Ceramic and glass business news of the week for March 23, 2020

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Vidrala implements carbon absorption project at Albacete, Spain plant

Vidrala officially presented the Carbon Footprint Absorption Project implemented at its Crisnova Vidrio plant located in the town of Caudete, Albacete, Spain. The plan will make Vidrala the stained glass window with the most hectares in CO₂ absorption projects in Spain with 13.36 hectares.

Companies join forces to open U.S. rare-earth mining and processing facilities

Texas Mineral Resources and USA Rare Earth partnered in a pilot plant processing facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, which purifies rare-earth minerals, lithium, and other critical minerals mined at the Round Top rare earth and critical minerals project in Texas.

Radenthein to become central training hub for specialists of the future

Starting in autumn 2020, RHI Magnesita will offer three new apprentice training initiatives at its plant in Radenthein, Carinthia, Spain. There are currently around 30 apprentices in training at the Carinthian plant, and more training spots will be offered on a permanent basis in the future.

EPA recognizes Corning plants for energy efficiency

Corning Incorporated announced that nine more of its global manufacturing facilities exceeded energy efficiency goals set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry program. Corning now has 27 facilities that have achieved Challenge for Industry designation.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

European container glass industry to reduce emissions with green furnace

The European container glass industry adopted a collaborative approach where 20 glass container producers have mobilized resources to work on and fund a pilot project to prove the “Furnace of the Future” concept, a large-scale hybrid oxy-fuel furnace to run on 80% renewable electricity. Ardagh Group volunteered to build the furnace in Germany.

QUIKRETE And Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner to develop printable concrete

The QUIKRETE Companies and Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently entered a cooperative research and development agreement to design next-generation concrete for use in the production of large-scale structures through a 3D printing process.

ASTM and UL to publish ISO-ASTM standard for additive manufacturing

ASTM International signed a memorandum of understanding with Underwriters Laboratories to set up a framework for a cooperation between the two to create an international, dual-logo ASTM and International Standardization Organization standard.

Springer Nature partners with PubChem to improve accessibility to material, property data

A new partnership between Springer Nature and the open access database PubChem, hosted by the US National Institute of Health, now enables researchers to quickly identify reliable property information of materials and links to primary research.

OTHER STORIES

Research bids sought for next generation energy storage batteries

The Consortium for Battery Innovation is seeking research bids focused on facilitating the latest understanding in energy storage applications, such as microgrids for renewable energy, load following for electrical grids, and demand response for commercial and industrial applications.

Fusion researchers endorse push for pilot power plant in US

A diverse group of researchers from academia, government labs, and industry released a community consensus report that identifies high-priority scientific needs that can help fill gaps in fusion knowledge and facilitate the drive to making fusion a practical energy source.

Twente AM unveils large-scale concrete 3D printer in Dubai

Twente AM, a Dutch start-up focused on architectural 3D printing, has unveiled its latest large-scale concrete 3D printer. The main role of the huge printer will be to create leave-in-place formwork for the construction of concrete homes in British Columbia.

NIST helps build accurate measurement infrastructure for 5G communications

To prepare for 5G, the National Institute of Standards and Technology is helping develop new measurement methods/analysis tools and facilitate sharing of 5G performance data. Their initiatives include a 5G Spectrum Sharing Test Bed, the 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance, and antenna evaluation methods to boost 5G capacity.

MARKET TRENDS

U.S. glass industry carries on amid nationwide shut downs

As the U.S. continues to shut down in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, glass-related manufacturing, production, and installation are pushing on, with companies putting new policies into place to maintain a healthy and safe work environment.

New road map to a US hydrogen economy

A coalition of major oil and gas, power, automotive, fuel cell, and hydrogen companies developed and released the full new report, a “Road Map to a US Hydrogen Economy.” The report cites a number of factors that it says positions the U.S. to build a leading hydrogen economy and says nine actions need to happen to realize the roadmap.

NEW PRODUCTS

Jupiter XR large-sample AFM: Nanoelectrical and environmental control accessories

Oxford Instruments Asylum Research released accessories enabling environmental control and nanoelectrical measurements on the Jupiter XR large-sample atomic force microscope, including the PolyHeater (for heating samples up to 300°C) and the CoolerHeater (with a cooling/heating range of -30 to 120°C).