Ceramic and glass business news of the week for December 28, 2020

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

RusAT opens AM facility for made-in-Russia AM solutions

Rosatom-Additive Technologies opened its first additive technologies center at the site of the Moscow Polymetal Plant. The center will be used to develop made-in-Russia manufacturing technologies and will also serve as an additive manufacturing flagship for Russian industry.

HeidelbergCement receives approval for carbon capture facility

HeidelbergCement’s Norcem plant in Brevik, Norway, had its investment approved by the Norwegian parliament for a full-scale carbon capture facility. The carbon capture and storage project looks to capture 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, including permanent storage— marking it the “first industrial-scale CCS project at a cement production plant in the world.”

Ground glass performance pozzolan enters commercial production

Urban Mining CT is approaching large-scale processing of Pozzotive, a concrete-grade pozzolan derived from glass raw feeds. A charter facility in Beacon Falls, Conn., is equipped for an annual output of 50,000 tons.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

RareX to acquire strategic stake in Canada Rare Earth Corporation

RareX is expanding its exposure to the rare earths sector with its purchase of a significant stake in Canada Rare Earth. RareX said the deal will provide it with future development options for its Cummins Range rare earths project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Duininck Concrete acquires Jay Morrell Enterprises

Duininck Concrete acquired Jay Morrell Enterprises assets and operations in Alexandria, Morris, Wadena, New London, and Hutchinson. The acquisition took effect December 22 and expands Duininck Concrete’s market footprint. Both companies are multigenerational, family-owned businesses.

MPE Partners announces the sale of Glass Technology Concepts, LLC

MPE Partners, a preferred partner for entrepreneur- and family-owned companies, announced the sale of Glass Technology Concepts, LLC to American Bath Group, LLC. Glass Technology Concepts is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of premium shower products including frameless glass shower doors, shower enclosures, tub doors, and acrylic shower bases. 

China to open giant telescope to international scientists

China announced it will allow access by international scientists to its massive radio telescope, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), in southwestern Guizhou province. It is now the largest and only instrument of its kind in the world following the recent collapse of the telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

New consortium of researchers to accelerate battery development

A group of 34 researchers from 15 countries came together to accelerate research into battery development. The collaboration, called the Battery Interface Genome Materials Acceleration Platform (BIG-MAP), will bring together knowledge and expertise in battery electrochemistry, artificial intelligence, and robotic platforms.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Accelerating innovation through collaborative discovery and design

An upcoming C&EN webinar on Jan. 21, 2021, at 1 p.m. Eastern will introduce a web-based, collaborative enterprise informatics platform and demonstrate how it can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of materials discovery and design.

Plibrico makes two additions to its team as it sharpens focus on service excellence

The Plibrico Company announced the appointment of two new additions to its team. Eric Downing joined Plibrico as branch manager of the company’s Florida and Georgia locations. Scott Forster joined Plibrico as project manager, responsible for estimating, engineering, and managing projects in the company’s location in Buffalo, New York.

Apple targets car production by 2024 and eyes ‘next level’ battery technology

Apple Inc is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

MARKET TRENDS

US uranium miners ready to support nuclear power, says AAPG

Over the past 40 years, uranium typically has been imported to the United States from Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Niger, and Namibia, among other countries. However, according to the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the U.S. uranium mining industry is ready to expand into new areas.

NEW PRODUCTS

Cemex net-zero carbon dioxide concrete offering goes global

The first-ever net-zero carbon dioxide concrete from Cemex S.A.B. de C.V. will soon be available in the producer’s major markets worldwide after a successful launch in Europe. A series ranging from low carbon to net-zero CO₂ mixes, Vertua is based on a geopolymer binder solution from the Cemex Research and Development Center in Switzerland.

Xiaomi Mi 11 premium smartphone to come with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection

Xiaomi is all set to launch its Mi 11 premium smartphone series on December 28 in China. A news report says the device will come with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection, and the smartphone-maker confirmed that in a Weibo post.

xube, the first commercial volumetric 3D printer

Xolo, a startup based in Berlin, Germany, developed and presented xube, a new system that could be defined as the first commercially available volumetric 3D printer. The device is available to reserve for purchase.