Ceramic and glass business news of the week for October 30, 2023

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Kerala to set up graphene industrial park

The Indian state of Kerala plans to set up a graphene industrial park. The India Innovation Center for Graphene will be jointly implemented by the Kerala government and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with Tata Steel Limited as an industrial partner and C-MET and Digital University as implementing agencies.

Optiemus Infracom plans to manufacture Corning Gorilla glass in India by 2024

In September 2023, Optiemus Infracom and Corning unveiled a 70:30 joint venture aimed at establishing India’s inaugural manufacturing plant for crafting high-quality finished cover glass components for the mobile consumer electronics sector. The companies anticipate commencing production by the end of 2024.

AGC achieves success in demonstration test of glass production using hydrogen as fuel

AGC announced that it has succeeded in a demonstration test of glass production using hydrogen as fuel. The test was conducted at the electronics float glass manufacturing facility of the Kansai Plant, Takasago Factory, Japan.

Tallest tower in Latin America built with Cemex’s Vertua lower-carbon concrete

Cemex is supplying a specialty mix of Vertua concrete products for the construction of Rise Tower in Monterrey, Mexico, which is expected to become the tallest tower in Latin America at a height of 475 meters and 100 stories. This project aims to become the tower with the most environmental certifications in Mexico.

Pensana receives $4.9 million grant offer to build rare earth separation facility

London-listed Pensana was offered a grant of up to £4-million (US$4.9 million) by the U.K. Secretary of State for Business and Trade to help fund the building of a rare earth oxide separation facility in the Humber Freeport at Saltend, England.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Korea, US launch joint rare earth project in Vietnam

The Republic of Korea and the United States launched a joint research project on the extraction of rare earth elements in Vietnam. The two countries will send their researchers and geological experts to Hanoi for three months starting in October 2023 to work on extracting rare earths and other critical elements from coal ash.

Malaysia witnesses the launch of its first university–industry research consortium

YTL Cement and the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia jointly launched the country’s first university–industry research consortium, in collaboration with five top local universities. YTL Cement is awarding scholarships for research on the sustainability of the tropical limestone karst landscape.

Vitro, First Solar expand contract for solar panel glass sales by $1.3 billion

Vitro is expanding its contract with First Solar, providing the sales of $1.3 billion worth of glass front sheets used for the company’s advanced thin-film photovoltaic solar panels. To accommodate this expansion, the company plans to invest an additional $180 million to upgrade one of its furnaces located at its plant in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Tritone Technologies announces sales partnership with ACS Hybrid Solutions

Tritone Technologies, a global provider of metal and ceramic additive manufacturing technology for industrial production, will partner with ACS Hybrid to expand their presence and technical resources in the Pacific Northwest.

Test center for long-lasting batteries: CATL and Fraunhofer IKTS expand cooperation

The German branch of battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS are jointly developing models at the industrial site Erfurter Kreuz to predict the lifetime of batteries. The cooperation is a continuation of the “BattLife” project, which started in 2020.

Summit Materials signs MOU with PCC Hydrogen to lower carbon emissions

Summit Materials, Inc., a vertically integrated construction materials solutions provider, in partnership with its subsidiary Continental Cement Company, L.L.C., signed a memorandum of understanding with PCC Hydrogen, Inc. to develop a fuel replacement strategy to lower carbon emissions from its cement manufacturing process.

OTHER STORIES

GPI makes glass quality case for bottle bills

The Glass Packaging Institute submitted written testimony to the New York state legislature on a proposed expansion of the Empire State’s beverage container deposit-return system, or bottle bill, backing the efforts of the proposal’s legislative sponsors.

Owens Corning reports progress on shingle recycling initiatives

Owens Corning announced that it has made progress on two key shingle recycling workstreams important for reaching its goal of recycling two million tons of shingles per year in the U.S. by 2030.

This Irish startup is throwing concrete dust on farms to fight climate change

Climate tech startup Silicate is set to undertake the first trial of its enhanced weathering technology, which aims to remove CO₂ permanently from the atmosphere by trapping it in concrete dust.

Tecglass expands commercial and logistical services in North America

Spanish machining manufacturer Tecglass plans to establish a new business unit in the U.S. to expand its commercial and logistical services. Officials say the company will base itself in Advanced Glass Technologies’ existing facilities in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

MARKET TRENDS

New packaging proposals could standardize glass bottle designs

Glass bottle manufacturers warn that new packaging proposals by the European Parliament’s Environment Committee could make glass bottles start to look the same. Creative designs and iconic shapes will gradually disappear, and commercial value will be squandered because brands can no longer stand out from each other on the shelves.

Namibia’s battery metal ambitions rest on infrastructure

Namibia’s ambitions to become a manufacturing hub for battery metals will require huge investments in infrastructure to support processing facilities. In 2022, Namibia became the first African country to sign a deal with the European Union to supply the bloc with green hydrogen and minerals for clean energy tech.

NEW PRODUCTS

New database shines spotlight on decades of solar mirror research

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is preparing to unveil the publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database, which will contain information from thousands of solar mirror samples from more than a hundred suppliers that have been subjected to outdoor tests and laboratory environments.

CarbonScape’s renewable ‘biographite’ anode material ready to scale

In September 2023, Finnish-Swedish forestry giant Stora Enso, leading battery producer Amperex Technology Ltd, and other parties invested $18 million in New Zealand-based startup CarbonScape to commercialize “biographite” for use in battery anodes.

Lithoz to premiere CeraFab Multi 2M30 LCM 3D printer at Formnext 2023

Lithoz is set to highlight its latest cutting-edge innovations in multimaterial 3D printing during Formnext 2023. The company will premiere the CeraFab Multi 2M30 LCM 3D printer alongside a wide variety of multimaterial 3D-printed parts.

HWI introduces expanded refractory solutions portfolio at Aluminum USA 2023

At Booth No. 426 during the Aluminum USA 2023 Conference in November, HWI, a member of Calderys, will introduce a broadened portfolio with more product options, services, and technology enhancements for aluminum manufacturers.