Dear Readers,

Climate protection, yes, but who, why and how much – these are the exciting questions that no one is daring to tackle right now. You can read interesting thoughts on this subject in our column on page 81. Natural catastrophes and pandemics are just two key points that make us think. In Germany, the political course for the next four years will also be set at the end of September, and climate protection is a very hot topic within the debates.

In our Cover Story starting on page 18, you will read about the production of fuels for waste materials using a new state-of-the-art product line. The new processing facility enables Westarp to produce RDF in different fractions and respond flexibly to changing market conditions.

The article “Latest trends in clay activation” starting on page 24 of our Markets and Trends section also deals with the reduction of the carbon footprint of the cement industry. Many different ways of reducing CO₂ have already been taken, many of them very successfully. The latest development is in the direction of activated clays. This article deals with activated clays, their excellent pozzolanic properties and widespread availability. Also you will get important background information about clay activation, clay availability, market development and global projects, technical and economic aspects and how cement and concrete standardization has to be adjusted.

We are all living in exciting times and certainly everyone has a part to play in determining what the future will look like on our planet.

I wish you interesting reading

Dr. Petra Strunk
Editor-in-Chief