Ceramic and glass business news of the week for August 2, 2021

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Bolivia pours first concrete for $300 million nuclear research facility

Pouring of first concrete began for a $300m nuclear research reactor complex in Bolivia, marking the formal start of a project that will see Russia build a nuclear research and technology center in that country. In March 2016, Russia and Bolivia signed an agreement to construct the center at a site in the city of El Alto, western Bolivia.

Glass recycling company begins £1.2m upgrade at Cwmbran depot

Glass recycling company Recresco has commenced an impressive front end upgrade program at its Cwmbran depot. The project, which represents an overall investment of around £1.2M, will be funded in part by a Welsh Economic Futures grant awarded to the company last year.

Botswana utility signs nation’s first PPAs for independent solar projects

Johannesburg-based renewables developer Sturdee Energy has secured a commitment from state-owned electric company the Botswana Power Corporation to purchase the electricity to be generated by Botswana’s first two private solar projects.

Singapore crew plans 2.2GW floating PV in Indonesia

Singapore outfit Sunseap Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesian company Badan Pengusahaan Batam to build a 2200MW floating solar plus storage project on a reservoir in Indonesia’s Batam Island.

EDF to develop 240MWp floating solar project paired with hydro plant in Laos

EDF secured a contract to lead development of a 240MWp floating solar project in Laos that will be co-located with a 1.08GW hydropower plant. According to the firm that operates the hydro facility, the installation will be the world’s largest hybrid floating solar project when completed.

Yilmaden Holding to construct glass raw material plant in Kazakhstan

A Turkish company is to build Kazakhstan’s first soda ash plant. The project owner is Qazaq Soda, a subsidiary of Yilmaden Holding of Turkey. The final capacity of the plant is expected to reach 1 million tons per year.

Geomega provides update on rare earth recycling demonstration plant

Geomega Resources Inc. provided an update on the construction of its rare-earth recycling demonstration plant in St. Bruno, Quebec, and other research and development initiatives of the corporation. The company reports that detailed engineering for the demonstration plant is progressing well by both external and in-house engineers.

Greenland Minerals continues consultation process for Kvanefjeld Rare Earth Project

Greenland Minerals Ltd. is continuing the permitting process for its flagship Kvanefjeld Project in Greenland and is now awaiting the second consultation phase, which has been extended to September 13. This comes after a new Coalition Government formed in Greenland with the Inuit Ataqatigiit and Naleraq parties in February 2021.

Xaar opens new corporate headquarters in Cambridgeshire

Xaar officially opened its new global headquarters at Cambridge Business Park, in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire. The facility will house Xaar’s finance, HR, legal, and marketing functions, as well as a new purpose-built R&D laboratory. The move builds on Xaar’s recent rebrand and launch of its ImagineX platform.

New Purdue research building will offer a world’s first in hypersonic testing

The planned 65,000-square-foot, $41 million Hypersonic Applied Research Facility at Purdue University will house two cutting-edge wind tunnels—the only Mach 8 quiet wind tunnel in the world as well as a hypersonic pulse shock tunnel.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

CBAK Energy to acquire majority stake in Zhejiang Meidu Hitrans

CBAK Energy Technology Inc., a lithium-ion battery manufacturer and electric energy solution provider, announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Dalian CBAK Power Battery Co., Ltd. entered into a framework agreement to acquire a majority stake in Zhejiang Meidu Hitrans Lithium Battery Technology Co., a leading lithium-ion battery material supplier.

IRENA, Electric Power Research Institute join forces to accelerate smart electrification

The International Renewable Energy Agency and the Electric Power Research Institute signed a memorandum of understanding to advance the global electrification of the energy sector based on renewables and energy efficiency.

Orion Engineered Carbons, RISE partner to produce renewable carbon black

Orion Engineered Carbons S.A., a global supplier of specialty and high-performance carbon black, partnered with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden in a project to develop and produce renewable carbon black. RISE already showed that it could be economically feasible to produce carbon black using pyrolysis oil from wood-derived feedstock.

SoCalGas, Sierra Northern Railway to develop hydrogen fuel cell switcher rail locomotive

Southern California Gas Company will be working together with Sierra Northern Railway, Gas Technology Institute, and other technical experts to develop and test a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell engine for a switcher locomotive. Switcher locomotives are a type of engine for trains that carry goods from ports to nearby warehouses.

Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association welcomes new members

The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association welcomed eight new members to the group. Joining as a new Founding Member of the association is Stratasys, and joining as Participating Members are 3D Metalforge, 3D Systems, 3YOURMIND, AMT, Hyperion Metals, NatureWorkd, and The Barnes Global Advisors.

FANUC and Manufacturing Skills Standards Council offer combined certifications

FANUC America and Manufacturing Skills Standards Council aligned to co-market the stackability of their respective industry-recognized certifications. This alliance represents a major step to address the acute shortage of skilled industrial robotics and automation operators, according to the companies.

OTHER STORIES

Kyocera celebrates 50 years of US manufacturing

The City of San Diego has honored Kyocera International Inc. for 50 years of U.S. manufacturing. At its founding in Silicon Valley in July 1969, the U.S. company was Kyocera Corporation’s first subsidiary outside of Japan.

Alteo announces price increase

Since the beginning of 2021, alumina production has suffered from significant and continuous cost increases—in particular energy, carbon credit, and freight, among others. Therefore, Alteo will raise prices on its entire product portfolio. Price increases will vary, based on market and product, and will be applied on shipments as of Sept. 1, 2021.

DoD releases official policy on use of additive manufacturing

The U.S. Department of Defense’s just released policy on the use of additive manufacturing says the DoD will seek to “use AM to support joint force commanders and CCMD theater requirements, transform maintenance operations and supply chains, increase logistics resiliency, and improve self-sustainment and readiness for the Military Services.”

EU Trademark Court of Appeals reaffirms decision in favor of CoorsTek

CoorsTek announced the decision of the EU Trademark Court of Appeals in Paris to uphold the previous Paris EU Trademark High Court ruling in favor of the company’s ability to manufacture and market their CeraSurf-p “pink” implantable ceramic hip components.

Science committee explores roots of interagency radio spectrum fights

With telecommunications applications increasingly occupying radio spectrum bands close to those used for critical satellite-based weather monitoring and research, the House Science Committee is examining why federal agencies have had difficulty reconciling their spectrum-related interests. An FYI article reports on the Committee’s recent hearing.

Hydrogen produced using renewables will be able to travel through existing gas pipelines

The CEO of Italian infrastructure giant Snam says hydrogen produced using renewables can travel through existing gas pipelines. He says Snam tested different percentages of blending—including as much as 100% hydrogen—in existing pipes, and it worked.

Tracking STEM earmarks: A new tool by AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science developed a new tool to explore science-relevant earmarks requested by members of Congress. Earmarks are appropriations directed by legislators to a specific district, locality, or institution. Congress first banned them in 2011, but this year legislators decided to bring them back.

MARKET TRENDS

Pole: 88% of US consumers say battery life, range, safety are priorities for electric vehicles

A new public opinion study by Factorial Energy and The Harris Poll found nearly half of Americans would consider owning an electric vehicle today, up from just more than a third of the population three months ago. Better battery life, range, and safety are the top factors consumers believe automakers need to address for electric vehicles to take off.

Hybrid cars are twice as vulnerable to supply chain issues as gas-powered models

Researchers conducted a thorough analysis and found that hybrid car models have twice the vulnerability to supply chain disruptions as gas-powered models because of the raw materials required to build those cars.

Let’s meet the seven top battery suppliers that are leading the EV revolution

A Battery Technology article looks at the seven companies worldwide that meet Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s requirements to be called Tier One suppliers of lithium-ion batteries. Two of the companies are located in China, three are in Korea, and two are in Japan (although one of those two is majority-owned by a Chinese company).

Greece’s biggest power consumer AoG to switch entirely to green energy from 2030

Greece’s Public Power Corporation signed its last two-year supply agreement with Aluminum of Greece, the country’s biggest electricity consumer, which intends to switch entirely to green energy from 2030.

Renewables became the second-most prevalent US electricity source in 2020

In 2020, renewable energy sources (including wind, hydroelectric, solar, biomass, and geothermal energy) generated a record 834 billion kWh of electricity, or about 21% of all the electricity generated in the United States. Only natural gas (1,617 billion kWh) produced more electricity than renewables in the United States in 2020.

NEW PRODUCTS

Glass recycling equipment and systems

Andela Products’ glass recycling equipment and systems turn glass into a clean glass sand or aggregate that can be used in place of sand or gravel for construction or landscaping.

Innovative ultrafine wires

Goodfellow launched a worldwide exclusive range of ultrafine wires, including microwires of copper, nickel, and platinum. The wires, which have a diameter less than 1 μm and a continuous glass insulation coating, can be used in a wide range of applications, including biological sensors, medical devices, smart devices, aerospace, and aviation.

New vibrating feeders, conveyors, and screeners

Vibra Screw’s line of vibrating feeders, conveyors, and screeners offers a simple and efficient means to meter and convey dry bulk materials. These open or closed units will handle nearly any material, regardless of size and bulk density.

Concrete splashboard to increase structural strength and durability

A new, patented concrete splashboard is now being offered by Morton Buildings to make post-frame buildings stronger and more durable by completely removing structural wood from touching the ground. The industry-exclusive splashboard has been introduced throughout parts of the central and southern Plains and Pacific Northwest.