Can heavy industry and ecology go together? – Titan shows that the answer can be “yes”

The signing of a ten-year contract between Titan from Kosjeric and Elektroprivreda Srbije, which gives the company access to around five million tons of fresh fly ash from the TENT B thermal power plant, raises an old question in a new context: can the cement industry, one of the largest emitters of CO2, also be part of the solution to environmental challenges?

For Titan, the answer is clear: the industry of the future must be low-carbon, circular and technologically transformed.

Investments of EUR 28 million in Greece

The transition to a more sustainable model cannot happen overnight, emphasizes Vasilis Stroungaris, director of the Titan factory in Thessaloniki (Efkarpia). The company is planning an investment cycle worth up to EUR 28 million in the next two to three years.

The investments include the modernization of equipment, the adaptation of production processes, but also intensive training of employees and the local community.

– We cannot go from zero to 50 or 60% alternative fuel use in one year. It takes time for production to adapt, but also for procedures to be understood and accepted – said Stroungaris.

In Efkarpia, an investment of EUR 21 million is already underway in a facility for the use of alternative fuels, with the aim of raising their utilization rate (TSR) to 75%. In another factory in Greece, in Kamari, this rate goes up to 80%, with an annual emission reduction of 450,000 tons of CO2.

Zero by 2050

Titan Group has set emission reduction targets in line with the scenario of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The plan envisages a significant reduction in emissions by 2030 and complete net zero by 2050.

The company is also developing products with a lower carbon footprint - the so-called “green” cements with at least 25% lower emissions compared to standard OPC cement, as well as innovative concrete solutions for infrastructure projects.

One such project is the FlyOver in Thessaloniki, a major infrastructure project, a road and bypass that will improve the road network and traffic in that city, worth EUR 370 million, where Titan is the exclusive supplier of concrete and cement.

Co-processing as part of the solution

A particularly important segment of the transition is co-processing: the simultaneous energy recovery and recycling of waste in cement kilns. In Europe, alternative fuels already account for more than half of the fuel mix in the cement industry, avoiding around 23 million tons of CO2 annually.

At the Efkarpia plant, nitrogen oxide emissions have been reduced by 75% and dust emissions by 97% compared to the beginning of 2000. The plants are equipped with systems for continuous online emission monitoring, and the plant holds ISO certificates for energy, quality and environmental management.

In the period from 2019 to 2023, co-processing used 185,000 tons of alternative fuels that did not end up in landfills, saved 120,000 tons of fossil fuels and avoided 175,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Industry as part of the climate transition

The cement industry globally contributes around 7-8% to total CO2 emissions, making its transformation crucial to achieving climate goals.

Titan Group is a global company with over 120 years of experience in the production of cement and construction materials. By operating responsibly and with integrity, it actively contributes to sustainable development and creates long-term value for communities and the industry.

The Group operates in 25 countries with over 6,000 direct employees, and an annual production capacity of around 27 million tons of cement and related materials. Business activities include the production, transport and distribution of cement, concrete, aggregates and mortar, while implementing innovative technologies and protecting the environment.

The European cement industry has been using alternative fuels for over 40 years, and the technology used is safe and environmentally friendly. The average share in the EU is 46.5% (GCCA, Getting the Numbers Right, 2017).

Ivana Zikic

Titan

Vasilis Stroungaris

Titan Efkarpia

FlyOver

cement industry

coprocessing

alternative fuels