Ceramic and glass business news of the week for December 18, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Neo announces operational transformation at Estonia rare metals facility

Neo Performance Materials Inc. is updating its manufacturing processes for niobium and tantalum at the NPM Silmet OÜ plant in Sillamäe, Estonia. The company will halt the energy-intensive hydrometallurgical processing of niobium- and tantalum-bearing ores and instead derive future products from oxides and recycled materials.

New lithium-ion battery plant planned for North Carolina

Forge Nano Inc. intends to launch a new lithium-ion battery business, called Forge Battery, in Wake County, North Carolina. The business will use Forge Nano’s proprietary Atomic Armor technology to produce high-performance lithium-ion batteries that meet or beat performance targets of industry standard lithium-ion technology.

Alqueva reservoir to host Europe’s largest floating solar project

Alqueva Development and Infrastructure Company launched the procedure to install the largest floating photovoltaic project in Europe, with a basic tender price of €45 million. It is estimated that around 100,000 panels will be needed.

World’s largest concentrated solar power plant completed in Dubai

A 950-MW solar energy complex was inaugurated in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The hybrid facility consists of the most powerful concentrated solar power system in the world and a photovoltaic unit. It is the fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, competing for the title of largest solar park globally.

First commercial direct air capture facility in US features Harper International furnace

A custom engineered, 24-inch rotary tube furnace built by Harper International for Heirloom Carbon Technologies is enabling the U.S.’s first commercial direct air capture facility in California’s Central Valley.

Bacardi cuts carbon footprint of glass bottle production in first for spirits industry

Family-owned spirits company Bacardi successfully completed the world’s first commercial production of a glass spirits bottle fueled by hydrogen in a trial that took place earlier in December 2023. Bacardi worked with premium glassmaker Hrastnik1860, to pioneer new technology that powered a glass furnace with hydrogen.

Guardian to use hydrogen in its glass manufacturing

Ryze Hydrogen signed a long-term deal to provide hydrogen to flat glass manufacturer Guardian Glass. Guardian Glass operates 24 float glass lines around the world and serves 160 countries across five continents.

Corning to build Gorilla Glass facility in Tamil Nadu

Corning Inc. is investing Rs 1,000 crore to set up a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, India. The facility will be set up at Pillaipakkam, near Sriperumbudur, on a 25-acre plot, which can be expanded if the need arises and will employ around 300 people.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Howard University and Brookhaven: A partnership forged in diamond

Researchers at Howard University and Brookhaven National Laboratory were awarded a $1.5 million grant through the Department of Defense’s University Instrumentation Program to set up a research program to study the growth of perfect diamond thin films for quantum information systems.

O-I partnerships to increase glass recycling in Brazil

O-I revealed two new partnerships that will increase post-consumer glass recycling, reduce consumer waste, and conserve resources in Brazil. The manufacturer partnered with the Recicleiros Institute, a civil society organization, and Orizon, one of the country’s largest private landfill companies, to increase the amount of cullet in its glass containers.

Pochet and Chanel partner to reduce energy consumption in glass process

French glassmaker Pochet Group partnered with luxury house Chanel to help manage its energy consumption. The pair instigated an energy management project using a digital solution from Metron to reduce Pochet’s gas, water, and electricity consumption.

General Atomics brings inertial fusion energy expertise to two national research hubs

General Atomics will join the STARFIRE Hub, led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the RISE Hub, led by Colorado State University, to help advance inertial fusion energy science and technologies.

NASA taps LSU for lunar construction research

Ahead of NASA’s planned 2025 return to the moon as part of its Artemis program, Louisiana State University partnered with the space agency to test new lunar construction materials. The group will primarily investigate the use of molten sulfur and moon dust to develop a 3D-printed, waterless concrete.

OTHER STORIES

Ten years of research, innovation, collaboration: Graphene Flagship and 2DM community

The Graphene Flagship was funded to ensure that Europe would maintain its lead in graphene research and innovation following the scientific breakthrough of graphene’s isolation at the University of Manchester. A decade on, the Graphene Flagship has delivered on its promise.

‘Massive step’ with first recycled rare earth magnets produced

HyProMag, a subsidiary of Mkango Resources Ltd, produced recycled rare earth magnets in the U.K. on commercial scale equipment for the first time in more than two decades.

North Dakota researchers find cost-effective way to extract rare earth elements from coal

University of North Dakota researchers demonstrated the economic viability of extracting critical metals from lignite coal in a pilot project. They are now working with an engineering firm to design the first commercial facility that would be built next to a western North Dakota coal mine.

Biden-Harris Administration announces actions to strengthen clean energy supply chains

The U.S. Department of Energy announced $275 million for seven projects to strengthen clean energy supply chains and accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing in seven states across the nation.

The EU wants to put a tax on emissions from imports, irking other nations at COP28

A European Union plan to tax the carbon pollution emitted to make goods imported from countries like India and China has sparked a debate at the United Nations climate conference in Dubai, as poorer countries fear such tariffs will harm livelihoods and economic growth.

Two groups are battling it out to build Australia’s first Roo-ver

Two Australian consortiums made up of universities around the country were nominated to build the initial proof of concept for the first Aussie moon rover. The rover, which will be named Roo-ver, needs to be about 20 kilograms and should run for about a fortnight, scooping up moon dirt to deliver to a NASA run facility to extract oxygen.

Electroglass launches new website

Electroglass redesigned its website to give the latest information on products and services. The updated design and layout includes access to its published literature in seven languages and a news section with details on upcoming exhibitions and technical visits.

MARKET TRENDS

Technology not growing fast enough to decarbonize steel and cement industries by 2050

Researchers at the National Institute for Environmental Studies and the University of Cambridge showed that the current rate of deployment of large-scale infrastructure for CO₂ transport and storage, renewable electricity, and green hydrogen will not keep pace with the growing demand for steel and cement, two carbon-intensive industries.

Solar installers, for better or worse, will literally be slapping more glass on roofs

Bifacial solar panels are becoming commonplace in more areas than just deserts and on tracking systems. Due to the exclusion of these specialty panels from Section 201 tariffs, a surge in imports of these panels is hitting commercial and residential roofs too.

Carbon nanotubes have progressed toward application but misconceptions remain

The increasing use of carbon nanotubes—and a proposal in the European Union to ban the entire class of materials—highlights the need for an updated and standardized approach to assess human and environmental impacts of carbon nanotubes and products that contain them, according to a study co-authored by Rice University researchers.

Report: China solar panel costs drop 42% from year ago

China’s cost to produce solar panels has plummeted 42% in the last year, according to a report by energy research firm Wood Mackenzie, giving manufacturers there an enormous advantage over rivals in places like the United States and Europe.

NEW PRODUCTS

Bauer Solar introduces 440 W glass-glass solar modules

Bauer Solar is expanding its Premium Protect series with the new 440 W glass-glass solar modules, which feature bifacial n-type TOPCon half cells and anti-reflection solar glass.

Huber Advanced Materials completes life cycle analyses for most of its portfolio

Huber Advanced Materials completed “cradle-to-gate” life cycle analyses for more than 90% of its entire product portfolio, including its aluminum hydroxides, calcined aluminas, activated aluminas, and its Vertex magnesium hydroxides. Huber will share this data with customers upon request to support customers’ sustainability efforts.

OctaFoam, a load-bearing wall structure that serves as a skeleton infill for buildings

OctaFoam is a ceramic skeleton-infill material that can be used to make walls that hold weight. A study and design group from Southeast University Nanjing and ETH Zurich collaborated to make this new prototype, which came out in November 2023.