Ceramic and glass business news of the week for November 27, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

World’s first space lab on earth to be built near Ohio State airport

A 10-acre plot of unimproved land in northwest Columbus, Ohio, has been set aside for the development of an earthly replica of the George Washington Carver Space Park, a laboratory currently operating on the International Space Station.

IFGL Refractories launches advanced research hub in Kalunga

IFGL, a multinational refractories company, unveiled its cutting-edge research center in Kalunga, Odisha, India. This state-of-the-art facility equips IFGL with top-tier research capabilities, featuring metal melting facilities to validate material reactions.

Orion S.A. celebrates opening of its second plant in China

Orion S.A. completed its first greenfield project—a carbon black plant in eastern China. The facility will produce carbon black for a variety of applications, including coatings, printing inks, rubber, polymers, fiber, and rubber. The site’s two production lines have a total capacity of 70 kilotons per year.

Ørsted, Eversource install New York’s first offshore wind turbine

Ørsted and Eversource installed the first of twelve turbines for the 130-MW South Fork Wind project off the coast of Montauk, New York. The state expects all the turbines will be installed by early 2024.

Astraglass pairs its operations with rooftop solar

Specialty glass manufacturer Astraglass installed a 203.3 kW rooftop solar installation on its Vineland, New Jersey factory rooftop. Astraglass produces scientific and laboratory glassware, precision glass, and glass-to-metal components for original equipment manufacturer applications.

Ardagh heats up Nigel N3 glass production furnace

Ardagh Glass Packaging-Africa heated-up its Nigel 3 furnace at its Nigel production facility in Gauteng, South Africa. The R1.5 billion Nigel 3 expansion was announced shortly after the commissioning of the Nigel 2 expansion project at the same facility.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Lithoz announces strategic financial investment in AMAREA Technology

After almost a decade of cooperation with Fraunhofer IKTS, Lithoz GmbH announced the acquisition of a strategic share in their spin-off AMAREA Technology. AMAREA Technology’s 3D printers combine up to six different materials in a single print run.

Skyrora and Spirit to partner on rocket R&D

U.K.-based space launch company Skyrora and aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems are partnering on the development of additive manufacturing technologies for rockets. Skyrora will provide Spirit with access to Skyprint 2, an in-house hybrid 3D printer the company developed to produce its engines.

Using supercomputers to help companies advance clean energy technologies

Through the U.S. Department of Energy’s High Performance Computing for Energy Innovation initiative, Argonne National Laboratory will partner with Ford Motor Company, Capstone Green Energy, Lakril Technologies, and Power Manufacturing to help accelerate the development of clean energy technologies.

OTHER STORIES

European Commission approves Italy’s incentive scheme for agrivoltaics

The European Commission approved Italy’s €1.7 billion (US$1.84 billion) incentive scheme for agrivoltaics to deploy 1.04 GW of installed solar. The nation will offer investment grants of up to 40%, along with 20-year tariffs.

Canada to begin financing carbon capture, says will ramp up contracts for difference

Canada will finance investment tax credits for carbon capture and storage and for net-zero energy technologies, following through on previously announced subsidies meant to attract more green investment, according to the country’s Fall Economic Statement.

Australia aims to kickstart renewable energy efforts

Australia is not on track to reach its target of obtaining 82% of its power from renewable sources by 2030. In response, the government says it intends to significantly expand a taxpayer-funded initiative to subsidize and underwrite new clean energy projects.

Brazil signs on to global climate deal to triple renewable energy

Brazil signed onto an agreement to triple renewable energy globally by 2030 and shift away from using coal. South America’s largest country is now one of roughly 100 countries that have signed onto the deal.

MARKET TRENDS

Lithium-ion battery recycling goes large

Firms in Asia, Europe, and North America are building large facilities to recover the valuable metals from lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. However, as they scramble to increase recycling capacity, the companies are navigating a tricky path through shifting battery chemistries and a raft of new regulations.

Mining sand for cash in Sierra Leone is costing the environment

Sand mining is a lifeline for many unemployed youths in Sierra Leone. But this practice comes at a great cost for coastal communities and the ecosystems that support them.

Why rural Americans are (and aren’t) adopting renewable energy

A recent study found that adoption of clean energy tech in rural areas is correlated with a few key demographic factors, namely income, education, and political affiliation.

South Africa and renewable energy: 12-year-old program offers insights for other countries

South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program provides valuable insights for countries developing their own policies on renewable energy.

NEW PRODUCTS

Ready-to-use cartridges from SCHOTT Pharma

SCHOTT Pharma offers ready-to-use cartridges for clinical and commercial filling, ranging from small to large filling volumes of 1.5 ml to 20 ml. The small volume cartridges are suitable for administering insulin and GLP-1 drugs, while the large volume cartridges are suitable to store high-value biologics to treat cancer or Parkinson’s disease.

Cerabyte demos ceramic-coated glass storage system

German startup Cerabyte built a demo ceramic-coated glass storage system and is looking for funding and partners to take the concept further.