Going grey

摘要

IMs first joint July-August edition, combining the usual monthly issues in order to take account of the industrial minerals industry's sleepier summer months, was never meant to be about graphite. Usually, a dedicated focus on the curiosities of this lustrous grey mineral are the preserve of the festive season, to coincide with IM's annual Graphite Conference - this year in its fifth incarnation and due to be held at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel in London on 8-9 December. But despite the plunging prices and repeated warnings that scheduled new supply is likely to swamp the slim raft of future demand opportunity (see pp50-55), interest in the carbon mineral keeps on growing.