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![]() Click to view Presentation ![]() | MineralsFluoriteFluorite appears in various colours such as green and purple, yellow-brown, rose and red. Its crystals, commonly cubic, are transparent or translucent and are fluorescent under certain conditions. (From www.USGS.gov) Fluorspar is marketed in three grades according to end-use:
IM 2006 Fluorspar.pdf Recent prices (Industrial Minerals), Acidspar:
MolybdenumRecent Moly oxide price: US$34 a pound (March 2008) The majority of the world's molybdenum supply comes from the United States, China and South America. Ten companies account for roughly two-thirds of production with copper miners Codelco of Chile along with the U.S.'s Phelps Dodge producing about half of that. A Canadian company, Thompson Creek Metals Co., is expected to produce 21 million pounds this year, about 5 per cent of the world's supply. Two Chinese companies, Jinduicheng and Luanchuan, together produce about 23 million pounds a year. There are also hundreds of small molybdenum mines in China, many of which are being shut down over safety and environmental concerns. (From www.USGS.gov and Globe & Mail, March 5/07, "Is Moly on Brink of Being Mining Megastar", by Andy Hoffman and Sinclair Stewart) RheniumRhenium (Re), the last naturally-occurring element, was discovered in Germany in 1925. The process was so complicated and the cost so high that production was discontinued until early 1950 when tungsten-rhenium and molybdenum-rhenium alloys were prepared. These alloys found important applications in industry that resulted in a great demand for the rhenium produced from the molybdenite fraction of porphyry copper ores. Important uses of rhenium have been in platinum-rhenium catalysts, used primarily in producing lead-free, high-octane gasoline and in high-temperature superalloys used for jet engine components. (From www.USGS.gov)Rhenium has very good corrosion resistance, a very high melting point, and is very dense. Tungsten is the only metal with a higher melting point than rhenium, and only platinum, iridium and osmium are denser than rhenium. Rhenium's specific gravity is 21.04 and its melting point is 3180°C. Rhenium was recovered from flue gases during the roasting of molybdenite concentrates and from the recycling of alloys and catalysts containing rhenium. The two main uses for rhenium were in metal alloys and in catalysts, accounting for an estimated 70% and 20%, respectively, of rhenium use in 2004. The addition of rhenium improves the high temperature strength of nickel-based super-alloys. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 60% of rhenium demand in 2004 was for use in nickel-based super-alloys. Rhenium was also alloyed with molybdenum and tungsten. Molybdenum alloys containing rhenium (between 41% and 47.5%) had greater ductility than other molybdenum alloys and were weldable. Rhenium was also alloyed with tungsten to increase ductility; rhenium contents of various alloys produced by Rhenium Alloys Inc. varied between 3% and 26%. Rhenium was used with platinum in reforming catalysts whose principal use was in the production of high-octane, lead-free gasoline. (From www.nrcan.gc.ca) Recent Rhenium prices: US$8,600/kg (www.metalsplace.com, February 2008) StrontiumRecent Celestite prices (Industrial Minerals, Oct. 2007): Mexican 94% SrSO4 FOB USA US$80-100 Spanish, Turkish, Moroccan FOB local US$55-80 |
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