Ceramic and glass business news of the week for March 20, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Toyota develops electrolyzer using Mirai technology; deploying at DENSO plant

Toyota developed new electrolysis equipment to produce hydrogen from electrolyzing water using the fuel cell stack and other technology from the Mirai. The equipment will be put into operation this March at a DENSO Fukushima Corporation plant, which will serve as a technology implementation venue to promote its widespread use going forward.

Air Liquide and Verallia partner to decarbonize Italian plant

Air Liquide will implement an oxy-combustion solution for Verallia’s Pescia plant in Tuscany, Italy, to reduce CO₂ emissions and energy consumption. The solution combines the supply of oxygen and the reuse of the heat available from the glass production process.

SCHOTT launches production of amber pharma glass in India to meet increasing demand

To meet the increasing demand in Asia, SCHOTT invested 75 million euros over the last three years to expand its pharma glass production in India. The Gujarat-based facility already is a manufacturing hub for borosilicate glass tubing, and it will now begin production of FIOLAX amber pharmaceutical glass tubing for light-sensitive medications.

Ardagh Glass Packaging replaces diesel forklift trucks with electric models

Four new electric forklift trucks have replaced diesel forklifts at the Ardagh Glass Packaging facility in Bad Munder, Germany. The forklift trucks run on a fast-charging battery and require little maintenance, which results in reduced loading times as well as reduced carbon emissions.

Şişecam makes $82 million Turkish raw materials investment

Şişecam plans to invest TL1.5 Billion (US$82 million) to ensure the raw material needs of its flat glass facility in Mersin, Turkey. The Turkish glass manufacturer will invest in a sand preparation facility in Tarsus Oiz, where its flat glass production facility is located.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Italy’s Enel, UK’s newcleo link up on nuclear energy technology

Italy’s biggest utility Enel and U.K. nuclear technology company newcleo signed an agreement to work together on newcleo’s technology projects aimed at providing safe and stable power. Under the agreement, newcleo committed to securing an option for Enel as first investor in its first nuclear power plant, which it will build outside Italy.

UK–US partnership to test fusion power plant materials

The U.K. Atomic Energy Authority and U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory will collaborate on a five-year, £3 million project to test materials that could be used in future nuclear fusion power plants.

Alfred University leading development of robust concrete fortified with recycled glass

Alfred University, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S.-based company Silica-X, is studying ways to develop a concrete fortified with waste glass particles which would stand up to the rigors of a marine environment better than traditional cement material.

RHI Magnesita strengthens portfolio in specialty monolithics with latest partnership in India

With the acquisition of Dalmia OCL (DOCL), the joint venture between DOCL and Europe’s specialty monolithic company, Seven Refractories, will now be operating under the name of RHI Magnesita Seven Refractories Ltd. and will continue to supply the thriving Indian iron, steel, and cement industries with the most advanced refractory monolithics.

OTHER STORIES

BIA celebrates 2022 Brick in Architecture Award winners

The Brick Industry Association awarded the 2022 Brick in Architecture Awards, the leading international design competition featuring fired-clay brick.

Lucideon training courses back for 2023

Lucideon offers a range of training modules covering a wide range of ceramics and refractories subjects. The modules are offered online, at Lucideon’s U.K. headquarters in Staffordshire, or at a customer’s site. The training schedule for 2023 is now posted here.

Celebrating one year of TIP

One year ago, under the leadership of NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced the establishment of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, or TIP, the agency’s first new directorate in more than 30 years.

ASTM and NIST report outlines goals for new circular economy standards

To help industry move toward a circular economy, ASTM International Committee E60 on Sustainability and the National Institute of Standards and Technology convened key stakeholders at a workshop last year where they identified necessary steps for a broad transition to greater material reuse.

FY24 science budget proposals coming into focus

Science agencies are releasing details of President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request, which prioritizes research related to emerging technologies and climate change and includes a new emphasis on fusion energy. However, the budget’s ambitions also fall short of those set out in last year’s CHIPS and Science Act.

MARKET TRENDS

China exerts control over internet cable projects in South China Sea

China has begun to impede projects to lay and maintain subsea internet cables through the South China Sea. Long approval delays and stricter Chinese requirements, including permits for work conducted outside its internationally recognized territorial waters, have pushed companies to design routes that avoid the South China Sea.

US chip subsidies alarm Korean companies with tough conditions

South Korean chipmakers have expressed alarm at tough conditions revealed for companies taking advantage of a $39 billion U.S. federal fund designed to encourage advanced chip manufacturing in the United States. Of particular concern is a requirement for companies to share some of their unexpected excess profits with the U.S. government.

Firms search for greener supplies of graphite for EV batteries

Driven by growing electric vehicle sales, demand for graphite is set to triple from 1.2 million tonnes in 2022 to more than 4 million tonnes by 2030, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Several companies are seeking to diversify their supplies by opening graphite mines and processing plants elsewhere, particularly in the United States and Europe.

NEW PRODUCTS

AIM3D and Naddcon implement digital process chain for 3D printing

AIM3D GmbH, in cooperation with Naddcon GmbH, integrated their multimaterial ExAM 255 3D printer with Siemens Digital Industries Software’s NX design software. This integration enables mapping of the 3D printing process as a continuous digital process chain, from the component design to production and post-processing.

Generac introduces GS100 solar panel for off-grid charging of portable battery stations

Generac Power Systems, Inc. announced their first fully portable solar + battery solution with the introduction of the 100 W GS100 solar panel, which was created for pairing with the GB1000 and GB2000 portable power stations.