MMTA

Cobalt Metal classification Dear All, The 14th ATP to the CLP Regulation has now been published in the EU Official Journal, including the      harmonised classification for cobalt metal. This         publication…

Minor Metals in Focus: Tantalum   In our monthly column for the MMTA, we put the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market conditions and…

The mining industry has a problem, bemoaned Codelco chairman Oscar Landerretche…

  Mwangala Mwangala of class 7B, 11 years old, in clean school uniform, steps forward in front of all his teachers, clears his throat, and stands in front of the…

“Three Musketeers” in the New Material Age – Indium, Germanium and Gallium With the rapid development of electronics and new materials, the core materials – Indium, Germanium, and Gallium play…

2018年4月11日至13日，由MMTA主办，Metal Events承办的2018年MMTA国际小金属贸易协会年度峰会在加拿大蒙特利尔成功举办。本次峰会的主题是“全球小金属的市场发展以及小金属行业的前景” 。来自欧洲，北美，南美及亚洲等300余位嘉宾参会。

中国钼产量下降，消费增长，进口压力加大 截至2019年底，中国钼资源基础储量占全球总量的48%，居全球第一。中国钼资源主要分布在内蒙古、吉林、河南、黑龙江、陕西等五省区。中国钼资源约占据全球一半，但自2019年下半开始，中国钼产品进口却呈现出持续增长态势，2020年中国钼产品进口总量估计接近5.5万吨钼金属量，同比超过300%。与此同时中国产量占世界比例也在悄然下降

2020年，全球疫情流行，多国钽精矿生产受到影响，但刚果（金）、卢旺达等主要非洲钽矿产区受疫情影响较小仍保持强劲动力。由于钽等矿产禁令的无限期豁免，刚果金产量大幅攀升。整体来看，2020年全球钽精矿产量超过2500吨。

Siemens 3D print turbine blades for the first time.

A U.S company has introduced its first 3D-printed titanium hip implant, the new Redapt revision acetabular fully porous cup with Conceloc technology. To support bone growth, the 3D manufacturing process…

After a childhood accident left him with metal screws in his arm, Michael Sealy was still experiencing pain from the screws many years later, long after the injury itself had…

The MMTA’s Anniversary Dinner took place on the 9th October at One Great George Street, the historic and resplendent home of the Institute of Civil Engineers. We were delighted to…

Dear Reader It may not be easy to imagine living in a town where almost every person of working age has lost their job – but this is how it…

MMTA alumnus, Tiesheng Wang (王铁胜), has found a simple way to fabricate a family of regular 3-D carbon-based materials by soaking solutions of metal salts with supramolecular sponges then baking…

The future of the United Kingdom in the EU will be put to the vote in a referendum on the 23rd June. With the campaigns on both sides of the debate becoming increasingly hostile….

Red mud field at the French alumina producer Alteo, in Gardanne, France. Due to the growing level of environmental awareness in the last few decades, legislation about industrial waste disposal…

A superior, low-cost catalyst for water-splitting by Indian Institute of Science In a significant step toward large-scale hydrogen production, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a low-cost…

The sword is a weapon full of imagery – of great armies and knights – but it also parallels the metallurgical developments that made its use possible. Its invention, the…

Drones are everywhere, from tiny stocking fillers to military grade weapons, these unmanned aircraft have changed everything from photography to warfare. They are typically made of light composite materials to…

Our MMTA Charity, Friends of Mufulira (FOM), arises out of The Minor Metals Trade Association’s wish to publicly recognize the communities in developing countries upon which we all depend for…

Aviation design and material selection had been relatively stagnant since the 1930s. With the advent of the Boeing 247 in 1933 – followed shortly after by the Douglas DC-3 –…

The history of gallium nitride tells of a low-efficiency, impure, problematic compound. A relatively modern material, gallium was discovered in 1875 and instantly slotted into a gap in Mendeleev’s periodic…

London-based metals trading firm Amalgamet Ltd, part of Amalgamated Metal Corporation PLC (AMC Group), announces that it is expanding its commodity trade finance business in order to facilitate the growth…

A rather neglected element on the Association’s Periodic Table, calcium is in fact classed as a minor metal. Say ‘calcium’ and a metallic substance does not immediately spring to mind,…

An Introduction to Indium Metal By: Shreyas Kashyap, Indium Applications Specialist Introductory chemistry classes don’t really give indium the recognition it deserves. Yes, we learn about it being a minor…

Click here to view Antaike’s China Metals Market Weekly Update (002)

2017 Antimony Day: Because we are stronger together…

Argus Media:Rare Earth Market Update Argus Media is the leading price reporting agency in the rare earth market. We price seven heavy and five light rare earth materials, and our…

Base metals markets are key for economic growth and correlations with industrial products are significant. Copper continues to be the most efficient way to transfer electricity by diameter and nickel…

  Please send your CV to career@arrandene.mfg.com

Tips to help you leverage new technologies to future-proof your supply chain   What is “future proofing”?  How can it help your businesses to survive and thrive?    A definition…

Update regarding new arbitration rates

Bacterial protein could help find materials for your next smartphone December 19, 2018 by Gail Mccormick, Pennsylvania State University A newly discovered protein could help detect, target, and collect from the…

Commercially available since the 1970s, the lithium-ion battery is now the workhorse power source in many applications. It can be found in cell phones, laptops and electric vehicles. Yet, much…

By BeST | Published: November 18, 2014 Beryllium helps the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta mission soft-land its Philae probe on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12th , 2014 – the…

The human body often rejects foreign objects introduced. This mechanism is designed to protect the body from damage, but is very problematic for medical devices implanted to help a patient.…

BMW plans to turn new and used electric vehicle batteries into a system that can store energy for homes and businesses. The product—recently unveiled in Montreal, marks the company’s entry…

Dear Members We’re nearly half way through December and 2018 draws towards its end. Soon the holidays here in New York will be upon us and the likelihood of snow…

By Tom Butcher In addition to its base metal, oil and other natural resources, Brazil has considerable wealth in a variety of minor metals. Brazil has been having a very…

13 months on from the historic vote to leave the European Union, the plan for the Great British exit is somewhat unclear. The second round of negotiations began in mid-July…

Theresa May will travel to Florence to make a major speech on Brexit on Friday 22 September. She is expected to give European dignitaries her view on the state of…

The British public has spoken and the long and winding road to leaving the EU has started. Those at the helm have the challenge of steering the nation to a prosperous new future outside the confines of the EU while avoiding the many pitfalls. Whatever your personal feeling on the matter, the political, social and economic uncertainty that has been unleased makes for truly interesting times.

Against the backdrop of the recent speech by Theresa May outlining the UK government’s aspirations for Brexit, and President Trump’s tweeted warnings of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to…

It has been over 2 years since the British public voted to leave the EU, but the last weeks have seen activity ramping up significantly. With Brexit Secretary David Davis’s…

DG GROWTH’s recent by-product metal recovery conference in Brussels was host to widely diverse views on the technology and policy challenges of increasing the availability of a range of materials…

C P Broadbent (Wardell Armstrong), R Seltmann (Natural History Museum), J Drielsma (Euromines), W Reimer (Geokompetenzzentrum Freiberg), M Cox (MMTA) Because there is no exploration and little process technology development…

With the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016, climate change jumped to the forefront of the global agenda for governments and regulators. The global community recognized that drastic action…

Sticking to a 2°C global temperature rise (compared to pre-industrial levels) is not looking likely. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change has come into force, and the USA has announced…

Charging into the future—novel rock salt for use in rechargeable magnesium batteries Life today depends heavily on electricity. However, the unrelenting demand for electricity calls for increasingly greener and “portable”…

Devices that generate electricity through the thermoelectric effect – that is, the conversion of differences in temperature to an electric voltage – are showing up in everything from clothing to paint, and they…

A RUDN chemist has obtained a new compound—a dumbbell-shaped phosphate-bridged molybdenum cluster. The cluster accelerates the reaction of the formation of sulfides from oxides and can be used in pharmaceutical…

Chemists could make ‘smart glass’ smarter by manipulating it at the nanoscale 4th June 1019- by Anne Manning, Colorado State University “Smart glass,” an energy-efficiency product found in newer windows of…

China – Lithium and EV market overview Lithium, known as the “white oil” in the future, has been widely used in lithium batteries, grease, ceramics, glass and other fields. According…

China Focus on Battery Materials – Cobalt and Nickel by China Non-Ferrous Industry Association (CNIA) & Antaike  Overview of the China cobalt industry Cobalt is used in the fields of…

By China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association - Lithium Branch (CNIA-Li)  Since new energy industry was the key support orientation in the “Made in China 2025”National Strategy and during the 13th-Five-Year…

Mining.com recently reported that China is increasing its attempts to restrict illegal mining and export of rare earths. To do this, it is setting up a system to certify the…

China’s economy has continued to grow rapidly since the mid-1990s, and the demand and output of basic metals such as copper, aluminum, lead, and zinc have also been continuously and…

China’s tungsten and molybdenum market status in 2020 and outlook China’s Mo production falls, consumption grew and more stress on impOrt By the end of 2019, China’s molybdenum resource base…

Sales of new-energy passenger vehicles in China amounted to over 92,000 units in May, up 140% year-on-year and up 30% month-on-month, according to wholesale data from China Passenger Car  Association (CPCA)…

China’s Magnesium Sector Feels the COVID-19 Pain by Alan Clark, CM Group Pty Ltd 29 August 2020 China’s primary magnesium sector is heading for a significant production fall, the first…

China’s Rare Earth Market Status & Output Rare earth is an important strategic resource with irreplaceable excellent magnetic, optical and electrical properties, which plays a great role in improving product…

Panos Kotseras– Principal Analyst CRU August 2020 In this article CRU explains why the share of Chinese stainless   steel production is increasing rapidly this year. While market activity in the…

Clean Energy Runs on Magnets was last modified: December 6th, 2016 by MMTA

This past year, horse racing regulators worldwide, most recently in Australia, have turned their attention to an unexpected substance: cobalt. Every horse needs this important element to survive, but some…

COBALT: What about small scale miners? In global markets the price of cobalt, used in batteries for high-tech products from phones to cars , has nearly tripled to $81,500 a…

Commodity Risk Management in the World of Minor Metals: by Robert Fig Alongside Nickel, Minor Metals pose a real risk to those involved in the   Stainless, Speciality Steel, Electric   Vehicle…

By Ian Weekes, Crowe, Clarke, Whitehill EU announces agreement to curb the trade in Conflict Minerals The EU has announced that agreement has been reached in negotiations between the Commission,…

The COP 21 negotiations concluded in December in Paris with an un-paralleled global deal to tackle climate change. As well as clearly setting out a limit to the planet’s temperature…

The MMTA interviews Jeremy Wrathall of Cornish Lithium

罗斯基尔的杰西卡•罗伯茨发现，全球小金属市场看来将在2020年面临严峻挑战，但强制执行的供给侧约束和需求的急剧复苏可能会在2021年带来价格上涨的潜力。 截至本报告撰写时（2020年5月中旬），COVID-19冠状病毒的爆发已开始对全球小金属供应链及其终端用途市场产生重大影响。COVID-19冠状病毒于2019年12月在中国湖北省武汉市首次被曝出现，于2020年3月初被世界卫生组织（WHO）列为全球大流行。

By John Campbell, Emeritus Professor of Casting Technology, Department of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, UK When liquid metals are poured, this innocent action separates the liquid into splashes…

Recycling sustainability as it relates to Minor Metals witnessed great strides in the last century in the context of specialty steel and tool steel manufacturing.  What likely began as a…

The MMTA was interested to understand the approaches of leading underwriters in the credit insurance market…

‘The United States must not remain reliant on foreign competitors like Russia and China for the critical minerals needed to keep our economy strong and our country safe’ The signing…

On 22 September 2015 the CRM Alliance, of which the MMTA is an active member, came together in Brussels to participate in a luncheon event sponsored by CRM Alliance member,…

Click to read more….

CRM Alliance Round Up- Second panel The first speaker of the 2nd panel, Prof. Dr. Mikhail Zheludkevich, Head of Department, Institute of Materials Research Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG), addressed the innovate…

The Critical Raw Materials Alliance recently held its bi-annual meeting in Brussels. The Alliance met with the consultants TNO, who are tasked with completing the new CRM list for 2017.…

The Current Status of Critical Raw Materials in the European union On 27 September 2018, the second bi-annual CRM Day took place at the Club Des Guides, Brussels. The event,…

CRM Day—Sustainable Policy for Critical raw Materials   On 25 September 2019, the 11th edition of the CRM Day was held at the L42 Business Center, Brussels. The event, entitled…

This year’s 24th CRU Ryan’s Notes Ferroalloys conference will take place 21-23 October 2018 at The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, FL, USA. Widely considered the largest and most important ferroalloys networking…

第24届CRU Ryan’s Notes Ferroalloys Conference 将于2018年10月21日至23日在美国弗洛里达州奥兰多The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress举行。

Artisanal mining is key to the cobalt market balance Due to the lack of reliable information and complexity of the supply chain, artisanal mining is typically far more challenging to…

Molybdenum is consumed in a broad array of chemical and metallurgical applications spanning the energy, transport, construction, chemical, medical and electronics industries. A key end use for moly is the…

Superalloys and stainless steel: analysing a novel tradeflow in the scrap sector The aerospace sector has been one of the hardest-hit industries by COVID-19 this year. As flight activity struggles…

There’s a more cost-effective way to reopen Europe’s disused and flooded mines. Scientists demonstrate how with a novel robotic underwater ore extraction system. Europe has an estimated EUR 100 billion…

I admit that I sometimes choose topics for Crucible articles based on their ‘wow’ factor, but one topic that has cropped up repeatedly since I originally covered it is deep-sea…

Derek John BENHAM was born in Enfield on 20 November 1952. As a child he had an amateur radio license, and a large aerial at the bottom of the family…

Maria Cox discusses her recent visit to China, where she met members old and new.

In his book, The Last Sorcerers, Richard Morris charts the path from alchemy to the periodic table. He describes how scientists and philosophers have tried for well over two thousand…

Discovery in gallium nitride a key enabler of energy efficient electronics By Cornell University Gallium nitride, a semiconductor that revolutionized energy-efficient LED lighting, could also transform electronics and wireless communication,…

It is widely believed that a nation’s metal use plateaus when that country’s gross domestic product (GDP) reaches a threshold of $15,000 per person; with rising affluence, the theory goes,…

Don’t feel too Pious about your Prius! Copper might be the wonder metal for Plug-In Hybrid Electric   Vehicles (PHEVs)  but there are still copper smelters all over the world generating…

Could this be the most popular mine in the world? Who would be a miner? If your name happens to be Glencore, Anglo, BHP, Vedanta, Rio, you might be wondering…

European Commission launches its online Due Diligence Ready! programme to support small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) minerals and metals supply chain due diligence efforts On November 20th 2019 the European…

Whether as a component that powers up computers, mobile phones or other electronic devices, metal makes up a large part of tech products. The latest and greatest devices crafted with…

ECHA RELEASES COMPREHENSIVE BREXIT CHEMICALS INSTRUCTIONS 8 February 2019 / CLP Regulation, Data, Europe, Pic Regulation, REACH, Substance registration, UK ECHA has published detailed instructions for all companies placing chemical…

Efficient indium oxide catalysts designed for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol by Chinese Academy of Sciences Catalytic hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a green and sustainable means of synthesizing commodity chemicals…

As of the 25th of April, El Salvador has become the first nation in the world to ban metal mining…

Elective Report 2019   I undertook my elective placement in Mufulira, Zambia. Mufulira is a small town situated in the Northern part of Zambia with a population of 125,336(2007). It…

Elective Report – Olufemi Olatigbe My elective in Mufulira occurred during the month of July. I arrived along with my three fellow medical students at the Ndola airport, which is…

Four new elements have been added to the periodic table, finally completing the table’s seventh row. The elements, discovered by scientists in Japan, Russia and America, are the first to…

Could electric vehicles be one solution to energy storage? Maria Cox, MMTA What if the electricity grid were to use the batteries in the growing numbers of electric vehicles to…

Process that modifies semiconductor material atom by atom could enable higher-performance electronics Rob Matheson I MIT News Office December 7 2018 Researchers from MIT and the University of Colorado have…

An overview of the MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference 2017

In a recent case involving an exclusive jurisdiction clause found in warehouse receipts/certificates, the English court upheld the enforceability of that clause to restrain court proceedings that had been brought…

Researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany have developed an environmentally-friendly red light flare popular in fireworks displays and among Soldiers who…

December 11th marked the anniversary of China’s 15 years as a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It was expected, by China, that they would finally attain “market-economy status”…

Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) are increasingly being referred to in political policy. The MMTA and the IMA (International Magnesium Association) organised a seminar in September kindly hosted by the German…

Guidance on Customs issues related to the COVID-19 emergency – revision 4 On 19 June, the DG TAXUD published a revised version of the     Guidance on Customs issues related to…

By Maria Cox, MMTA It would be very easy to think that because the EU’s proposed conflict minerals regulation has been announced as voluntary, it won’t have much of an…

Exciting Field Sales Opportunity at Indium Corporation Indium Corporation has an immediate need for a Field Sales Representative. The Field Sales Representative will be responsible for serving as Indium Corporation’s…

Continuing with the mobile phone theme, and after the previous pages’ infographics on the raw materials found in mobile devices, it is pertinent to talk about the variety and complexity…

FAME is a transnational research and innovation project to identify economically viable, technology to exploit European ore deposits that are often relatively small in tonnage terms. Technologies will be optimised…

Fireworks are an integral part of celebrations around the world – Bonfire Night in the UK, a range of Independence Days, weddings and birthdays – but their original use was…

Used to produce three-dimensional objects of almost any type, across a range of industries, including healthcare, aviation and    engineering, 3-D printed materials have come of age during the last decade.…

Confused about how to export dual-use items as a UK company post Brexit?  Don’t worry – we were too!  So here’s a quick guide of the rules and what you…

What a way to spend 24 (ish!) hours. Roskill are pleased to  announce that following the 3 peaks challenge, they have exceeded the £3000 target for Friends of Mufulira You…

A brief introduction My name is Elizabeth and I’m a final year medical student at Liverpool University. This is an article written about my elective, which I carried out with…

The MMTA’s chosen charity, ‘Friends of Mufulira’, now has an account on AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a platform that allows you to support a charity of your choice at no extra…

From the Earth’s Core It is possible to imagine that when the Earth first began, it looked a lot like the geothermal region in the North Island of New Zealand.…

Antimony isn’t generally considered to be one of the more interesting minor metals.  While it has cropped up on several critical raw materials lists, owing to the high concentration of…

Gallium has been found to have rather interesting new use. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have created a reversible adhesive from the metal that displays glue-like properties. Potential applications…

In research that could lead to better gas mask filters, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have been putting the X-ray spotlight on composite…

The MMTA is delighted to announce that it has signed a cooperation agreement with German Geokompetenzzentrum (GKZ) in Frieberg. GKZ is a triple helix network of industry, research, and administration…

Adapted from an article in New Scientist, 29 August 2015 The meltwater beneath Greenland’s glaciers is an important source of the silicon that some plankton need to build their glassy…

Global tantalum market status in 2020 and price forecast in 2021   In 2020, the global COVID-19 epidemic affected the production of tantalum concentrate in many countries. However, the major…

China’s accession to the WTO (World Trade Organization) in 2001 saw them being recognised as a non-market economy in transition, meaning that unless Chinese firms could prove they were operating…

Graphene has been around now for some 12 years. For those in the minor metals industry, should it be seen as a friend or a foe – a substitute or complementary? This short piece will look at graphene: what it is and just some of what it does. And how it may be regarded by those involved in minor metals.

Molybdenum disulfide is an inorganic compound composed of molybdenum and sulfur. Its chemical formula is MoS2 The use of molybdenum disulfide dates back hundreds of years. (see box on page…

There was an extremely interesting report published in August from the IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development) based in Canada. Green Conflict Minerals: The fuels of conflict in the transition…

By Tamara Alliot In recent years, Mexico has steadily been climbing the ranks to become a global player in the Aerospace and Defence (A&D) industry.  Mexico has some unique attributes…

by Kate McAlpine, University of Michigan Two iterations of a metal lattice meet at a “grain boundary” defect, with atoms of an alloying element fitting into the defect. Credit: Liang Qi,…

Harvard University scientists claimed in the journal Science to have produced metallic hydrogen, a substance never before seen on earth…

Hazardous e-waste material exported from the affluent developed world continues to plague cities in developing countries. The city of Moradabad, home to 900,000 people, was once celebrated as the brass…

*See this month’s article “Gallium as a simple, reversible adhesive”

Heat is one of the worst enemies of electronics. It can disrupt functionality and cause electronic components to age more quickly, or even destroy them. Now Fraunhofer researchers have developed…

An overview and history

Ground-breaking research from the University of Surrey and Augmented Optics Ltd., in collaboration with the University of Bristol, has developed potentially transformational technology which could revolutionise the capabilities of appliances…

Members and associates of the MMTA were welcomed to the offices of Holman Fenwick Willan on 26th May for a breakfast seminar on Counterparty Insolvency, Warehouse Fraud and a short…

Holman Fenwick Willan Webinar in conjunction with the MMTA On the 13th of May the MMTA held its first webinar with MMTA legal member Holman Fenwick Willan. The webinar covered…

5月13日，MMTA与其法律成员Holman Fenwick Willan公司举行了首次网络研讨会。该网络研讨会涵盖了两个相关主题，分别是布莱恩·佩拉特介绍的“不可抗力是对你有利还是不利——从法律角度的小结”和克雷格·尼姆介绍的“小金属集装箱运输面临的挑战”。

Tensions are escalating between China and the US over trade. The Chinese government has announced retaliatory measures on a range of American products including cars and some American agriculture products after the…

In 2008 I travelled to Mufulira in Zambia for the first time. After 30 years of knowing the name it was good to be there. As MMTA members know, it…

Members of the MMTA will be aware of our Association’s link with the copperbelt town of Mufulira, the place where copper has been mined since the 1930s. It is a…

Many economists expect President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to increase what American companies and consumers pay for those metals and the goods made from them. Dozens of…

Materials comparison website lists properties of Marvel’s magical material Have you ever wondered just how strong Black Panther’s suit or Captain America’s shield is? The materials scientists at Matmatch have,…

How to hedge with commodities where no futures market exists We talked briefly in the May edition about how to manage risks in metals where they are not traded on…

There is an international effort being currently undertaken to redefine the kilogram. This measure is currently based on a solid cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy locked in a vault at the…

2017 had scarcely begun before London residents were informed that air pollution limits for the entire year had been breached in several areas. Just 5 days in to the New…

Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology have successfully tested a new material that can be used for cheap and large-scale production of hydrogen – another promising alternative to fossil…

Hypersonic travel that could propel people from London to Sydney in just two hours is one step closer to reality, following a successful test. The project, which saw US and Australian military scientists combine resources, is on track to launch in 2018….

High Growth Business of the Year Award ICD Europe Celebrate National Awards Win at Wembley 10 DECEMBER 2019 Sheffield-based global metals supplier, ICD Europe Ltd are celebrating this week after…

We are pleased to invite you and your colleagues to a two-day import/export training course on operational issues and procedures. We would ask you to forward this email to all…

A special type of small sulfur-rich protein, metallothioneins, have an extraordinary capability for binding heavy metals. An international team of scientists has now discovered that the marine common periwinkle, which…

The recently discovered 118 element in the Periodic Table has been named after Yuri Oganessian who leads the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research…

Surfaces that have been coated with rare earth oxides develop water-repelling properties only after contact with air

The Indian Government intends to install circa 100 gigawatts of solar power across the country by 2022, which is a 33-fold rise from today’s level. According to the UN’s Special…

Indium Phosphide Under RoHS      Review The MMTA recently coordinated industry input to the EU’s RoHS Consultation on indium phosphide (InP), which was included in the list of seven…

Biomimicry: an innovative approach to design, systems and structures that is inspired by nature. By focussing on time-tested biological structures, we can often – but, as you will see, not…

Intelligent Charity? A year in the life of Friends of Mufulira   Simon Jenkins, writing in The Guardian newspaper [‘Billionaires are not the ones to save the world’, 22.02.2020], cited the commonly held…

Interview from MMTA’s Chinese Member – Shaanxi Head-Moly Industry Co., Ltd.   Following the deep dive interview with Chinese member Zhuzhou Keneng New Materials Co., Ltd to share their learnings…

Interview into the Lessons Learnt from Covid-19 from MMTA’s Chinese Member – Zhuzhou Keneng New Material Co., Ltd.   Since the spread of Covid-19, the whole world has faced major…

Interview with MMTA’s Chinese Member – Guixi Grand Sanyuan Industry Group Co.,Ltd Guixi Grand Sanyuan Industry Group Co.,Ltd has recently joined the MMTA. In order to understand our new member,…

Wuhan Xinrong New Materials Co., Ltd has recently joined the MMTA. In order to understand our new member, here is an interview with Mr. CAI Bin, General Manager from Wuhan…

The MMTA was pleased to interview the CEO of Matmatch,  Melissa Albeck, to find out more about materials selection and how technology can help. Can you tell us a bit…

The world’s climate scientists have spoken: if we want to limit human-induced global warming to 1.5°C we probably can. But it will be tough, given where we’re starting from. That’s…

Tom Butcher, Consultant A Bit of Background Iran has lived with sanctions for many years now.  And still does. The first hefty set of sanctions was unilaterally imposed upon the…

A team of researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, led by Professor Milan Brandt, are using laser metal deposition technology to build and repair defence aircraft parts in a…

China has recently released its new trade policies. These policy changes will significantly impact foreign and multinational   companies doing business with China. In order to support our MMTA member companies…

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So, summer appears finally to have come here in New York. What better prelude could we have had than the excellent International Minor Metals Conference in Toronto at the end…

Dear Members After a really very pleasant summer here in New York, fall seems finally to have come. At least the trees on my street are shedding leaves. Or maybe…

Dear Members Rather than dwell on just how horrible the markets have been since I last wrote you, I thought I’d have a quick look back over 2014 and see…

Dear Members Snowzilla, snowmageddon, snowpocalypse… call it what you will, we had a fair smattering of the stuff recently (together with some strong cold winds). Indeed, just over the way…

Dear Members So, finally, Cruz has thrown in the towel.  Kasich too. Donald Trump is now the sole candidate in the race for the Republican nomination. Or is it even…

By Tom Butcher, Independent Consultant Dear Members Well, much has happened since I last wrote you back in May. Amongst other things, we’ve had: Brexit, Donald Trump prevailing, Cameron resigning,…

The latest update from Tom Butcher

Dear Members I seem always to start my letter with the weather here in New York. So, why break with a tradition? You’d hardly think it’s May it’s so chilly.…

Dear Members A very Happy New Year to MMTA members everywhere. As many of you may have read, here in New Year we are currently experiencing something called a “bombogenesis…

Dear Members Here’s wishing all members everywhere a very happy spring! We here in the U.S., and I believe, those of you in the UK seem to be some way…

Dear Members August draws to an end. And next weekend is Labor Day weekend – the “official” end of summer here vis-à-vis vacations, early Fridays, etc., etc. We saw it…

I cannot believe that we’re just heading into the second quarter of this year. As soon as we’d celebrated the first day of spring here in New York, it dropped…

Dear Members From feet of snow this time in January, I believe that today, Friday, we are going to have temperatures in the low 70s Fahrenheit. We may also have…

Dear Members Well, it’s the shortest day of the year soon; winter – supposedly. But it was already some 62°F at 05.45 this morning.  Another record? Let’s see how Paris…

Dear Members Much has happened since I wrote you on November 8th last year: The old year has passed and we are now getting stuck in to 2017; Mariah Carey’s…

Dear Members By the time you read this letter, we will have a new president here in the U.S. However, as I write it this bright, crisp, afternoon here in…

By Tom Butcher, Independent Consultant Dear Members I trust all of you have had excellent summers, whether away on holiday in parts far (near), or at home. We’ve had a…

Dear Members Ah, the joys of living in New York!  When I first came over here to live in the early ‘90s, you knew that winter was actually going to…

The latest update from Tom Butcher.

With some Observations on “Strategic” Mineral Resources in Russia

Letter from North America: Morocco   With an Observation on Rare Earths in Russia and Further Observations on Certain Mineral Resources in Morocco and Western Sahara Dear Members I trust…

Dear Members From being “quite pleasant” last month, the weather is now really quite unpleasant. For all those of you who may not know much about New York’s meteorological conditions…

Following the Crucible’s recent publication of responses to MMTA Members’ questions to the metals press, the following Letter to the Editor has been received. Sir, Please allow me to look…

Researchers at Duke University have developed tiny nanoparticles that help convert carbon dioxide into methane using only ultraviolet light as an energy source…

As the proud owner of my very own personalised Liquidmetal USB stick, made back in 2008, I was thrilled to hear this extraordinary material mentioned at the MMTA’s recent conference.…

The market for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries was 92GWh in 2016, a ten-fold increase from the 9GWh used a decade earlier…

Aluminium batteries have been in the news recently as a viable challenger to lithium-ion cells. Researchers from Stanford University have created a fast-charging, inexpensive, long-lasting and flexible aluminium battery. The…

Lithium: The challenges facing a European mine to battery supply chain Lithium is a common element with deposits geographically widespread throughout the Earth’s crust. However, the element does not occur…

My second candidate for Tea with the MMTA, Nick French, arrives – dare I say it – looking remarkably relaxed. It is not six months since this metal merchant with…

By James Walsh, MMTA Scientists have developed a new material that has the potential to lead to a new generation of computing devices, by packing in more power while at…

Macroeconomic uncertainty and trade war impact on minor metals such as Bismuth, is changing its commercial landscape and prompting rethink of business models Cristina Belda 06/08/2019   Bismuth has become…

Magnesium, magnesium, magnesium!

Anthony Lipmann talks to new MMTA Chairman, Simon Boon Close to the site of the two cooling towers over the Don Valley just outside Sheffield (that briefly had the honour…

Sustainability, a strategy employed to address risk and simultaneously create opportunity from that risk, is not a new concept. At a business level, it ensures that an entity can function…

Defence spending has been big news recently. President Trump announced that he wanted to increase US defence funding to record levels, and the UK announced in last year’s budget that…

The humble bicycle, popular since… well that’s quite a disputed date, but from the early 1800s, the ancestors of the modern-day bicycle were certainly in use. One prominent version was the Draisienne….

Imagine a world where every country has not only complied with the Paris climate agreement but has moved away from fossil fuels entirely. How would such a change affect global…

MEMBER BENEFIT- TOP MMTA PAGES VIEWS (click here to view info graphic)

Researchers at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed a new drug delivery technique using biodegradable liquid metal nanodroplets to target…

There’s a known rule-breaker among materials, and a new discovery by an international team of scientists adds more evidence to back up the metal’s nonconformist reputation. According to a new…

Metals on Mars By Amanda Doyle – Mar 15, 2018 New research has revealed that a giant impact on Mars more than four billion years ago would explain the unusual amount of…

Metalshub takes commodity trading into the digital age It’s not the first time that there has been attempt to ‘digitalise’ minor metals trading, but traditional practices have endured.   Now Metalshub…

Mining asteroids could unlock untold wealth – here’s how to get started May 2, 2018 12.25pm BST Several privately funded space companies are locked in a race to claim the trillions…

A short history of mining in Ireland

Mining waste for Value in the EU The European Union imports a significant amount of important metals as it does not have its own natural mineral resources. Researchers investigated the…

Minor metal in Focus – Magnesium In our monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market…

Minor Metals in Focus: Antimony In our monthly column for the MMTA, we shine the spotlight on a key minor metal, looking at current market conditions and themes for the…

Minor Metals in Focus: Manganese In our monthly column for the MMTA, we shine the spotlight on a key minor metal, looking at current market conditions and themes for the…

Crucible February 2020 issue   Minor Metals in Focus: Rhenium   In our monthly column for the MMTA, we shine the spotlight on a key minor metal, looking at current…

Minor Metals in Focus: Tantalum In our new monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market…

Minor Metals in Focus: Titanium   In our monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market…

Minor Metals in Focus: Tungsten In our monthly column for the MMTA, we shine the spotlight on a key minor metal, looking at current market conditions and themes for the…

From the A Bomb to Hinkley Point and Beyond — Minor Metals in Nuclear James Walsh, MMTA Nuclear power has certainly had its up and downs over the last 70…

By Dr K. Dessai, Independent Consultant in Metals, Mining and Energy Minor metals are used in the commonly-known applications of aerospace, automotive and energy generation, to name a few, and…

The world’s population is growing quickly; people are moving to urban centres, and raw material demand is expected to increase three-fold by 2050. Government and business need to face these…

“现金是上帝！”这句谚语流传至今。是的，这是事实。但是这看似永无止境的延期付款条款及其对现金的影响对MMTA会员来说意味着什么呢？东西方之间不断扩大的支付条款分歧如何影响小金属的回收和可持续性以及未来的发展方向？

第一天——4月10日星期三 4月10日星期三，苏格兰爱丁堡的天空还有些阴沉沉，不过却迎来了MMTA国际小金属贸易协会一年一度的王牌峰会。对于周一没有参加在格伦伊戈尔斯高尔夫球场由ICD赞助的高尔夫球赛，周二也未能参观克莱德代尔大学（Clydesdale Uiversity）的先进制造研究中心（AFRC）的代表们，会议以一个出席率良好的年度股东大会开始。

Following an animated networking reception, CPM’s Mu Li offered an outlook on planned policy shifts that are expected to affect commodity markets, and what these shifts could mean for both the global economy and for commodities.

This year’s MMTA International Minor Metals Conference was not only exceptionally well attended, with over 300 delegates, but the speaker programme was also outstanding. New MMTA Chairman Simon Boon of…

MMTA International Minor Metals Conference 2019 Round-up Day 1 – Wednesday, April 10 Somewhat overcast skies greeted us on the morning of  Wednesday, April 1 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the first…

The MMTA is delighted to announce that we have recently joined the Non-ferrous Alliance (NFA) as part of our goal to increase the MMTA’s interconnectivity with relevant industry associations and…

During my recent visit to China to participate in the CNIA Global  Minor Metals Forum (China), I was delighted to be invited to visit the Hunan Jinwang Bismuth Industrial Co…

News in brief for February 2017

Welcome to James Walsh... Goodbye to Tamara Alliot As many of you will know, Tamara will be on maternity leave from the end of July. I am very pleased to…

Baby Boom! There have  been several MMTA babies over the summer: congratulations to Tamara Alliot (MMTA), David Gussack (MMTA Board and  Exotech), Gregory Buchheit (MMTA Board and F.W. Hempel) and…

We would like to thank the press Members for their time and detailed replies to questions submitted by fellow MMTA Members. Responses were received (in alphabetical order) from Argus Media,…

The MMTA is pleased to welcome Australian Zirconia as a new member. Australian Zirconia Limited (AZL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Australian multi commodity mining company, Alkane Resources…

The MMTA is pleased to welcome Holman Fenwick Willan as a new Member. Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) is an international law firm with 450 lawyers across the world. We have…

BOMET Recycling Inc. is a non-ferrous scrap metal wholesale recycling company, with its main facility located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

ELG Utica Alloys Limited, part of the ELG Haniel Group, are global leaders in the sourcing, processing & supply of pure metals (Co, Hf, Mo, Ti, Ta, Nb, W, Zr)…

Euromet is a trading company for non-ferrous metals, bulk ferro-alloys, noble alloys and pig-iron.

We offer you a range of personal, business, corporate and investment banking services in the UK and Europe. We’re a wholly owned subsidiary of ICICI Bank Ltd, an award-winning global bank.

Founded in 1964, Ireland Alloys Limited specialises in buying, processing and selling complex alloys as well as providing services and solutions to all of your revert management and secure disposal problems.

PGS is a London Metal Exchange (LME) certified operator and provides a complete range of logistics services to the base metal Industry (Producers, Traders, Brokers, Banks). To ensure high quality standards,…

Our Mission: We made the decision many years ago to centralize our focus on Tungsten and the alloys that are part of its family. Our mission is to be the…

Marsh is a global leader in insurance broking and risk management. In more than 130 countries, our experts help clients to anticipate, quantify, and more fully understand the range of…

MFG is a competent supplier of raw materials to foundries, steel works, alloy producers, refractory producers and other industries. As a producer and trader, we offer a broad product portfolio…

The MMTA is pleased to welcome AVAS Trading as a New Member. AVAS’s main traded commodity is Tungsten, with forms ranging from Ores and Concentrates, through Ferro-Tungsten and Chemicals (APT/AMT/YTO/BTO)…

The Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center (T.I.C.) was established in 1973 to support, develop and promote the global tantalum and niobium industries. Today the T.I.C. has around 90 member companies from 25…

Special Metals is the world’s leading innovator and manufacturer of nickel-based superalloys. With over 100 years of history and experience in the nickel industry, we have the processes and knowhow…

Trader Tophet Corporation has been serving the specialty metals industry for over 20 years with a specific focus on vacuum melters. We are committed to sourcing and consistently delivering high…

十一月初，MMTA国际小金属贸易协会在香港举行了首届研讨会。此次活动吸引了近80名来自中国和世界其它地区的代表，大家围绕小金属行业目前所面临的问题展开了讨论。

Arviem为您提供有关您供应链和运输中货物安全的信息！Arviem在全球供应链中提供极其精确的货物定位和质量监控，不仅仅是卢旺达、玻利维亚或印度，而是全球任何地方。我们通过在多式联运集装箱和货物上安装自动定位和传感技术，来发现供应链盲点。

晶朋科技在中国和美国各拥有一家铪晶条制造厂，晶朋科技在美国和中国的铪晶条总产量约占世界年度产量的三分之一。作为全球铪晶条主要生产商之一，晶朋科技致力于成为全球用户最值得信赖的供应商和合作伙伴。

贵溪大三元实业（集团）股份有限公司始建于2000年11月（原名：贵溪市三元冶炼化工有限责任公司） 。贵溪大三元集团是集有色金属的生产、加工、贸易以及以“白蚁”为主要原料抗癌药品和保健品的开发、研制、生产、销售为一体的综合性中型企业集团。

中国和俄罗斯在他们拥有和缺乏哪些战略自然资源（包括天然气，石油，钴，镍，锂和其他金属）问题上的讨论一直十分谨慎

MMTA’s New York Dinner Every March the swallows return to the mission of San Juan Capistrano in California. Every June the salmon return upstream to the fresh Northwest waters of…

尊敬的各位会员， 我很高兴从2019年1月2日起担任国际小金属贸易协会总经理。特别是我感到非常幸运能够有机会同玛丽亚一起工作直到四月完成交接，我知道这将是一个巨大的挑战！

Elemental Metals 于2017年4月成立，是供给航空、医药、电子及珠宝市场的高纯度元素原料、合金、氧化物和特种化学品的供应商。

Arrow Metals AG的贸易、市场、运输和大型实物商品来源于世界级信誉良好的供应商——提供长期工业，满足全球5大洲的客户需求。

Donald McArthy Trading Pte Ltd (DMT) 于1997年在新加坡成立，是一家专门从事新钛产品和有色金属废料的贸易公司。

SJM Alloys & MetalsLtd （成立于1993年）是一家总部位于英国的超级合金、特种钢和难熔金属废料的交易商、加工商和回收商。公司经营初级金属，包括镍、铬、钼、钴、钨、铪、钽、铌和钛。

陕西华钼实业有限公司于2005年在西安市蓝田县工业园投资建设占地面积4万余平方米的大型现代化钼产品生产基地，是国内知名钼金属加工、深加工、销售全产业链企业。

MMTA新闻概述

每年三月，燕子归巢，每年六月，鲑鱼返乡。 每年1月，北美小金属行业的盛事都会回到MMTA在纽约举办的年度晚宴上，度过一个美食、社交与信息交融的愉快夜晚。

UK TRANSPARENCY IN SUPPLY CHAINS REQUIREMENTS COME INTO FORCE Why is this relevant for an MMTA Member or Associate? Do you have a global turnover of at least £36 million?…

By David Clayton, Medical Student Medical electives are an important and hugely exciting part of the medical curriculum – offering a chance to observe and get engaged in healthcare systems…

In the following piece, doctors Josh Hulman and Helen Wanstall talk about their time at Ronald Ross General Hospital, the main hospital in Mufulira, so named after the clinician who…

NASA Armstrong tests nickel-titanium shape-memory alloy for folding aircraft wings January 2018 Source: ASM International NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards AFB, Calif., announces a recent series of flight tests in…

NATO event with MMTA member Less Common Metals Members of a NATO Research Task Group and those who are    professionals in the rare earth industry gathered in Chester on Wednesday,…

Will the new EU Union Customs Code finally bring centralized clearance? The EU customs union is central to the EU dream of a common and efficient market. Ideally, whether your…

Stretchy plastic electrolytes could enable new lithium-ion  battery design by Josh Brown, Georgia Institute of Technology The growing popularity of lithium-ion batteries in recent years has put a strain on…

Indometal (London) Limited was founded in 1988 and is based in London, UK. The   company is a wholly owned subsidiary of PT TIMAH Tbk a State-owned Enterprise, one of the…

Orion Metal Trade Orion Metal Trade have built up a privileged reputation for processing and trading metals which are used across the globe. Vast experience in processing makes us the…

By James Walsh, MMTA The search for new hard materials is often challenging, but the vast application potential is a strong incentive to continue this pursuit. One recent success lies with…

NEW MMTA MEMBER Yunnan Chihong International Germanium Co., Ltd.  We have the largest primary germanium processing factory in the world, with an area of more than 200,000㎡. Our factory is…

Established in 2006, we are a leading producer of tantalum- and niobium-based metallurgical products in China, with a production volume more than the second and third players combined together. We…

NEW MMTA MEMBER Elemental Metals Elemental Metals was formed back in April 2017.  We are a competitive supplier of high purity elemental raw materials, alloys, oxides and specialty chemicals to…

Somika SARL (Societe Minere Du Katanga) was established in the year 2001 has progressively distinguished itself as a quality mining and mineral processing player, producing high grade Copper and Cobalt.…

New MMTA Member WELCOME Globe Metal Recycling is a leading metal recycler with 40+ years of experience processing and trading metals through our global network. Our business includes processing and recycling…

Plaxys Inc Previously known as Dabok Newer Metal in 2014, Plaxys Inc expanded its metal focus in 2018 to include Tantalum, Titanium, Zirconium, Molybdenum, Tungsten, and more. Our main area…

 SJM Alloys & Metals Ltd (est. 1993) is a UK based dealer, processor and recycler of super alloys, specialty steels and refractory metal scraps. We handle primary metals including Ni,…

New MMTA Member Arrowmetals & Trading AG Arrow Metals AG trade, market, transport and store physical commodities sourced from world class trusted and reputed suppliers –providing long-term supplies and satisfying…

Intel Corporation was founded in 1968 and is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world, with major facilities in the United States, Europe, and Asia. A Fortune 500 company headquartered…

NEW MMTA MEMBER Guangdong Zhiyuan New Material Co., Ltd   Established in 2006, we are a leading producer of tantalum- and niobium-based metallurgical products in China, with a production volume…

New MMTA Member Arviem AG Arviem provides you with the information you need on the security of your supply chain and your cargo in transit! Arviem supplies exceptionally accurate location…

Donald McArthy Trading Pte Ltd (DMT) was established in Singapore in 1997 as a trading company specializing in new titanium products and non-ferrous scrap. Today, it is involved in the…

Guixi Grand Sanyuan Industry Group Co., Ltd Guixi Grand Sanyuan Industry Group Co., Ltd was founded in November 2000 (formerly known as Guixi Sanyuan smelting and Chemical Co., Ltd.). It…

Shaanxi Head-Moly Industry Co., Ltd. was established in 2005 in Shaanxi Province, China, it is an integrated enterprise which combines molybdenum metal production, processing, sales and export. Our products include…

  Nantong JP New Material Technology Co., Ltd owns hafnium crystal bar production facilities in both the USA and China, whose hafnium crystal bar production volume accounts for about one…

By Yury Nurmeev, Kazan Federal University EPR spectra of the (001)-oriented single-crystal samples having the shape of a bar and a plate of STO:Fe3+ at T = 300 K (a)…

What lies ahead for the metal markets in 2016? Everything you need to get started... 2015 was a tough year for the global metals industry with the collapse in global…

Wood foam and metal sponge – can they be combined? That was the question that experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood  Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI delved into in a project…

The Wider Picture James Peer, MMTA Chairman, opened the MMTA’s recent International Minor Metals Conference in Amsterdam by thanking the event’s sponsors: Platinum Sponsor, C Steinweg Group, and Silver Sponsors:…

We have now updated our Members’ Directory to include all products our members trade, not just minor metals. You will see an ‘Other Metals Available’ list at the bottom of…

Dr. Ing. Martin Tauber, Industry Consultant, President Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Alliance, Member of International Magnesium  Association (IMA) EU Committee Contact martintauber3120@gmail.com Although magnesium still has a strong position in…

Within the space of a few short years, the face of the global niobium industry, particularly ferroniobium, has changed almost out of recognition. As recently as 2011, the Brazilian niobium…

An overview of the EU Commission’s recently published report.

2015 was a big year for the MMTA in North America, with 6 of the 11 new Members hailing from the region.  In addition to growing numbers, our programming also…

As global trade and politics alliances shift across continents, and technology marches ceaselessly on, the leaders of the North  American minor metals community gathered once more in New York to…

Can a seller terminate if a letter of credit is not opened on time? In a recent arbitration decision a tribunal rejected the general principle that the obligation on a buyer…

The MMTA team were sad to learn of the passing of long-standing MMTA Member,  Alex Stewart. OBITUARY- MR. K. ALEXANDER STEWART ASSOCIATE AND FELLOW OF ROYAL INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY   Company…

“Cash is King!” so the old business proverb goes.  It is, this is true.  But what about the seemingly never-ending extending payment terms and the effect on cash for members…

Opportunities aplenty for molybdenum demand– by James Jeary Molybdenum is consumed in a broad array of chemical and metallurgical applications spanning the energy, transport,           construction, chemical, medical and electronics industries.…

By Gina Evangelidis The European solar industry grew by 15% in 2015, continuing Europe’s reign as the chief continent for solar powered energy. Germany is currently the biggest player in…

Last year, Rotterdam based shipbroking firm Blue Ocean Brokers, a subsidiary of MMTA-Member Odin Warehousing & Logistics (OWL), launched a revolutionary idea to charge a flat brokerage fee of EUR…

As the first Chinese-built passenger jetliner, the C919 completed its first public flight test last month, the “Made in China” commercial plane and its technology has been the subject of…

By Gina Evangelidis, MMTA The technique founded by Gunther Von Hagens in 1978, allows biological specimens to be prepared for research, teaching and demonstration purposes. My most recent encounter with…

Scientists at Brunel University, London have discovered that a patented niobium-base master alloy improves grain refinement in aluminium-containing magnesium alloys. That isn’t all — it also offers ‘significant advantages’ over titanium in aluminium-silicon alloys.

A new material with a higher melting point than any other known substance has potentially been discovered by scientists. The alloy, which is a combination of hafnium, carbon and nitrogen,…

A team of scientists working on analysing energy flows in prototype zinc-manganese batteries have stumbled upon a new way to make these power cells much more reliable, with many more…

At temperatures as hot as the sun and under pressures over a million times atmospheric pressure, the metal molybdenum melts. Tracking the molten history of the metal clarified the melting…

Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Forschungszentrum Jülich have now presented a process that, for the first time ever, allows this so-called lithium plating process to…

The Coming Radical Change in Mining Practice Dr Simon Michaux, Senior Research Officer, GeMMe University of Liege presents a personal perspective on the environmental impact of resource consumption. I used…

An artist’s view of the PrandtlPlane shows what future commercial aircrafts could look like. Image credit – Vittorio C/ University of Pisa, Italy, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0   Aviation…

Written by CRU’s Andrew Keen & Ben Jones Although there are seventeen rare earth elements with a wide variety of uses, two in particular (Neodymium and Praseodymium, or NdPr for…

Rare Earths Conference—Metal Events By Nils Backeberg –18/11/2019 In the midst of the China-USA trade war, supply sustainability    remained a key topic of conversation at the 16th International Rare Earth Conference, held…

Raw materials in search of sustainability In this article, I want to look at a range of raw materials that are  currently used in the automotive industry, mainly as materials…

RBA Responsible Sourcing Summit The MMTA recently attended the Responsible Sourcing Summit by the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) in Berlin. The Summit provided attendees with four topic areas ranging from…

RC Inspection Group offering Sampling/ Inspection & Analytical services available in English, Italian, Russian and Mandarin. Sampling/ Inspection RC Inspection provides services in the industry sections of coal, coke, ferro-alloys,…

The MMTA welcomed over 200 guests to the impressive ballroom of 1 Great George Street during LME week for good food and great company. Dr Robin Gleek was able to…

This one-day forum will tackle any last-minute questions you and your team may have as the deadline for REACH registration approaches in June 2018. Are you prepared? What do you need to do? How have things changed since 2010?

REACH—no change in sight to 2018 deadline requirements Maria Cox, MMTA The UK’s decision on 23 June to leave the EU has created some concern about the status of REACH,…

Conflict Minerals Chinese Chamber of Commerce for Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Implements OECD  Responsible Mineral The OECD and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Minerals, Metals and Chemicals Exporters (CCCMC)…

Researchers uncover hidden topological insulator states in bismuth crystals by Denis Paiste, Massachusetts Institute of Technology The search for better materials for computers and other electronic devices has focused on a…

Rice University scientists have created a rechargeable lithium metal battery with three times the capacity of commercial lithium-ion batteries by resolving something that has long stumped researchers: the dendrite problem.…

An overview of key points from the recent REACH forum, hosted by Metal Events

The major use of rhodium is in catalytic converters for cars (80-85%), where it reduces nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases. In brief, exhaust gases contain three harmful pollutants, created by…

Minor metals in Focus – Tungsten   In our monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current…

Minor Metals in Focus: Tin Roskill In our monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market…

Cobalt Sustainability Monitor Roskill’s Cobalt Sustainability Monitor examines the key environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors which face the industry. The monitor includes an analysis of CO2 emissions associated with production,…

Niobium: not a Greek tragedy  Niobium, also known as columbium, is a chemical element with the symbol Nb. Niobium is a light grey, crystalline, and ductile transition metal. The English chemist Charles Hatchett reported the new element in 1801,…

In our monthly column for the Crucible, we will focus on the rare earth elements, a group of 16 elements which provide a wide range of characteristics to products used…

Minor metals in Focus – Molybdenum In our monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market…

Minor Metals in Focus: Antimony In our monthly column for the MMTA, we shine the spotlight on a key minor metal, looking at current market conditions and themes for the…

Minor Metals in Focus: Niobium Roskill In our monthly column for the MMTA, we shine the spotlight on a key minor metal, looking at current market conditions and themes for…

Antimony (Sb) Outlook to 2030 Antimony is mostly consumed in flame retardants and lead-acid batteries.  Together these end-uses account for more than 80% of antimony demand and trends in these…

Minor Metals in Focus: Cobalt In our monthly column for the MMTA, we shine the spotlight on a key minor metal, looking at current market conditions and themes for the…

The rise and fall of Fanya – implications for global minor metals markets Roskill’s Jessica Roberts looks at the impact of the Fanya Metals Exchange scandal on the metals it…

COVID-19 pandemic weighs on minor metal markets Global minor metal markets look set for a tough 2020 but enforced supply-side discipline and sharp demand recovery could offer upside price potential…

Roskill’s recent Outlook to 2029/2030 reports’ summaries: Niobium (Nb) Approximately 90% of all niobium is consumed as ferroniobium used in steelmaking.  Besides ferroniobium, niobium is consumed in a wide range…

  The full programme is available. Visit https://roskill.com/event/tantalum-2018/#programme to download it now 5 key reasons to attend • Join key tantalum producers to hear the latest outlooks, price forecasts and to…

Roskill’s inaugural Tantalum 2018 Conference will take place on 25-26 September at the Tower Hotel, London This is an unmissable event for all companies involved in the tantalum industry. By…

会议完整议程请登陆 https://roskill.com/event/tantalum-2018/#programme 下载。 参会费用 $1,595USD。MMTA 会员专享 10% 的优惠（优惠码TA10） 。 请登陆 https://roskill.com/event/tantalum-2018/ 查看最新出席的公司名单。

Manufacturing products from titanium and its alloys using traditional methods remains a complex technological task that  requires a lot of time and money. Scientists at South Ural State University have…

Scientists at Rice University have created a solid-state memory technology that allows for high-density storage with a minimum incidence of computer errors. The memories are based on tantalum oxide, a…

Scientists manage to improve metallic glasses by National University of Science and Technology MISIS Researchers at National University of Science and Technology MISIS (NUST MISIS) have managed to develop a…

The second largest Blast Furnace in Europe, and the associated coke ovens, have now been shut down – for the second time in less than 10 years. Could this be…

Security of metals supply fundamental: UK minister Published: 11 March 2020 Industry must have confidence that it can access the necessary raw materials to move towards sustainable low-carbon markets, UK…

Adapted from Teletronic, the television history site The conditions for the birth of television can be traced back to 1817, when the Swedish scientist Berzelius discovered selenium, a metalloid in…

This year’s conference has a line-up of exceptional speakers; below Professor Sybrand van der Zwaag from the Novel Aerospace Materials Group  (www.novam.lr.tudelft.nl), at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, TU Delft,…

Chemists at Trinity College, Dublin have invented self-healing luminescent gels with potential uses in science, medicine and electronics. Through the interaction between individual molecules (ligands) and europium and terbium ions,…

In the world of smart phones, smart watches and even smart central heating, why not take a look at smart alloys? In particular shape memory alloys (SMAs). SMAs ‘remember’ their…

Silicon Industry Development Under New Energy Era Nonferrous metals materials are the basic raw material for China’s economic and social development. As well as the key material of national economy,…

Solar Impulse-2, the solar powered plane, is on its 5th leg on the first ever round-the-world solar powered flight. This super lightweight plane is the brain child of businessman and…

South Africa is one step closer to processed titanium alloys William Gregor, an amateur mineralogist and chemist, first discovered ilmenite – some black sand containing one of the world’s lightest metals –…

By Jack Swindon, RJH Trading Ltd

The potential resources from space mining are limitless. Scientists have already confirmed that water is present on the moon. NASA says that frozen water in the dark recesses of polar craters can be extracted and split into hydrogen, which can be used for rocket fuel as well as conversion into oxygen for breathing…

Littering and fly tipping are the bane of many a community. But already, the human race has managed to pollute space with numerous pieces of junk. Currently, an estimated 100…

Inspired by the 'liquid wire' technique in spider webs, scientists have created novel composite fibres which extend like a solid and compress like a liquid. Pulling on a sticky thread…

Study on price linkage mechanism of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide Recently, lithium carbonate prices surged while lithium hydroxide prices hovered at bottom, seeing carbonate prices higher than hydroxide price.…

September 16, 2019 by Ingrid Fadelli, Phys.org Crystal-field engineering of band structure and mobility in GaN. (a),(b) Change in the GW quasiparticle band structure of GaN upon biaxial dilation and…

Platinum, titanium and brass can now be made to repel water so strongly that water actually bounces away from their surfaces. US Physicists reported in the Journal of Applied Physics…

By Professor Lenny Koh, University of Sheffield 51 industry and academic experts gathered in the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in July 2014, exploring supply chain challenges during a half-day…

As discussions on the effectiveness of Dodd-Frank continue, the EU’s Conflict Minerals Regulation rumble on, and with the recent introduction of the Modern Slavery Act in the UK (see the…

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Sweden has built the first smart road that will allow electric vehicles to charge as they drive. The eRoadArlanda pilot scheme, which  covers two kilometres of road outside Stockholm, is an…

This year’s 59th T.I.C. General Assembly (AGM and conference) will take place 14-17 October 2018 at Marriott Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda.  Widely considered the largest and most important tantalum and niobium networking event…

On 13th September, members of the MMTA joined business clients of MMTA member, ICICI Bank, at their London offices to share some of the opportunities and pitfalls of doing business…

In 2015, an estimated 62% of global tantalum supply came from Africa, 45% of it from Central Africa, mainly from Rwanda and the DRC. That was not the case in the past and it may not be the case in future….

TCG WebEx meeting on 23 February 2021   The purpose of the WebEx meeting was to have an orientation discussion with stakeholders in order to understand a process flow and…

Anthony Lipmann in conversation with Derek Raphael of Derek Raphael & Co. For this inaugural ‘Tea with the MMTA’ interview, I am in a state of some anxiety in case…

Technology metals, which include today’s strategic metals, incorporate minor metals and rare earth elements (REEs), and are present in almost every advanced electronic device and system. Without their contributions, major…

Two Members of the MMTA’s Insurance Task Force broached the very current and difficult topic of terrorism from an insurance perspective. The Cost of Terrorism In addition to the tragic…

On July 30th, the grand opening ceremony of Tesla’s Gigafactory based outside Sparks, Nevada took place. Although nowhere near full planned capacity, this is a major step for Tesla moving…

On May 7 1813, when Argentina was beginning the process of beoming a sovereign country, the first Argentinian law for the promotion of mining was sanctioned. The day has now…

An in-depth look at the Chinese Automotive Market

By Jung-ui Sul, Sidley Austin LLP The EU’s modernized customs rules came into effect in May 2016. We reported on the key changes in the new rules in the March…

Tamara Alliot, MMTA Its mission is to provide all makers with a creative home in which to innovate, contemplate and understand all aspects of materials and an inspiring place to…

The internet of Things (IoT) has become a well recognised phrase over the last few years, and for good reason. It’s about connecting devices over the internet and letting them talk to us, applications and each other.

By Tamara Alliot, MMTA The Ancient Greeks spoke of a metal that could be found in the mythical city of Atlantis, and earlier this month this metal known as orichalcum…

The MMTA & Confronting Modern Slavery in DRC-UK Mineral Supply Chains James McQuilken 4th  M arch 2020 On the 4th March General Manager Eva Model joined the  London Briefing workshop…

The Minor Metals Trade Association held its inaugural seminar in Hong Kong in early November. The event attracted close to 80  participants from China and the rest of the world…

View the recent ICMM report on Enhancing mining’s contribution to the Zambian economy and society. Part of the Mining: Partnerships for Development – Spotlight series 18 In 2008, the MMTA initiated…

Members and non-members of the MMTA joined a great line-up of speakers in Toronto last month for the MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference. A vibrant and rapidly growing city, Toronto…

The latest product in a long tradition - the search for a perfect blue pigment – is about to reach the market. A new blue pigment, which was discovered in…

The periodic table  stares down from the walls of just about every chemistry lab. The credit for its creation generally goes to Dimitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist who in 1869 wrote out…

By Gina Evangelidis In the event that you are bored of the periodic table - unlikely, I know - Bodycote have published a brilliantly fun fictional edition on their website.…

In its vote on 20th May, the European Parliament overturned both the European Commission’s proposal as well as the recent vote of the International Trade Committee. The Commission originally proposed…

The incandescent lightbulb has been making homes safer and brighter for over 100 years. After centuries using fires, candles, oil lamps and gas, the invention of the incandescent lightbulb transformed…

The mining and metals industry has an image problem. Dirty, corrupt and exploitative are words that may spring to mind in certain parts of the world. Energy intensive and polluting are probably used even more widely. However, without the mining of ores and their subsequent processing into metals, we would have no buildings, infrastructure, consumer products (not to mention anything even vaguely high-tech), we would literally still be stuck in the Stone Age.

Although only 4 metres (13 feet) long, Thor, Airbus’ first 3D printed drone, was recently on display at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin. THOR stands for ‘Test of High-tech…

For many people, engineering conjures up images of bridges, tunnels and buildings. But the annual University of Cambridge engineering photo competition shows that not only is engineering an incredibly diverse…

In recent years, titanium has caught the eye of golf club manufacturers and amazingly, fire investigators. Yes, titanium clubs have the potential to spark upon striking rocks, creating one of…

Perhaps the recent history of hafnium answers the question - ‘What are minor metal merchants for?’ A minor metals trader of the 1970s, it is fair to say, could safely…

How Will You Explain the Impact of the New Law to Your CEO? Chemical registration in the U.S. just got more complicated and expensive. President Obama recently signed into law…

Toyota says it has invented a new magnet for high-energy applications such as electric motors that uses a fraction of the amount of neodymium of a standard iron, boron, neodymium (NdFeB) magnet.…

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Transitioning to a Low Carbon and Energy  Efficient Economy – Battery Raw Materials vs Critical Raw Materials Behind the Scene Review of the latest CRM Alliance Day, attended by MMTA…

What does the re-imposition of United States sanctions on Iran mean for business outside the US? On one view, the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)…

According to Mike Dash, author of Tulipomania, The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower, “ In around 1624, the Amsterdam man who owned the only dozen specimens [of a…

As microchips become ever smaller, and therefore faster, the shrinking size of their copper interconnects leads to increased electrical resistivity at the nanoscale. Finding a solution to this impending technical…

An update on upcoming legislation, courtesy of CRM Alliance.

By Ines Van Lierde, EuroAlliages EU duties on silicon originating in the People’s Republic of China have been renewed this year for an additional 5 years, as detailed in the…