing deliveries throughout southern California, CalPortland Co. is deploying compressed natural gas-powered bulk tankers as part of 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 slow-fill island station and related fueling infrastructure at the…

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U.S. Geological Survey reveals limits of climate change projections

Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior; CP staff A new report from the USGS—the indispensable source of portland cement, crushed stone and sand & gravel shipment data—stresses the need to factor uncertainties attending climate change predictions, especially as models link present greenhouse gas emission levels to earth temperature trajectories through the year 2100. 

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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…

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Carbon neutral-minded concrete, cement leaders unveil ‘2050 Climate Ambition’

Sources: Global Cement and Concrete Association, London; CP staff

Forty leading cement and concrete companies envision a 30-year route to carbon neutrality in “2050 Climate Ambition,” billed as the first statement of its kind on driving down the carbon dioxide footprint of the world’s most used man-made material.

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NOx, PM levels dive in latest EPA air quality report

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff 

The federal government’s latest annual report on air quality trends, “Our Nation’s Air – EPA Celebrates 50 Years!,” documents pollution reduction progress from 1970-2019, emphasizing gains during the last few years. The combined emissions of Environmental Protection Agency-designated criteria pollutants and their precursors dropped 7 percent from 2017 to 2019. That metric reflects three-year declines in the emissions levels of nitrogen oxides, -10 percent; particulate matter 2.5, -1 percent; sulfur dioxide, -16 percent; carbon monoxide, -6 percent; and, volatile organic compounds, -3 percent. 

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CalPortland blended cement series clips carbon dioxide load

Sources: CalPortland Co., Glendora, Calif.; CP staff

The two charter offerings in a new CalPortland line of blended portland-limestone cements (PLC) have an embodied carbon level about 10 percent below that of common ASTM C 150 materials. ADVANCEMENT LT (Light) is a lighter colored, higher albedo Type IL PLC suiting concrete in design and architectural conditions. ADVANCEMENT HS (High Sulfate) is formulated for general use concrete or when high sulfate resistance is required. 

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Feds settle with emissions control-defeating device purveyor

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Under an agreement with EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Performance Diesel Inc. of St. George, Utah, will continue to refrain from selling products the agencies allege violate the Clean Air Act by defeating heavy-duty diesel engine emissions control systems, while paying a $1.1 million fine. 

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HeidelbergCement first to meet global initiative’s carbon criteria

Sources: HeidelbergCement AG, Germany; CP staff

HeidelbergCement is the premier cement, aggregate and concrete operator to validate its carbon dioxide emissions reduction commitment over the next decade against Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) criteria. As part of its 2030 Sustainability Goals for global operations, the producer aims to reduce net CO2 and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent against 1990 baseline levels. 

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Report chips away at wood industry’s low carbon building narrative

Sources: International Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg, Manitoba; CP staff

A Cement Association of Canada-funded report exposes the limitations of life cycle assessment (LCA) studies whose results have thus far painted a more favorable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions profile of wood versus concrete or steel buildings. As the main tools to measure building products’ carbon footprints at the production, use and end of life phases, LCA studies as presently executed can exaggerate the importance of embodied GHG impacts when they discount or ignore other significant life-cycle emissions, according to “Emission Omissions: Carbon accounting gaps in the built environment.” 

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