Ceramic and glass business news of the week for November 14, 2022

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

China completes world’s first hybrid offshore wind-solar power plant

China’s State Power Investment Corp. commissioned the world’s first commercial offshore floating solar power plant on the sea. It was designed by Norway-based Ocean Sun and uses its patented technology. The facility is also the first floating solar power plant integrated with offshore wind.

NET Power plans its first utility-scale plant integrated with CO₂ sequestration

NET Power, LLC announced its plan to develop and build the world’s first utility-scale natural gas-fired power plant with near-zero atmospheric emissions. The project fully integrates power production with transportation and underground sequestration of carbon dioxide.

Researchers in Germany construct the world’s first carbon concrete building

Called the “Cube” and located on the Dresden University of Technology campus, the first building made of carbon-reinforced concrete was inaugurated in September after two and a half years of construction. In contrast to steel-reinforced concrete, carbon-reinforced concrete replaces steel rebar with carbon fiber rods and mats.

Scientists discover significant critical minerals potential in northern Maine

A team of state and federal scientists discovered an area in northern Maine that is high in critical mineral resources, highlighting for the first time the importance of this region to the U.S. mineral resource economy.

Swedish interim radwaste storage facility opens

A new interim storage facility for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste started operating in Studsvik near Nyköping, Sweden. The facility will initially be used for the storage of waste from the decommissioning of the Ågesta nuclear power plant near Stockholm and the R2 research reactor in Studsvik.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Watlow completes acquisition of Eurotherm

Watlow completed its acquisition of Eurotherm from Schneider Electric on Oct. 31, 2022. Watlow is a designer and manufacturer of complete industrial thermal systems. Eurotherm provides temperature, power and process control, measurement and data management equipment, systems, software, and services for global industrial markets.

Australia’s Arafura inks rare earth supply deal with Hyundai and Kia

Australia’s Arafura Rare Earths Ltd. signed a binding supply deal with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and its unit Kia Corp. to supply up to 1,500 tonnes of neodymium-praseodymium oxide per year.

Norwegian-Swedish cooperation on rare earth metals

The mining company LKAB became the main owner of the Norwegian company REEtec. Together, the companies will create a base for a Nordic value chain for rare earth metals.

Six businesses launch Corporate Coalition for Innovation & Technology toward Net Zero

A coalition of six global companies announced the public launch of the Corporate Coalition for Innovation & Technology toward Net Zero, a cross-sector business alliance dedicated to helping countries meet decarbonization and climate change goals through innovation and technology.

US glass manufacturers form hydrogen alliance

O-I, Libbey, NSG, and Johns Manville, alongside Glass Manufacturing Industry Council, will take part in a proposed hydrogen for glass manufacturing hub in the Great Lakes region. GMIC president Scott Cooper outlined the proposal at the Energy Decarbonization in Glass Manufacturing seminar at the 83^rd Conference on Glass Problems.

ExxonMobil, Pertamina advance regional carbon capture and storage project in Indonesia

ExxonMobil and Pertamina, the state-owned energy company for Indonesia, signed a head of agreement at the G20 Summit in Bali to further progress their previously announced regional carbon capture and storage hub for domestic and international CO₂.

OTHER STORIES

EU raises concerns about production requirements in US Inflation Reduction Act

The European Union and United States seek a solution for key aspects of “discriminatory” production requirements in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. The EU says it might bring the case to the World Trade Organization if a compromise cannot be reached.

Almost all electric vehicles would qualify for the US EV tax credit with new Congress bill

A new bill introduced in the U.S. Congress called the Affordable Electric Vehicles for America Act would allow essentially all electric vehicles in the U.S. to qualify for the $7,500 tax credit if passed. The bill would establish a phase-in period for the battery sourcing and manufacturing requirements included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Milk bottle voted as UK’s most iconic glass packaging

Experts voted the everyday glass milk bottle as the most iconic glass packaging in the United Kingdom as part of the celebrations for the United Nations International Year of Glass 2022. However, the number one public choice was the Bonne Maman jam jar.

Fortify appoints new CEO

Fortify, a full stack materials science and additive manufacturing company, announced that Lawrence Ganti will succeed Josh Martin as CEO. Martin will take on a new role as chief product officer.

Vidromecanica relaunches website

Vidromecanica relaunched its website www.vidromecanica.com to reflect its different equipment ranges. The updated site’s new design and layout allows customers to find the equipment they’re looking for more easily and provide online feedback.

ROSS announces launch of newly designed mixers.com

ROSS announced the launch of its newly redesigned website, mixers.com. The website features multiple types of technical resources, including case history articles, videos, white papers, and various other mixer literature.

MARKET TRENDS

Lithium frenzy sees China ceramics hub refocus on battery metals

Bloomberg reports that Chinese factories that typically make ceramics for bathroom tiles are switching to supply lithium, a key material in electric vehicle batteries, instead.

EU taps Kazakhstan for rare earths, green hydrogen

On November 7, the European Commission signed an agreement with Kazakhstan’s government to develop supplies of green hydrogen and raw materials to manufacture renewable energy devices, such as wind turbines and batteries for electric cars.

Satellite licensing: FCC should reexamine its environmental review process

The Government Accountability Office released a report recommending the FCC reexamine its licensing process for large satellite constellations. The agency does not require operators to submit environmental impact statements when applying for satellite licenses, but GAO found it has “not sufficiently documented” its decision to exclude them.

Study claims charging cars at home in the evening is not the way to go

Stanford University researchers found rapid electric vehicle growth could increase peak electricity demand by up to 25%, assuming a continued dominance of residential, nighttime charging. To limit the high costs of installing new electricity capacity, they say drivers should move to daytime charging at work or public charging stations.

NEW PRODUCTS

Stevanato Group and Gerresheimer AG present EZ-fill Smart, a ready-to-use vial platform

Stevanato Group S.p.A. and Gerresheimer AG announced the official launch of a new and innovative ready-to-use vial platform, EZ-fill Smart. An evolution of Stevanato Group’s groundbreaking EZ-fill platform, the new EZ-fill Smart is designed to improve drug packaging quality, reduce total cost of ownership, and shorten lead times for customers.

L&L: Model XLC3672 furnace

The Model XLC3672 has a work zone of 32” wide by 32” high by 66” deep. It has a single zone of control with a temperature gradient of ±20°F at 1,100°F using four zones of temperature control with biasing to balance any temperature gradients. The furnace is constructed of low-mass insulating firebrick, which allows for quicker cooldown times.