Ceramic and glass business news of the week for May 23, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Aquila Capital confirms 1 GW solar PV pipeline for New Zealand

New Zealand’s transition to renewable energy has received a boost, as German investment manager Aquila Capital is teaming with renewable asset developer Far North Solar Farm to start construction on a 1 GW portfolio of large-scale photovoltaic projects.

German Glass Industry: Results of hydrogen in glassmaking are ‘promising’

The German Glass Industry Association and the Essen Gas and Heat Institute recently completed their joint HyGlass project, which investigated replacing natural glass with hydrogen in regenerative glass melting tanks. The experiments and simulations showed that the use of hydrogen has a moderate overall effect on combustion.

Saint-Gobain achieves the first zero-carbon production of flat glass in the world

Saint-Gobain achieved zero carbon production of flat glass by using 100% recycled glass and 100% green energy, produced from biogas and decarbonized electricity. It was implemented for one week in Saint-Gobain’s flat glass manufacturing plant in Aniche, northern France.

Cemex to pilot high-temperature electric device for cement kiln phase

Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. is the first cement producer to announce testing of Coolbrook RotoDynamic Heater technology, which uses electric power to attain1,500–1,700°C kiln temperatures required to calcine and convert limestone and other raw feeds to clinker.

Elk Creek Project: confirmed second largest indicated-or-better rare earth resource in US

An updated feasibility study of NioCorp Developments Ltd.’s Elk Creek Project shows that the project is the second-largest indicated-or-better rare earth resource in the U.S., second only to MP Materials’ Mountain Pass rare earth deposit.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Adani to become India’s No. 2 cement maker with $10.5 billion Holcim deal

Indian conglomerate Adani Group plans to buy Holcim AG’s cement businesses in India for $10.5 billion, its largest-ever acquisition, to become the country’s No. 2 cement manufacturer. Adani Group currently has no cement-making operations but said the firms were a good fit given its ports and logistics, energy, and real estate businesses.

Solvay completes Green River soda ash acquisition

Solvay completed the acquisition of a 20% minority stake of AGC in the Soda Ash Joint Venture in Green River, Wyoming, for $120 million. Solvay and AGC formed the Solvay Soda Ash Joint Venture in 1992.

Libbey sells European glass operations to finance group

Libbey Glass is to sell its European operations to Dutch finance group Anders Invest. Libbey’s European operations include a manufacturing and distribution facility in Leerdam, Netherlands, and a manufacturing facility in Marinha Grande, Portugal. The sale also includes its Royal Leerdam and Crisal Glass brands.

Siemens Energy launches takeover bid for wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa

Siemens Energy AG announced a voluntary cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, S.A. that it does not already own. Following a successful closing of the transaction, Siemens Energy intends to pursue a delisting of SGRE from the Spanish stock exchanges.

CarbonBuilt reaches agreement to inject carbon into concrete at Alabama masonry plant

CarbonBuilt, which has developed technology to inject carbon into concrete during the manufacturing process, announced an agreement with concrete maker Blair Block to use CarbonBuilt’s low-carbon concrete technology at Blair Block’s concrete masonry production facility next to its Childersburg, Alabama, headquarters.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Zetamix complex parts demo: Advanced printing strategies

In this webinar, you will follow all the iterations a Zetamix engineer passes through to succeed in printing and sintering complex parts, from file preparation to the post process and including not only hangover but also thick walls. This webinar takes place May 24 at 5 a.m. Eastern.

Ukraine glassworks issues urgent plea for raw materials help

A Ukraine glass manufacturer, which does not wish to be named for fear of a Russian missile attack, has continued to manufacture at full glass capacity despite the invasion of its country. Now, the company has started to run out of soda ash. Anyone who is able to help should contact Greg Morris, who will pass your details onto the glassworks.

Renowned iF Design Award 2022 goes to SCHOTT CERAN

SCHOTT announced that its CERAN Luminoir product won this year’s iF Design Award in the “Product” discipline, “Kitchen” category. CERAN Luminoir is an innovative glass-ceramic cooktop that enables true-color light to shine through cooking surfaces and creates clear visual feedback while operating on cooktops.

Creators of underwater, eco-friendly concrete are finalists in European Inventor Award

The inventors of ECOncrete, an innovative building material for sea walls, are finalists in the European Inventor Award 2022. To date, ECOncrete has been installed in more than 40 locations across 10 countries, including shorelines and waterfronts in Spain, Monaco, the Netherlands, Italy, San Diego, and New York.

Heidelberg Cement’s ReConcrete-360° concrete recycling process wins German prize

The Ministry for Economy and Climate Protection has presented HeidelbergCement with its German Climate and Environment Innovation Prize for its ReConcrete-360° concrete recycling process. The process retrieves hardened cement paste from waste demolition concrete for use in place of limestone in clinker and cement production.

HarbisonWalker International reaffirms its commitment to North American steelmakers

At Booth 1141 at AISTech 2022, HarbisonWalker International announced that its new Alabama One manufacturing facility for steel customers in the southern United States is on track to open before the end of 2022. The company also provided updates on its latest products and innovations to further support steelmakers’ refractory needs.

Academies panel scouts out pathway to automated science

A new National Academies study highlights the prospects for increasing use of “automated research workflows” (ARWs) in science. Moving beyond the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze data, ARWs use these tools to design and control experiments without human intervention.

‘Engines’ program shifts NSF regional diversification efforts into high gear

The National Science Foundation launched a Regional Innovation Engines program to fund multisector partnerships in places that are not already leading hubs of technology development. NSF kicked off a series of webinars to explain the application requirements, and a recording of the first is posted here. Concept outlines are due June 30.

MARKET TRENDS

Brazil to become major global solar market by 2026

According to SolarPower Europe’s new “Global Market Outlook” report, a new star in photovoltaics may be on the rise: Brazil. Expected to reach 54 GW of total solar capacity by 2026, Latin America’s solar leader is set to become one of the top five global markets in the next five years. As of April 2022, Brazil has surpassed 15 GW of total installed solar.

South Korean president Yoon to reduce reliance on Chinese imports

Under the leadership of the newly elected president Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea is set to diversify the country’s imports, reduce its dependence on China, and forge closer ties with a range of economies in the Indo-Pacific.

NEW PRODUCTS

Ameripolish: SmartFloor Maintenance System for concrete Floor Maintenance

Ameripolish introduced the SmartFloor Maintenance System to make it easy to clean and maintain polished concrete floors. Featuring innovative diamond polishing pads and a rejuvenating cleaner, the daily maintenance system helps to protect and improve the appearance of concrete floors.

RATH prepares for production of advanced oxide ceramic fiber for CMC

The RATH Group (Vienna, Austria) broke ground for a new facility in Mönchengladbach, Germany, where it is developing a high-end oxide ceramic fiber, a key component for the production of fiber-reinforced ceramics known as ceramic matrix composites. This market has been dominated by only one U.S.-based fiber manufacturer.