Tungsten carbide coatings for extreme abrasion resistance

The oil and gas industry continuously faces dilemmas regarding its operation efficiency. Contractors are more demanding of extreme performance coating materials that offer exceptional performance, reduce plant downtime and increase service intervals - all with constant respect of the environmental constraints.

Deep drilling exploration and oil sand exploitation are two of the more challenging applications which require innovative coating solutions for longer operating times which are under more severe abrasive and corrosive environments and at higher pressures than regular drilling.

Exploitation techniques often requires separation of the water from oil. During operation, huge problems of abrasion occur thus reducing the life of pipes, elbows, pumps, separators, casings, etc.

Downhole tools for drilling are subject to combined stresses such as abrasion, erosion, impact, corrosion and contact pressure. Because their non-sufficient fracture toughness, the traditional 'commodity' tungsten carbide coatings can't withstand all of these stresses simultaneously.

Constant research and development efforts conducted thermal sprayed coatings and hard-faced overlays to become more and more complex with feature enhancements allowing for more severe operating conditions as well as coating life improvement.

The improvement has been achieved with important innovations by alloying proprietary powders with tungsten carbide/metal powders, nano WC/Co, macro WC and/or superfine WC/Co materials. They are mixed with hard and tough metal matrixes which offer exceptional hardness, abrasion/erosion wear resistance and corrosion resistance - and consequently with improved fracture toughness. These grains can be used as powder or converted into electrodes, flexicords and tungsten carbide ropes. These new materials can be sprayed, PTA cladded or brazed with a flame welding torch.

The Hardkarb flexicord or high velocity thermal spray processes allow to produce high abrasion and erosion resistant WC coating with improved fracture toughness. The metal matrix can be chosen from Cobalt, Cobalt-Chrome, Nickel or Ni-Cr-Mo alloys if petrochemical corrosion is present. The usual thickness of these coatings ranges from 0.3mm to 1mm (0.01-in to 0.04-in).

In regards to hard-facing techniques, versus arc welding, the flame welding (brazing) technique is still the best suited technique to avoid decomposition of WC tungsten carbide and allows to produce tungsten carbides welded overlays that contain the lowest content of brittle W2C phases. The usual thickness of these hard-faced overlays ranges from 1.5mm to 1mm (0.06-in to 0.2-in).The brazed overlays combine abrasion resistance, contact pressure resistance as well as rupture toughness in the final coating.

Improving the coating materials would only be the halfway to the objective, if equipment improvements have not been made. Traditional coating equipment provides limited effectiveness because it is primarily intended for external surfaces and not internal ones. New thermal spray equipment is available for applying coatings to internal diameters. Thermal spray equipment is capable of applying internal coatings down to ~ 6 inches with expected lengths of up to 12 feet.

With a large emphasis on coating performance, the thermal spray industry accomplishes innovative solutions and contributes to create and bring new and highly differentiated products to the market in a cost-effective and efficient time frame.

Polymet Launches New Thermal Spray Powder Product Line

Polymet Corporation, a well-known industry leader of hardfacing, welding, and thermal spray wire, introduced thermal spray powder to its successful line of products. Polymet is eager to extend its presence in the thermal spray industry by offering High Velocity Oxy-Fuel thermal spray powder. These HVOF materials will offer high density, low porosity, and high bond strength.

Prior to the addition of powder to the product line, Polymet provided thermal spray materials for wire arc spray and wire flame spray processes. Now, tungsten carbide-based powders for HVOF systems will be joining the successful group of thermal spray products. Tungsten carbides have excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance properties. Polymet will focus on the following four tungsten carbides: WC-12Co, WC-17Co, WC-10Ni, and WC-10Co-4Cr. Each product will be -45/+15 microns in size.

"Through this new product offering, Polymet will be reaching new prospects and finally meeting the needs of existing customers requiring powder in addition to wire," says Pete Humphries, Marketing Manager for Polymet. "This is truly a product that can generate growth in our company," Pete states, "I am very excited to be at the forefront of this new line." Pete will be responsible for heading the thermal spray powder campaign.

Countless applications can be processed with Polymet materials in industries such as aerospace, power generation, automotive, and petrochemical. As an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer, Polymet assures the highest levels of quality in their materials.

 

What's the deal with rare earth minerals?

In an earlier statement, the European Union said the challenge mounted with Washington and Tokyo "formally requested dispute settlement consultations with China in the World Trade Organization."

However, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said tougher steps are needed than the dispute resolution requested.

"There are faster ways to assert leverage on China than relying on the WTO, which could take years to resolve the case," Schumer said in a statement that called for U.S. efforts to block Chinese-funded mining projects in the United States as well as World Bank financing for Chinese mining projects.

Beijing defended its approach Tuesday.

"China has worked out its own policy on managing rare earths, which is in line with WTO regulations," Liu Weimin, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a news conference. "Our policies tackle not only the export of rare earth but also its production and exploration."

The United States accuses China of hoarding the valuable minerals for its own use. But China said its restrictions are motivated by environmental concerns.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday that the issue is about uniform rules for all, rather than an effort to hurt China.

"We believe that China's rise is a good thing for the Chinese people and for the global community, a good thing for the United States," Carney said. "It is also important that, as China becomes a bigger and bigger economic power, that China play by the same set of rules that other major economic powers play by."

China will have 10 days to respond to the case and must hold talks with the other parties within two months.

The EU statement said the challenge to the WTO targets raw materials including 17 rare earths such as cerium, neodymium and dysprosium, as well as tungsten and molybdenum. The elements and substances are used in high-tech and "green" businesses, as well as in cars, machinery manufacturing, chemicals and steel.

Tungsten is used in lighting technology, in electronics and in automotive, aerospace and medical technologies, the EU statement said. China produces 91% of the world'stungsten.

Molybdenum is a metallic element used for filaments in light bulbs. China produces 36% of the world's molybdenum, according to the EU statement.

Most of the time, rare earths cannot be substituted for without resulting in a redesigned and more costly product, the EU statement said, adding: "Their non-availability can lead to the disruption of whole value chains."

China has gradually tightened export restrictions on the materials through raising export taxes and "drastically reducing the export quota," according to the European Union. In 2010, China reduced the quota by 32% for domestic companies and 54% for foreign-invested companies.

"Because China is a top global producer for these key inputs, its harmful policies artificially increase prices for the inputs outside of China while lowering prices in China," said a Tuesday statement from the U.S. trade representative.

"This price dynamic creates significant advantages for China's producers when competing against U.S. producers -- both in China's market and in other markets around the world," said the U.S. statement. "The improper export restraints also contribute to creating substantial pressure on U.S. and other non-Chinese downstream producers to move their operations, jobs and technologies to China."

The WTO, the body tasked with monitoring trade between nations, will be asked to be a facilitator in talks with China, an Obama administration official said Monday.

"China's restrictions on rare earths and other products violate international trade rules and must be removed," Karel De Gucht, EU trade commissioner, said in a statement. "These measures hurt our producers and consumers in the EU and across the world, including manufacturers."

Despite a recent ruling in a separate dispute over different raw materials, "China has made no attempt to remove the other export restrictions," he said. "This leaves us no choice but to challenge China's export regime again to ensure fair access for our businesses to these materials."

Ron Kirk, the U.S. trade representative, said, "America's workers and manufacturers are being hurt in both established and budding industrial sectors by these policies. China continues to make its export restraints more restrictive, resulting in massive distortions and harmful disruptions in supply chains for these materials throughout the global marketplace."

Concern in the United States over the supply of rare earths resulted in a September hearing on the matter by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Of particular concern was how vital the minerals are for top-of-the-line weapons, including missile guidance systems, drones and the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

American companies are trying to answer the demand. Molycorp Inc., one of the few producers of rare earth minerals outside China, has urged Congress to do more to confront the problem and encourage research and development. Molycorp has mines in California and Colorado.

In 2010, China temporarily halted shipments of rare earths to Japan, prompting a sharp spike in prices of the minerals.

The EU said it has raised the issue repeatedly with China over the past few years without success. If no solution can be found through the consultation process, the dispute can be transmitted to a WTO panel for a ruling, the European Union said.

Tungsten Carbide Cutter

Tungsten carbide cutters from Chinatungsten Online provide maximal substance removal and virtually vibration-free, smooth operation due to innovative, geometric toothing.

Engineered for use on non-precious metals and model cast alloys, the cutters are particularly suited for techniques requiring efficient substance removal, such as shape corrections and occlusal-surface trimming.

In addition, the cutters facilitate operation in interdental and hard-to-access areas where working space is limited. Easily identified by their golden shanks, laser marks, and distinctive green rings, user-friendly NEX Cutters are gentle to the user’s wrist, facilitating tactile, intuitive operation. With a recommended operation speed of 20,000 rpm, the cutters offer a long service life.

For more information about tungsten carbide cutters,please visit www.tungsten-carbide.com.cn

Tungsten for Military Use

Tungsten are widely applied in military field. Tungsten ball is added to the shotgun to make it powerful.

Tungsten resources are used for a variety of high-speed ammunition, especially armor-piercing. Tungsten resources  are almost its essential ingredients. The picture shows a variety of 25 mm cannon shells.

 

Tungsten is added to mordern tanks to increase armor-piercing capacity.

 

System to price rare earths

China is to set up a national pricing system for rare earth metals within the next month, in addition to its new trading platform, to further regulate the industry and strengthen its control of the resources, essential materials in consumer electronics and other high-tech goods.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Rare Earth Industry Forum in Baotou, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Ma Rongzhang, secretary-general of the China Rare Earth Industry Association, said the association will establish the pricing index with the aim of leveling out price volatility in the market.

The move, still awaiting approval, will also help the country be a stronger competitor in the international market, and play an important part in the sustainability of the sector, although no specific details were given.

The new rare earth trading platform was launched in Baotou.

North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region is home to more than half of the world's light rare earth output.

The platform will be operated by the country's top rare earth producer, the Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth (Group) High-Tech Co, as well as with nine other firms and institutions including the southern giants Xiamen Tungsten Co Ltd and Guangdong Rising Nonferrous Metals Group Co Ltd.

With a total investment of 100 million yuan ($15.7 million), each shareholder invested 10 million yuan and holds a 10 percent stake in the exchange.

Dudley Kingsnorth, a professor in energy and mineral economics at Curtin University in Western Australia, said he is supportive of the idea, and that it will improve transparency and help avoid volatility.

But he added that the supply of heavy rare earths will be the major concern of the industry in the future.

Chen Zhanheng, deputy secretary-general of the association, pointed out that some of China's rare earth products - traded, for instance, inside some southern provinces to avoid tax - might not necessarily be put onto the national trading platform, but that a stabilized price will benefit everyone.

He also suggested China stockpile more heavy rare earths instead of light rare earths, which are considered as being overproduced.

However, Huang Chang-geng, senior vice-president of Tungsten, said he was still unaware of any specific regulations and systems for the fledgling platform.

China produces 90 percent of all rare earths, while it has 23 percent of world resources, but many in the industry consider this as unsustainable.

The most urgent action is required on heavy rare earth supplies, said Alastair Metcalf, chief executive officer of Hastings Rare Metals Ltd in Australia.

He suggested that China secure stock from other countries for its processing plants, particularly Australia.

In July, the World Trade Organization formed a special group to investigate the issue of stockpiles after the European Union, the United States and Japan complained over what they claimed were Chinese export controls.

Rare earth exports this year are expected to drop to around 10,000 tons, much lower than the industry export quota of 31,000 tons.

In the first half of the year China exported no more than 5,000 tons of rare earths, said Ma. Last year, overall exports were 16,900 tons, about 56 percent of the country's export quota.

Ma said that indicates the rare earth export quota is not a barrier to overseas consumers importing rare earths from China.

Rare earth exports, according to statistics by Chinese customs, were 17.83 percent of its total output of 96,900 tons in 2011.

Smuggling is attributed as the main reason for the export fall, in addition to sluggish demand caused by rising prices, sufficient stockpiles from overseas consumers, and reduced market share of the US products, Ma said.

Rare earths, a group of 17 metals, are essential in the manufacture of high-tech products ranging from smartphones and wind turbines to electric car batteries and missiles.

Military's tungsten concerns

The Obama administration case against China's handling of exports of tungsten is not just because of business concerns, it is a national security concern, as well. China's dominant position in the production of tungsten has long-reaching implications for the U.S. Department of Defense. As our Laurie Ure reported back in 2010, there is widespread use of tungsten in defense systems, including precision-guided munitions, lasers, communication systems, radar systems, avionics, night vision equipment, satellites and more.

A coating of yttrium, which can withstand high levels of heat, is used inside jet exhaust systems. Samarium, which is resistant to radiation, is used in magnets inside missiles and other weapons.

A 2011 Pentagon report said that the defense demand is seven percent of the overall global market for the minerals.

 "Faced with increased RE prices and a decrease in China’s export quota, the biggest issue facing domestic RE consumer companies is the need for a stable non-Chinese source for rare earth oxides (REO)," according to the report. "It is essential that a stable non-Chinese source of REO be established so that the U.S. RE supply chain is no longer solely dependent on China’s RE exports."

Kinetic energy penetrator

A kinetic energy penetrator (also known as a KE weapon) is a type of ammunition which, like a bullet, does not contain explosives and uses kinetic energy to penetrate the target.

The term can apply to any type of armor-piercing shot but typically refers to a modern type of armour piercing weapon, the armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), a type of long-rod penetrator (LRP), and not to small arms bullets.

The opposite technique to KE-penetrators uses chemical energy penetrators. There are two types of these shells in use: high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high explosive squash head (HESH). They have been widely used against armor in the past and still have a role but are less effective against modern composite armour, such as Chobham or Kanchan, as used on main battle tanks today.

The principle of the kinetic energy penetrator is that it uses its kinetic energy, which is a function of mass and velocity, to force its way through armor. If the armor is defeated, the heat and spalling (particle spray) generated by the penetrator going through the armor, and the pressure wave that would develop, would destroy the target.

The modern KE weapon maximizes KE and minimizes the area over which it is delivered by:

• being fired with a very high muzzle velocity
• concentrating the force in a small impact area while still retaining a relatively large mass
• maximizing the mass of whatever (albeit small) volume is occupied by the    projectile—that is, using the densest metals practical, which is one of the reasons depleted uranium is often used.

Why can't tungsten bring great profit for China

China is a large producer of tungsten , and tungsten reserves accounted for about 70 percent of the world's total reserves and the tungsten output accounts for 80% of world production.

Tungsten has  the highest melting point  of all metals. It is known as the "Industrial teeth" and "industrial salt". Tungsten is widely used in the defense industry, aerospace, machinery manufacturing, oil drilling, special steel, new materials, including satellites, launch vehicles and spacecraft are also inseparable from the composition of the tungsten alloy.

As an important strategic resource, tungsten plays an important role in the national economic and national security. In tanks, tungsten alloy is used to make bombs, also used as a composite armor component to improve the thermal strength and temperature capabilities. Tungsten is applied for a variety of high-speed ammunition, especially armor-piercing and tungsten almost is the only option for high-speed armor-piercing bomb core material.

Later, the United States developed depleted uranium (uranium 238) to replace tungsten as armor-piercing material. But it has been criticized by environmental issues. In World War II, due to be cut off from the channels of the Chinese imports of tungsten ore, the Nazi German tanks is seriously lack of big-power tungsten penetrators, including Tiger tanks and other weapons are greatly reduced firepower.

Although China has the world's largest tungsten reserve, Due to the bad skill of excavating tungsten, China has wasted a lot of tungsten. In addition, lots of tungsten is exported for profit. So domestic turnstile has been exhausted and the wolframite resources are reducing quickly.

At present, China's tungsten reserve, production, trade and consumption volume rank first in the world. However, the rank in the world didn’t just bring pride. The import price is seven times of export price. In 2003, China exported 26,000 tons of semi-finished products of tungsten, with exports of $ 220 million accounted for 2/3 of the total exports of primary products. During the same period, China's exports bulb 6.6 billion, spent about 230 tons of tungsten, exports $ 200 million.

In the same year, the price of per ton tungsten imported is more than 199,000 US dollars, while the export price is $ 28,000, only 1/7 of the import price. China exported 2943 tons of tungsten products to the United States, accounting for 1/3 of the U.S. tungsten supply and exports of $ 25.6 million. In the same period, the sales revenue of the United States Kennametal reached $ 2 billion in the processing of tungsten carbide products imported. China's tungsten industry sales revenue is 10 billion yuan. Export-oriented primary product is the Achilles heel of many industries in China's foreign trade. Valuable resource is depleting, but tungsten didn’t bring lots of profit for China.  

Wolf Minerals secures additional funding for tungsten and tin project

Wolf Minerals says it has continued to make strong progress in its development plans for the Hemerdon tungsten and tin project.

It has completed the first major piece of infrastructure work at the project, with the completion of the project's link road. Construction of the link road begun in the first quarter and it was officially opened last month.

The company is now focused on finalising the funding requirements to bring Hemerdon on-line and to date has secured credit approval for £55m in senior debt finance for the project and have signed a heads of terms for an offtake agreement for the project's tungsten production, which also includes an additional £20m funding facility.

New jobs created yet many still without work

Steve Blitz, chief economist at investment research firm ITG in New York advised others to look on the bright side. The U.S. unemployment rate held above 8 percent for the 41st consecutive month.

"I'd call this a soft 163," Blitz said. "If you want to take from this the notion that the economy is not heading to a recession or something more ominous, that's fine. But if you want to take from this the idea that the economy is about to accelerate, I think that would be a big mistake."

The government's monthly jobs report comes from two separate surveys: one that looks at employer payrolls, and the other which questions households. Those two reports went in opposite directions in July, confusing the overall reading on the job market.

The report showed that the actual amount of Americans working dropped by 195,000, with the net job gain resulting primarily from seasonal adjustments in the establishment survey.

The household survey also showed 150,000 fewer Americans in the workforce. Private payrolls added 172,000 positions, while government subtracted 9,000.

Auto factories also hired 12,800 workers, but that improvement could be misleading given seasonal adjustments that may have artificially inflated the number, economists said.
"While the monthly gain is still relatively small by historical standards, it might help spark somewhat higher consumer optimism and spending," Kathy Bostjancic, director of macroeconomic analysis at The Conference Board, said in response to the recent report.

At this point, all economic reports and particularly the jobless number are viewed through the prism of how they might affect Federal Reserve action.

Chairman Ben Bernanke may add something more substantial to the conversation during the annual summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later this month. The central bank's policy committee meets again in September.

"If the Fed is sitting there wondering what to do, this doesn't tell them they don't have to do anything," Blitz said. "If anything, the numbers are going to get weaker than the 163 next month."

Part of the positive market reaction, can be attributed to anticipation of more Fed intervention.

"The bottom line is that the employment report shows a strong headline reading but as we believe that most people, and importantly the (Fed), will resort to digging beneath the headlines to focus on the enormous uphill struggle facing the labor market," Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak in New York says.

"The report should do little to change expectations for a further move in September from the Fed and so one can understand why equities are happy to advance," he added.

Syrian rebels batter military base near Aleppo

Syrian rebels have battered a military base near Aleppo, Syria's most populous city and its commercial hub, seizing tanks in previous clashes with government troops to pound the Menagh military airport. The main military airfield in the region is southeast of the city.

International diplomacy to resolve the ongoing Syrian uprising has failed. Kofi Annan, who championed a six-point peace plan he declared his resignation as the U.N. and Arab League joint special envoy to Syria.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The government-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the military was "killing or wounding dozens of terrorists" in the countryside outside Aleppo.

Government warplanes shelled the western and northern parts of the city, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

International diplomacy to resolve the ongoing Syrian uprising has failed. Kofi Annan, who championed a six-point peace plan he declared his resignation as the U.N. and Arab League joint special envoy to Syria.

Military defectors have streamed into the opposition's arms over the past several months, substantially strengthening rebel forces. The opposition is now equipped with heavy weaponry, including tanks, the United Nations said, a sign that the armed resistance to President Bashar al-Assad's regime is gaining military might.

In the meantime, shelling and clashes have raged across the city for days, sending thousands of people to flee for their lives. Both rebels and government forces have placed crucial importance on gaining control of the Aleppo.

Cellular networks, landline phones and Internet services, have been cut off in the city. Rebels say the cutoff is part of a regime plan before the government kicks off a full-scale attack.

Activists now can't communicate with one another and can't figure out what's happening in certain neighborhoods. "The regime is trying to prevent pictures of his crimes from reaching the media," Abu Hisham, an activist from Aleppo said.

Capt. Ammar Al-Wawi of the Free Syrian Army said MiG-23 fighter jets struck rebels in an Aleppo village and seven FSA soldiers died in shelling in another location.

In the meantime, Syrian state TV said soldiers "have been able to eliminate scores of terrorists and mercenaries" in Aleppo. The government media claims that the military  is sweeping through the city's Salaheddine neighborhood and towns west of Aleppo.

U.S. officials have said that President Barack Obama had signed a covert directive authorizing U.S. support for Syrian rebels. In the meantime, Syrian state TV said Obama signed "secret documents" to "support terrorists."

The Obama administration had said it would step up its assistance to the opposition after last month's failure by the U.N. Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against the al-Assad regime.

How To Stop Conflict Minerals From Killing Congo

If you thought the 2010 financial regulation law was just about stopping the next financial crisis, you wouldn’t quite be correct. Contained in its 848 pages is an unusual provision that has little to do with Too Big To Fail or bringing transparency to derivatives trading. It’s about minerals.

Or, to be exact, conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose civil war is fueled by trade in tungsten, tin, tantalum, and gold. Section 1502 puts a disclosure requirement on publicly-listed companies to say whether their products contain conflict materials, and to report that information to investors. And it’s likely that major names from the electronics and automotive industries will be affected soon.

70 companies currently have no idea whether their products are 'conflict-free.'

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has lobbied to weaken the provision (though Microsoft, General Electric, and others have distanced themselves from those efforts), but the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is set to enforce the law in the next few weeks. Which leaves companies no choice but to beef up their due diligence procedures--no easy task. PricewaterhouseCoopers says 70 companies currently have no idea whether their products are "conflict-free", while 49 say their supplies could be disrupted.

So what should they, or any other company concerned about the issue, do? A report published in May by Global Witness, a U.K.-based campaign group, gives some practical suggestions. In line with U.N. and OECD guidelines, it recommends strengthening systems to trace minerals to where they were mined; identifying ways in which payments may end up in military hands; being ready to take action if those risks materialize; having independent audits; and publicly disclosing what steps have been taken.

The report encourages collaboration to make the job easier. "Companies can choose to pool their resources to carry out on-the-ground risk assessments and can enlist external experts to help them, as long as the companies retain responsibility for the information gathered and their response to it," it says.

It won’t be easy--though, as campaigners, lawmakers and peacemakers agree, public disclosure is the less painless way forward. Stopping the trade completely would harm both U.S. and DRC companies, and probably raise prices for consumers. This way, the trade stays intact, but has a chance of becoming a little less harmful.

Molycorp increasing rare-earth production

Molycorp (MCP), the largest rare-earth producer in the US, announced that it would scale up its rare-earth production, increasing its share of the global market from the current 4 percent to 30 percent, without providing a time schedule, the Beijing Business Today reported Monday.

The company plans to invest $895 million in its rare-earth business and double its output capacity from 20,000 tons to 40,000 tons, the report said.

Some analysts said the move will put pressure on Chinese exports of rare earth. "This would definitely influence China's rare-earth exports in the future and help the US rare-earth industry reduce its reliance on Chinese exports," Chen Zhanheng, director of the academic department of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths, told the Global Times Monday.

Data from the Rare Earth Information Center revealed that the main buyers of China's rare earth are Japan, the US and France, with the US ranking the second. Between 2004 and 2008, the US purchase of Chinese rare earth declined from over 16,000 tons to 8,000 tons.

However, the Molycorp expansion plan will have little impact on China's rare-earth sales on the whole, as bulk of the country's output is used for domestic consumption, said Chen. China produced 96,900 tons of rare earth in 2011 and exported 18, 600 tons.

The announcement comes after the World Trade Organization announced on July 23 to set up an expert panel to investigate into China's export policies on rare earth, tungsten and molybdenum, following complaints from the countries like US and Japan about China's restrictions on the exports of rare earth.