Ceramic and glass business news of the week for November 7, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Israel’s only glass company will get raw materials from its own CO₂ emissions

Israel’s Airovation Technologies signed a memorandum of understanding with Phoenicia, the country’s only glass manufacturer, to install technology that transforms carbon dioxide emissions from the plant into minerals for glass production.

Ardagh expands glass capacity at South African plant

Ardagh Glass Packaging Africa will invest in a third furnace at its Nigel production facility in Gauteng, South Africa. The investment in a third furnace follows the recently commissioned Nigel 2 expansion and will further increase the facility’s capacity.

Absolut introduces hydrogen-fired glass furnace

Absolut Vodka says it is the “first global spirits brand” to move to a partly hydrogen-fired glass furnace for its large-scale production. The hydrogen initiative is Absolut’s latest step in its plan to become CO₂-neutral by 2030.

How North Dakota’s Coal Country turned out to be a good fit for making EV batteries

Federal and state officials unveiled a plan to create a mineral processing plant in central North Dakota to supply Tesla with materials for creating electric vehicle batteries. One key reason the site in Mercer County emerged at the top of the list was its ready access to tons of fly ash residue produced when coal is burned to generate electricity.

World’s tallest 3D-printed building is now in Saudi Arabia

Dar Al Arkan, a real estate development company located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, just revealed their first project: a 3-story, 3D-printed villa made with a 3D construction printer from COBOD International. The building has a total height of 9.9 meters and is therefore also the tallest on-site 3D printed building in the world.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Verallia to acquire Allied Glass for £315 million

French glass packager Verallia is to acquire Allied Glass in a £315 million agreement. Established in 1874 and headquartered in Leeds, Allied is a U.K.-based manufacturer of glass packaging containers for the premium spirits, food, and drinks markets.

Linde announces strategic collaboration with SLB for carbon capture and sequestration

Linde Plc signed a strategic collaboration with SLB for carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration projects to accelerate decarbonization solutions in industrial and energy sectors. This collaboration will focus on hydrogen and ammonia production as well as natural gas processing.

Mitsubishi and FEV Consulting establish new joint venture for materials industry

Mitsubishi Corp. and FEV Consulting GmbH established a new joint venture company, Beyond Materials, to support materials suppliers on their path to global and sustainable growth. For more than three years, MC and FEV conducted joint preliminary work to develop services targeting these industries.

OTHER STORIES

Ardagh to increase cullet use with Briquette Project

Ardagh plans to commercialize its Briquette Project, which will facilitate the use of material that, at present, is not able to be used in furnaces. It involves taking any fine material that cannot go into a furnace, compounding it into a pellet, and then adding it to the furnace.

Vetropack Nemšová celebrates 120th anniversary

This fall, Vetropack Nemšová s.r.o., the Slovakian subsidiary of the Vetropack Group, is celebrating a double anniversary. The production site in Nemšová was founded 120 years ago and has been part of Vetropack for the past 20 years.

MARKET TRENDS

Study finds 53% jump in e-waste greenhouse gas emissions between 2014–2020

Greenhouse gas emissions from electronic devices and their associated electronic waste increased by 53% between 2014 and 2020, including 580 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020 alone, according to University of California, Irvine researchers.

Militaries’ emissions could be bigger than all aviation and shipping combined

An editorial in the journal Nature called on the world’s defense forces to decarbonize, estimating that together military emissions produce up to 2.2 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent a year. It says armed forces have a massive carbon footprint that is absent from global accounting and emissions reporting.

NEW PRODUCTS

Kyocera announces 34th patent for ceramic knife technology

Kyocera Corporation announced its 34th patent for proprietary ceramic knife technology. The first to use a new fusion of ceramic materials, INNOVATIONblack represents more than 12 years of dedicated research and development to master the proper composition and sintering of ceramic particles for superior performance and durability.