Chemical firms look to adapt to tightening rare earth supplies.

摘要

After China cut production of rare earths and prices skyrocketed, companies that utilized rare earths in their products such as FCC catalyst producers needed to adapt in order to compensate for the loss in supply and the price spike. Similarly, chemical firms had also needed to establish new plans to makeup for this reduction in supply. For example, Shin-Etsu Chemical is looking to invest $18MM to construct a rare-earth-containing alloys production facility in China's Fujian province that should be in operation by Jan. of next year. Shin-Etsu is also building a recycling plant in Vietnam that will reclaim rare earths from sludge produced during the production of rare-earth-containing alloys.