rwf Newsletter Hot Topics 1/2022
NEWSLETTER 1/2022
Dear Readers and Friends of refractories WORLDFORUM
Some of you are picking-up messages from our member of the Scientific Editorial Board Prof. Dr Valeriy Martynenko (Director of Ukranian Research Institute of Refractories named after A. S. Berezhnoy). His information gives details about the problems caused by the war in part from a more private perspective, but as worse as the information we are getting frequently in our daily news (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/russian-aggression-against-ukraine-valeriy-martynenko). Valeriy can now only use the Linked-in channel and told us that plenty of colleagues from abroad are asking how to help the people. His advice is to give donations – maybe the best to use the channels provided by your country. Glory to Ukraine!!!
Messe Düsseldorf and VDMA: decarbXpo to Become Leading Trade Fair for Power-to-X Applications
The Expo for Decarbonized Industries > ENERGY STORAGE (decarbXpo) is evolving to become the leading trade fair for Power-to-X technologies and products. To achieve this goal, the VDMA (German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) Power-to-X for Applications work group and Messe Düsseldorf have now signed an agreement. The coming event will take place at the trade fair centre in Dusseldorf/DE from 20–22 September 2022, in parallel to glasstec, the world’s leading trade fair for the glass industry.
COFERMIN Group: Are Mineral Markets in a Transition?
COFERMIN Group markets specialty minerals, chemicals and additives and supplies to industry segments like refractories, steel/metallurgy, ceramics in general, mineral and scrap processing, construction chemicals and many other industries in Europe, Asia, Russia and the Americas. The organisation underwent a major management restructuring in 2020/2021 as the founding partners – Bernhard Krüger, Dr Pawel Golak, Ralf Ossen and Tim Geldmacher – withdrew from the day-to-day management and moved onto the newly founded Supervisory Board of the Group.
Theodor Haase Award 2021 for Serhii Yaroshevskyi
For his master thesis Development of Steel, Ceramic and Refractory Composite Filamwents, M. Sc. Serhii Yaroshevskyi (TU Bergakademie Freiberg/DE) received in December 2021 the Theodor Haase Award.
HWI Invests in Converting Closed Fairfield, Alabama Plant into Advanced Refractories Manufacturing Hub
HarbisonWalker International (HWI/US), the largest supplier of refractory products and services in North America, announced in January 2022 that it intends to invest approximately USD 25 million to convert its closed property in Fairfield, Alabama, into Alabama One (AL1) – a manufacturing, service, and distribution hub for steel customers in the southern of USA. Construction will begin during the first quarter of 2022, and the facility is expected to open before the end of 2022.
IMFORMED: Refractory Forum
IMFORMED/GB is delighted to announce that they have teamed up with ANFRE – the Spanish National Association of Manufacturers and Materials to bring you the XI European Congress of Refractory Raw Materials and Machinery.
Snam and Tenova Initiate a Collaboration to Decarbonize the Metals Industry
An agreement to foster the decarbonization of the metals sector in Italy and abroad: Snam/IT, Europe’s largest energy infrastructure operator, and Tenova/IT, leading developer and provider of sustainable solutions for the green transition of the metals industry, committed to conducting joint strategic studies and market analysis to implement specific infrastructure and metals production systems by using green hydrogen.
FIRE-ECerS Summer School: Eco-Design of Refractories
The organizers invite to take part to the 2022 FIRE-ECerS Summer School: Eco- Design of Refractories which will be held at the RWTH Aachen University, Germany from 28–29 June. A visit of Tata Steel plant in Ijmuiden, The Netherlands, is planned on 30 June.
Registration for Exhibitors for the Fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST in 2023 Started
The countdown is on – companies from all over the world can register for the four trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST. The leading international trade fairs with congress and high-calibre programme of side events for foundry technology, castings, metallurgy and thermo process technology will be held in Dusseldorf/DE from 12–16 June 2023.
German Refractory Industry to Exhibit at the UNITECR International Conference
The German refractory industry is confident that 2022 will be a good year. Despite all the protective measures against the pandemic, there has been no slump in business. In fact, the member companies have experienced high demand for refractory products. “This positive development and the stable outlook in the customer industries are good reasons to look ahead with confidence,” explained Thomas Kaczmarek, Managing Director of the German Refractories Association.
Elkem Takes 100% Ownership of Salten Energy Recovery Plant
On 15 November 2021, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre opened the new energy recovery plant at Elkem Salten in the northern part of Norway. The energy recovery plant is closely integrated with the silicon production process at Elkem Salten, utilizing the excess heat from the silicon furnaces to produce electrical power. The plant recovers 28 % of the electrical energy used at Elkem Salten, equal to the power consumption of about 15 000 Norwegian households.
glasstec Update International Conference: “Carbon Neutrality with Glass”
In the International Year of Glass, the glass industry will celebrate a long-awaited reunion in Dusseldorf, Germany, from 20–23 September 2022. The sector had to wait four years to once again experience the wide range of exhibitors on the topics of glass production/manufacturing technology, glass processing and finishing, for numerous glass products and applications as well as a unique and extensive supporting programme from industry and science. On the basis of in-depth conversations with experts from all stages of the value chain, five global trend themes were identified. They are considered essential for the future development of the glass industry as well as for our society as a whole. These are:
Climate (emission reduction and renewable energies)
Urbanisation (future-proof architecture with glass)
Value (sustainable value chain)
Resources (efficient and sustainable use of resources)
Wellbeing (improved quality of life through glass).
Deadlines: ICR International Colloquium on Refractories in Aachen 2022
The ICR is planned as a presence event in Aachen/DE from 28–29 September 2022. It is an international meeting place for all manufacturers, customers, users and suppliers in the refractory industry to exchange commercial interests as well as to deepen scientific content.
Trimet: Sophisticated Alloys with a High Level of Recycled Material
Next to energy-efficient drive systems, lightweight construction materials are a key technology in the transport sector when it comes to reducing the environmental impact through increased resource efficiency. Various aspects of sustainability in mobility and the minimizing of CO2 emissions during the entire product life cycle are of particular interest in the automotive industry. An increasing focus in this respect is the outlay during production of components where up to 95 % of emissions can be saved through the use of recycled aluminium when compared to primary material use. Consequently, the demand in the industry for aluminium alloys with a high level of recycled material has increased sharply. High-strength wrought and cast secondary aluminium alloys can make an important contribution to climate targets. Trimet Aluminium SE/DE is involved in a number of research projects endeavoring to make materials of this kind with a positive life cycle assessment available.
Prof. Reinhard Conradt – New ICG President
The Council of the International Commission on Glass (ICG) has elected Reinhard Conradt – former Professor and Chair of Glass and Ceramic Composites of RWTH Aachen University/DE – as new president of the ICG for the period 2021-2024 during its hybrid meeting on 2 December in Frankfurt/DE.
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