Cement Industry Honors CEMEX Victorville Plant

The CEMEX USA cement plant in Victorville, Calif., is situated in the Mojave Desert, one of the most unique and environmentally sensitive areas in the U.S. with an average annual rainfall of 3 inches. CEMEX has made environmental performance, site beautification and environmental stewardship a high priority in its routine operation.

In 2012, CEMEX USA commissioned its first wind turbines in collaboration with Foundation Wind power, leading to the construction of four wind turbines at CEMEX Victorville. The turbines will generate a total of 6.2 megawatts of wind energy for the facility while advancing CEMEX’s sustainability goals through a reduction of carbon fuels. The turbines have helped the plant reduce its CO2 footprint by 5,953 tons of emissions.  The year also saw the facility receiving the EPA’s prestigious ENERGY STAR® certification in recognition of the Victorville team’s outstanding energy management leadership.

CEMEX Victorville replaced traditional fuels, like coal, with carbon neutral alternatives and renewable fuel sources, like agricultural by-products (pistachios), clean woody biomass, whole tires and tire fluff, biosolids, used dust collector bags, and engineered fuel consisting items that would otherwise be sent to landfills.  The plant consumed 39,795 tons of alternative fuel material.

CEMEX Victorville participates in numerous community events, including several for the Town of Apple Valley, such as participation in Community Clean-up days, participation in the Chili Cook-Off Contest, and Rotary Club presentations on how cement is made.

The Victorville plant received the Energy Efficiency award from PCA and Cement Americas magazine as part of the 2013 Cement Industry Energy and Environment Awards.  The award was presented at PCA’s Spring Meeting in Chicago. The Energy Efficiency award recognizes a plant’s energy planning, applications of efficiency technologies and practices, and climate change mitigation efforts.  The plant was also a runner up in the Outreach and Environmental Performance categories.

PCA Education Foundation Selects 2013 Research Fellows

The PCA Education Foundation awarded three graduate students with the educational fellowships at the association’s recent spring meeting in Chicago.

The 2013 recipients are (listed by university, student, professor, research title):

Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
Mahmoodreza Soltani
Professor:  Brandon E. Ross, PE, PhD
Title: Shear Strength of Stud Rail Assemblies

Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Tom Cackler
Title: Training on Durable Concrete Pavements to Municipalities

The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
Federico M. Aguayo
Professor:  Kevin J. Folliard, PhD
Title: An Accelerated Test Method to Determine the Resistance of Concrete to Chemical Sulfate Attack

The PCA Education Foundation Research Fellowship identifies and rewards outstanding masters and doctoral students in the fields of engineering and physical sciences who are studying areas that advance the science and technology of cement and concrete. PCA’s Education Foundation presents the students with $20,000 each for university and study costs.

PCA established the Foundation in 2001 to help finance education programs in nearly every facet of the cement and concrete industries, from university research fellowships to career recruitment and craft training.
Contact Steve Kosmatka

April PPI: Lumber Jumps

The steel and asphalt Producer Price Indices (PPIs) were down in April from year-ago levels, deceasing 8.9 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. Lumber increased sharply at 23.1 percent, its largest year-over-year gain since May 2010. Concrete climbed a relatively modest 3.1 percent from April 2012.

Each competitive material except for asphalt (down 0.8 percent) rose from March. Steel’s gain of 0.4 percent from March brought its level back to that of February. The concrete PPI was up 0.9 percent, and lumber saw the largest increase on a percentage point basis at 2.6 percent.
Contact Michael Howard

CalPortland Mojave Plant Recognized by Southern California Edison for Energy Savings

The CalPortland Company Mojave cement plant recently announced the successful completion its latest energy efficiency project and the collaborative support of Southern California Edison’s (SCE) energy rebate program.

The Mojave plant uses gas conditioning towers to reduce kiln gas exit temperatures by the injection of water into the top of the tower. Previously, the plant had been using an air-to-air heat exchanger, which consisted of two large fans blowing ambient air across many tubes through which process gasses were passed. This upgrade has numerous energy efficiency advantages compared to the old system including reduced power requirement by the kiln fan, lower gas exit temperatures, lower pressure drop, and the elimination of two large energy-intensive fans. It is estimated that this project will provide more than $600,000 in annual energy savings. The opportunity for the rebate was a critical factor during the consideration of the project and provided the necessary incentive to justify construction.

CalPortland has been awarded the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence for the past nine years.

PCA Uses MIT Data to Comment on Truck Study

On June 4, PCA submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding its study on truck size and weight.  

PCA's letter centered on support for efforts to modernize truck weight standards to allow safe and heavier six-axle rigs on the Interstate system.  Studies have shown that the heavier trucks reduce truck traffic on highways, reduce overall wear-and-tear on the roads, and enhance the logistical capabilities of our businesses and farmers.

The letter also highlighted pavement selection as an area that should be considered as part of the DOT study. It cited MIT research, including the recent reports “Deterioration Induced Roughness in the US Network” and “Where the Rubber Meets the Road.”
Contact Justin Louchheim

Registration for TRANSCEND Conference Now Open

The Marie Curie Initial Training Network TRANSCEND conference "Water Transport in Cementitious Materials" will be held from November 3-6, 2013 in Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom.

It is part of the “Understanding TRANSport for Concrete which is Eco friendly Innovative and Durable” project  funded by the European Union (Framework Programme 7) aims to develop the understanding of water transport from the nano- to macro-scale with the objective to design new more durable and sustainable cements.

Registration and call for abstracts are open.
Registration and more information at www.nanocem.org