A study by Rice University researchers found that graphene derived from metallurgical coke, a coal-based product, could serve not only as a reinforcing additive in cement but also as a replacement for sand in concrete. “This could have a major impact on one of the biggest industries in the world,” said James Tour, Rice’s T. T. and W. F. Chao…
Read MoreCategory: Key Issues
Show Me Your Badge!
Here’s A Story About An Operator Who Called Local Law Enforcement On A Field Office Supervisor Who Refused To Present His Credentials. By Brian Hendrix A reader in the industry recently asked me for my take on his practice of asking MSHA inspectors for their credentials. He explained that he asks for an inspector’s credentials, either an authorized representative (AR)…
Read MoreThe Making of a Media Release
Mass Media Are Still The Best Channels For Reaching The General Public. By Thomas J. Roach When it comes to free public communication, mass media are still the best channels for reaching the general public. Social media and web pages are best used for targeted communication. Important networking publics interface on social media, and websites are visited by costumers researching…
Read MoreDeveloping the Next Generation
At ARPA, Future Leaders Program Participants Learn The Importance Of Community Relations. By Therese Dunphy The Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) is cultivating the next generation of industry leadership through a year-long training program called Future Leaders. It began in 2017 and allows participants to learn skills they need to succeed in the industry and as individuals. “The purpose of…
Read MoreNews from Virginia
According to the News Leader, how far away from a quarry would a house have to be for you to consider living in it? Would that change if you worked for the quarry? That’s the question at the core of an ordinance considered by the Augusta County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 24. The debate is not over – the…
Read MorePermitting from South Carolina
According to the Times and Democrat, the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates has applied for permits to establish a limestone quarry and processing plant on Addidas Road, less than four miles southeast of the town of Eutawville, S.C. A subsidiary, Vulcan Construction Materials LLC, proposes to lease multiple tracts totaling 693 acres from a sister subsidiary called Vulcan Lands…
Read MoreSolidia, CTS Complete First Low-Carbon Cement Production Campaign
CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp., California-based producer of Rapid Set and Komponent specialty concrete binders, recently completed the first of a series of planned Solidia Cement production campaigns. A low limestone binder that gains strength through exposure to carbon dioxide and the attendant carbonation process, Solidia Cement is made with the same raw materials as portland cement but exhibits significantly eased…
Read MoreThe Record-Breaking Aggregates Industry
The publicly traded companies are out with their full-year 2023 financial reports and by all accounts it was a record-breaking year. The list goes on. While vibrant market conditions continue to drive performance for aggregates operations, there is no discounting the impact of the healthy price increases that companies are also reporting. Rock Products’ pricing guru, Barry Hudson of Price…
Read MoreFirst Look – March 2024
FIRST LOOK TOP NEWSVulcan MaterialsVulcan Materials Co. announced results for the quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2023, reporting total revenues of $1.83 billion in the fourth quarter versus $1.73 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022; and $7.78 billion for full-year 2023 versus $7.32 billion for full-year 2022. Summit MaterialsSummit Materials Inc. announced results for the fourth quarter and…
Read MorePermitting Update: Washington
After almost 10 months of friction between the company and its neighbor Fairmount Elementary School, the Mountain Loop Mine submitted a permit application to Snohomish County on Feb. 14.
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