PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES
New solar farm built on water at Sibelco site in Belgium
On September 8, the last panel of a floating solar farm in Flanders (northern Belgium) was installed. The installation consists of 17,250 solar panels and will produce 7GWh/year. Sibelco will use the bulk of the electricity in the production of high-quality silica sand at their local operation in Dessel.
Saint-Gobain Glass invests €30 million in Polish coater
Saint-Gobain Glass invested more than €30 million in a new magnetron (coater) to manufacture coated glass in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland. The plant mainly produces SGG Planitherm XN, a low-emissivity glass that maximises the energy efficiency of double and triple-glazed windows.
Vertico opens Eindhoven 3D concrete printing facility
3D concrete printing specialist Vertico opened a new concrete printing facility in Eindhoven in the Netherlands to accelerate its architectural and commercial building applications. The facility will see the application of industrial robots, a technology Vertico has pioneered for some time.
Thermo Fisher Scientific opens new Bioprocessing Collaboration Center in St. Louis
Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the opening of its new Bioprocessing Collaboration Center in St. Louis, Mo. The facility is adjacent to the company’s biologics manufacturing facility, which recently doubled production capacity with a $50 million expansion.
NSF and DOE support research priorities with spate of new center awards
Over the summer, the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy announced funding for dozens of new research centers, with awards ranging from around $10 million to more than $100 million spanning over four to six years. A recent FYI article details the goals of these new centers and provides updates on longstanding programs.
Toshiba develops more Japanese solar and hydrogen
Toshiba is building two photovoltaic plants with a combined generation capacity of 58 MW with U.S. module manufacturer First Solar. Toshiba is also extending its hydrogen research project in Fukushima for another two years.
ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS
OMCO set to acquire Ross International’s moulding business
Omco, a manufacturer of glass moulds, will acquire the glass moulding business and its production plants in Hungary and South Africa from Ross International. The contracts have been signed and closing is targeted for September 30.
BEAMIT acquires fellow 3D printing service provider ZARE
Sandvik announced that 3D printing service provider BEAMIT acquired 100% of fellow additive manufacturing bureau ZARE. The agreement will see BEAMIT and ZARE continue to operate under their respective brand names, though activities will be consolidated under the BEAMIT Group.
UK energy and tech sectors partner to promote renewables
A new partnership between the Solar Trade Association, Renewable UK, and techUK will promote British commitment to a net zero carbon economy. As part of this partnership, techUK will communicate to its members the advantages of setting up long-term power purchase agreements with generators of renewable energies.
Slovene, Chinese researchers to cooperate on advanced materials research in Guangdong
The Ljubljana Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology agreed to build an institute to research intelligent manufacturing methods of advanced materials in Guangdong Province, China. The institute is to be set up by 2023 in a joint effort.
New technology for large-scale recycling of composite wind blades
The University of Tennessee and Carbon Rivers LLC will work with GE Renewable Energy, MidAmerican Energy Company, and PacifiCorp utilities to develop a pilot-scale glass fiber composite recycling system leading to the development of a game-changing commercial wind blade waste processing plant.
OTHER STORIES
ACI announces the Virtual Concrete Solutions Competition
The American Concrete Institute will host a virtual student competition on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, from 1–5:30 p.m. EDT during the ACI Virtual Convention. The purpose of the event is for students to demonstrate and/or explain how their use of concrete could positively impact the world at large.
Amazon and Microsoft invest in company injecting CO2 into concrete
Amazon and Microsoft have invested in CarbonCure, a company that reduces the emissions of the concrete industry by injecting CO2 into the mix. CarbonCure hopes to remove 500 megatonnes of carbon dioxide annually from the concrete industry by 2030. It already has at least one customer in the data center industry: Compass Datacenters.
Odisha to transform ITIs into centers of excellence
In an aim to make youths employable as per industry needs, the state government of Odisha, India, has decided to transform industrial training institutes and polytechnic institutions in mineral bearing areas into Centers of Excellence.
Texas Mineral Resources awarded DOE grant targeting mixed rare earth oxides production
The National Energy Technical Laboratory selected a Texas Mineral Resources-led consortium to receive an award targeting production of rare earths from Pennsylvania coal byproducts. The ultimate objective is to install a self-contained, modular, and portable pilot plant at a Jeddo Coal Company site that can produce 1–3 metric tons of rare earth oxides.
MARKET TRENDS
Why Canada’s geothermal industry is finally gaining ground
An article on The Narwhal looks at several projects underway in Canada’s western provinces that could herald a new era for the geothermal industry and offer job opportunities for former oil and gas workers.
NEW PRODUCTS
High-temperature electric box furnace for heat treatment of high tech ceramics
L&L Special Furnace Co., Inc., shipped a medium-sized, high-temperature box furnace to a government military defense organization for use in military ceramic composite development. The furnace has a working zone of 24” wide by 18” high by 36” deep and is rated for continuous operating temperatures up to 2,500°F / 1,371°C.
Author
Lisa McDonald
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