The IMA Conference is the premier conference for all magnesium industry leaders, with unparalleled opportunities to connect and network with other IMA members, expand, and strengthen skill sets via technical…
minor metals
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CrucibleThe Crucible: June 2018
A pinch of salt containing minor metals can improve battery performance
by MMTA June 29, 2018MMTA 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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: April 2024
Battery demand reshaping the manganese market
by Polina Sparks April 18, 2024Less 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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: February 2023
Celebrate MMTA’s 50th anniversary with us!
by Polina Sparks February 27, 2023Join us for the MMTA’s 50th anniversary reception with outdoor games on the terrace of Grand Bohemian Hotel in Charlotte, NC, at 6pm on Tuesday 24 April, at the opening…
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China International Minor Metals Forum 2023
by Polina Sparks June 27, 2023Organised by Beijing Antaike Information Co., Ltd., (Antaike) China’s premier raw materials research consultancy, and supported by China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association Minor Metals Branch (CNIA), China International Minor Metals…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: September 2024The Crucible: September/October 2023
China’s export controls rock global antimony market
by Polina Sparks September 29, 2024Antimony prices have been on a rapid uptrend since Beijing announced the addition of antimony and some of its products to China’s export licensing scheme from 15 September, and with…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: September 2024
Cobalt sulfate: the state of play and what’s to come
by Polina Sparks September 30, 2024Battery chemical markets have faced a turbulent ride through 2024, with a downturn in lithium prices coupled with cobalt metal prices falling to and staying at eight-year lows. Slowing electric…
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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…
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Critical Materials Forum – London
by Polina Sparks April 14, 2023Join 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…
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Critical Materials Forum 2024
by Polina Sparks April 25, 2024The 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…
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Maria Cox discusses her recent visit to China, where she met members old and new.
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CrucibleThe Crucible: April 2024
EU magnesium prices fall below $3,000/t threshold
by Polina Sparks April 18, 2024European magnesium prices have been under acute pressure since the start of the year because of oversupply in China and weak demand in domestic and international markets, leading in-warehouse Rotterdam…
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Fastmarkets Asian Battery Raw Materials Conference
by Polina Sparks January 26, 2024Join Fastmarkets in Seoul to meet industry leaders from across Asia, discuss partnerships and identify areas of collaboration with over 250 international delegates. You will also leave with the…
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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…
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CPM Group recently attended both the Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA) and Metal Events Rare Earths (MERE) meetings in Singapore. Along with the valuable opportunity to reconnect with people sometimes…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: May 2024
International Minor Metals Conference 2024
by Polina Sparks May 31, 202417-19 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…
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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…
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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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: April 2024
Metal Trading for the young in South West England
by Polina Sparks April 18, 2024Retired metal merchant, Anthony Lipmann, illuminates trading for the young entering the world of metals. It’s all very well giving unwanted advice to the young via this column (as…
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CRM - Critical Raw MaterialsCrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsSustainability and Resource ManagementThe Crucible: May 2022Trade IssuesWaste and Recycling
Minor metal supply chains – challenges and opportunities
by Polina Sparks May 24, 2022Global 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.…
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The MMTA’s Sustainability Working Group (SWG) has produced a new report on how minor metals contribute to sustainable road transport. The full document can be found on the MMTA website…
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CRM - Critical Raw MaterialsCrucibleThe Crucible: April 2022
Minor Metals In Focus: Magnesium
by Polina Sparks April 28, 2022In 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…
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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…
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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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: August 2023
MMTA 2024 Conference heads to Singapore
by Polina Sparks September 11, 2023The 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.…
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MMTA 51st Anniversary Dinner
by Polina Sparks April 25, 2024Tuesday 1st October 2024, 7pm-1am The MMTA 51st Anniversary Dinner returns to De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, London during LME Week 2024. Join us for the minor…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: April 2024
MMTA International Minor Metals Conference – Programme and Speakers
by Polina Sparks April 18, 2024Welcome 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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: April 2022
MMTA International Minor Metals Conference 2022 Round-Up
by Polina Sparks April 28, 2022After a pause of three years, since I provided my round-up of the MMTA’s Edinburgh conference back in 2019, it is a huge pleasure to be able to do the…
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MMTA International Minor Metals Conference 2023
by Polina Sparks April 26, 2022For our 50th Anniversary, the MMTA International Minor Metals Conference is returning to North America. The MMTA International Minor Metals Conference will be held on 24-26 April…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: June 2023
MMTA International Minor Metals Conference 2023 Report
by Polina Sparks June 30, 202325-26 April 2023 Charlotte, NC, USA Day 1 – Tuesday, April 25 For delegates who had neither played golf at the Bermuda Run Country Club (kindly sponsored by ICD…
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MMTA International Minor Metals Conference 2024
by freya@mmta.co.uk July 24, 2023The MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference 2024 will be held on 17th-19th April 2024 at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore. We are delighted to bring the MMTA’s main conference to…
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MMTA International Minor Metals Conference 2025
by Polina Sparks May 10, 2024The 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…
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Bluestone Metals & Chemicals joins the MMTA Bluestone Metals & Chemicals, part of the SMR – Specialty Metals Resources Group, has joined the MMTA. Established in 2014, Bluestone is a…
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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。
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CrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsThe Crucible: September 2024
Molymet launches Mo Re powders
by Polina Sparks September 29, 2024MMTA member Molymet, a major molybdenum processor and the world’s largest producer of rhenium, with headquarters in San Bernardo, Chile has launched production of highly spheroidised powders of rhenium, molybdenum…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: February 2023
Navigating supply constraints for high-temp metals
by Polina Sparks February 27, 2023Several high-temperature minor metal markets are emerging from a volatile few months, with hafnium and molybdenum prices surging as supply constraints bite, while niobium and tantalum navigate a more gradual…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: May 2016
News from the MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference
by MMTA May 15, 2016The 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:… -
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…
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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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: December 2017The Crucible: January 2023
News in Brief
by Polina Sparks January 31, 2023In 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…
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Welcome to the March issue of The Crucible. In the February issue you might have read Tom Butcher’s Letter from North America on the increasingly trendy concept of “friend-shoring”. This…
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Happy New Year 2024 And welcome to this year’s first edition of the Crucible. As we look forward to 2024, new regulations are already coming into play that encompass…
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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…
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NO DEAL BREXIT AND REACH With the prospect of Britain leaving the European Union with no agreement other than WTO terms in place increasingly being discussed, and after months of…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: May 2022
Notes from the other side: Attention to detail!
by Polina Sparks May 24, 2022One of my many bosses (and some reading this will recognize who it is) appeared to enjoy scanning the torrent of uncontrollable contracts with a forensic eye. Occasionally, pipe in…
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CRM - Critical Raw MaterialsCrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsThe Crucible: April 2022
Paths to financing future minor metals production
by Polina Sparks April 28, 2022The 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.…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: September 2024
Pricing Specialty Metals Based On Market Conditions Away From China
by Polina Sparks September 30, 2024There are many issues facing world markets for specialty metals. Most of these markets are relatively small in size. They are not sufficiently large and liquid enough to have price…
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CRM - Critical Raw MaterialsResourcesThe Crucible: November 2022
Project Blue Forum 2022 slides
by Polina Sparks November 7, 2022On 25 October 2022 MMTA partnered with critical minerals consultancy Project Blue for a series of insights into minor metals critical to energy transition and other strategic sectors, Project Blue Forum.…
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Raw Materials Week, 8th edition
by Polina Sparks October 26, 2023The 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…
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The Crucible: January 2015
RIP, Michael Edward ‘Sam’ Quick 14th December 1938 – 9th January 2015
by MMTA January 30, 2015RIP, Michael Edward ‘Sam’ Quick 14th December 1938 – 9th January 2015 was last modified: October 3rd, 2016 by MMTA
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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…
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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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: March 2023
The last 50 years – a short look into the minute book
by Polina Sparks March 31, 2023Notes from the other side: Retired metal merchant, Anthony Lipmann, illuminates trading for the young entering the world of metals. The inaugural meeting of The Minor Metals Traders* Association (now…
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CRM - Critical Raw MaterialsCrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsThe Crucible: September 2024
The Outlook for Battery Metals
by Polina Sparks September 30, 2024EVs drive demand Annual global lithium-ion battery demand is expected to sur-pass 1 TWh (1,000 GWh) for the first time this year. Demon-strating the scale of growth in this sector,…
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CrucibleMinor Metals and ApplicationsThe Crucible: September 2024
Time to take notice of niobium
by Polina Sparks September 29, 2024There has been a noticeable uptick in interest in niobium of late. In our view, this is worth pondering. Niobium is a rarely used metal, with annual consumption amounting to…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: September 2024Uncategorized
Welcome to new MMTA Members
by Polina Sparks September 30, 2024The Minor Metals Trade Association is pleased to welcome three new members who joined the MMTA in September. Tungsten Vietnam JSC is a tungsten producer situated in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam. It…
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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…
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CrucibleThe Crucible: April 2023
What’s in store for the next 50 years?
by Polina Sparks April 21, 2023Notes from the other side Retired metal merchant, Anthony Lipmann, illuminates trading for the young entering the world of metals. In the March issue of the Crucible, we delved…