Heidelberg Materials converts Speed plant to slag grinding

Heidelberg Materials has announced the successful conversion of its cement plant in Speed, Indiana, USA, to a slag grinding facility to better support the increased demand for sustainable products in the fast-growing Midwest market.  

Following last year’s opening of its new state-of-the-art cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana, Heidelberg Materials ceased Portland cement production at its manufacturing site in Speed and invested in modifying the facility to produce slag cement from domestically-sourced slag granules. Replacing a portion of conventional Portland cement with slag cement in a concrete mix significantly lowers its environmental impact. The Speed site, which has a grinding capacity of more than 400,000tpa, also serves as a distribution hub for cement produced at the Mitchell plant as well as a broad range of specialty cementitious products.

According to the company, the adjustments made at the Speed plant reflect Heidelberg Materials’ strong commitment to achieving net-zero emissions in North America. Recently, the company has been selected for funding of up to US$500m by the US Department of Energy to advance industrial-scale carbon capture, transport, and storage at its Mitchell cement plant. Meanwhile, at the Edmonton cement plant in Alberta, Canada, Heidelberg Materials is currently developing the world’s first full-scale carbon capture, utilisation, and storage solution in the cement industry.