Ceramic and glass business news of the week for May 6, 2024

PLANTS, CENTERS, AND FACILITIES

Arglass breaks ground for second glass manufacturing furnace plant

U.S. container glass manufacturer Arglass broke ground in Valdosta, Ga., for its second furnace facility. Projected to be completed in Q2 2025, the new facility is expected to be capable of producing more than 350 million sustainable glass containers a year.

New ClearVue US boss to boost smart glass supply

ClearVue Technologies appears hellbent on boosting its smart glass manufacturing capability after the company’s newly-appointed North American boss Charles Mowrey pinpointed a U.S. supply deficit as his major focus.

Uzbekistan looks to develop $500m rare earth metal projects

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced plans to develop rare earth projects worth a total of $500 million. Uzbekistan’s domestic mining industry reached almost $11 billion in 2023, with the bulk of profits coming from precious and nonferrous metals. But there is reported to be substantial untapped potential for critical minerals.

Ucore qualifies Wicheeda mixed rare earth carbonate for commercial-scale processing

In Q1-2024, Ucore received and tested a mixed rare earth carbonate sample from the Defense Metals Wicheeda Project at its Kingston, Ontario, RapidSX commercialization and demonstration facility. Testing confirmed the project contains materials that are suitable for commercial-scale processing.

ACQUISITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

Ardagh to acquire Swedish glass recycler SGA

Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe agreed to buy Swedish glass recycler Svensk Glasåtervinning (SGÅ). SGÅ has collected and recycled glass packaging throughout Sweden for more than 30 years and delivers the country’s 90% glass recycling rate.

Sibelco enters North American glass recycling industry by acquiring Strategic Materials

Sibelco, a European leader in glass recycling, announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Strategic Materials, Inc., a leading glass recycler and producer of glass cullet in North America. The move follows the recent reorganization of Strategic Materials through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

SINTX and Prodways finalize ceramic slurry supply and 3D printing agreement

SINTX Technologies, Inc., and Prodways Printers SAS entered into a deep technical partnership and ceramic slurry supply agreement. SINTX and its subsidiary Technology Assessment and Transfer, Inc. will supply ceramic-filled printable slurries to Prodways and will assist in process development and customer support.

LG Chem to supply switchable glass films to Webasto

South Korean chemical giant LG Chem Ltd. signed a contract with German auto parts supplier Webasto SE to supply the company with its switchable glass films, which will be used in producing the latter’s automobile sunroof systems.

OTHER STORIES

Webinar: Advanced characterization of hydrogen storage materials

Anton Paar Group AG is holding a webinar on the vacuum-volumetric technology and methods for measuring hydrogen adsorption for storage applications. The webinar takes place May 23, 2024, from 1–2 p.m. Eastern.

European Parliament votes in favor of Net-Zero Industry Act

The European Parliament approved the Net-Zero Industry Act, which now awaits formal adoption by the European Council to become law. The act is designed to help Europe manufacture at least 40% of its annual deployment needs of strategic technology products, including photovoltaic modules, batteries, and heat pumps.

NREL selected as part of $1.6m in federal funding to explore geologic hydrogen

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory was selected as one of 16 teams to research enhanced production of geologic hydrogen through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program. The project aims to stimulate hydrogen production from iron-rich mafic and ultramafic rocks via chemical, mechanical, and biological processes.

MARKET TRENDS

Where the wind blows for strong renewable energy investment

A study led by Italy’s Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change looked at the global distribution of wind droughts to understand how they impact the generation of wind energy. It found that northwestern Europe, which has made substantial investments in wind power, faces challenges due to high levels of seasonal and weather variability.

US wind power generation falls for the first time since 1990s

U.S. electricity generation from wind turbines decreased for the first time since the mid-1990s in 2023 despite 6.2 GW of wind capacity being installed in the past year, according to data provided by the Energy Information Administration.