Lafarge wraps its first low-carbon cement plant conversion
It the first Holcim Group cement plant worldwide to qualify 100% of its cement production as ECOPlanet.
The sun sets over Lafarge’s Richmond, B.C. cement plant. – Lafarge Canada
Key Takeaways:
- Its Richmond plant now only produces ECOPlanet cement.
- ECOPlanet cement emits no more than 400kg of CO2 per ton.
- Standard Portland cements typically emit upwards of 900kg of CO2 per ton.
The Whole Story:
A Metro Vancouver cement plant just secured a major sustainability achievement.
Lafarge Canada, a member of Holcim Group, announced its conversion to the production of 100% ECOPlanet cement at its Richmond Cement Plant. ECOPlanet, Holcim’s brand of low-carbon cement, offers a minimum 30% reduction in CO2 emissions per tonne in comparison to ordinary portland cement.
This accomplishment makes it the first cement plant within the Holcim Group worldwide to qualify 100% of its cement production as ECOPlanet.
“This is a proud moment for our organization,” said Brad Kohl, president & CEO of Lafarge Canada (West). “This conversion in Lafarge’s Western Canada division highlights our strong commitment to accelerating green growth. As leaders in sustainable building solutions, we take pride in having a positive impact on building solutions across its lifecycle without compromising the quality and long-term durability of our products.”
Lafarge officials noted that the Government of BC and CleanBC Industry Fund have been instrumental in facilitating decarbonization projects efficiently. Through the Innovation Accelerator Fund, the Richmond Plant received funding to assist with the addition of supplementary cementitious materials to cement and has been the key to decreasing the greenhouse gasses per tonne of cement produced on site.
“Globally, Holcim is a leader in sustainable building materials, and ECOPlanet is a great example of our innovative solutions,” said Toufic Tabbara, region jead of North America at Holcim. “By adopting low-carbon cement processing additions like at the Richmond plant, we continue to lower the embodied carbon in our building materials.”
According to Lafarge, the ECOPlanet range of low-carbon cement is designed to meet the most stringent performance specifications while upholding the highest standards of sustainability. With compliance with all industry standards, this cement is suitable for various applications regardless of performance requirements.
ECOPlanet cement isn’t the only environmental moves Lafarge is making at the plant. This May, officials announced a tri-party agreement with Svante Technologies Inc., and Dimensional Energy, Inc to bring a demonstration of Dimensional Energy’s carbon dioxide utilization technology to the facility.
