What Was Talked About at AshTrans® 2024?

Wow, what an exciting time to be involved in the ash industry, full of challenges and opportunities. 

Conference Schedule

ASHTRANS® 2024 Speakers and Panel Participants

Dr.-Ing Hans-Joachim Feuerborn

Secretary General
European Coal Combustion Products Association ECOBA | www.ecoba.com

Dr.-Ing. Hans-Joachim Feuerborn studied Metallurgy and Material Science at Aachen Technical University. In 1986 he started his scientific work at the University Technical University Aachen on reuse of industrial residues in construction products. From 1990 he worked as chief engineer in the department of binder materials (cement, lime, gypsum) and as consultant in ceramics and binder materials and for reuse of industrial residues. 

In 2000 he started his work as adviser for by-products from coal-fired power stations at the department of environmental protection of VGB PowerTech, the European Technical Association for Power and Heat Generation. Furthermore, he is serving as Secretary General for ECOBA, the European Coal Combustion Products Association and since 2015 as secretary of the World-Wide Coal Combustion Products (CCP) Network. He is actively involved in several European and German standardisation committees. 

Zarina Bazoeva

Chief Executive Officer
Neocrete | www.neocrete.com

I co-founded Neocrete to make our buildings more durable and sustainable, with a long-term goal of delivering carbon-free concrete.

Neocrete has developed an additive that activates low carbon materials, such as volcanic ash, to perform like cement, but without the costly and carbon intensive production process. Our low-carbon activated materials can currently replace up to 50% cement in concrete without the loss in performance, including early strength.

Previously I was a business advisor at KPMG, Davanti Consulting and Discovery Inc.

I have an Economics degree from University College London, focused on Environmental Economics, Game Theory and Data Analytics. My passion and deep knowledge of concrete originates with my genius dad, who has a PhD in Civil Engineering and has dedicated his life to reformulating concrete. I am hoping to take his invention further and develop concrete solution for our environmental challenge.

Nicolai Bech

Consultant
Standard Consult | www.standardconsult.eu

Education
Danish Technical University
M. Sc. Chem. Eng 1976
Ph. D. Coal cobumstion 1984

Copenhagen Business School
Graduate diploma in Marketing Management1985

Work experience
Standardconsult ApS, CEO and consultant
From april 2018 –
Advicing on the use of industrial by-product
Assessment of harmonized standards

HOFOR A/S, Mineral product manager
2014 – 2018
Managing power station by-products

Vattenfall A/S, Mineral product coordinator
2006 – 2013
Managing power station products and purchasing industrial chemicals.

Other
President for ECOBA.
Initiator for AshTrans, international conference
Member of various standardisation committees.

Philip Jarvis

Chief Executive Officer
Coomtech Ltd | www.coomtech.com

Starting out on the technical side, in electronics and military communication systems, Philip initially joined Xerox in sales in the UK, progressing into regional development roles across the globe. Leaving the corporate world to launch an IT/services start-up in Russia, he then joined a Californian start-up in 1998 bringing one of the first managed services offerings to market.

In 2006, on return to the UK, Philip became involved in several university spin outs as mentor and non-executive, and worked with early-stage ventures. This included as turnaround chairman of a VC backed travel services – a venture which trebled profit within 18 months.

Recently, Philip has focussed upon industrial cleantech/decarbonisation ventures, leading to his appointment with Coomtech in 2019 to take it forward through commercialisation to fully operational in the global market.

Dr. Nigel Cooke

Director
UK Quality Ash Association | www.ukqaa.org.uk

Dr. Nigel Cooke was appointed Director of the UKQAA in June 2017. Nigel has more than 30 years’ experience in the building materials sector, including time spent at Blue Circle Industries and Lafarge. During his time with Blue Circle and Lafarge, he was seconded to business units in Singapore, Malaysia, Chile, and Switzerland. He also spent 2 years at the Lafarge HQ in Paris working on Group cementitious strategy.

His first experience with Coal Derived Fly Ash (CDFA) was when he was Executive Director for Supermix Concrete Malaysia though, over the period 1999 to 2010 whilst in the UK, he was responsible for developing CDFA partnerships with ScottishPower (ScotAsh), RWE (CelticAsh) and EDF (ProAsh). In addition to numerous environmental accolades, ScotAsh won two Queens Awards for Innovation and the Environment.

Nigel has responsibility for representing the UKQAA and its membership to industry and is actively engaged in research and promoting the use of recovered CDFA as a result of legacy stockpiles from UK Coal Fired Power Stations.

Sylvie Doutres Ghizzo

Partner
DsG Consultants | www.dsgconsultants.com

Co-founder and joint-managing director of DsG Consultants since July 2011, Ms Sylvie Doutres has worked as consultant in the port sector for 30 years. After graduating in Economics (Master 1) at Perpignan University, she obtained a Master 2 in International Trade & Logistics for Export. She began working in a Business center at Barcelona (Spain) as International Customers Manager and then joined RDM Consultants (France), in 1992, as consultant for port intelligence surveys and missions. She became managing director of RDM Consultants in 2001, and remained at this position until May 2011. In July 2011, she founded DsG Consultants (France) in partnership with Sophie Robert, also port senior consultant involved in French market.

Specialized in port intelligence, international development, market studies, trade flows monitoring, forecast and analysis, as Senior consultant, she advises private and public companies involved in maritime activities or port projects. She demonstrated an expert knowledge in European and Mediterranean countries port organizations. Involved in the management of several statistics databases, she acquired a good vision of seaborne trade flows and port activity in the Med area, especially for building materials, solid fuels and minerals products. 

DsG Consultants has a recognized knowledge of dry bulk logistics chain and a long-record expertise of cement markets and trade flows in the Mediterranean area.

Ana Esther Gonçalves

Process Engineer
Christian Pfeiffer Maschinenfabrik GmbH | www.christianpfeiffer.com

M. Sc. Ana Esther Gonçalves holds both a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil, with emphasis on process modelling and thermodynamics. She has broad international experience and a robust background in Process Engineering within the cement manufacturing industry.

Having worked at cement plants owned by Supremo Secil Cimentos and CRH Brazil, Ana developed her expertise in performance optimization, quality control, process expert systems, and has been a key player in multiple high-impact projects, with a strong focus on decarbonization solutions such as alternative fuel strategies and clinker substitutes.

Since 2022, Ana has served as a Process Engineer at Christian Pfeiffer in Germany. Her responsibilities extend beyond equipment design, project commissioning, and mill audits to include innovative initiatives dedicated to advancing sustainability in the cement industry. Her work is strongly dedicated to optimizing processes to reduce product carbon footprint and effectively implementing clinker substitutes in modern cements.

Rafic Minkara Ph.D., P.E.

CEO and Head of Global Project Development at EP Power Minerals
EP Power Minerals | www.eppowerminerals.com

Dr. Minkara is currently building an international team for EP Power Minerals CM to augment the global supply of low-carbon SCM’s and leading its start-up in the U.S. He brings experience in engineering, construction, research, commercialization of new technologies and business development in the materials, environmental and energy sectors. 

He previously led technical and business teams for the development and commercialization of new technologies in coal combustion and by-product utilization including deployment readiness assessment of nano-catalysis, coal-to-chemicals and renewable energy. He also managed an EPC company delivering mechanical and civil projects for material processing, handling, and disposal. The environmental sector experience covers water treatment, air pollution control, and site remediation.

Dr. Minkara has a BS, MS. & PhD in engineering and an MBA in Marketing/International Business from the University of Toledo.  He is a registered professional engineer and holds many records of inventions.

Stefanos Spathakis

Group Trading and Business Development Manager
TITAN Group | www.titan-cement.com

Stefanos has been working for more than 9 years for TITAN Group in various positions in International Business Development and Global Trading / Commercial of all building materials.

He has extensive experience in global markets, international seaborne trade, dry bulk shipping and negotiations, while in parallel keeping a strong strategic perspective.

In the past, he has been involved in many key investment projects, involving importing, exporting facilities and grinding plants in various countries around the globe.

Currently he is leading the Trading and Business Development activities of low carbon building materials, SCMs, focusing on Pozzolan.

Before joining TITAN Group he has been working in senior roles in the Renewable Energy and Real Estate Sectors both in Business Development and Investment roles.

He holds an MSc in Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics (LSE) (UK) and a BSc in Business Administration from University of Piraeus (Greece).

Oswaldo Mino

Americas Sales & Business Development Manager
Polimak | www.polimak.com

As the inventor of the Tilt-Less Liner Discharge System—an innovative solution for handling and transporting hard-to-flow raw materials in intermodal containers— Oswaldo is continually seeking opportunities to introduce this groundbreaking technology across various industries.

His core competencies include new product development and process improvement in the bulk packaging sector, as well as cross-cultural management and collaboration within the petrochemical, agricultural, and mineral industries. He holds multiple patents for products that have become top sellers in the bulk handling industry and has authored several articles on the subject. His mission is to foster collaboration across regions and contribute to the sustainability and environmental impact of the bulk cargo and transportation industry. He is always eager to connect with professionals and stakeholders who share this vision.

Kentaro Otsuka

Manager, Cement Marketing Sec. Slag Sales Dept.
JFE Steel Corporation | www.jfe-steel.co.jp

Kentaro Otsuka is the Sales Manager of the Cement Marketing Section at the Slag Sales Department, Slag Business Planning Division of JFE Steel Corporation. With over six years of industry experience in GBFS, he excels in understanding market dynamics and customer needs. Kentaro oversees sales operations and strategies for Granulated Blast Furnace Slag from JFE Steel Corporation.

He has demonstrated strong leadership skills, successfully leading sales teams and enhancing slag value. Known for his negotiation skills and ability to build long-term client relationships, Kentaro takes a strategic approach to business development.

Representing JFE Steel’s Slag Division at Ash Trans ’24, Kentaro will introduce JFE slag as a high-quality solution for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. His expertise and passion contribute significantly to JFE’s success in the global market.

Christopher Zeynel

Chief Executive Officer
ZAG Americas and ZAG International | www.zaginternational.com

ZAG International and ZAG Americas, part of a privately held group of Companies, have been leaders in the international construction, building materials, and shipping industries for nearly 25 years. Known for their longstanding commitment to sustainability and carbon reduction, ZAG was an early adopter and advocate of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs).

The ZAG Group includes a full-service Shipping and Logistics operation, with its international business headquartered in Singapore and team members stationed globally. A comprehensive response to local market needs is prioritized with an eye on global trends. Based in the United States, Christopher is proud to be part of this dedicated team of professionals.

ZAG continues to focus on steady, sustainable growth and innovation, serving diverse client needs under ever-changing market conditions. Christopher has been with ZAG for 20 years and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Lehigh University.