Boral secures AUD$24.5M Federal Grant for carbon-reducing adaptations at cement kiln

The kiln feed optimisation project at Berrima Cement Works plays a key role in Boral’s broader decarbonisation pathway by reducing process emissions – the largest and most-difficult-to-abate emissions source in cement manufacturing.

The funding announcement was made today by Minister for Climate Change and Energy the Hon Chris Bowen MP at Berrima Cement Works in NSW’s Southern Highlands – a strategically significant site for Boral and to Australia’s manufacturing capability, responsible for supplying up to 40% of cement in NSW and the ACT. The grant is from the Federal Government’s Powering the Regions Fund, aimed at supporting projects that will enable the decarbonisation of existing industries and contribute to Australia’s emission reduction targets.

The funding will supplement Boral’s significant capital investment into a new specialised grinding circuit and supporting infrastructure at the Berrima Cement Works. Clinker, formed by heating limestone and other materials at extremely high temperatures in a kiln, is the key ingredient in cement and is highly energy-intensive to produce. It is globally recognised as a difficult to abate manufacturing process, while also being key to all modern construction methods.

The integration of the specialised grinding circuit will enable Boral to substantially increase the proportion of alternative raw materials (ARMs) in kiln feed to up to 23%, up from its current 9% capability, and subsequently lower the amount of limestone used. The key benefit of utilising ARMs over limestone, is that limestone when heated during the clinker manufacturing process will natively release CO₂ as the limestone is converted into clinker through calcination. Approximately 55% of the CO₂ emissions of the Australia cement and concrete sector originate from this calcination of limestone and are commonly referred to as ‘process emissions’.

As an additional benefit, ARMs also require lower heating temperatures compared with limestone, and therefore, lower energy intensity.

Boral plans to use ARMs derived from a range of by-products from the steel manufacturing process and industrial waste rejections, including granulated blast furnace slag, steel slag, cement fibre board, fly ash, and fine aggregates from recycled concrete.

The funding will enable the company to progress to the next phase of detailed process designs for front-end engineering, followed by procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning. It is expected to be fully operational in 2028.

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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/asia-pacific-rim/31032025/boral-secures-245m-federal-grant-for-carbon-reducing-adaptations-at-cement-kiln/