critical raw materials

The Metal Events‘ 19th International Rare Earths Conference returns to San Antonio, Texas, in 2023.  Registration and welcome reception on 18th October, following on from the Scandium Symposium Register HERE…

The European Union’s new Critical Raw Materials Act is a bold step forward in securing the region’s clean energy supply chains. Here, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence looks at how the Act’s…

In June this year the Australian Government released its Critical Minerals Strategy for the period to 2030. In this guest article, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission  (Austrade) sets out…

Less than 1% of the 20 million-tonne manganese produced each year is used in batteries, but the battery industry is disrupting the manganese market as increases to demand from the…

Join Benchmark Mineral Intelligence in Washington DC for Battery Gigafactories USA 2024, a live, and in-person conference being held June 11-12 at the JW Marriott Washington DC, USA. Two days…

By 2033, 10% of metal supply to come from battery recycling The lithium-ion battery recycling market has experienced significant growth in the past 18 months, particularly in the US and…

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence brings clarity to the otherwise opaque markets of the lithium-ion battery (LiB) and electric vehicle (EV) supply chains. Through its services, ranging from PRA, Data, Forecasts and…

China’s share of global polysilicon production is estimated to have reached 90% in 2023. However, some producers located outside China are restarting production to meet increased domestic demand. Notable examples…

The passing of the US Inflation Reduction Act puts US automakers under pressure to localise their battery raw material supply in North America or secure  supply from countries such as…

  Tellurium is one of the scattered metalloids. It is mainly used in semiconductor devices, alloys, chemical raw materials production, or used as additives in cast iron, rubber, glass, and…

30th Anniversary The Cobalt Congress is the world’s leading event on cobalt, bringing together the entire cobalt value chain, wider critical minerals industry as well as the world’s largest cobalt investors…

Join Project Blue and the Minor Metals Trade Association for a free LME Week networking and information event in the heart of London. Hear from an expert panel of speakers…

The MMTA’s Critical Materials Forum 2024 in association with critical materials consultancy Project Blue will be held at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London on Tuesday 1…

This month Project Blue takes a look at the previous poster child of critical materials: antimony. Antimony, mainly used in flame retardant and lead-acid batteries has lost its position as…

In this submission to the Crucible on the subject of critical materials underpinning energy transition, Project Blue focusses on cobalt.  While there are numerous challenges facing the cobalt supply chain,…

Project Blue looks at  the evolving role of lithium in energy transition, and the opportunities and challenges that make lithium this decade’s key critical raw material   This month we…

Niobium might seem like a strange choice for Project Blue’s first submission to the Crucible on the subject of critical materials underpinning energy transition. After all, it’s mostly used in…

This month we are diving deep into one of the most politically topical critical materials underpinning energy transition: rare earths. While not gaining attention as a battery raw material, rare…

  What makes vanadium critical? Vanadium ranks 10/40 in Project Blue’s Critical Materials Risk Index (CMRI) 2022.   Concerns over vanadium supply availability are underpinned by its co-product nature.  Vanadium feedstock…

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,…

Strengthening Critical Raw Materials Value Chain 10 ways for Europe to regain lost ground Unleash Europe’s Potential: Join the CRM Alliance‘s conference in Brussels to explore strategies for revitalising critical…

E-Waste World / Battery Recycling / Metal Recycling Conference & Expo is the must-attend co-located event for electronics manufacturers and suppliers, ITAD companies, battery producers, recycling companies, critical raw material…

The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act was published today in the Official Journal of the European Commission and comes in to force on 23 May. Read the full text…

After months of deliberations, the European Parliament voted in the second week of December 2023 to adopt the Critical Raw Materials Act. The key aim of this legislation, aside from…

The EU CRM Act entered into force on 23 May 2024 Following its entry into force on 23 May 2024, the European Commission has published an FAQ on the Critical…

In this section we bring you the latest briefings from our partner association, the CRM Alliance on legislative developments in the European union that impact of critical raw material  industries…

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…

  In this article for The Crucible, analysts Andrew Matheson and Patrick Stratton of CPM Group home in on Hafnium, that most minor of minor metals. Don’t judge a market…

s, baBenchmark is delighted to announce the return of Giga Europe 2024 – where the region’s government, industry and finance will meet to chart a course for the region’s lithium ion…

Hafnium prices have surged since September as firm demand from the aerospace, industrial gas turbine (IGT) and semiconductor industries rapidly outpaces supply, and buyers attempt to navigate this notoriously illiquid…

China imposes graphite export restrictions Export restrictions on key anode materials highlight the dominance of China in the battery sector, and the case for localised supply chains In October 2023,…

In just a few days, the MMTA is delighted to be welcoming members and delegates in person to the historic UK city of Sheffield for the International Minor Metals Conference…

17-19 April 2024, Singapore   In 2024, the MMTA International Minor Metals Conference moved away from Europe and North America of recent years and headed to Singapore.  Taking the main…

Amid the global energy transition, battery-grade iron phosphate has captured increasing market interest as the precursor used to make lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. LFP demand is growing from electric…

After a very successful first IRTC conference in Lille in 2023, the 2024 IRTC conference focuses on new approaches to criticality to face the challenges of a changing geopolitical configuration and…

Less Common Metals, based in the UK, is one of a handful of companies in the Western world commercially producing the highly specialised strip cast alloys and HD powders needed…

MMTA member Less Common Metals, a British producer of rare earth magnetic alloys, has had a busy year. The MMTA caught up with LCM general manager Aaron Riley to ask…

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…

The electric vehicle (EV) revolution has transformed the outlook for a host of minor metals, none more so than lithium. There are a wide range of opinions and projections as…

On 14th May 2024 the Office of the US Trade Representative announced a plan to introduce or increase duties on a range of Chinese imports as it looks to onshore…

Global minor metal supply chains are currently grappling with a multitude of issues. Covid-19, war in Ukraine, climate change and net zero targets, and inflation, have all converged in 2022.…

In our monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market conditions and themes for the year…

The Minor Metals Trade Association is happy to announce that the MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference 2024 will be held on 17-19th April 2024 at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore.…

Welcome to the November Crucible Dear MMTA members, Welcome to your November 2023 edition of the Minor Metal Trade Association’s magazine, the Crucible. Following on from the October webinar, Mastering…

Welcome to Singapore! Here are this week’s conference schedule and speakers: Conference Schedule Wednesday 17 April 2024 07.30hrs – 15:30hrs Golf Tournament kindly sponsored by ICD Group will take place at the…

The MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference and AGM 2025 will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, on 7-9 April 2025. Book before November 15 and pay £950 per person for MMTA…

“There needs to be more widespread investment in the development and exploration of all critical mineral resources” Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (Benchmark) is a world leading clean energy supply chain price…

MDSM is the world’s leading conference & expo focused on the latest technical advancements in motor, drive systems, motion control, magnetic applications, technology, and rare earth materials. This is a…

Kymera buys AmeriTi Manufacturing In early April, speciality materials company Kymera announced it had closed its transaction to acquire AmeriTi Manufacturing. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, AmeriTi is a leading manufacturer…

Hydrovolt JV begins battery recycling in Norway Hydrovolt, the battery recycling joint-venture between battery maker Northvolt and aluminium group Hydro, has commenced commercial recycling operations in Fredrikstad, southern Norway. Hydrovolt…

  3D printing, lithium power NASA’s Moon mission   As this edition was going to press, NASA launched its CAPSTONE satellite to the Moon. This is the first step of…

To the Moon and back Further to June’s space exploration highlights, August saw NASA readying its Artemis Moon mission for launch.  The Space Launch System rocket pictured here will send…

Go, Go, Gallium After several false starts, NASA’s Artemis I mission took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16 November, the first in a series of complex missions…

In 2023 the MMTA celebrates its 50th anniversary   Happy New Year! Dear MMTA members, We would like to start this 2023 issue of by wishing you a happy and…

EU votes to adopt the CRM Act On 14th September the European Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to adopt the Critical Raw Materials Act. The amended act adds aluminium…

Dear MMTA Members, Welcome to your February-March edition of the MMTA magazine, the Crucible. After the Lunar New Year holidays in February, that are already feeling like a lifetime ago,…

Aerospace As in April, aircraft deliveries by Boeing in May were more than double those of the same month last year, at 35 planes compared with 17. Deliveries up to…

Welcome to the May-June Crucible issue. With our premier annual event, the International Minor Metals Conference  and the MMTA annual general meeting now behind us—see this issue for the conference…

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…

The world of minor metals can be a cruel and unforgiving place. As valuable as these metals are, global markets are small. Tantalum is essential in every computer logic chip.…

2023 Strategic Foresight Report—deadline 13 March   The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to inform its  2023 Strategic Foresight Report. This report is published every year, and…

On the heels of the Metals Events 19th Rare Earths Conference in  San Antonio, Texas, USA, in October, Andrew Matheson and Patrick Stratton, analysts at CPM Group, delve into the…

The Raw Materials Week is an annual event organised by the European Commission. It gathers a wide range of stakeholders discussing policies and initiatives in the field of raw material, providing…

If you think trade sanctions, the battle for critical metals and the race to secure a local supply chain is all a modern headache, read on.  A recently discovered time…

An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable (John Locke, philosopher 1632 – 1704) In this op-ed for The Crucible, Ingrid Putkonen, Managing Director and Founder of…

The tantalum industry is a very small place, so the news that one of the major tantalum processors, Global Advanced Metals (GAM) is for sale might strike one initially as…

The UK government’s new Critical Minerals Strategy aims to  safeguard the UK’s supply security for critical raw materials. The strategy will be informed by the newly set up Critical Minerals…

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…

VIEW FROM NORTH AMERICA At last the US looks at its supply chains and comes to some long-overdue conclusions Dear Members I can describe it only as being quite lovely…

What about 2024? Dear Members, With 2024 upon us, I thought I would look quickly at a couple of areas I shall be keeping an eye on in the coming…

The DoE Delivers, Australia goes to the Middle East and Governments Look at Space Dear Members I’m just back from a monster (for me) European trip — nearly three weeks…

Dear MMTA Members, Welcome to your May edition of the Crucible magazine, This is its first issue since the MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference and AGM took place in Singapore…