Ceramic and glass business news of the week for June 3, 2024

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Himed and Lithoz announce launch of revolutionary Bioceramics Center of Excellence

Himed, a U.S.-based manufacturer of bioceramic materials, and Lithoz, global market leader in ceramic 3D-printing technology, announced the joint launch of a new Bioceramics Center of Excellence at Himed’s New York headquarters. The Center will offer a holistic approach to R&D with bioceramics for medical device manufacturers.

Toyo Glass introduces oxygen combustion system in a large glass-melting furnace

Toyo Glass Co., Ltd., a consolidated subsidiary of Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, plans to change the combustion method of one of its Chiba Plant glass-melting furnaces from air combustion to oxygen combustion during a major renovation in December 2025. Such a system for a large glass-melting furnace will be the first of its kind in Japan.

EDF and Enbridge inaugurate 150-MW Fox Squirrel Solar Phase 1 in Ohio

EDF Renewables North America, a subsidiary of French utility EDF, and its partner Enbridge commenced operations at the 150-MW Fox Squirrel Solar Phase 1 in Madison County, Ohio.  Upon completion of its three planned phases by the end of 2024, the Fox Squirrel Solar project will reach 577 MW capacity.

The South Pole is powered by diesel—this energy system could cut its use by 95%

A new study claims that a hybrid renewable system based on solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries can bring down diesel consumption at the South Pole by 95%. The study suggests that once the system is operational, it can reduce annual carbon emissions by 1,210 metric tons, which is equal to the carbon footprint of 157 U.S. households.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

SINTX signs agreement to enter Korean technical ceramics sector

SINTX Technologies, Inc. entered into a five-year strategic agreement with Myosung Co., Ltd. Under the strategic agreement, Myosung will represent SINTX’s interests within Korea in terms of identifying and cultivating prospective clients with interest in technical ceramic products and services.

New partnership to explore utility-scale BESS technologies for microgrids

Energy Plug Technologies, Malahat Battery Technologies, and Enwind Power will collaborate on research, development, and product localization strategies for utility-scale battery energy storage systems for microgrids.

West Coast universities launch Pacific offshore wind collaborative

The Pacific Offshore Wind Consortium, which is made up of three university research centers in Oregon and California, aims to undertake research and to help inform the public about the benefits and potential impacts of the offshore wind industry.

Ursinus College and UCF co-lead research on infrared glass recycling

The American Center for Optics Manufacturing awarded Ursinus College and the University of Central Florida $1.2 million to support research on the recycling and recovery process of infrared glass.

Ionic Rare Earths and LCM deepen collaboration on Western supply chains

Australian mining company Ionic Rare Earths and British firm Less Common Metals signed a memorandum of understanding to expand Western supply chains of rare earth magnets. The MoU builds on the September 2023 agreement between Ionics, LCM, and the motor company Ford to form a U.K. supply chain for recycled rare earths to magnets.

NERSC collaborates to advance fusion energy research with new ‘superfacility’ model

Researchers at DIII-D National Fusion Facility, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, and Energy Sciences Network aim to make important data from fusion experiments more useful and available to the global fusion research community.

OTHER STORIES

National Grid unveils £60bn investment strategy

British multinational electricity and gas utility company National Grid unveiled a £60 billion (US$76.3 billion) investment plan set to transform its networks up to 2028. The move will yield an annual asset growth of around 10%, propelling the group’s assets toward £100 billion by 2029.

VTT to increase Finland’s expertise in developing clean energy solutions

To reduce its dependency on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to clean energy, the European Union launched the REPowerEU plan. As part of the implementation of the REPowerEU plan in Finland, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd launched three strategic research openings and a postdoc program.

Lehigh University secures $2.5m DOE grant to extract rare earth elements from waste

Researchers within Lehigh University’s Energy Research Center received a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Energy to identify rare earth elements and elements of interest in wastewater and solid waste streams and to develop the technology that could extract those elements.

DOE announces opportunity to award $2.1m in national lab assistance vouchers

A new opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions and the Technology Commercialization Fund is making $100,000 technical assistance vouchers available to startups and innovators to help them develop technologies alongside researchers at DOE national laboratories.

Biden administration expands tax credits beyond wind and solar

The Biden administration proposed expanding tax credits that have for years boosted U.S. solar and wind energy projects to cover a wider range of clean energy technologies, including nuclear fission and fusion. The credits will be available in 2025 as the previously available wind and solar production and investment tax credits sunset.

DOE and NSF announce new clean hydrogen internship program

The U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation announced an internship program called Hydrogen INTERN that will support up to 10 six-month research internships per year for graduate students interested in professional development and training for careers in the emerging clean hydrogen economy.

MARKET TRENDS

Revolutionizing energy grid maintenance: How AI is transforming the future

Argonne National Laboratory researchers are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transform energy grid asset maintenance, helping U.S. power companies identify and address problems before they even occur.

Solar hits above its weight in powering US energy transition

Solar’s overall share of U.S. power output may currently be small, but it is growing fast, with output expanding by 155% between 2018 and 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

California community solar rules deal new blow to industry

California regulators dealt the struggling solar industry a fresh blow, adopting rules that renewable advocates warn will discourage smaller projects. The rules come more than a year after the state most responsible for making solar power mainstream slashed incentives for residential systems, prompting rooftop installations to plunge.

Rare earth mining taking heavy toll in Myanmar’s Kachin

In a recent report, international nongovernmental organization Global Witness revealed an alarming expansion of heavy rare earth mining in Myanmar. It said the world’s dependence on heavy rare earths from the northernmost state of Kachin has rapidly increased and is having devastating impacts on communities and the environment.

NEW PRODUCTS

Physical chemistry textbook now free to download as a ‘gift’ to the community

As part of a special collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry, retired chemist Peter Atkins made the digital version of his book “Concepts in Physical Chemistry” free to download. He gave the e-book away as a “gift and a thanks to the community” who has given his other books a “loyal following” over the years. Download the PDFs here.

Xenia presents carbon fiber-reinforced PVDF compounds functionalized for 3D printing

Italy-based Xenia Materials (Mussolente, Italy) launched a range of carbon fiber-reinforced PVDF-based compounds for 3D printing pellet-fed applications. Use of carbon fiber in 3D printing helps prevent warping during the printing phase, maintains a smooth surface finish, and ensures dimensional stability and low thermal expansion.