In Sweden, Heidelberg Materials Cement Sverige AB, part of Germany-headed global construction materials major Heidelberg Materials AG, has announced that it will launch a new cement product in Autumn 2024 that it says will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent compared to conventional cement.
Called “Bas Plus VPI”, this innovative cement is the result of blending cement with volcanic material from Iceland, known as Volcanic Pozzolan Iceland (VPI).
VPI is a so-called natural pozzolan, which has reactive properties similar to cement and can therefore replace part of the cement in the finished product.
Unlike cement’s main raw material limestone which generates carbon dioxide (CO2) when processed in the cement kiln, the VPI material has no environmental impact.
The volcanic material is extracted in Heidelberg Materials’ quarries in Iceland. Here it is available in high volumes and is a long-term resource.
We are proud to introduce Bas Plus VPI to the market. By incorporating the volcanic material, we significantly reduce the carbon footprint compared to traditional cement, said Magnus Ohlsson, Managing Director of Heidelberg Materials Cement Sverige.
Committed to deploy CCS at Slite
Heidelberg Materials is leading the transition of the global cement industry and is committed to the installation of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant at its cement plant in Slite, Gotland in Sweden, which will enable all cement from the site to be produced without CO2 emissions from 2030 onwards.
Meanwhile, the ongoing development of climate-improved products – of which Bas Plus VPI is a part – is a very important activity that will also make a difference to sustainable construction already this year.
The production of Bas Plus VPI takes place in Slite, where the VPI material is mixed into cement after first being ground into a fine powder at the company’s plant in Degerhamn on Öland.
Heidelberg Materials has been successfully running lab tests and trials in close cooperation with customers for several years to ensure the good performance and quality of the product.
After manufacturing the final cement product in Slite on Gotland, it is distributed to silo stations around the country.
Bas Plus VPI will be available on the Swedish market from November 2024, offering the construction industry a more sustainable alternative with a significantly lower climate impact.
We are working at all levels to reduce the climate impact of cement and concrete, which is one of society’s most important and widely used building materials. As a leading industry player, we see this as our responsibility, ended Magnus Ohlsson.
