Ceramic and glass business news of the week for April 5, 2021

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Australian solar thermal tech selected for US-funded demonstration project

Australian-invented solar thermal technologies will be tested as part of a U.S. government funded demonstration project that is aiming to slash the costs of energy storage and the production of zero-emissions heat for industrial applications. Sandia National Laboratories has secured US$25 million to construct the 1 MW demonstration facility in New Mexico.

Verallia’s Jacutinga glass packaging plant expansion

Verallia, the world’s third biggest producer of glass packaging for food and beverages, is expanding its glass bottle manufacturing plant in Jacutinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil, to double its production capacity. The expanded facility is expected to produce at full capacity in 2023.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Baker Hughes acquires exclusive license for mixed salt process tech for carbon capture

Baker Hughes has entered into a global exclusive licensing agreement with SRI International to use SRI’s innovative Mixed-Salt Process for CO₂ capture. The agreement with SRI follows Baker Hughes’ acquisition of Compact Carbon Capture announced in November 2020.

Airxcel, Inc. completes acquisition of Cleer Vision

Airxcel, Inc., a designer, manufacturer, and distributor of functional products for the recreational vehicle and specialty HVAC markets, completed its acquisition of Cleer Vision Windows, Inc., a recreational vehicle and specialty equipment window manufacturer.

Tata Power, Power Ledger announce blockchain-based P2P solar power trading pilot

Tata Power Delhi announced that it will collaborate with Australia-based Power Ledger to launch a pilot project where prosumers can trade solar power with neighbouring buildings. The pilot will cover 150 sites.

Aramco, ACI announce Center of Excellence for Nonmetallics in Building and Construction

Aramco and the American Concrete Institute announced the launch of NEx: A Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials to develop and promote the use of nonmetallic materials in the construction sector.

LG Electronics teams up with local partners to develop renewable energy tech

Under a partnership with Korea Water Resources Corporation and POSCO, LG Electronics Inc. will collaborate in building a renewable energy cluster and developing a seawater heating and cooling system.

Ricoh 3D adds carbon-fiber composites to portfolio through partnership with Impossible Objects

3D printing specialist Ricoh 3D reports that it added carbon-fiber composites to its portfolio of high-performance materials through a partnership with composites-based manufacturer Impossible Objects.

Brain implant firm wins £12m funding with Graphene@Manchester nanotech

A collaboration between two Barcelona institutions and the Nanomedicine Lab at The University of Manchester secured £12m in funding for work on decoding brain signals by implanting innovative, flexible nanoscale graphene electrodes.

JEOL CANADA names SOQUELEC as microscopy sales representative in Canada

JEOL, a leading supplier of electron microscopes in North and South America, began a new partnership with SOQUELEC LTD., a Montreal-based company specializing in sales of scientific instruments. SOQUELEC will serve as the sales representative agency for JEOL’s electron microscope product line throughout all of Canada.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Physics of dopant emission to harness the rainbow emission of nanocrystals

In an upcoming webinar sponsored by The Electrochemical Society and mass spectroscopy instrument company Hiden Analytical, associate professor Ranjani Viswanatha will discuss the various anomalous manifestations of the optical properties of manganese emission and the role they play in quantum computing. The webinar takes place April 14 at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Webinar: Supercomputing + big data

Cosmos is hosting a webinar on supercomputing and big data on April 15 at 3 p.m. AEST (1 a.m. Eastern). Speakers include Alan Duffy, lead scientist of the Royal Institution of Australia; Karen Lee-Waddell, postdoctoral fellow with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation; and Sean Smith, director of National Computational Infrastructure.

Furnace Solutions 2021: Now online

The Society of Glass Technology will run its annual event, Furnace Solutions, online this year. The dates for the event are June 9–10, 2021, starting at 8 a.m. Eastern each day. The conferences will be run on Zoom webinars.

Ceramic Innovation Network Event: Sintering and firing in the ceramics industry

The 2021 Ceramic Innovation Network events are aimed at bringing together academics and industrialists from all subsectors of the ceramic industry seeking to explore the development and innovation opportunities of sintering and firing in the industry. “Sintering and firing” is the second, and main, event of the series. This free event takes place April 14.

Furnace for the Future project elected for Stage 2 of EU funding

The Furnace for the Future (F4F) project was selected out of 311 projects to progress to the second phase of the EU Innovation Fund. The F4F project, which is technically and financially supported by 19 container glass companies, aims to cut CO2 emissions by up to 60% in the furnace (50% for the whole factory).

New York legislators request DEC to conduct study of glass recycling

Two New York state legislators introduced A.6033 and S.4094 directing the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to study alternative municipal uses for recycled glass and to submit a report containing its findings along with legislative proposals as it deems necessary to implement its recommendations.

MARKET TRENDS

Renewables plus batteries offer Australia the same energy security as coal

Research commissioned by the Australia Institute think tank found clean technologies provided the fast frequency response service and voltage control needed to secure the energy grid and reduce cost. But the report says regulatory barriers currently limit the ability of renewable energy and batteries to provide system security.

Japan eyes recycling rare metals to reduce reliance on China, others

The industry ministry plans to set up a site in Japan to recycle rare metals procured in and out of the country, as demand for such materials is set to grow for use in electric vehicles. The plan is also intended to reduce the nation’s heavy reliance on foreign countries for its procurement of rare metals.

UK to recycle rare earth metals used in EV production

UKRI has awarded the University of Birmingham £4.3m to establish a new recycling plant, which will be located at Tyseley Energy Park, to recycle materials from a variety of magnet-containing waste streams including electric vehicles, audio products, and hard disk drives.

Thermal ceramics market: Global opportunity analysis and industry forecast, 2020–2027

A new Research and Markets report overviews the thermal ceramics market, which was valued at $3.8 billion in 2019. It is anticipated to generate $5.5 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2020 to 2027.

NEW PRODUCTS

Gas nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing furnace

Thermal-Vac Technology recently partnered with Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems to add precision nitriding and FNC capabilities to their facility in Orange, California. The electrically heated furnace utilizes Super Systems, Inc. controls for automatic K_N and K_C control to AMS 2759/10 & 2759/12 specifications.

GS2026 furnaces for manufacturing heat-treated parts

L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc. shipped two model GS2026 heat-treating furnaces to a manufacturer of brick dies, textured stucco rollers, and extrusion equipment for the construction industry. The Model GS2026 has internal working dimensions of 18” wide by 12” high by 24” deep. It has an operating voltage of 208, 220, 240 volts single phase, 60 or 50 hertz.