Dr. Martin Schneider
CEO, VDZ
VDZ’s history of over 140 years successfully reflects its mission of being a pioneer in sustainability and innovation in the cement industry. VDZ, which laid the foundations of the German cement standard, continues to lead the industry in many areas, from carbon capture technologies to process optimization. Today, it is taking significant steps towards reducing environmental impacts in cement and concrete production through global collaborations and research projects.
We understand that VDZ has a history spanning 140 years. Could you briefly explain how the mission and vision of VDZ have evolved over this long period since its establishment?
VDZ has been founded in 1877 and its founding members started to work at the first cement standard in Germany. That time cement could not be really described, in particular with respect to strength and other quality parameters. Very soon after the first standard was developed the measurement standard worked out. They are still the basis for today’s cement standard in Germany and also found its way into many aspects of the current European cement standard EN 197.
VDZ was always a technical trade association of the German cement producers. Based on profound research activities within VDZ, significant development within the cement industry could be achieved. Clinker burning, cooling and cement grinding are only a few examples to be mentioned here. Around the year 2000 VDZ developed another pillar of its work by broadening its services to its members but also to customers along the value chain, with a strong focus on concrete of course. Today, one could say that VDZ works partly as a trade association, representing the interest of the industry, as a research institute addressing precompetitive issues for the sector and as a company providing services covering all aspects of cement production and concrete technology.
We notice a parallel between the establishment of VDZ and the transition to modern cement production, along with the development of kiln technologies. Has VDZ made specific contributions to the advancement of kiln technology? Do you see any historical influences that continue to shape these ongoing technological developments?
With its strong roots in the cement sector, VDZ has at all times been at the front of process technology in the cement plants. While the kiln technology itself was strongly developed by the equipment suppliers, VDZ contributed to energy efficiency as well as burning and cooling technology. The optimisation of the grinding process has always been in the focus, in particular today, when modern cement requires separate grinding and subsequent blending of the constituents. In addition, environmental technology was always accompanied by VDZ’s work. Development in non-catalytic and catalytic NOx-reduction and mercury abatement are some of the topics to be named here.
In 2002 VDZ was co-founder of ECRA, the European Cement Research Academy. Many cement companies are members and they aim at precompetitive research in areas which are very innovative and even visionary. In 2007 ECRA’s work on carbon capture was started and is today the basis for many carbon capture projects in the cement industry worldwide.
Since 2007 VDZ made a great contribution to the development of the oxyfuel kiln. This was part of ECRA’s work to address carbon capture in the cement industry. Everything that is known today in oxyfuel combustion is based on this research and VDZ’s contribution to this is highly appreciated by the sector.
Does VDZ collaborate with similar organisations in other countries? On which platforms do these collaborations occur? In other words, how does VDZ demonstrate its capabilities in the global cement market?
VDZ is collaborating with cement associations in many countries. This mostly covers the political field of where the industry is trying to find the right answers with respect to political development, in particular in the climate and energy field. Research is based in the collaboration with partners in universities, companies of the sector including equipment suppliers and other cement associations. The most intensive collaboration, however, takes place in projects in VDZ’s service parts. VDZ is providing its services to the cement industry on a global scale. This includes technical audits and reviews of the plants, kiln tests, emission measurements, laboratory testing, quality improvements of the final product, cost optimisation of the total process and most of all today decarbonisation strategies including opportunity and feasibility studies for carbon capture units. In addition, the International VDZ Congress is a particularly important scientific forum for the global cement and concrete industry and its suppliers. Delegates from all over the world will discuss the latest developments, innovations and challenges in the transformation of the cement industry on the way to climate neutrality. The 9th International VDZ Congress will take place in Düsseldorf from 6 to 8 November 2024 (see: www.vdz-congress.org).
What are the lobbying activities of VDZ in Germany and the EU? What strategies does VDZ develop to support the common economic interests of the cement industry, and what advantages does it provide to its members in this process?
VDZ has always underlined the interest of the industry based on its sound technical understanding. Its contribution to using waste as alternative fuels could be named here as an example. Based on VDZ’s research and respective publications, the role of the raw material based emissions were highlighted, which was addressed in various fields of waste incineration legislation.
Carbon leakage protection was always a topic that VDZ was strongly working on. Since VDZ could work out the cost structure of the new decarbonisation technologies at a very early stage, the sector could underline the additional cost and as a consequence the risk of carbon leakage. VDZ has emphasised the need for the industry to have a levelplaying field. This is of course well understood politically. However, underlining the difference of the cement sector with respect to other industries was always needed and has proven to be helpful.
Could you provide information about your regular Annual Report, Environmental Data, and other important industrial publications? How do these publications contribute to the cement industry and its stakeholders?
VDZ provides its members with good information on relevant political developments but also results of its precompetitive research. Members are directly informed via newsletters or a dedicated members’ area on VDZ’s website. All publicly funded research projects are summarised and published on VDZ’s website or in dedicated journals covering the topics of the sector. The environmental data of the German cement industry have been published for more than 25 years now. Regularly, on an annual basis the emissions of the sector are published covering the typical emissions at stake, but also consumption of energy, raw materials, waste fuels, clinker substitutes as well as the CO₂ footprint of the sector. This transparancy has built up trust among external stakeholders and VDZ can still support industry’s communication today with its numbers and figures covering the whole sector.
As VDZ, which key factors do you consider in environmental impact assessments? For cement plants located near residential areas, how are social impact assessments conducted?
It is mostly the use of alternative fuels which can result in feedback or discussions with the local neighbourhood. However, over the years, built on the experience and the transparency in the use of alternative materials, the big protests that some companies have experienced previously is meanwhile history. VDZ has always been supportive for the companies and permit processes including environmental impact assessments. The approach is to be transparent and fair and at the same time basis for the argumentation on good technical and scientific grounds. As a consequence, permit procedures are of course still complex and sometimes cumbersome. This, however, is mostly due to a complicated legislation and to a much lesser extend on opposition from the outside as it used to be.
VDZ is recognised as a significant innovation driver in Germany’s cement industry. Which innovative technologies and solutions stand out in your research projects within the framework of IGF (Industrial Community Research – Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung)? What can you share about the potential impact of these projects on the industry and the environment?
VDZ’s research has always been precompetitive and funding has always been applied for two different funding sources. The dominant one is indeed the Industrial Community Research, the programme by the German Ministry of Economy and Climate. This is a longlasting programme in which VDZ was able to participate for more than 60 years now. To a growing extend, in particular in the last ten years, other research funds were also looked at. This applies for national one as well as for European ones. In any case, a good cooperation with other partners is required, and VDZ is glad to be part of a bigger network of cement producers, equipment suppliers, but also research institutions like in particular universities. Examples of these research projects are NOx abatement, clinker cooling technologies, grinding efficiencies, prenormative research for composite cements including its application in concrete and calibration of mercury emission monitors to name only a few.
In addition, in particular through ECRA, some research projects were funded by the industry itself. The above mentioned oxyfuel kiln, but also ECRA’s work on future grinding technology were sponsored by the industry and put ECRA and VDZ in a position to address topics of very high interest and at the same time of high benefit for the sector.
What are the main sources of funding for your projects? What contributions does the cement industry make through sponsorship? Who owns the intellectual property rights to the project outputs?
As already mentioned, the funding sources are manyfold. Most of the projects require a cooperation, in particular with the cement industry. There is a strong financial support indirectly through VDZ and its budget, the part of which is based on VDZ’s membership fees. As mentioned above, the aim of VDZ’s research is to promote the development in the industry. The work is precompetitive and VDZ does not aim to claim interlectual properties. The opposite is true: Through the publication of its research VDZ would like to assure a level-playing field among all partners who would like to take advantage of the results of its research.
What are VDZ’s views on sustainability? What criteria do you use to evaluate the success of innovative technologies and solutions based on the research projects you undertake in this field?
Sustainability is a broad issue and of course VDZ has always emphasised that next to environmental aspect also the economical and social aspects need to be taken into account. Sustainability in the environmental field starts at the cement plant itself. It is not only the emission of the classical components – but today of course CO₂ emissions are of highest importance.
VDZ has a strong focus on minimising the emissions from the clinker burning process, including process optimisation, clinker factor reduction and finally carbon capture. However, CO₂ reduction always requires the partnership with the customers of the industry such as readymix producers as well as the construction industry. This applies to environmental product declarations and its developments, quality aspects of readymix production as well as carbon footprint of buildings and infrastructure. This all together is today a topic that has grown significantly over the last decades. Of course, new sustainability aspects are coming up such as biodiversitiy, which is of course also in VDZ’s focus.
Regarding sustainability, what technological developments concern the cement industry in the short and medium term?
It is indeed the CO₂ topic which is of the highest importance. It is interesting to see how much energy was put into classical emission abatement discussions. However, today the best available technology is achieved and cement plants operate as clean as never before. Further improvement is only gradually possible and needed. Against this context, all the efforts are on CO₂ abatement and here the focus is on alternative fuels, in particular those including biomass, process opimisation, clinker factor and – as said before – carbon capture technologies.
In terms of sustainability, how do you assess the impact of outputs that positively affect the cement industry on other industries within the value chain, such as the concrete industry?
Today decarbonisation is certainly having the highest impact on the cement industry and consequently on the value chain, with a focus of course on the concrete sector and the construction industry. It is fascinating to see how the industry has taken up this topic and is really understanding itself as part of the solution. The sector and VDZ are a great help in this and are reaching out to downstream users because at the end the final transformation of the sector to net zero can only be achieved together.
Could you provide information about VDZ’s laboratory infrastructure? To what extent do cement plants benefit from these laboratory services, and have they invested in similar infrastructure within their own organisations?
Due to its technical backbone VDZ has always relied on its laboratories. While VDZ employs roughly 200 people today, 80 of them are working in the laboratories. A strong focus is on the analytical part, where chemical aspects of cements, but also of alternative fuels are in the focus. A physical laboratory assures excellent testing environments for all tests being needed to answer basically any question in the context of cement and concrete. There is so much expertise inhouse that the laboratories are often been asked to support customers in difficult questions when it comes to quality topics or the question of future investments, for example into calcined clays and various clay quarries.
VDZ places further emphasis on environmental testing also in its laboratories. Expulsion tests from raw materials, but also all the analytics that need to be done inhouse when samples are taken back from stag measurements are part of VDZ’s scope. Most important, however, VDZ always sees its work on cement against the background of the cement performance in concrete. Therefore an excellently equiped concrete department is part of VDZ’s laboratory portfolio. Last but not least it should be mentioned that VDZ has a very good grinding department. Different types of mills and analytical methods are available to answer even the most difficult questions when it comes to crushing, grinding, blending or transporting of the materials in the cement plant.
What innovations in emission monitoring and reporting does VDZ aim to bring with its statements on the revision of the EU ETS and the update of the Monitoring and Reporting Regulation (MRR)? How are these changes expected to transform the industry?
The revision of the EU ETS is of course important for the whole sector. A strong focus in VDZ’s work today is on different kinds of potentially new measurements when it comes to CO₂ capture. This includes massflow measurements of CO₂, the distinction between fossile and biogenic CO₂, trace impurities in liquid or dense CO₂, not only as periodic measurement, but also with a focus on the potential continuous measurement. The sector needs for sure a good control of CO₂, not only processwise, but also from a balancing point of view. Here is a strong focus of VDZ’s today’s research work. VDZ’s laboratories are well equipped for this and its excellent understanding of the entire CO₂ value chain is also a key factor.
Over its more than 140 years VDZ has always been serving the industry. It is really great to be part of such an important sector and VDZ is really proud to be so deeply rooted in it. The claim of VDZ is evolving the well established, which clearly underlines its focus on tradition and longterm experience, but at the same time its openness for new challenges. VDZ is sure, that the industry will have a bright future and VDZ is proud to be part of the sector for such a long time already.
