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Aeromaterials: Past, Present and Future
Yale Criticality Consortium Conclusion

The magazine of the Minor Metals Trade Association

4th Edition 2015/September

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2Colin Williams, RIP
Colin Williams, who died on 30th June 2015, was an influential figure in the field of lesser
known metals and minerals in London, an individual subscriber to the LME at one time, one ofthe pioneers of trade with China from the 1960’s onwards, and a man who was discretely but
enigmatically involved in the communities and causes close to his heart.
Colin’s great-great-grandfather George Williams had been a successful City of London
merchant in the mid 1800’s and founded the YMCA in 1844. Like so many families of his era,
Colin (who was born in February 1942) never knew his father, who was shot down in action
over Kiel in May 1942, nor his grandfather, who was killed in action in the 1st World War. Colinwas educated at Uppingham School, and his love and affection for this nurturing community
remained with him throughout his life. It was there that he developed a range of talents fromart through music, on the stage and on the rugby field, acquiring in the process a lasting love ofhymn singing and an ambition to become the Head of the Metropolitan Police. Following abrief spell at Magdalen College, Oxford in the law department and whilst playing rugby for
Esher RFC, Colin’s rugby captain Ian Brackenbury encouraged him to set aside his ambitions in
the police force and become a metal merchant. Ian was a director at Rudolf Wolff & Co andhimself an old Uppinghamian. Over the following decade, as Colin’s career took shape, Esher’s
fly half became Wogen’s lawyer, and another rugby team member became Wogen’s shipping
insurance broker.
When describing his profession, Colin liked to refer to being a Merchant Adventurer, although
in the early days a considerable part of his job consisted of travelling up the new M1 to
Sheffield in a clapped out mini-van in order to sell imported low carbon ferro chrome to thestainless steel mills there.
The adventurous part of his job involved the international physical metals trade. Colin followed
his basic training at Rudolf Wolff Ltd with a sabbatical in California on UCLA’s businessprogramme, a year he funded by buying the scrap wing of an aircraft from an American scrap
yard and selling it to the UK titanium industry.
In the mid-1960’s he met Bernard Buckman, who had approached Wolff looking to purchasecopper for Minmetals in China. Bernard was 30 years his senior and a veteran of the China
trade since the Moscow Economic Summit of 1953. This started a friendship which lasted forover 25 years until Bernard’s death in 1991, and a relationship with Minmetals and China which
stretched from the Canton Fair during the early days of the Cultural Revolution in the mid
1960’s through to the present day. It took Colin to many cities across every region of China andled to a huge fund of experience in travel and negotiations in the Middle Kingdom. Colinbelieved resolutely in the importance of knowing both your customer and your metal better
than anyone else. He had a firm belief in the importance of friendship and liking one’s
customer as the basis of any successful business, and in the importance of timing.
Having set up Rudolf Wolff Special Metals in London, in the late 1960’s Colin moved his base to
Hong Kong, and on the back of the nickel boom travelled to Western Australia where he met
up with Donald Armstrong, Rudolf Wolff’s representative there. They bought a Land Rover in
Perth, had a sign painted on the side saying “Rudolf Wolff Special Metals, Metal Buying
Division” and set off into the outback of Western Australia where their first stop was the
Poseidon discovery in Laverton, WA.
After meeting up with the Kalgoorlie Rugby Club in a pub and co-opting the team to peg someclaims for them, the duo set off across the Nullarbor Desert for Sydney. While they didn’t
discover any new nickel prospects, the RW team gained a critical insight into Poseidon and thenickel bubble, which stood them in good stead in surviving the subsequent crash. They also
negotiated the 4,000km track to Sydney and their joint efforts led 3 years later to Wogen
Australia being set up, to trade metals and to represent such Australian mining companies as
Hamersley Iron, Comalco, Western Mining, and Consolidated Rutile selling to China at a time
when China was still off the map in a way that few countries are today.

Continued on p. 14

3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Obituary– Colin Williams

3

The MMTA Conference 2016

4

Aeromaterials

5-7

Yale Criticality Consortium

9-12

Deep sea mining update

15

REACH Only Representative

16

Trade agreement updates

17

Managing sustainability

18-19

PhD opportunity

21

Horse doping

22

New MMTA members

12, 15, 19, 21

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Disclaimer: The information and data contained in thisedition of the Crucible (the Material) has been compiled by the
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What attendees had to say about 2015’s Conference:“A great opportunity to meet with customers, suppliers and colleagues. The key factors for us attending the conference are the wealth of

information provided by the speakers and a convenient method to interface with the key individuals in our in businesses..”
Matt Danish, Telex Metals , USA“The Conference is well-organized, industry attendance is excellent, and the presentations are relevant and interesting. From a trader’s
perspective, it not only provides insight into new business opportunities but also delivers a platform where you can meet the partners necessary
to embark on a new project.”
Melvin Hill, Aminco Resources , USA“We get to meet up with all the suppliers of our strategic materials in first class surroundings at a well organised topical conference.”
Wavell Coulson, Rolls-Royce Plc, UK“There is a large gathering of our clients within one location giving the opportunity to meet with and/or be available to our clients within a specified
time frame...the opportunity to meet with potential new clients also at the same time and learn about their businesses.”

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4

Aeromaterials: Past, Present and Future
Aviation design and material selection had been relatively stagnant since the 1930s. With theadvent of the Boeing 247 in 1933 – followed shortly after by the Douglas DC-3 – aircraft were
essentially constructed with aluminum in a “semi-monocoque” configuration. This was aconsiderable departure from the historical design philosophy, which mimicked that of building
and bridges, using internal frames for load bearing. Semi-monocoque designs effectively
distribute flight loads between the metal skin and metal aerostructure (e.g. frame, stringers,ribs). And that was the paradigm for 75 years.
Aviation is a conservative industry. The prohibitive costs – both real and imaginary – of acatastrophic failure make it unlike any other industry except, perhaps, nuclear power. And theindustry is unique with its obsession for light-weight structures. Fuel cost historically represents
between 20 to 40% of the operating costs of an air transport category aircraft; thus, any weightsavings directly translate into increased profitability for airline operators. The aircraft original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs, e.g. Airbus and Boeing) painstakingly reduced weight by using
impeccably qualified materials, coupled with judicious design practices.
Perhaps somewhat disquietingly, the industry actually has one of the lowest design margins ofsafety: 1.5 to 1. This helps minimize weight. In other words, to support a load of 1000 kg, forexample, aviation components would be designed to carry an ultimate load of 1500 kg. The
automotive industry, by contrast, would use a 3000-kg rated component. Rest assured,
however: the inferior margin is safely offset by exacting quality control of materials andprocesses that have to conform to governmental requirements. Safety is furthermore upheld by
an unparalleled preventative maintenance regiment. This, too, is strictly monitored by agovernmental authority. As a consequence, you can board that British Airways A320 with peaceof mind that your aircraft was well constructed and maintained.
Like any industry, cost is a primary design consideration. Increasingly, the emphasis however isshifting from acquisition cost to total life-cycle cost, as operators become more sophisticated incost accounting and data management. For aircraft OEMs, the second design constraint formaterial selection is predicated upon a material’s strength versus weight. Aluminum had amonopoly for over 75 years; carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites have become the
new material of choice with their applications on both the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 within
the past decade. Truly revolutionary aircraft. Part of the fundamental shift in material resulted
from a third airframe design consideration: manufacturability. The manufacture of anaerostructure is still considerably labor intensive, as skilled craftsman scrupulously “buck” tensof thousands of rivets throughout the airframe, wing, and empennage.
CFRP helps to reduce labor content, as well as part count by 25% or more. Most CFRP designs
still involve a semi-monocoque configuration and are therefore colloquially referred to as “black
aluminum.” This is due to legacy tooling and assembly practices. Given the variability of CFRP
final mechanical properties in comparison to a more isotropic material such as aluminum, it isenvisaged that CFRP designs will continue to be optimized going forward. Indeed, the 787 andA350 have predominately CFRP aerostructures. Many experts believe that the next clean-sheet
design for air transport category aircraft will likely combine a metal (aluminum lithium?)
airframe with a CFRP wing and empennage. Nevertheless, these aircraft will not appear until theend of next decade due to the “re-engineing” efforts of both Boeing (737 MAX) and Airbus (A320
NEO). An ongoing challenge of CFRP structures is damage detection and repair.
The design criteria for gas turbines is rather different. Naturally, cost is still a principal concern.
The second and third order design targets are operational efficiency and “maintainability.”
Unlike the aerostructure, the predominant material (in this case, steel alloy) diminishedmarkedly since the 1960s with the introduction of “superalloys” and titanium alloy. Superalloys
are high-nickel (or cobalt) content alloys that have remarkable hot temperature performancecapabilities which improve fuel burn and NOx emissions. They can withstand temperatures inexcess of 800°C. These dense alloys include small, yet vital amounts of minor metals including
chromium, molybdenum, niobium, zirconium, tungsten, vanadium, hafnium and the ever
popular rhenium. Investment casted alloys – when coupled with advanced cooling-path design
and thermal barrier coatings – can endure hostile environments that exceed twice their melting
temperature. The caustic gas-path gases further compound the brutality of the environment.

5

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Critical Raw Materials &Your Business

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Titanium is another relatively stable metal whose role has become increasingly important throughout the aircraft. The most ubiquitous
variant is TI 6-4 (6% aluminum, 4% vanadium). Its strength is equivalent to most steel alloys yet it weighs 40% less. Titanium is used
increasingly in the airframe for its strength to weight characteristics and compatibility with CFRP. In the gas turbine, its application is
primarily the “cold” section (i.e. front portion) of the gas turbine, since the melting temperature is half that of superalloys. The inlet fan, inparticular, is often titanium ,due to the grueling bird strike certification requirements. This is a test that requires a 2 to 3 kg bird to be
hurled at the inlet of an engine running at maximum thrust. The shattered blades need to be safely contained.
As discussed, routine preventative maintenance is a primary factor to preserve the overall health of the aircraft. In terms of material
consumption, engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is significantly more material intensive. Engine MRO requires periodicallyreplacing “life limited” parts (LLPs). These critical rotating parts, such as disks and shafts, must be scrapped after a certain number ofoperating cycles. This equates to every 8 to 10 years, on average. Extremely costly, LLPs are fabricated from expensive metals (notesuperalloy and titanium are roughly five times more expensive than aluminum and steel alloy) that undergo a highly scrutinizedproduction process (all LLPs must be ultrasonically inspected, meticulously machined and the SKUs carefully tracked). Accordingly,
materials constitute some 70% of the total engine MRO shop visit cost. This compares to only 20% for airframe MRO.
The total material consumed inannual aircraft production and
MRO is approximately 680,000
tons in 2014, according to USbased ICF International. This is
the mill material demand.
Surprisingly, due to inherent
inefficiencies in the production
process, it takes an estimated 6
kg of virgin material for every
1 kg of final material used on theaircraft. This is known as the“buy-to-fly” ratio in industry
parlance. Each material
pre-form process (e.g. forging,casting, extrusion, machinedplate) incurs a considerable lossof material. Most alloys havefairly high buy-to-fly ratios, incontrast to CRFP, which is
closer to 1.5 to 1.
The industry has placed increased emphasis on closed-loop recycling/revert programs and “near-net” shape manufacturing processes.
Near net also has the advantage of minimizing the machining of difficult-to-machine alloys, such as superalloy and titanium alloy.
Aluminum alloy is the most common material overall, accounting for 47% of the 680,000 tons. Steel alloy is the second most prevalentmaterial at 18%. Superalloy and titanium alloy constitute 15% and 11%, respectively. As discussed, titanium is highly versatile. The engine
accounts for 30%; the balance is consumed in the airframe (e.g. wing box, engine pylons, and other “hard” attach points) and the landing
gear. Due in part to the low buy to fly, CFRP comprises just 4% of the total demand, yet is the fastest growing. It is anticipated to increase
6.5% per annum, per ICF’s forecast. Titanium alloy will grow at 4.5% and superalloys at 2%. Aluminum and steel alloy growth rates areflat over the next decade.
Next generation materials include advanced aluminum lithium and various derivatives of 7000 series heat-treated aluminum alloy. The
US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified more alloys within the past decade than it has in the previous seven, thepreponderance are custom aluminum alloys for niche airframe applications. Fiber reinforced aluminum is also under investigation.
Research emphasis for non-metals surrounds out-of-autoclave thermoset composites and thermoplastic extrusions, for stringers, forexample.
A potentially disruptive material for the gas turbine hot section is ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). CMCs are one-third the weight,
twice the strength and have 20% greater thermal capacity than superalloy. Its difficulty to machine and high cost of production are
stubborn barriers for wide-spread adoption. Titanium-aluminide is another material receiving attention. Powder metal is used withgreater frequency for the forged disks. And “single crystal” casting is used increasingly for investment casted turbine blades. Its lattice
structure is manipulated to optimize the longitudinal strength of the blade to stave off creep and low-cycle fatigue.
In terms of the engine cold section, the primacy of titanium fan blades is being challenged. The next generation engines by CFMI (a GE/
Snecma joint venture) and Pratt & Whitney have opted for CFRP and aluminum lithium, respectively, for their narrow body engine fan
blades and cases. The CFM LEAP and the P&W GTF are approximately 35% larger in diameter, therefore a light-weight fan is imperative.
Less mass translates into less rotational inertia and kinetic energy. These materials are part of the enabling technology package that has
afforded an impressive 15% reduction in fuel burn. (Concludes overleaf)

6In general, there has been only moderate metallurgical investigation for “disruptive” aerospace applications. Highly advanced new alloys
cost “a few million” to develop, then one could easily triple that figure for an extensive business development campaign. It is a costly andslow endeavor. It is feasible the development cycle can take up to a decade. Consequently, many of the newer materials have marginal
improvements in performance. Most of the industry’s energy is directed towards cost reduction (for instance, decreasing buy-to-fly) andadvanced monolithic manufacturing. Furthermore, with eight years of production backlog and the aggressive ramp up for both Airbus
and Boeing for narrow body production, it is logical that the emphasis will remain on program execution and cost containment. The
staggering cost overrun of the 787 development and struggling profitability of the A380 program ensure that both OEMs stay focused onincremental gain. Indeed, aviation is a conservative industry. Chances are we will remain at the technological status quo with only
marginal improvements for alloys during the next decade, save, perhaps, the forays into additive manufacturing. Sound business forincumbents. Time to harvest investment. A bit lackluster, however, for the rest of us technology enthusiasts…
Bill Bihlman, Aerolytics LLC, www.aerolyticsllc.com Speaker MMTA’s International Minor Metals Conference 2015

POTENTIAL RECORD BREAKING METAL FOR HIGHEST MELTING TEMPERATURE
A new material with a higher melting point than any other known substance has potentially been discovered byscientists.
The alloy, which is a combination of hafnium, carbon and nitrogen, (Hf-N-C) would theoretically only begin tomelt at temperatures of more than 4,126°C (7,460°F), which is approximately two thirds of the temperature of
the surface of the sun. The current record holder is a combination of hafnium, tantalum and carbon (Hf-Ta-C),
which melts at a temperature 3,526°C, so this new material would signify a significant leap forward.
Unfortunately the researchers still need to actually synthesise the material and to test its real-life properties in
the laboratory.
The research was undertaken at Brown University, Rhode Island, USA, where scientists used computermodelling to try out different combinations of materials without the expense of actually making them. The
researchers calculated the formula for the new alloy by simulating the physical processes that occur at atomic
level when a substance melts.
They started by analysing the properties of the Hf-Ta-C material and then looked for other combinations thatmight maximise these further. Hf-Ta-C combined a high heat of fusion (the energy absorbed or released when
the substance transforms from solid to liquid) and low differences in disorder of the atoms, or entropy, as asolid or liquid.
Metals melt when their molecular structures get enough energy to break with the behaviour of the atoms as aliquid, and this also determines the melting point.
The researchers found that the
Hf-N-C alloy would absorb
similar amounts of energy
when it melted but had asmaller difference in theentropy between solid andliquid.
The researchers are now
working with the University ofCalifornia to synthesize themetal, as well as considering its
mechanical properties andcorrosion resistance.
Suitable applications for such amaterial would include
protective plates on aircraft andin gas turbines.
For more information visit:
http://www.brown.edu/academics/
engineering/news/2015-07/researcherspredict-material-record-setting-melting-point7

8

Yale University: Criticality Consortium
Spring Meeting 2015: Conclusion
I should like to conclude my review of the spring meeting of the Yale Criticality Consortium (the Consortium), organized by the Center for
Industrial Ecology at the university’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, with a look at just one further presentation and, inparticular, the research paper with which it is associated.
As a reminder, together with the National Science Foundation, the Consortium has helped fund the Criticality of Metals project at theschool’s Center for Industrial Ecology. The research group there has recently completed the assessment of the contemporary criticality
for 62 elements. These comprise the metals of the periodic table, together with metalloids and some other elements. The methodology
created to quantify the degree of criticality comprises three dimensions – supply risk, environmental implications and vulnerability tosupply restriction. This provides a structural, and robust, approach that “ reflects the multifaceted factors influencing the availability ofmetals in the 21st century.”
National Level Methodology
Source: Yale University, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Center for Industrial Ecology

The presentation, “Platinum-group metal cycles, companionality, and substitutability”, was given and the research paper, “By-productmetals are technologically essential but have problematic supply ” was “lead authored” by Nedal Nassar, then one of the stalwarts of theCenter’s criticality research group. (Dr Nassar has since been appointed Physical Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey down in Reston,
Virginia where, I am sure, he will continue to exercise his exceptional intellect in solving a stream of knotty problems in the field of thematerial flows of critical metals!) Dr Nassar’s presentation provided us with excellent illustrations of some of the fascinating findings
described in his research paper. I shall, in turn, try to describe some of these.
Companionality
All of us involved with minor metals are, often, too well aware, that many are by-products, or “companion” metals, recovered during theprocessing of other “major” or “host” metals, for example, copper, iron, lead or tin. Having already assessed the contemporary criticality for
62 metals and metalloids, Dr Nassar and his colleagues then turned their attention to assessing the “companionality” of these sameelements, with companionality being described as “the degree to which a metal is obtained largely or entirely as a by-product of one ormore host metals from geologic ores.”
While the results of this research may not necessarily come as a surprise to us, to anybody outside the business, they should, if nothingelse, both reinforce the importance of the market in which we are involved and illustrate very effectively its complexity. Of the 62
different metals, 61% (38 of 62) have companionality greater than 50%. Essentially, what this means is that nearly two thirds of all these
metals have the majority of their global production obtained as a companion metal. (I should note, however, that, while the results are
based on 2008 production data, and, as Dr Nassar describes it, represent a “snapshot in time”, even having reviewed more recent data, heand his colleagues saw only “modest revisions”.)

9The periodic table of companionality on a global basis for 2008

Source: Nassar, Graedel,
Harper Sci. Adv.
2015;1:e1400180
3 April 2015

Metals that are mainly produced as hosts appear in blue, and those that are mainly produced as companions are in red. As Dr Nassar
further points out, included in the companion metals groupings in the periodic table are a number of metals increasingly being used in:Electronic and solar energy applications (Ga, Ge, In, Se and Te)Alloys in high-temperature applications (Co, Hf and Re)

Wind energy, lighting and medical imaging (Dy, Lu, Nd, Pr and Tb)

This leads him to note as the “central point” that “many of the metals so important to modern technology are available mostly orcompletely as companions.” And that “[i]n many cases, their most likely substitutes are elements with similar physical and chemical
properties, elements that are companions as well.”And, as Dr Nassar pointed out to me subsequently, interestingly, the best substitutes are often elements that are co-produced with theelements of interest (e.g., Ni can substitute for Pd in multi-layer ceramic capacitors; Se and Te in pigments, rubber, and free-machining
alloys; and the rare earth elements for each other in a number of applications). This, he said, is not surprising given that elements that arefound in the same mineral deposits often have similar chemical and physical properties and are, thus, likely to substitute for one anotherin commercial applications.
As if to compound further these companion metals’ dependence on their host metals – with all that implies regarding the speed and easeof meeting demand with supply, and pricing (in)elasticity – the results also show that “although there are a few companion metals

associated with multiple hosts, many more are primarily (that is, most of their primary production) associated with only one or two hosts.
Similarly, although host metals may be hosts to multiple companions, they are often the principal host (that is, supply the majority of acompanion’s primary production) for only a few companions.”
The wheel of companionality

Source: Nassar, Graedel, Harper
Sci. Adv. 2015;1:e1400180 3 April
2015

10

The principal host metals form the inner circle. Companion elements appear in the outer circle at distances proportional to thepercentage of their primary production (from 100 to 0%) that originates with the host metal indicated. The companion elements in thewhite region of the outer circle are elements for which the percentage of their production that originates with the host metal indicated has
not been determined.

Another Way to Measure Companionality
Whilst companionality can be measured using a model that addresses quantities produced, as Dr Nassar explained to us in his
presentation, it can also, and may more precisely, be defined using an economic evaluation model. In such a model, companionality
describes the degree to which the revenue contribution of a specific metal covers the cost of sales. Thus a metal that covers the entire
cost of sales is "economically independent of the other metals," while a metal that covers only a small portion of the cost of sales is(proportionally) economically dependent on the other metals for profitable recovery.
This approach he illustrated very clearly and succinctly for us with an analysis of the economics of five different PGM-producing mines infive different countries that quantified the host-companion relationship.
Revenue contribution by metal (in descending order) for five mines producing platinum group elements.

Source: Nassar, Graedel,
Harper Sci. Adv.
2015;1:e1400180 3 April
2015

In the above illustration, the red line marks the point at which revenues cover the cost of sales, thus defining dependency of the metals.
For the Canadian and U.S. mines, costs of sales exceed revenues, as indicated by the red number at the right.
With the host being the metal with the largest economic contribution and the companions those with smaller economic contributions, it
can be seen that, in 2008, for the South African and Zimbabwean mines platinum was the largest revenue contributor and, hence, thehost in both. In Norilsk’s Russian mine, nickel was the host. And both the U.S. and Canadian mines ran a deficit that year!
I believe, however, that it is particularly important to note, as pointed out by Dr Nassar subsequently, that when the economic
companionality analysis was done for the platinum group metals, the data was obtained for the vast majority of operations, covering
nearly all global production. However, such data are often absent for most minor metals. Indeed, data such as potential recovery rates
and price elasticity of supply for most minor metals are often not known (at least to outsiders) and so the responsiveness of their supply tochanges in demand is difficult to anticipate.
There were a number of other fascinating results discussed in the research paper, and which Dr Nassar also addressed in his presentation.
Two such results which cannot be addressed here were: 1) the importance of understanding the dynamic nature of companionality –“changes in production in different countries or in ore deposits within countries may change over time ” and, indeed, do; and 2) since 18 ofthese 38 elements having companionality greater than 50% (“ including such technologically essential elements such as germanium,
terbium, and dysprosium”) can be “further characterized as having geopolitically concentrated production and extremely low rates of endof-life recycling”, the issue of supply constraints from these particular metals should not be overlooked.
I can only exhort you to Dr Nassar’s paper (dated April 3, 2015) in Science Advances at http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/3/
e1400180. It is excellent.
© 2015 Tom Butcher, MMTA Sustainability Working Group11

RESULTS OF THE RECENT MMTA MEMBER SURVEY
Thank you to Members who responded to the recent MMTA Member Survey. The

NEW MMTA MEMBER
Hickman, Williams & Company

result of the new Warehouse location question is below:
Founded in 1890, Hickman, Williams &Company is 100% employee-owned andserves global metals producers and otherindustries with a wide range of materials
The Executive Team will work

including ferroalloys and specialty metals

together with the Warehouseand alloys, such as Ni, Co, Ta, Hf, Re, Mo,

Committee to identify

W, Cr, Ti and Nb.

warehouses suitable for MMTA
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Consistent with our commitment tocustomer service, Hickman, Williams &Company maintains a network of

How to solve the problem of the shrinking kilo?

strategically located sales offices, plants andThere is an international effort being currently undertaken to redefine the kilogram.
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in a vault at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France for over
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It is the Vision of Hickman, Williams &Mathematicians are currently working on replacing this solid metal block, known as
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warehouses to assure prompt delivery.

Company to be the premier supplier of highvalue products and services to the metals
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employee-owned company, we continually
strive to improve these products with total

In order to achieve this, however, they need to work out a way of estimating anothermathematical constant called Avogadro’s number (the number of discrete particles– molecules or atoms – in a ‘mole’ of substance. A mole of water, for example, isjust a few teaspoons but it contains more molecules than there are grains of sand in
the world.
The scientists at the heart of this research project have demonstrated theirbreakthrough by ‘counting’ the number of atoms in a kilogram sphere of puresilicon. They can estimate this because such pure silicon forms crystals of cubic
cells each containing 8 atoms of silicon, and in
this way, they can calculate the number of atoms
in the sphere by calculating the volume occupied
by each silicon atom.

customer satisfaction as our goal, while
meeting statutory and regulatory
requirements.

Contact: John E. Porter
Email: JPorter@hicwilco.com
Phone: +1 724 772 3090
Website: www.hicwilco.com

Redefining the kilogram in such a fundamentalmanner will have an enormous impact on us all.
It is the only one of the 7 base units on which allother units of measurement in science arederived that is based on a physical object rather
than a fundamental physical constant.
Summarised from i, 15th July 2015 by Steve Connor

12

13

Colin Williams, RIP

P. 3 continued

In early 1971, Colin joined a Rudolf Wolff delegation led by Jack Wolff and Francois Robert. They were promoting their candidacy asworld sales agents for Peruvian metals and minerals, at the time under the exclusive marketing of Minero Peru, a state organization.
This was the start of another of Colin’s long-standing friendships, in this case with Carlos Grana and Ronnie Gillespie, who were in chargeof marketing at Minero Peru. While the various agencies offered were evaluated, and rejected by Minero Peru, there was a strike at the
Cerro de Pasco Lead smelter, which had created a growing bottle neck and stock of untreated Pb Concs. Colin registered this and from
Lima he went to Mexico, where he mentioned this fact to Wolff’s agents Jose Barroso and Raul Estevez, who brought it to the attentionof Penoles. Shortly after, a first contract with Penoles was signed for the toll treatment during one year of a total of 100,000mt of Pb
Concs which was soon extended for an additional period of 9 years, at the rate of 100,000 mtpy, making the total tonnage of this deal
1,000,000 tons of Peruvian Pb Concs. This anecdote of an Englishman brokering an enormous deal between two Spanish speaking
countries was one Colin used to explain to new recruits the importance of travel, serendipity and gumption.
Shortly thereafter, the partners of Rudolf Wolff sold their LME business to Noranda. Colin always wished to set up his own company andthe catalyst of Rudolf Wolff’s sale to Noranda led him in 1972 to team up with Bernard Buckman to establish Wogen Resources at 17
Devonshire Street, where the company was based for 15 years before moving to its current location at No.4, The Sanctuary, Westminster.
From the beginning the focus of the new business was China and one of the initial deals brokered was the start of sales of Iron Ore fromthe newly developed Hamersley Iron mines in the Pilbara, Western Australia to Minmetals in China. This was the beginning of a 30 year
relationship with the CRA subsidiaries Hamersley Iron and Comalco, which only ended in the early 2000’s, by which time Hamersley was
selling many tens of millions of tons per year of Iron Ore to China and Comalco many hundreds of thousands of tons of Alumina.
By 1980 Wogen’s star in China had risen so far as to qualify Colin and Bernard for an audience in the Great Hall of the People with Deputy
Vice-Premier & Politburo member Wang Zhen. Wogen was at the forefront in developing a presence on the ground in China andopened one of the first wave of accredited representative offices in Beijing in 1980, following up with an office in Shanghai in 1984.
Similarly Wogen was at the fore-front of opening a Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise in 2004 as soon as that was allowed.
As a counterpoint to China, Colin thrived in doing business behind the iron curtain and made forays to Moscow, which involved trade incomparable proportions to those he undertook in the PRC.
From his time in California onwards, Colin had developed a keen interest in the materials being used in the developing aerospaceindustry, in particular Titanium. A fortuitous combination of British metallurgical processing capability combined with large-scale
generation of Titanium turnings in US machine shops and the development of HSLA steel resulted in Sheffield becoming the Ferro
Titanium production centre of the world from the 1970’s through to the 1990’s. Rudolf Wolff had teamed up with Geoffrey Willan and
Jim Ingall to supply raw material from the USA for melting in Sheffield, with RW marketing the FeTi product. This was the basis ofWillan-Wogen Alloys, formed in the mid 1970’s in Rotherham, a JV company which Wogen later acquired in full, and which formed thecore of Wogen’s substantial Titanium business until the FeTi processing section was sold in 2000 to London & Scandinavian Alloys
leaving Wogen Titanium Ltd trading and processing Titanium Sponge. In 1990 Willan-Wogen Alloys Ltd was awarded the Queen’s Award
for Export Achievement and in 2006 Wogen Titanium Ltd was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, achievements of which Colinwas rightfully proud.
In 2005 as the industrial revolution in China was taking off, Wogen became only the 2nd pure metal trading company to float on the
London Stock Exchange, MG UK being the first in 1999. While the aim of the flotation was to facilitate succession planning and thefurther development of the company, the Company found itself out of sympathy with the expectations which the stock market had of aquoted company and when the stock market crashed in 2008/9 to a level where the shares were trading at a fraction of the net worthof the company, a number of employee shareholders decided to take the Company private. Wogen remains a private company owned
solely by employees.
Colin had several interests outside of work which centred around providing support and guidance to communities close to his heart. He
was appointed a Trustee of Uppingham School in 1991 and was Chairman from 1999-2008. He was instrumental in the creation of theUppingham Foundation in 1999 and his great strength lay in encouraging others to help support the School too. He was an Active
Honorary Steward of Westminster Abbey from 1992 until 2012 and served the YMCA as a Vice-President. Colin’s hobbies and interests
were listed as ‘hymn singing, fly fishing, watercolours and beer drinking’. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in the 1960’s
and admitted as a Liveryman to the Worshipful Company of Broderers in 2002.
On the evening of Monday 20th July 2015, Colin's body rested overnight in St Faith's Chapel in Westminster Abbey, an honour afforded
him as a former Honorary Steward, followed the next morning by a Requiem Mass.
On Wednesday 22nd July a Funeral Service was held for Colin in his Parish Church in Conington, Cambridgeshire. He is survived by his
wife, son, daughter and grand-daughter.

14

Deep sea mining update
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 mining. At each update theplans to exploit the resources at the bottom of the ocean seem to begetting more and more concrete.
As previously discussed, authorities at the little known Jamaicabased International Seabed Authority (ISA) (a UN body) are issuing
exploration contracts. Understandably conservationists are very
concerned that not enough is known about the fragile biodiversity ofthe ocean bed to even consider mining, as well as the lack of clear
information on the risk of extracting minerals.

NEW MMTA MEMBER
Telex Metals LLC
Telex Metals is a minor metals supplier,manufacturer and recycler known for quality
processes and products—and integrity of theirpeople.

According to the ISA private sector interest in this untapped area has
grown massively in the past 5 years, with very significant
investments being made. I previously wrote about the sale of a
British underwater machinery company to a Chinese firm.

A respected source of tantalum, tungsten andniobium, Telex is a strategic business partnerwith the ability to meet customers’ key businessneeds, providing security of supply, settlementtransparency, and integrity to honor
commitments despite changing market
conditions.

In response to these developments a Deep Sea Conservation
Coalition has been formed by international scientists. This grouphas urged ISA to temporarily halt authorization of new mining
contracts until networks of "marine protected areas" are establishedaround areas targeted for mining. This was published in a recent
article in the journal Science, (July edition). However, in recent days
ISA authorised its latest exploration contract, a 72,745 square
kilometre (28,087 sq. mile) permit in the Pacific to China
Minmetals Corp. China now has the most permits from the U.N.
body, with a total of four.

Telex has experienced consistent positive
growth since its founding. Telex’s customer baseand sources of supply are international. Telex
has been certified as a Conflict Free Smelter(CFS) under the conflict-free sourcing initiativefrom EICC/GeSI since 2011. Their management
team brings more than 150 years of combined
metals industry experience.
The headquarters and manufacturing facility isbased in the United States just outside ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. They are compliant
with all applicable US safety and environmental
regulations and have the necessary permits tooperate and support their customers’ needs. The
facility is a zero-discharge facility; all liquid andphysical waste is neutralized and shipped to an
approved treatment facility for processing.
Telex benefits are:• Value-added recycling and processing of minor
metals into premium products• Guaranteed destruction of proprietary parts• Customer-focused, flexible solutions• Industry expertise

So far, most of ISA's contracts have been issued for the deep abyssal
plains of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, the area of the Pacific
Ocean off Mexico and the U.S. At depths of 4,000 to 6,000 metres, it
is known to be rich in nodules containing copper, cobalt, manganeseand significant concentrations of rare-earth elements. As part of anenvironmental plan, ISA has set aside nine areas in this zone,
prohibiting them to contractors.
It seems incredible that there is high interest in deep sea mining,
given that conventional mining companies are struggling to secure
funding for far less complex on-land projects. It remains to be seen
if any deep sea project becomes a real source of materials.
Tamara Alliot, MMTA

15

• Proven commitment to quality and theenvironment

Contact: Matt Danish
Email: matt@telexmetals.com
Phone: +1 215 781 6335
Website: www.telexmetals.com

IMPORTER COVERAGE THROUGH THE ONLY REPRESENTATIVE FACILITY
The EU’s Chemical Regulation REACH has introduced a new area of chemicals management, not only in Europe, but globally.
This legislation applies only to legal entities in the European Community, companies located outside but exporting products
into the customs territory of the EU are not bound by the obligations. However, the Regulation allows for the Non-Community
Manufacturer, to appoint someone established in the EU to act as his Only Representative (OR). This provides some advantages
for the Non-Community Manufacturer (NCM), within the supply chain and for the EU-Importer. The OR has the right to act onbehalf of a NCM to fulfil several obligations of REACH. In doing so, the OR prevents a distortion of competition between EU andnon-EU manufacturer. REACH Article 8 outlines the Only Representative facility. The OR operates on behalf of an appointmentby the NCM. The legal consequence of the appointment is that the OR has the right to act on behalf of the NCM and, thereby,
must fulfil the „obligations on importers“. Formally, he acts as the pre-/registrant of the particular substance, and he is legally
responsible for the registration. Therefore, the OR has to fulfil the registration obligations and all other obligations of importers
under REACH. At the same time, the importer within the same supply chain is relieved from his obligations under REACH: The
importer is regarded as a downstream user.
Meanwhile, the OR-facility seems to be an attractive option within chemical control legislation in some non-EU countries thatare implementing similar schemes. Turkey adopted an equivalent OR concept in its implementation of REACH-like legislation.
South Korea has moved towards Korean REACH (or K-REACH) with its own version of an Only Representative. K-REACH is inforce since 1st of January 2015 and exporters of chemicals to Korea can cover their importing customers through the OR Facility
in Korea. ORs can submit the annual reporting to the authority on substance volumes & use, substance registrations or
exemption applications and fully cover the Korean imports.
Through our offices in Europe and Korea, CHEMSERVICE can offer a comprehensive OR service package and global regulatory
affairs support on International chemical control legislation.

Contact: Chemservice GmbH, Dr. Dieter Drohmann, Email: d.drohmann@chemservice-group.com

16

CRM ALLIANCE PRESENTS AT TTIP STAKEHOLDER MEETING
On 15 July, Maurits Bruggink, as Secretary General of the Critical Raw Materials Alliance, was given the opportunity to make a substantial
presentation to the TTIP Stakeholder meeting. The meeting was split up into 4 separate sessions, and the CRM presentation was among
17 presentations in the session on “Issues related to agriculture, small and medium enterprises, sustainable development, energy and raw
materials”. On the EU side, Mr. Petros Sourmelis, Head of Unit Market Access, Industry, Energy and Raw Materials at DG Traderepresented the European Commission, and for the US side Ms Jean Kemp, USTR Lead Negotiator for Energy and Raw Materials.
At the end of the presentation, both negotiators asked a question: for the EU, this was which trade barriers existed for CRMs, while the US
negotiator wanted to understand what existing unfair trading practices there are. There was no indication given as to whether and when
the negotiators would address the CRM issues during the trade talks.
Chief negotiators’ briefing
At the official TTIP stakeholder briefing on 15 July 2015, the chief negotiators of the EU and the US, Ignacio Garcia Bercero and Dan
Mullaney, briefed interested industry and civil society organisations about the 10th round of the TTIP negotiations taking place in Brussels
from 13 to 17 July 2015.
Dan Mullaney specifically referred to the presentation on critical raw materials given to negotiators by the CRM Alliance earlier in the day.
He stated that trade in critical raw materials, as they are used in high tech industries, would be discussed by EU and US counterparts
during the course of the week’s negotiations. This is of course a positive development, and shows that our efforts are bearing fruit.
On the subject of chemicals’ regulation, it was underlined by Bercero that there will be no compromise on REACH or its implementationand no limitation to the power to regulate as a result of TTIP negotiations. The two sides are however continuing to discuss ways tocooperate on chemicals regulation. This can be read as a reference to the non-paper on chemicals regulation, which outlines the EU’s
proposals, inviting comments from and exchanges with US regulators, namely the Environmental Protection Agency, on the subject ofvarious steps of the REACH regulation, such as the CoRAP substance evaluation, the Authorisation and Restriction procedures, and also
on the CLP regulation.
Recommended action:
The CRM Alliance is to prepare a detailed paper on trade issues, including the main trade flows, barriers and practices. This paper, which
could include recommendations to become a position paper, will help negotiators for TTIP and other bilateral or multilateral trade talks toorientate their negotiations and make improvements for trading of CRMs.
CRM Alliance, Brussels

Other Trade news: Vietnam EU Trade deal
On 4 August 2015, the EU and Vietnam reached an agreement in principle for a free trade deal. Negotiations for an ambitious andcomprehensive FTA [Free Trade Agreement] were launched in June 2012 with a view to ensuring an effective environment for trade andinvestment relations. The EU and Vietnam still need to settle remaining technical issues and finalise the legal text. Once finalised, theagreement will need to be approved by the Council and the Parliament. The agreement will contain a legally binding link to the Partnershipand Cooperation Agreement (PCA) that governs the overall relationship between the EU and Vietnam.
The agreement in principle reached on 4 August 2015 for a free trade deal includes the elimination of nearly all tariffs (over 99%).
Vietnam will liberalise tariffs over a 10-year period and the EU will liberalise tariffs over a 7 year period. The agreement also covers nontariff barriers to trade and other trade related aspects such as public procurement, regulatory issues, competition, services, investment,
intellectual property rights, and sustainable development.
Trade pictureEU exports to Vietnam are dominated by high tech products including electrical machinery and equipment, aircraft, vehicles, andpharmaceutical products. Vietnam's key export items to the EU include telephone sets, electronic products, footwear, textiles andclothing, coffee, rice, seafood, and furniture.



The EU has a negative balance of trade in goods with Vietnam. In 2014, EU-Vietnam trade in goods was worth over €28.3 billion,
with €22.1 billion in imports from Vietnam into the EU, €6.2 billion in exports from the EU to Vietnam.



The EU is one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam. In 2013, EU investors committed a total US$ 656 million in Foreign Direct
Investment and thus remain Vietnam's sixth largest foreign investor’s partner.
Update from the EU Commission

17

Managing Sustainability
Sustainability, a strategy employed to address risk and simultaneously create opportunity from that risk, is not a new concept. At abusiness level, it ensures that an entity can function profitably, including creating competitive advantages, fostering innovation andmitigating risk. The methodology fares best via a systematic approach, such as when it is ingrained into cultures that span every
department within a business, and further beyond to its stakeholders. However sustainability might be defined, the concept is integrated
daily. Today though, both markets and policy demand the concept move through its next evolution: defining its purpose composition.
Sustainability today involves long-term planning with heavy emphasis on environment and social welfare – an incredible leap from ahundred years ago. Given the advancement of technology and increasing knowledge of biology and social well being, sustainability as awhole attempts to ensure that decisions made today will mitigate long-term risk. It’s a big shift in a society or company to plan well ahead
into the future, but if your company plans on being in business for multiple generations, why not create a rough map for the long-term?
What will your company be in 50 years? What are some major risks your company faces in the long-term? To make this a practical
exercise, because of the many ideas one can have for the future but can only speculate what it may entail, we begin with where we want
to be at the end. Envision 50 years in the future; what will the company and industry potentially look like, and what should your company
look like? You then ask what would need to be achieved at the halfway point, 25 years, in order to be on track to the 50-year goal. Cut the
25 years in half, and then do it again and again, and you end up
within a year or two from present day. This strategy of“backcasting”, which is a tool of The Natural Step, a non-profit
addressing sustainability for the last 25 years, allows a company tomake big goals for the future, then break them into digestible
segments and timeframes.
Every aspect of a sustainability strategy, or plan, should incorporaterisks that will significantly impact the company’s finances. As
trends change in resource availability and regulations, externalities,
many of which are not accounted for today, may need to beaccounted for at great expense to those who do not plan inadvance. It is also important to acknowledge that not everythingcan be easily quantified or translated into dollars. Goals andprojects that do not distinctly appear in the bottom line can create
tremendous value.
Direction for the plan can be taken from multiple resources, none
maybe more important than the business itself. How well do you understand your business or department? What data are you collecting
and how are you analyzing this data? Internal communication, organization and planning are essential components to successfully
implementing long-term sustainability. It is also important to have leadership and assigned roles dedicated to the effort. Sustainability canbe a daunting challenge and therefore its implementation requires ample resources. As these components fall into place – goals, roles,
responsibilities and actions to be taken, the organization can produce, as most addressing sustainability do, a Sustainability Report, or
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report.
This report ensures monitoring of progress towards goals and continued focus on important issues in the present and future. It can beseen as half strategy map, and half measurement and verification tool. Additional value from this report is derived through its creation ofengagement with stakeholders outside the company, a communication channel that can allow for proactive instead of reactive positioning.
Sustainability reporting fosters industry evolution as well, as organizations use the data to benchmark against each other, in addition toleveraging data to create policy and guide industry innovation – benefits to all stakeholders.
One challenge to sustainability reporting involves standardization of measurement. There are multiple software companies offering
sustainability tracking and reporting, all with slight variations of how data is manipulated. Different products also exist that are industry,
process, or entity size, specific. To find what may be best for your organization, it is best to reach out to your industry associations engaged
in sustainability. One place to start may be the MMTA’s Thinking About Sustainability beginners’ guide for SMEs.
For an understanding of what sustainability reporting generally entails, two established organizations that provide reporting frameworks
include the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and B-Corp. For metals, numerous companies are tackling sustainability issues and reporting– some addressing the issue through CSR reports, and some including the subject in their annual reports. There you can find their goals
and benchmarks, progress, certifications and qualitative endeavors. Especially with the recent downturn in metal commodities,
organizations may want to look into what it would take to create a sustainability roadmap and reporting process.
Sabrina Dias, a CSR consultant in the mining and metals industry who, as one aspect of her job, travels across the globe to bridge the gap
between mining companies and stakeholders at the mining site, spoke about her experiences in sustainability. She recently produced asustainability report for precious metals company.

18

Her perception is that sustainability in the metals industry is going to expand, as it is a
powerful framework for mitigating risk. Increasingly, she is seeing stakeholder
engagement in business plans, and companies and organizations defining andimplementing long-term sustainability. Her perspective is that companies with asystematic approach, as opposed to one that is linear, create the most value.
A 2015 study published by physicists at the University California, Berkeley, estimatedthat 1.6 million people in China die annually because of air pollution. In almost theentire eastern half of China, the small particulate matter is at higher concentrations
than that of Madera, CA, the city in the United States with the highest concentrations.
And recently in the news, there have been reports of factories in China almost fully
automating their production facilities, with the exception of a few workers to monitor
computers. Although this is nothing new, Mercedes and other top global
manufacturers have had fully automated robotic assembly lines for some time, it
reveals a little more about what the future may be, and asks what we want it to be.
A manufacturer, looking at this from a sustainability perspective, may think about thepossibilities of fully automated facilities in the next 20 years in order to staycompetitive. If so, where and how would they procure the energy for these types ofoperations? Would they have to pay for their carbon emissions? How would this
impact their workforce of human labor and what would the adjustment look like?
When should they begin investing and planning for these challenges? How will thecommunity and government perceive these changes?

NEW MMTA MEMBER
Aminco Resources LLC
Established in 1986, Aminco Resources delivers
financial and commercial solutions for thephysical supply of carbon, minor metals, andrare earth products. With a combined
experience of over 100 years, the principals of
Aminco bring global expertise in both the
supply and production of raw materials for the
primary aluminum, steel, ceramic, chemical, andelectronics sectors.
Aminco’s headquarters are in New York with
offices in Zurich and Beijing. Additionally, we
have an extensive network of agents worldwide
to support product supply and customer
service. Importantly, we work closely with our

Benefits of Sustainability
 Cost savings, long and short-term
 Reduced market risk and volatility
 Better defined and more apparent opportunities
 Proactive instead of reactive market participant behavior
 Shared best practices through standards and reporting Long-term industry and business vitality
 Branding / marketing opportunities Financing opportunities
 Increased competitivenessprimary suppliers, often times establishingjoint-ventures or partnerships, to ensurestability of product quality and availability as
well as supply chain efficiency. From 1990 –
2001, the principals of Aminco owned equity ina large US based calciner, Venco, in a 50/50
joint venture with Conoco(now ConocoPhilips), where Aminco was
responsible for marketing.
Aminco’s rare earths and minor metals divisionfocuses on the supply of critical raw materials
to the master-alloy, magnetics, ceramics, glass,catalyst, phosphor, and medical imaging sectors.

Currently, industry is at a crossroads of embracing innovation and change. It’s a pushthat will come internally, or will be forced at great expense, externally. The definitionand criteria need to be broadened and cultural integration must increase.

Aminco remains interested and prepared toinvest in asset-based opportunities thatcomplement our core trading activities.

Investments towards the allocation of resources into sustainability programs should
be expanded. Companies that are proactive and execute long-term goals will have abetter opportunity to create legacies.
Contact: Melvin Hill
Bryant Dulin, MMTA Sustainability Working Group

Email: m.hill@aminco.biz
Business Phone: +1-914-949-4400
Website: www.amincoresources.com

19

The MMTA’s 42nd Anniversary Dinner
Tuesday 13th October 2015
InterContinental London Park Lane, London, United Kingdom
The MMTA's flagship social event, the Anniversary Dinner, is returning
to the InterContinental, Park Lane, London.
Join circa 250 expected guests for extensive networking drinks, thisyear kindly sponsored by RC Inspection, followed by an excellent
4-course dinner, including wine.
Ticket prices have been held at 2014 prices– Book online or contact the
MMTA Executive for an invoice£105 for MMTA Members and their guests£150 for Non-Members(+ VAT where applicable)
To book go to the MMTA’s website or contact the Executive TeamSpecial offer - Pay for a table of 11, and you get the 12th place free - To take advantage of this offer, pleasecontact the MMTA directly.

EVENING ITINERARY
6.45pm Networking Drinks Reception kindly sponsored by RC Inspection
8.15pm Dinner
10.30pm Music, Networking & Late Bar
1.30am Carriages

The Drinks Reception is kindly
sponsored by RC Inspection

20

VACANCY

NEW MMTA MEMBERPhD Studentship in Material Substitution, Resource

When?
Titan International Inc LLC

Efficiency and Circular Economy

Wednesday 16th September 2015

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship within the Sheffield University Management
School (SUMS) and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, at The Universityof Sheffield. This PhD will start in 2015/16, and is funded by the Engineering and PhysicalSciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the area of material substitution and circular
economy. This researcher will be part of the team in the Advanced Resource Efficiency
Centre (AREC) and the Functional Materials Group; working closely with other researchers
in the EPSRC funded materials substitution and sustainability programme.
Advancement in technology and product innovation for smarter and smaller products have
led to increased supply chain complexity in ensuring security of materials supply especially,
precious, critical and rare earth materials embedded. With volatility of materials price andcontrol of their availability, these have driven many industries to explore and mine virginmaterials from source. This practice is unsustainable given the impact of this process on
the environment and climate change. Responding to this challenge, circular economy has
been actively promoted as a new paradigm to address resources scarcity by reuse, recycling
and recovery, in which second life of materials (or repurposing) are provided to feed into
the economy. On the other hand, critical research has also focussed on materials
substitution to reduce reliance on these materials. However, ensuring the shift from a
linear economy to a resource efficient, substitution mindset and circular economy
paradigm has not been well understood theoretically.
The circular economy approach is seen as a potential solution to the planet's emerging
resource crunch. Reserves of critical materials such as rare earth elements and otherimportant minerals are diminishing, with a corresponding rise in the costs of explorationand material extraction. The current linear economy, which adopts a 'take-make-dispose'approach results in massive waste. This level of waste together with potential supply risks
are contributing to volatile commodity prices. In this research project, we will focus on the
top-ten materials identified in Cucchiella, A’Adamo, Koh and Rosa (2015), namely gold,copper, palladium, plastics, silver, aluminium, tin, barium, platinum and cobalt. Some ofthese issues could be stabilised through the decoupling of economic growth from resource
consumption.
To this end, this PhD research project will focus on developing new methods for quantifying
the material flows and environmental trade-offs associated with these materials
substitution and recycling within the resource efficient and circular economy framework.
This will entail prediction of the environmental impact of recycling/substitution versus
mining for the production of critical materials. It is intended that the current research work
will contribute towards solidifying the economic and technical foundations for material
substitution and recycling options in addressing materials supply chain sustainability.
Requirements:
Students with a First or Second High Upper Class Degree in Material Science andEngineering/Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Engineering
Economics, or a closely related subject are invited to apply. Candidates should have astrong quantitative background including in life cycle assessment, input-output analysis
and a deep understanding of recyclability of materials vis-a-vis circular economy.
Experience with LCA modelling tools is preferred. Knowledge of separation techniques,
process modelling and material substitution is desirable. Demonstrated ability of
independent academic research and contribution to scientific publications will constitute an
added advantage.
Under this funding scheme, UK citizens are eligible, as are EU citizens who have been
resident in the UK for the 3 years preceding the date of application. The studentship is forthree years starting in September 2015 and will provide full coverage of tuition fees and anannual tax-free stipend .
For further enquiries regarding the position and application procedure, please email yourresearch proposal, CV and Cover Letter to Professor Lenny Koh (S.C.L.Koh@sheffield.ac.uk)
or Professor I.M Reaney (I.M.Reaney@sheffield.ac.uk).

21

Titan International, Inc. is a world-classmanufacturer, trader and recycler of high-value
specialty metal products. For over 25 years, we
Where?
havebuilt our reputation on expertise, reliability
and service – providing a broad line of quality
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
products and custom solutions based upon ourclients' unique requirements. Titan’s technicalInstituteof Vehicle Concepts,
staff of metallurgists, chemists and engineers
work hand-in-handStuttgart,
Germany with clients to provide
product consulting, market research and custom
material development.
Operatingfrom our
200,000 square foot state-of
Who should
attend?
-the-art production facility, Titan produces
products ofof thethe MMTA
highestandqualityMembers
IMA,andandpurity atcompetitive prices. Titan’s products areothers interested in the increasing impact
approved for use in the most demandingof EU CRM andpolicieson theirincluding
businessaerospace,andapplicationsindustries,
automotive, energy and defense.
the industry.
Titan’s products include pure rhenium pellets,
ammonium perrhenate (APR), tungsten carbide
What?
grits
and powders, ferro-alloys and other metal
powders (including ferro-niobium,This one-day seminarat tungsten
the worldferro-vanadium,and ferropowders), as
well as aluminum,and copper
powders.
renowned
German tin
Aerospace
Centerin

Stuttgart combines:

Titan maintains strategic global partnerships thatallow us to provide our clients with a wide array
must-have informationof quality products including hafnium, tantalum,
niobium,rareearths, chromium,
theopportunity
to speakcobalt,
directlycopper,tomolybdenum, nickel, silver, tungsten, and zinc topolicymakersname a few, along with chemicals for the plating
industry.

valuable networking

Over the years, we have expanded to include
industry-leading and environmentally responsible
metal recycling and recovery processes. We
Cost:
recover high-value constituent metals such as
rhenium,
nickeland tantalumfrom a variety of
MMTA/IMA
Members:€350/£250
scrap sources. Titan also provides clients with“closed loop” toll processing services, enablingclients to reclaim valuable constituent metals
fromscrapseminarsources,byfor
their own
Thistheiris a joint
there-use
MMTAinandproduction.

IMA and is kindly hosted byContact: Christopher Devone
Email: devone@titanintl.com
Phone: +1 856 735 2220
Website: www.titanintl.com

Cobalt and Horse Doping
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 horsemen believe that supplementing the substance will help
their horses gain a competitive advantage on the race track.
Cobalt is a trace mineral found in B vitamins that horses require in tiny amounts for correct functioning of their physiology. As a result, allhorses will have trace amounts of the substance in their systems. (Humans also need cobalt in B vitamins with dietary sources including
meat, liver, kidney, clams, oysters, milk, ocean fish and sea vegetables such as seaweed.)
Doctors have used cobalt to treat anaemia (essentially by increasing the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity) in humans for decades.
However, it was associated with a variety of adverse effects, including gastrointestinal, neurologic, cardiovascular, and thyroid problems.
As a result, doctors have largely ceased using it. Some athletes, however, continue using it as a doping agent.
Until recently, researchers had not evaluated cobalt supplements’ beneficial or adverse effects in horses. Nevertheless, as racing
regulators' interest in the element has increased, so has the amount of research.
Last October, Indiana set a race-day cobalt threshold of 25 ppb for horses in that state. Doctors stated that prior to the threshold's

implementation, 6 to 7% of horses tested had increased cobalt levels. Since implementation, less than 1% of horses tested have had
increased cobalt levels.
Kentucky is currently doing cobalt surveillance. The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium had not yet recommended a thresholdvalue at the time of this presentation, but should soon.
Several additional studies assessing cobalt's adverse effects, the administration of cobalt-containing supplements and blood samples
from non-racing Standardbreds are underway. Thus, there is work underway evaluating different cobalt testing methods, which can
result in different test outcomes.
In closing, doctors stress that while illicit cobalt use appears to be prevalent, it's effects— whether these are negative or positive—aren't
currently well-understood with no one having documented any beneficial effects scientifically yet in horses.

MMTA OFFICE MEETING ROOMFREE USE FOR MEMBERS

Screen, projector & flipchartFree Wi-fiTea, coffee, water provided—otherrefreshments can be arranged at cost

Contact the MMTA to book the meeting room.

Library and PC resources

22

EU Critical Raw Materials:
Essential for your business & your industry now and in the future

When?
Wednesday 16th September 2015

Where?
Antimony

Beryllium

Borates

Chromium

CobaltCoking Coal

Fluorspar

Gallium

Germanium

IndiumNatural Graphite

Niobium

Magnesite

Magnesium

German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Vehicle Concepts,
Stuttgart, Germany

PGMs

Who should attend?
Phosphate RockREEs (Heavy)

REEs (Light)

Silicon Metal

Tungsten

08.30—09.30 Registration & Coffee

Speaker

The German political approach to theimportance of CRMs

The role of the CRM Alliance in promoting anddefending CRMs in Brussels

Dr. Christian Kühne
Ministry for Environment,
Climate & Energy, BadenWürttemberg
Alexis Van Maercke
Policy Officer – Raw Materials,
DG GROW
Dr. Frank MarscheiderWeidemann
Fraunhofer InstituteHeleen Vollers,
CRM Alliance

Q & A and Wrap Up From Morning Session

Christian Payn, IMA

What is EU policy towards critical raw
materials (CRMs)?
Supply risk and economic importance —what makes a material ‘critical’?

Members of the MMTA and IMA, andothers interested in the increasing impact
of EU CRM policies on their business andthe industry.

What?
This one-day seminar at the worldrenowned German Aerospace Center in
Stuttgart combines:must-have informationthe opportunity to speak directly topolicy makers

valuable networking

Cost:
MMTA/IMA Members: €350/£250

LUNCH & NETWORKING
Panel Discussion—What is the risk?
Case studies looking at different elements of supply risk and economic importance for Europe New European primary production of Mg in
Turkey Difficulty of developing primary production in
Europe (REEs)
 The trader view on supply risks
 Trade issues and restrictions including new
exchanges
 Candidates for substitution (In)Moderator: Martin, Tauber,President CRM Alliance

The Way Forward

Maria Cox, MMTA

Ilhan Goknel
Eczacibasi Esan
Mark Saxon
Tasman Metals
Armin Buschhausen,
MD, Cellmark Metals Germany
Claire Mikolajczak
Indium Corp

16.00 SHOWCASING OF DLR PROJECTS& NETWORKING DRINKS

Non-members: €450/£330

For more information or to register, go to
http://www.mmta.co.uk/
events/2015/09/16/222
or contact
executive@mmta.co.uk

This is a joint seminar by the MMTA and
IMA and is kindly hosted by
Deutsches Zentrum für Luftund Raumfahrt (DLR)
Pfaffenwaldring 38-40
70569 Stuttgart

www.intlmag.org

23

www.mmta.co.uk