PCA Sustainability Summit 2024

August 13-15, 2024

Portland Cement Association, representing America’s cement manufacturers, will be holding the second annual PCA Sustainability Summit on August 13 to 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CDT each day.

Join us for this virtual event as we delve into key levers toward net zero:

• Alternative Fuels,
• Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), and
• Blended Cements.

You’ll also gain invaluable insights on developments within each portion of the value chain, including initiatives from the concrete and construction industry, as outlined in the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality.

DAY 1 – August 13, 2024

• Welcome- Mike Ireland, PCA President and CEO (10:00am- 10:15am CDT)

Keynote Session – Alternative Fuels (10:15 am-11:30am CDT)

• Panel moderated by Emily McCarthy, PCA, Market Intelligence
• Types of Alternatives Fuels (U.S. Labor and Energy)
  • Emily McCarthy, PCA, Market Intelligence
• Alternative Fuels in the U.S.
  • Pete Paone- ZAP Engineering
• European Experiences with Alternative Fuels
  • Nikos Nikolakakos, CemBureau
• Moderated Q&A on the trajectory of alternative fuel use in the U.S.

Concrete Link Updates (11:30 – 12:00 CDT)

• Mixture Optimization Panel – Presented by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA)
  • Lionel Lemay, NRMCA
  • Heather Brown, Irving Materials, Inc.
  • Ryan Cialdella, Ozinga
  • Alana Guzzetta, Vulcan Materials Company

DAY 2 – August 14

Keynote Session – CCUS (10am-11:30am CDT)

• Cross-Sectoral Approaches
  • Brad Crabtree, Dept. of Energy, Assistant Sec for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
• CO₂ Capture Challenges
  • John Kline, Kline Consulting

Construction Link Updates (11:30 – 12:00 CDT)

• Decarbonization Playbook – Presented by Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
  • Melinda Tomaino, AGC
  • Julia Gisewite, Turner Construction Company

DAY 3 – August 15

Keynote Session – Blended Cements (10am-11:15am CDT)

• Timeline of Blended Cements Usage in the U.S., Canada and Europe
  • Nick Popoff, Votorantim Cimentos
• Performance Characteristics of Blended Cements (Fresh and Hardened Properties)
  • Mark Niemuth, Cemex
• Implementation of Blended Cements from Plant to Construction Site
  • Leopold Spenner, Alcemy

Carbon Uptake Link Updates (11:15 – 11:45 CDT)

• Status of Industry Research and Metrics to Date – Presented by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • Maria Knake, NIST
  • Hessam Azarijafari, Concrete Sustainability Hub at MIT
  • Dean Frank, NEU

Policy Asks 11:45 – 11:55 CDT

• Sean O’Neill, PCA Sr. Vice President, Government Affairs

Summit Wrap-up (11:55-Noon)

• Rick Bohan, PCA Sr. Vice President, Sustainability