Portland Cement Association (PCA), the premier policy, research, education and market intelligence organization serving America’s cement manufacturers, rewards Buzzi Unicem USA's commitment to continuous improvement in the production and distribution process.
In particular the Nashville terminal and the Chattanooga facility have just received the 2022 awards, respectively in the 'Safety' and 'Energy and Environment' categories.
The PCA Safety Innovation Awards recognize creative safety enhancing projects in the cement industry. The winners are determined by a panel of judges that evaluate projects from across the country in five categories: distribution, pyroprocessing, general facility, quarry and mine, and milling and grinding.
The award recognized the Nashville terminal’s project to facilitate safer access between barges. The terminal fabricated a bridge platform to allow for safe and easy access between both of their barges. This upgrade eliminated the need to walk on the edge of one barge to access the other, and significantly reduced associated slip and fall hazards.
The Chattanooga facility won the 2022 Energy and Environment Award for Land Stewardship, which recognizes outstanding efforts to protect and enhance surrounding land and wildlife. The plant received this prestigious industry award for their Clayfield Lake Fish Management project. 
The Clayfield Lake started as an inactive clay mine that was reclaimed into 23-acre lake. The goal of the project was to improve species diversity and overall fish health in the Clayfield Lake. Plant staff working in conjunction with an American Fisheries Society Certified Fisheries Professional, developed a plan to improve the habitat for the various species of fish.

With extensive development continuing in Austin, Texas, market opportunities are growing for Alamo Concrete Products Company (ACP).  
Back in 2007 ACP purchased 673 acres (272 hectares) of mineral reserves in the Bastrop area east of Austin. The decision to transform this land into a quarry of natural aggregates was taken 14 years later!
The plant is designed to produce raw feed and a variety of finished products including concrete rock, concrete sand, pea gravel, and oversized rock. 
The plant consists of a material feed hopper with an adjustable speed belt that feeds a 3-deck primary screen where material is initially separated through the wet screen and agitation process.  
Annual production is expected to be 365,000 tons of materials, the majority of which will be consumed by the ACP ready mix plants and the small remainder being available for the marketplace.

Buzzi Unicem has initiated the procedure for obtaining the technical evaluation certification for its CEM II/C-M Portland composite cements produced in the Trino, Vernasca, Settimello, Guidonia, Barletta and Augusta plants.
These are our new cements from the C-GREEN LINE, which will allow the company to improve the "green footprint" of its product line and achieve the objectives set forth in the 2030 Roadmap.
CEM II/C-M cements will also significantly help reduce CO2 emissions in concrete structures (up to 40% less CO2 per ton than CEM I cements), yet maintaining the equivalent technical performance as products with a higher clinker content. 
In the CEM II/C-M cements various components, including several with hydraulic activity, replace part of the clinker (between 50% and 64% by mass): granulated blast furnace slag ("S"), fly ash ("V"), pozzolan ("P") and limestone ("LL") are all main constituents of the recipe. 
CEM II/C-M cements can be produced in 32.5 N/R and 42.5 N/R strength classes for building interior and exterior structures in concrete, reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete in the most severe exposure classes with a compressive strength class of up to C40/50.
We believe that the CEM II/C-M cements will very quickly establish themselves as important offerings on the market, even becoming the “standard cement” in Italy by 2030. 
The building sector – and Buzzi Unicem, in particular – will take on the challenge of ecological transition by being able to: reduce specific CO2 emissions, focus our attention on the availability of resources; improve the efficiency of clinker and produce technologically advanced cements.

Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Conservation announced the winners of the 2022 Awards at their annual Conservation Conference held on June 14-15. The annual WHC Awards recognize programs and projects that demonstrate excellence in corporate conservation and recognize both national and international companies across a variety of industry sectors. This year, WHC presented the Other Species Project Award to the  Chattanooga, Tennessee Plant, for its Clayfield Lake Fish Management Project. The Other Species Project Award is awarded to a project that is adaptively managed and demonstrates adequate monitoring of targeted species and at least one associated factor (e.g. food sources).
The Chattanooga Plant has worked for the past few years to improve the health and size of the fish population in the Clayfield Lake on plant owned property located on the Tennessee River. As a flooded former clay excavation site, the lake provided limited naturally occurring structure to support a healthy fish population. The project focused on placement of felled trees, cut shrubbery/trees, and other aquatic habitat enhancement structures, as well as, stocking native fish species to improve food availability. During employee fishing days, the fish species length and weight, were recorded. This data was used to measure the relative health of the fish in the lake and to help determine the best courses of action to improve the fish habitat in the lake, and ultimately the health of the fish population. The project achieved Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Conservation Certification in 2021.  
“We’re honored to recognize the outstanding achievements of WHC members,” said Margaret O’Gorman, President, WHC. “The companies, programs and employees around the world we salute with WHC Awards represent the importance of nature-based solutions on corporate lands. These solutions are vital to solve the biodiversity and climate crises and our members are at the forefront of this challenge. It is an honor to recognize many leaders in corporate conservation through the WHC Awards.”  

In line with the constant commitment to sustainability and the creation of value for all stakeholders, Buzzi Unicem is presenting the roadmap "Our Journey to Net Zero" to look to the future and recounting the company's journey toward climate neutrality by 2050.
The group expects to abate CO2 emissions (scope 1 net) below 500 kg per ton of cementitious material by 2030, corresponding to a reduction of about 20% compared to the 2021 level. Moreover, in line with the provisions of the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as of the European Green Deal, the 2050 goal is to produce concrete with zero impact in terms of CO2 emissions.

One of the cornerstones of the carbon emissions reduction strategy developed by the Cement Industry in the USA is to reduce the clinker-cement ratio. 
Switching our product line to mainly Portland limestone cements will allow us to achieve this goal fairly quickly and in an efficient way. These are indeed excellent products, widely used in Europe (as well as other countries) for many years, and with a lower CO2 emissions intensity than the cements commonly used up to now by our customers in the USA. 
The Portland limestone cements developed by Buzzi Unicem have the same performance characteristics as standard Portland cement, they can be produced at any plant in the country and are distributed in both bulk and in bags.
By the end of the year, we plan to completely abandon the traditional ASTM C150 type I and II (OPC) cements in favor of ASTM C595 type IL cement (PLC). The Cape Girardeau and Festus cement plants in Missouri, Greencastle in Indiana, Maryneal in Texas and Pryor in Oklahoma have already completed the transition to the PLC. The San Antonio plant in Texas  will complete its transition in June, while Chattanooga in Tennessee will switch its product line by September 2022. Last but not least, the Stockertown cement plant in Pennsylvania will complete its conversion later this year.
Our engineers will continue working to increase the limestone content in cement by up to the permitted 15% and develop High Early Limestone cement, along with other new cement products with significantly reduced clinker content.

Buzzi Unicem has published the second edition of Highlights, containing a summary of the company's economic and financial data and an excerpt from the sustainability report.
Highlights opens with a letter from President Veronica Buzzi spotlighting the key aspects that the group has focused on: earnings, growth, sustainability and occupational safety, despite the challenges of 2021 that were still impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.   
As in the previous edition, the document features an in-depth analysis of each region, with detailed information on market trends, cement consumption, revenues, margins and investments. 
More detailed information is available in the financial statements already published in the dedicated section.

The Rotes Rathaus, literally "Red Town Hall", is the town hall of Berlin and a landmark in the German capital city. The namesake subway station was recently built using concrete and precast elements based on Dyckerhoff Weiss white cement.
The architects opted to use concrete in many areas of the station, including the distinctive black and white precast concrete panels used for the floor and walls.
The wall panels were manufactured by BNB Beton und Natursteine Babelsberg.
The slabs were made from a textile-reinforced concrete with the addition of a special stone aggregate that confers the elegant black and white color to the cement conglomerate.
The wall panels are complemented by the floors in the entrance, transit areas and platform areas, covering a total area of approximately 1,400 m². 
Based on white cement, the floors are finished with a terrazzo-look very similar to the wall panels. The above-ground entrance flooring was made with Dyckerhoff Flowstone cement conglomerate with “Nordisch Weiß” (Nordic White) aggregate, consisting of Portland cements and ultra-fine binders to ensure a high degree of resistance to freezing and de-icing salts. The white coatings of the transit areas and docks were made with the addition of Carrara marble aggregates. The white finish of the transit areas and platforms was achieved by adding Carrara marble aggregates, while Nero Ebano pigment and black marble aggregates were used for the black parts. The concrete was mixed directly on-site with the appropriate pigments and additives, and then laid in two layers as a sort of “cast grit floor”.

Buzzi Unicem presents the 21st edition of its Sustainability Report, a document that describes its economic, environmental and social performance in 2021.

During the past year, the Company continued its support, at the global level, for communities affected by the Covid-19 emergency, donating €1.5 million through various humanitarian organizations operating in the countries where it operates.

From an economic standpoint, production volumes improved and financial results maintained the excellent level attained in the previous year, in spite of the global emergency situation.

On the environmental level, the company is currently working on the definition of a strategic plan, aimed at setting new targets for the reduction of CO₂ emissions and confirms its commitment to pursue health and safety objectives for the protection of its employees, with more than 50% of training hours provided on these issues.
In this context of major and significant changes, Buzzi Unicem reaffirms to operate with a view to innovation and progress, attracting and holding on to young talent, promoting meritocracy and teamwork, and sharing with its stakeholders a strategic vision in line with the objectives of sustainable development.

The Hafenpark Quartier is being built on the River Main in the immediate vicinity of the European Central Bank. This new district will comprise an area of approximately 29,200 sq. mt., and will include over 600 apartments, an office block divided into two areas, a hotel for events and conferences, and a second 21-story hotel. Developed by the B&L group, and designed by the Frankfurt-based Albert Speer & Partners architecture firm, construction of the complex is currently underway in the up-and-coming Ostend district of Frankfurt. 
The project also includes the development of green areas for recreation and socializing. 
Two-story houses and condominiums with various-sized apartments and penthouses are arranged around a large, landscaped inner courtyard, while the rooftops feature large gardens and terraces. The most striking buildings of the complex, however, are the two 52- and 58-meter high residential skyscrapers overlooking the Main.
The structural work was executed by the Adolf Lupp of Nidda, using 52,000 m³ of ready-mix concrete, most of which was supplied by the Dyckerhoff Beton Frankfurt plant in the Rhine-Main-Taunus area, together with a supplier from the same city.
The various concrete formulations with compressive strength classes ranging from C8/10 to C50/60, were produced with Portland slag cement made with COMFORT Dreifach and HOZ Normal LH and HOZ Doppel blast furnace cements from Wiesbaden. 
The reinforced concrete structures of the skyscrapers were completed at the end of summer 2021, while the hotels and residential buildings will be completed in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

In keeping with their commitment to the environment and the Portland Cement Association’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality, Massimo Toso, President and CEO of Buzzi Unicem USA Inc. and President and CEO of Alamo Cement Company, announces the following changes:  

“By the end of 2022, Buzzi Unicem USA and Alamo Cement Company will implement full conversion from traditional ASTM C150 Type I and II cements (OPC) to ASTM C595 Type IL (PLC) cement.  The conversion begins with our plants in Cape Girardeau and Festus, Missouri; Greencastle, Indiana; Maryneal, Texas; and Pryor, Oklahoma, making the transition to Type IL (PLC) by the end of Q1 2022.  Alamo Cement Company in San Antonio, Texas, will complete its transition by mid-2022 followed by our Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant in Q3 2022.  And finally, our Stockertown, Pennsylvania, plant will fully convert by year end. Type IL (PLC) cement can reduce the CO2 emissions up to 15% in comparison with traditional cement.  

With these changes, Buzzi Unicem USA and Alamo Cement are supporting the cement industry’s goal of reducing carbon emission intensity.”

Press release Buzzi Unicem USA e Alamo Cement Company
 

Buzzi Unicem launches on the Italian and German markets the new product line called CGreen, a family of CO₂ efficient cements. 
In keeping with the sustainability policies that distinguish the company and with the aim of meeting the targets of the future ecological transition, CGreen marks the natural evolution of Buzzi Unicem's hydraulic binders, continuing in the footsteps of a long tradition of high-quality, high-performance products. The CGreen line was developed by selecting suitable active additions, partially replacing clinker, optimizing grinding and mixing conditions and using new generation additives, at the same time keeping the required technical performance. 

Like all Italian Buzzi Unicem's cements, the CGreen cements are also accompanied by Environmental Product Declarations, obtained through the EPD certification system, which guarantees full transparency and representativeness of the environmental performance of the product throughout its life cycle. 
CGreen will be the distinguishing trademark for low carbon footprint cements in all countries where the group operates. In particular today, Dyckerhoff ECO COMFORT and Dyckerhoff CEDUR, launched on the German market, join the CGreen family.

CGreen was created to ensure maximum sustainability of production without sacrificing the quality of Buzzi Unicem's products, and it marks a further step towards the achievement of energy transition objectives, which the company pursues also by investing in projects for the reduction of all emissions and for the development of technologies aimed at capturing and re-using CO₂.

Press Release

For more details on CGreen in different markets: 

CGreen product line - Italian market
CGreen product line - German market
 

The agreement between Buzzi Unicem and Italgas, the leading gas distributor in Italy, was signed with the intent of studying the feasibility of setting up Power-to-Gas systems in combination with carbon capture systems at production plants deemed most suited to the project.

The agreement aims at promoting the decarbonization of cement and concrete production processes in order to increase environmental sustainability and facilitate the energy transition. In particular, the study will assess the possibility of producing and using, in the most suitable Buzzi Unicem plants, synthetic methane obtained from the combination of green hydrogen produced by the Power to Gas plants with part of the CO₂ released in the production processes.

Industrial experimentation of Calcium Looping technology for capturing the carbon dioxide released by the production process is already underway at the Vernasca (PC) plant. Thanks to the EU Horizon 2020 project known as "CLEANKER" (CLEAN- clinKER), we will be able to assess the technical and economic sustainability of this technology and estimate the plant changes and investments necessary in order to adopt this process at existing cement plants.

Buzzi Unicem endorses this project, which is fully in line with the industrial investment plan needed to identify technologies for capturing and reusing the CO2 emitted by the plants, an essential aspect of the ecological transition process.

Press release