International

US glassmaking down, some pockets remain strong

By / March 3, 2010

According to recent press reports, large glass companies, such as Corning and Guardian Industries, claim that even as the economy improves, they are unlikely to bring domestic employment and production…

Read More

U.S. mineral production declines 20% in 2009

By / February 16, 2010

From the perspective of the U.S.’s strategic interests, this does not bode well. The USGS today reported that the value of unprocessed non-fuel minerals dropped about $14 billion to $57…

Read More

China’s refractory production down, alumina imports up 17%

By / February 12, 2010

The most recent edition of China’s Refractories magazine (published by the Luoyang Institute of Refractories Research) reports a some interesting changes in the trends in basic manufacturing in the nation.…

Read More

Composite materials designed for hypersonic flight

By / February 11, 2010

University of Queensland (Australia) researchers are testing new materials that can withstand the extreme heat experienced by hypersonic aircraft to enable longer flight times. The tests use scramjet engines composed…

Read More

Video(s) of the week: Ceramic matrix composite brakes

By / January 27, 2010

I’m currently in Daytona Beach, Florida for the ICACC’10 conference. One of the keynote speakers was the University of Bayreuth’s Walter Krenkel. Krenkel invented a liquid silicon infiltration process for…

Read More

American solar thermal firm to shine in China

By / January 11, 2010

Reuters reported that concentrating solar thermal (CST) company eSolar has reached a deal to license its technology to a Chinese power equipment maker that plans to build a 2,000 megawatt…

Read More

Cadmium oxide nanofibers show better performance in photovoltaic cells

By / January 5, 2010

The Iranian researchers at the Materials and Energy Research Center managed to produce nanofibers from cadmium oxide which look promising for application in gas sensors and photovoltaic cells. The findings…

Read More

Commercial rollout of residential SOFCs planned for Japan in 2014

By / December 16, 2009

Tokyo Gas, Kyocera, Rinnai and gas equipment maker Gastar have begun field trials for residential solid oxide fuel cells, reported Fuelcellsworks.com. The four partners will evaluate the performance and durability…

Read More

Sanyo debuts solar and lithium ion-powered vehicle

By / December 9, 2009

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a … van with solar panel wings? As the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen gets under way, Sanyo has unveiled its…

Read More

Solar plane takes flight

By / December 4, 2009

A Swiss adventurer said his first flight using a prototype of a solar-powered plane he will try to fly around the world in was successful, reports the Times Online. The…

Read More