Ceramic and glass business news of the week for October 9, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Microsoft is testing low-carbon concrete for its data centers

Microsoft is testing out new concrete mixes for its data centers that it hopes will result in half as much carbon dioxide emissions as traditional concrete.

Italy’s vexuvo to invest 1.5 billion euros in solar panel sites

Italian renewable energy producer vexuvo plans to invest 1.5 billion euros (US$1.6 billion) on solar panels sites in the next three years as it aims to generate earnings of over 20 million euros in 2026.

Ribbon cutting held for new fiberglass facility in Madisonville

Ahlstrom, a manufacturer of fiber-based specialty materials, cut the ribbon on the company’s new $68 million facility in Madisonville, Kentucky. The new facility, announced in May 2021, will house a glass fiber tissue production line to make substrates for flooring materials, such as luxury vinyl tiles and vinyl sheet materials.

Bangladesh gets first uranium shipment from Russia for its nuclear power plant

Bangladesh received the first uranium shipment from Russia to fuel the country’s only nuclear power plant, still under construction by Moscow. Once finished, the plant is expected to boost Bangladesh’s national electrical grid and help the South Asian nation’s growing economy.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Orora raises Saverglass acquisition funds

Orora raised $1.345 billion from the markets to acquire French-based glass manufacturer Saverglass. The money will be added to $875 million of debt financing the Australian glass packaging company has organized, to reach the $2.15 billion purchase price.

RHI Magnesita strengthens position in process industries by acquiring P-D Refractories

RHI Magnesita completed the acquisition of the Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovenia-based refractory businesses of the Preiss-Daimler Group. P-D Refractories is a producer of high quality alumina-based refractories for industrial applications in process industries.

Steel and cement industry collaboration scales up zero-emissions trials

The first trial melt was completed as part of the Cement 2 Zero project, which aims to develop the world’s first zero-emissions cement on an industrial scale. The collaborative project is seeking to advance decarbonization of the construction, cement, and steel sectors by ensuring the process can be scaled up from laboratory to pilot plant.

LG Energy Solution and Toyota sign battery supply agreement to power EVs in US

LG Energy Solution and Toyota Motor North America, Inc. signed a supply agreement for lithium-ion battery modules to be used in Toyota battery electric vehicles that will be assembled in the United States. Under the contract, LG Energy Solution will supply automotive battery modules at an annual capacity of 20GWh starting from 2025.

Three New England states join together for offshore wind power projects

Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island will procure future wind energy projects together rather than separately as part of a new multistate agreement, the first such agreement in the nation. It comes as some offshore wind developers seek to renegotiate contracts they signed with states in 2019 and 2020 when costs were lower.

OTHER STORIES

CEC and EPRI will host summit to explore electrification of buildings

The California Energy Commission and nonprofit energy research, development, and deployment organization EPRI will host a two-day summit to explore affordable, reliable, and equitable pathways to electrifying buildings. The Building Electrification Summit will be held Oct. 10–11, 2023, at the California Natural Resources Agency.

Stoelzle Glass Group appoints new CEO

Stoelzle Glass Group appointed August Grupp as its CEO. The Austrian-headquartered glass manufacturer says the appointment marks a significant leadership transition and a generational shift as current CEO Georg Feith retires from the role.

Three quantum dot researchers awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three researchers for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots: Moungi Bawendi of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Louis Brus of Columbia University, and Alexei Ekimov, formerly chief scientist at Nanocrystals Technology.

Sodium-ion energy storage firm Peak Energy launches with US$10 million investment

Sodium-ion battery technology firm Peak Energy announced its launch following a US$10 million seed funding round. The management team comprises ex-Northvolt, Tesla, Enovix, and SunPower executives. Peak Energy will focus on the rapid scaling of sodium-ion battery manufacturing to address widespread demand for lithium-ion alternatives.

Heidelberg Materials achieves certification to new carbon management standard in the UK

Heidelberg Materials is the first heavy building materials manufacturer in the U.K. to reach the updated PAS 2080:2023 standard on managing and reducing whole-life carbon in the built environment. The revised standard has a new emphasis on whole-life carbon and a stronger alignment with the transition to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.

Getting a $7,500 tax credit for an electric car will soon get a lot easier

Starting in January 2024, electric car shoppers will not have to wait until tax season to pocket a federal tax credit worth up to $7,500. Instead, the credit will be available as cash in hand on the day of purchase—and it will be available regardless of the size of a customer’s tax bill.

MARKET TRENDS

Capturing coal’s carbon can ease pain of India’s energy transition

Nearly two fifths of India’s districts depend on coal and a rapid phasedown would devastate millions. As such, India is right to invest in carbon capture technology for its coal plants while it pursues renewables to ease the pace of the transition and protect its citizens, according to a Social Policy Research Foundation research associate.

‘Europe isn’t profitable’—Solar industry warns of hurdles to EU’s green tech drive

Europe’s bid to expand its green tech industry faces a host of challenges, including high energy costs and supply chain issues, solar industry representatives gathered in Madrid warned last week.

These 11 EV makers and charging networks will use Tesla NACS connector

In June 2023, SAE International announced that it would standardize the NACS connector, meaning the standard would no longer be maintained by Tesla. A Battery Technology article looks at 11 companies that are either committed to or considering the switch to Tesla’s NACS.

NEW PRODUCTS

Heat-resistant ceramic ink for data codes on metal components

Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS developed a ceramic ink that can withstand temperatures of more than 1,000°C in the oven without being damaged. This ink makes it possible to provide metal components with a highly stable marking.

ROSS offers cost-effective and expertly reconditioned equipment

For businesses seeking to enhance their existing equipment or expand production, ROSS offers reconditioned mixers that are meticulously restored to “like-new” working condition by the highly skilled engineers and mechanics of the ROSS OEM team.

Plibrico introduces new Plicast Al-Rezist aluminum resistant castables

Plibrico is set to release its latest innovation within Plibrico’s Plicast Al-Rezist line at Aluminum USA. This cutting-edge line of refractories is designed to address the specific needs of aluminum processors by offering exceptional resistance to corundum growth, thermal shock, and abrasion, plus non-wetting properties.

L&L Special Furnace model XLC3348

The L&L Special Furnace model XLC3348 has a work zone of 23” wide by 23” high by 36” deep. It has a single zone of control with a temperature gradient of ±14°C at temperatures between 650°C and 1,000°C using six zones of temperature control with biasing to balance any gradients.