Ceramic and glass business news of the week for June 10, 2024

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Remtec holds ribbon cutting for its newly renovated facility in Canton

Remtec Inc., a U.S. provider of ceramic-based components for the electronics industry, held an official ribbon-cutting event at the company’s new facility in Canton, Mass. The project’s more than $12 million investment resulted in a 55,000-sq.-ft. facility, which is quadruple the size of the company’s previous factory.

REGEN Fiber debuts heat-free, chemical-free turbine blade recycling at Fairfax facility

A newly opened facility in Fairfax, Iowa, operated by REGEN Fiber debuted a brand-new turbine blade recycling process. The patent-pending processing facility is capable of shredding up roughly 12 tons worth of blades per hour.

Project to produce green hydrogen from solar power wins planning approval

The Solar Methanol 1 demonstration project in South Australia, which will use concentrated solar power and molten-salt energy storage to produce green hydrogen and methanol, received planning permission from local authorities.

Natural Bridges launched the world’s largest solar power plant 44 years ago—it still works

An article in The Salt Lake Tribune looks at the history of the solar power plant in Natural Bridges National Monument, which was the largest plant when it launched in 1980.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Energy Fuels and Astron Corporation to jointly develop rare earth project in Australia

Energy Fuels Inc., a U.S. producer of uranium, rare earth elements, and vanadium, executed binding agreements with Astron Corporation Limited creating a joint venture to develop and operate the Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project, located in the Wimmera Region of the State of Victoria, Australia.

Duke Energy links with tech giants for clean energy initiatives

Duke Energy signed agreements with tech giants Amazon, Google, and Microsoft and steel producer Nucor to expedite clean energy initiatives in North and South Carolina. Under memorandums of understanding, the companies proposed the development of new rate structures known as Accelerating Clean Energy tariffs in the utility industry.

PGE and PLN combine efforts to optimize geothermal power in Indonesia

Pertamina Geothermal Energy and PLN agreed to jointly develop binary power plants in the existing Ulubulu and Lahendong sites in Indonesia. This partnership follows up on a previous joint development study agreement between the  two parties.

MHI and EGAT to introduce hydrogen large gas turbine co-firing technology in Thailand

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct research on the introduction of hydrogen co-firing technologies for gas turbine power generation facilities in Thailand. An initial feasibility study is scheduled to be conducted by March 2025.

Virospack partners with Rezemo and BrightSideUp on packaging and upcycling

Virospack, a manufacturer of cosmetic dropper packs, partnered with German company Rezemo and BrightSideUp Upcycled Lighting Design on projects regarding sustainable packaging and upcycling solutions, respectively.

UWM and Oregon State to lead new consortium on greener, high-performance concrete

The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and Oregon State University were selected by the National Science Foundation to establish a research center devoted to developing new technologies that will dramatically improve concrete’s sustainability, durability, and labor efficiency while also bringing down its cost.

OTHER STORIES

Upcoming webinar: Fundamentals of glass science and technology

ACerS Fellow John C. Mauro of The Pennsylvania State University and Michael Pilliod of Central Tension are presenting a webinar on the fundamentals of glass science and technology. The webinar will take place July 8 at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Glass Packaging Institute accepting entries for 2025 Clear Choice Awards

The Glass Packaging Institute is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Clear Choice Awards, which recognizes the contributions North American glass makes to the image, success, aesthetic appeal, and recyclability of a variety of glass products.

Rare earths miner targeted in cyber attack prior to removal of Chinese investors

Australian company Northern Minerals, which operates the Browns Range mine in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, was revealed to have been targeted in a suspected cyber attack as Treasurer Jim Chalmers orders Chinese investors to be removed. The company wants to become the first substantial producer of dysprosium outside of China.

US Department of Energy announces national definition of a zero-emissions building

The U.S. Department of Energy announced a national definition of a zero-emissions building to help decarbonize the construction of new and existing commercial and residential buildings.

Bipartisan Hydrogen Aviation Strategy Act becomes law

The bipartisan Hydrogen Aviation Strategy Act, which advances study and development of hydrogen energy for use in aviation, was signed into law. Among other things, the law requires the Federal Aviation Administration to establish an advisory committee to develop recommendations on adopting hydrogen as an aviation energy source.

DOD request for input on developing AI for defense applications

The Department of Defense is requesting input on how it can help industry develop artificial intelligence for defense applications. The deadline for responses is July 22.

MARKET TRENDS

What the heck is seaweed mining?

Preliminary research suggests seaweed can trap and store valuable minerals. An article in Hakai Magazine investigates the potential of this new mineral source.

Utah’s coal mines have rare earth elements—getting to them is another problem

Rare earth elements may be extracted from Utah’s existing coal mines within 5–10 years, according to an April study led by the University of Utah. But researchers will need to determine if these elements are in high enough concentrations to justify mining for them.

India lost the manufacturing race to China; here’s why it could still succeed

The Public Radio Service of Western Kentucky University talked with Raghuram Rajan, the former head of the Central Bank of India, about India’s challenges and opportunities to become rich, why the manufacturing-led road that China paved may not be open to India, and the route that Rajan believes India should take instead.

NEW PRODUCTS

Clara: Supporting clean water access in Jordan through reusable glass bottles

Jordanian company Clara has made use of funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Union to create a system of clean water distribution throughout the country of Jordan using glass bottles.

Corning launches Gorilla Glass 7i

Corning Inc. launched Gorilla Glass 7i, a new cover glass engineered to deliver improved durability for intermediate and value-segment mobile devices. In lab tests, Gorilla Glass 7i survived drops of up to one meter on surfaces replicating asphalt. It also demonstrated two times more scratch resistance than competitive lithium aluminosilicate cover glasses.

O-I Glass develops mobile glass processing system

O-I Glass, Inc. completed the development and testing of a transformative, low-cost mobile glass processing machine that is easily transported and deployed to clean and crush recycled glass to be used as recycled content.

Book: Celebrating glass, achieving sustainability, inspiring transformation

Edited by Alicia Durán and John Parker, the new book “Celebrating glass, achieving sustainability, inspiring transformation” contains the story of the International Year of Glass 2022, from the initial application to the United Nations to all the events that took place. A high-res PDF version of the book is available at this link.