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G lobal molybdenum production reached a new high of 539.2 million
pounds in 2013, surpassing the 2012 record of 535.2 million lb. Full
year figures from the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA),
London, also show global molybdenum usage at 537.7 million lb, break-
ing the previous year’s record high of 522.5 million lb. Molybdenum is
added to steel and cast iron to improve strength, toughness, hardenabil-
ity, and weldability for numerous applications in the automotive, ship-
building, construction, mining, chemical, oil and gas, and energy
generation industries. In stainless steels and superalloys, it improves cor-
rosion resistance and high-temperature performance and finds uses in
many industrial applications. It is also used in a variety of products from
catalysts and lubricants to pigments and paint.
The greatest use of molybdenum in 2013 was in China, where it in-
creased from 188.4 million lb in 2012 to 196.2 million in 2013. Europe
recorded the second biggest share with 140.4 million lb, up from 135.9
million in 2012. Japan and the U.S. were the third and fourth largest users
of molybdenum by region, recording 57.4 and 56.1 million lb respectively.
Usage in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) reached 23 mil-
lion lb, with other countries together totaling 64.6 million lb.
China was also the biggest molybdenum producer in 2013, although
output fell slightly to 194.9 million lb, compared to the previous year’s
record high of 207 million lb. Production in North America rose from
176.5 million lb in 2012 to 180.5 million in 2013. South America was the
third largest producer, accounting for 128 million lb in 2013, up from
118.7 in 2012. Production in other countries increased slightly from 33 to
35.7 million lb in 2013.
Global usage increased from 137.5 million lb in Q3 to 138.2 in Q4.
Usage in China decreased slightly from 52.9 million lb in Q3 to 51.6 in Q4.
In contrast, European usage increased from 34 million lb in Q3 to 35.1 in
Q4. Japan and the U.S. used 14.4 and 14.2 million lb respectively in Q4.
IMOA is a nonprofit trade association representing the interests of
most of the world’s molybdenum producers and converters, as well as
consumers and traders. For more information, visit .
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES • SEPTEMBER 2014 4
spot l ight feedback
market
Global molybdenum production
and use hits record high
Touting titanium for implants
With regard to the recent article
link in the July 23 AM&P eNewslet-
ter—Microscopic Analysis of Frac-
tured Screws Used as Implants in
Bone Fixation featured in a recent
Journal of Failure Analysis and Pre-
vention —who published this tripe?
A stainless bone screw that didn’t
fail would be more newsworthy! I
have published data from 40 years
ago stating that 90% of stainless
onlay plate screws show corrosion
after seven days. This problem was
well known in 1943, when the Army
started using stainless for implants.
If the ham-handed MDs don’t twist
them off during installation, the
chlorides will soon get them. Thread
rolling or machining also introduces
stress into the metal, making it even
more of a risk. Friction (fretting) with
the implant itself destroys the thin
protective skin on the stainless. If it
lives through that, a crevice corro-
sion condition will exist between the
parts. Three strikes, you’re out.
Easy solution: Switch to Ti 6-4 alloy
for all implants. The cost of any
material is a tiny fraction of the
final cost of any device, Pt or Pb, it
makes no difference.
Chuck Dohogne
Mitigating magnesium mayhem
I was pleased to see the excellent
article by Frank Czerwinski on mag-
nesium ignition [Overcoming Barri-
ers of Magnesium Ignition and
Flammability, May]. It does not try to
dodge around the actual flammabil-
ity of this material, especially in the
commonly used alloys, but instead
systematically reports on the re-
search that looks at the fundamen-
tals of what is happening and what
ameliorative steps can be taken.
The connection made between oxi-
dation associated with combustion
and oxidation associated with cor-
rosion seems obvious once made,
but would not have occurred to me
before I read this article. I have
some personal knowledge of this
subject because another participant
in the gas grill industry unwisely
substituted magnesium die casting
alloy for aluminum die casting alloy
in the fireboxes of their gas grills
with rather unfortunate results. A
pity they didn’t belong to ASM!
Alex Gafford
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.
Other 12%
Europe 26%
China 37% USA 10%
Japan 11%
Other 12%
North America
33%
China 36%
South America 24%
CIS 4%
Molybdenum Production, 2013 Molybdenum Usage, 2013