PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Sibelco opens Italian glass recycling facility

Sibelco opened a glass recycling facility at San Cesario sul Panaro, Modena, Italy. The new plant is on a site originally acquired in January 2020. After the site’s acquisition, Sibelco began a clean-up of the existing facilities, which included removal of around 50,000 tonnes of waste glass that had accumulated over previous years of operation.

First Lithoz CeraFab Multi 2M30 in UK delivered to government-backed research facility

Lithoz GmbH recently delivered the United Kingdom’s first CeraFab Multi 2M30 to Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult headquartered in Newport, South Wales. With this being the first multimaterial 3D printer of its kind in the U.K., both Lithoz and CSA Catapult are looking forward to further innovation once it is operational later in the year.

Japan welcomes first vertical agrivoltaic project

Japan’s Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies and Japanese EPC contractor Ryoeng Co., Ltd., built an agrivoltaic system with a vertical design in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. The solar modules for the facility were supplied by German manufacturer Luxor Solar, while the vertical mounting system was provided by German specialist Next2Sun.

Europe’s largest solar park may be coming to Croatia

El Sun Energy is interested in building a 950 megawatt solar power plant in Croatia, which would be the largest in Europe and almost twice the size of the currently largest Núñez de Balboa, which has a capacity of 500 MW. If all plans are accounted for, it is set to be the second-biggest, as the Horizeo project in France is envisaged to reach 1 GW.

ISMC announces plan to set up India’s first semiconductor fabrication unit

ISMC announced its plan to set up India’s first semiconductor fabrication unit. The international semiconductor consortium will invest $3 billion in India’s southern Karnataka state to set up a chip-making plant.

Xaar opens new advanced technology center to drive inkjet innovation

Xaar’s new technology center in Sweden was officially opened. Based at Campus Solna in Stockholm, it is twice the size of the previous facility and houses a state-of-the-art laboratory with new equipment, offices, and meeting spaces for engineers, scientists, and visitors to work within.

SCHOTT invests double-digit million euros in ready-to-use cartridge production

SCHOTT announced a double-digit million euro investment to increase the production capacity of their ready-to-use cartridges in St. Gallen, Switzerland, by 2023. These cartridges are designed to store and administer drugs with the help of pen injectors or wearable devices in a home care setting.

SCHOTT inaugurates plant for prefillable polymer syringes at new facility in Germany

SCHOTT invested a three-digit million euro amount in a new production site in Müllheim, Germany, that will manufacture prefillable syringes made of advanced pharmaceutical-grade polymer used for a range of drugs, including mRNA-based formulations.


ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

GE Renewables invests in US 3D printing firm

GE Renewable Energy acquired a minority stake in COBOD International, the company providing the 3D printer used at the U.S.-based Bergen research facility, which is exploring ways to print wind turbine towers onsite at wind farms.

Ardagh commits to South African investment after Consol acquisition

Ardagh Group is to invest in new furnaces after it completes the acquisition of Consol Glass. The acquisition includes net debt assumed in Consol and includes a further $200 million investment in two furnaces. Ardagh said it was committed to a third furnace investment at Consol’s Nigel facility in Gauteng, South Africa.

Coca-Cola United partners with O-I to recycle glass bottles

Coca-Cola Bottling Company United partnered with O-I to capture more recycled glass from its production site in Georgia. Coca-Cola previously sent their glass bottles to a local recycler for use in fiberglass. Now, the center’s recycled glass will be taken to O-I’s plant in Danville, Virginia, and remade into new glass bottles.

Webinar: Accessible and affordable hardness testing of thin coatings

Analytical instruments manufacturer Anton Paar is holding a webinar discussing the benefits and limitations of traditional hardness testing as well as new developments that enable accurate and affordable hardness measurements of ultrathin coatings. The webinar takes place May 5 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Ambiq received multiple wins in the 2022 American Business, Asia-Pacific Stevie awards

Ambiq, a developer of ultralow-power semiconductor solutions, was named winner of four Stevie Awards in both the 9th annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and 20th annual American Business Awards programs.

DOD urged to expand support for research at minority institutions

The National Academies released a report urging the Department of Defense to make a “strategic commitment” to increasing research capacity at historically black colleges and universities and other minority institutions. DOE and NASA both allocate about 2% of their total research expenditures to such institutions, compared to about 1% at DOD.


MARKET TRENDS

UK disagrees with EU position on titanium dioxide

Great Britain will not follow the European Union in banning titanium dioxide as a food additive. The UK’s Food Standards Agency said after reviewing the evidence, no safety concerns were identified, which means there will not be a change to regulation in England and Wales. Food Standards Scotland reached the same conclusion.

Chile constitutional assembly does not okay expanded state mining rights

Chile’s constitutional assembly passed articles expanding environmental rights but stopped short of approving a proposal to give the state exclusive mining rights over lithium, hydrocarbons, and rare earth metals and majority ownership of copper mines.

Large-scale hydrogen projects take shape as technology continues to evolve

A POWER article looks at hydrogen pilot projects in development today and how the size of these undertakings is growing rapidly.

SCHOTT developing climate-friendly glass production using hydrogen

SCHOTT launched a pilot project at its headquarters in Mainz to test large-scale use of hydrogen in glass production. Overall, SCHOTT and its project partners are investing more than €714,000, including an award of around €338,000 from the European Regional Development Fund to develop a climate friendly glass melting process.

Sustainable technology: Latest innovations and initiatives from green tech giants

A Trusted Reviews article looks at the current state of sustainable technology and what larger businesses are doing to support these innovations and initiatives.


NEW PRODUCTS

XJet ceramic 3D printing technology used to produce ultracar engine piston

XJet’s ceramic 3D printing technology was leveraged by Spyros Panopoulos Automotive to produce an engine piston for its Chaos Ultracar, which is under development. Around 78% of the Chaos Ultracar’s body is set to be 3D printed, while crucial elements such as the engine block, camshaft, and intake valves will also lean on additive manufacturing.

Author

Lisa McDonald