India: Ready-mix concrete producers suspended operations at 17 different batching plants in Mira-Bhayander and neighbouring Vasai, Maharashtra, during the second half of 2024. The closures resulted from closure notices from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. The Times of India newspaper has reported that all plants subsequently complied with pollution restrictions and have since reopened.
Taiheiyo Cement USA acquires Grimes Rock’s concrete and aggregates business
US: Taiheiyo Cement USA has acquired California-based building materials producer Grimes Rock’s ready-mixed concrete and aggregates assets. Reuters has reported that the acquisition also includes some ‘affiliated’ assets.
Poeppelman Materials & Pepcon acquires Coate Concrete Products
US: Concrete and aggregates company Poeppelman Materials & Pepcon has acquired precast concrete producer Coate Concrete Products, local press has reported. Coate Concrete Products is based in West Milton, Ohio. Poeppelman Materials & Pepcon currently supplies its products to markets in Ohio and Indiana.
Study demonstrates performance benefits of silica fumes on geopolymer concrete
India: A study at the DPG Institute of Technology and Management in Gurugram has investigated the effects of blending different concentrations of silica fumes to ground granulated blast furnace slag-based (GGBFS) geopolymer concrete. Findings reported in the Nature concluded that the addition of 10% silica fumes ‘significantly’ enhanced the durability and strength of the resulting concrete.
