Ceramic and glass business news of the week for April 3, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Brazil to invest US$9.5bn in power grid to add more renewables

Brazil is planning to invest BRL 50 billion (US$9.51bn) in transmission lines to enable the integration of more wind and solar power. The country plans to hold at least three major transmission auctions this year to ensure the expansion of wind and solar energy in the North of Minas Gerais state and throughout the whole Northeast region.

China Energy proposes $1bn floating solar farm in Zimbabwe

China Energy Engineering Group proposed building a 1,000 MW floating solar farm for Zimbabwe, a nearly $1 billion project, on Lake Kariba, the world’s largest man-made lake. More than 1.8 million photovoltaic panels installed over 146 modular floating units would be used for the project if it went ahead.

Mining company stakes rare earth minerals claim in Bitterroot National Forest

U.S. Critical Materials Corporation staked a claim to rare earth minerals in the Bitterroot National Forest. The claims are in the Sheep Creek area, located in the headwaters of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River, south of Darby, Mont. The vein has not been fully explored and would need to cut through a lot of red tape to move ahead any further.

NGK Ceramics to invest $9.4m in latest Mooresville expansion

Mooresville and Iredell County in North Carolina approved incentives for NGK Ceramics USA Inc. to invest $9.4 million into its operations in the area. The company, which is a subsidiary of Japan-based NGK Insulators Ltd., operates a manufacturing facility on Mazeppa Road in Mooresville and has a warehouse at Mooresville Business Park East.

Krahn Ceramics starts its own production

Krahn Ceramics started up its own production line for ceramic compounds in Hamburg, Rothenburgsort, Germany. Ceramic injection molding feedstock is produced at the site. Additionally, Krahn Ceramics is relocating its headquarters to the Hamburg site of the Otto Krahn Group, thus creating synergies with its sister companies.

East Palestine plants suspend operations as workers get sick

With employees continuing to suffer ill effects since the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, CeramFab and two of its affiliated plants were again forced to cease manufacturing.

NIST research reactor to restart following two-year shutdown

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has cleared the National Institute of Standards and Technology to resume operating its research reactor, a major user facility for neutron-scattering experiments, ending an extended closure stemming from a February 2021 radiation incident.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

CMC acquires concrete services company

Irving, Texas-based Commercial Metals Co. says it acquired Suwanee, Georgia-based Tendon Systems LLC, which it describes as a provider of post-tensioning, barrier cable, and concrete restoration systems.

New York governor announces $2.5 million to support glass waste reduction research

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced investments to bolster the state’s collaboration with the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University to expand recycling markets and help municipal recycling programs find new ways to recycle and reuse glass.

Corning Incorporated joins Glass Futures

Corning Incorporated has become a member of Glass Futures, the global center of excellence for glass in research and development, innovation, and training. The company joins Glass Futures at an opportune time, with the organization set to move into its new £54 million Global Centre of Excellence.

OTHER STORIES

Finnish startup Carbonaide lands €1.8m to scale carbon-negative concrete manufacturing

Carbonaide, a spin-out from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has come up with a solution that leverages CO₂ reuse and storage technology. The team has now secured €1.8 million to scale operations.

Carbon nanotube startup has materials scientists abuzz

DexMat, a Houston-based carbon nanotube startup born at Rice University, developed a material they call Galvorn that takes several forms, including a mesh that could be used in composite panels, electrodes, and garments; a fiber for conductive wire, power lines, and motor windings; and a film for electromagnetic shieldings, batteries, and antennas.

NTIA seeks input on National Spectrum Strategy

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is seeking input from developers and users of spectrum-based technologies on plans for a National Spectrum Strategy. Comments are due by April 17.

South Korea passes its ‘Chips Act’ amid US–China friction

South Korea’s parliament approved the “K-Chips Act” to boost its semiconductor industry. The legislation would increase the tax credit to 15% from the current 8% for major companies investing in manufacturing facilities, while smaller and medium-size firms would see the tax break go up to 25% from 16%.

MARKET TRENDS

Mekong river sand mining is a crumbling castle

River sand mining is present in most ASEAN countries. Yet the issue is especially alarming in the five ASEAN countries along the Mekong River—Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. River sand in the region is extracted faster than it can naturally renew, with the demand in Asia forecast to rapidly rise.

Gallium nitride and silicon carbide fight for green tech domination

Gallium nitride and silicon carbide devices perform better and are more efficient than the silicon components they are replacing. Regardless of which one becomes dominant in future green technologies, they will cut greenhouse gasses by billions of tonnes.

NEW PRODUCTS

Elektros launches new clean energy technology brand

Elektros, an emerging leader in the electric mobility industry, announced the launch of its new clean energy technology brand, Elektros Energy. This brand will better reflect the company’s focus on areas such as lithium mining, EV charging, solar energy, and other solutions to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

Saturn is Tiama’s new camera-based check inspection solution

Tiama released a camera-based check inspection solution called Saturn to replace traditional manual detection on carousel machines. With 6 to 11 wide-angle cameras (30 mm x 15 mm inspection areas) plugged on swivel arms, Saturn can conduct checks on all container parts including finish, shoulder, base, and body.

This new machine in Canberra prints actual glass

The Australian National University bought two $70,000 machines that make 3D objects out of recycled glass. In an interview, head of glass Jeffrey Sarmiento shows how it works.

ROSS inline ultrahigh shear mixer for high quality dispersions and emulsions

The ROSS inline ultrahigh shear sanitary mixer model HSM-715XSUHD-250 is designed to deliver exceptional dispersion, emulsification, and homogenization at high throughput. This model is CIP compliant, with the back of the mixing chamber relieved to promote very thorough cleaning around the seal area.