Ceramic and glass business news of the week for March 18, 2024

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Visy chooses Redwave technology for glass recycling plant

Redwave supplied sorting technology to Visy’s glass recycling facility in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Designed to process 200,000 tonnes of recycled glass per year, the facility will double Visy’s glass recycling capability in the Australian state of Victoria.

Ambitious new recycling facility in Tennessee could reduce cost of solar

TerrePower, a division of automotive aftermarket company BBB Industries, set up a 20,000-square-foot facility in Tennessee to refurbish and recycle solar panels and electric vehicle batteries.

Melbourne’s Synchrotron nuclear research facility shines brighter with clean energy

The Australian Synchrotron, a crown jewel of Australian scientific infrastructure, is making major strides toward sustainable energy independence. The nuclear research facility completed the installation of 3,200 solar panels, which now blankets the facility’s rooftops.

Historic glassworks shuts down production line for the final time

Watson Street Works, a 200-year-old Merseyside glassworks where Pilkington UK pioneered the modern float glass process, stopped production for the final time as part of a major investment project. Pilkington UK announced in April 2023 its plans to move production at Watson Street Works to its neighboring Greengate site in the town.

DOE unveils $2.26b conditional loan for Lithium Americas to develop Thacker Pass project

The U.S. Department of Energy unveiled a $2.26 billion conditional loan for Lithium Americas Corp. to develop its Thacker Pass project. The plant, once fully operational, is expected to produce 40,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually.The project is also being buoyed by an equity investment from General Motors.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

EDP and Rondo Energy partner to decarbonize industrial heat production

EDP, a global energy company, established a partnership with Rondo Energy, a provider of zero-carbon industrial heat and power, to offer EDP’s commercial and industrial customers a large-scale and affordable supply of clean industrial heat powered by wind and sun.

USA Rare Earth enters supply agreement with ReElement Technologies for rare earths

USA Rare Earth, LLC, a vertically integrated magnet technology company, signed a supply agreement with ReElement Technologies Corporation. Through this agreement, ReElement will supply high-purity rare earth oxides to USA Rare Earth for use at the company’s metal and magnet manufacturing facility in Stillwater, Okla.

ReElement Technologies joins forces with EDP Renewables on rare earth magnet recycling

ReElement Technologies Corporation partnered with EDP Renewables North America to develop efficient and sustainable recycling of neodymium-based permanent magnets from decommissioned wind turbines into magnet-grade rare earth elements.

Solvay and Carester partner on rare earth permanent magnets value chain

Solvay and Carester partnered to pursue manufacturing opportunities within the rare earth industry for the permanent magnets value chain in Europe. Solvay will contribute its industrial assets and operational experience, and Carester will bring expertise in recycling end-of-life equipment, upstream market knowledge, and related activities.

Australia and Vietnam upgrade relations to talk on critical minerals

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the country is elevating its ties with Vietnam to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, initiating annual dialogues on minerals to diversify supply chains away from China.

Torxx signs glass processing agreement

Equipment maker Torxx Kinetic Inc. signed a partnership agreement with the Opta Glass and Opta Waterdown Inc. divisions of metallurgical and construction materials producer Opta Group LLC. Via the arrangement, Torxx will help prepare recyclable glass as a concrete ingredient.

OTHER STORIES

Lucideon training courses back for 2024

Lucideon’s ceramics training courses are returning in 2024. They will be hosted on a new e-learning platform.

Şişecam appoints chief production officer

Şişecam appointed Beytullah Şahin as its chief production officer to execute its ambitious production strategy and plans. A cornerstone of Şişecam’s production agenda is the empowerment of a technology-centric framework, marked by efficiency-driven initiatives such as waste heat conversion and the implementation of digital twin technologies.

MARKET TRENDS

The rising presence of women in engineering

The number of female engineers around the world is on the rise. It is still much lower compared to male engineers, however, which indicates more work needs to be done.

Australia’s potential boon amid iron ore collapse

As it becomes increasingly clear that the global geopolitical status quo of some of the world’s largest companies is on the decline, the United States and other western nations have looked to Australia to secure supplies of minerals critical to the supply chains of everything from mobile phones to missiles.

NEW PRODUCTS

Book alert: Ceramic Materials—Present and Future

A newly published and freely downloadable book provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the ceramics industry, including established and emerging processes and techniques for creating ceramic materials and devices.

AMT: ROBiN AI-powered flexible material handling solution for warehousing

Applied Manufacturing Technologies announced the launch of ROBiN, a robotic artificial intelligence system designed to improve the process of removing and organizing layers of products on pallets for integration into automated storage and retrieval systems.

Cemex introduces i-Con smart technology to enable more efficient concrete construction

Cemex introduced i-Con, a new data-driven digital solution designed to help contractors deliver more efficient concrete construction during the critical curing process. i-Con provides real-time insights using Bluetooth and maturity tracking to make faster and more accurate decisions about when to remove formwork, apply loads, or pour concrete.

247Solar advances its next-generation solar thermal technology toward commercialization

247Solar announced major milestones in the commercialization of its next-generation solar thermal electric generating technology, which can be used by commercial/industrial as well as grid-scale customers. Unlike previous pressurized concentrated solar power technologies, 247Solar’s turbines run on air at normal atmospheric pressure.