On December 6, a round table was held at the site of the Central Research Institute of Chermet named after I.P. Bardin "Demand for rare and rare earth metals in ferrous metallurgy", initiated by the RM and REE Association to discuss issues of cooperation between mining companies and existing industries in the field of rare and rare earth metals.
The event was organized Association of Producers and Consumers of Rare and Rare Earth Metals with SSC "FSUE "TsNIIchermet im. I.P. Bardin" with the support of Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia.
The round table was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, state corporations and industry associations, heads of mining and manufacturing companies, members of the scientific community.
The main objectives of the round table are to identify the needs of ferrous metallurgy enterprises in rare and rare earth metals, search for options for cooperation, and discuss technological possibilities for increasing the level of consumption of RM and REE by ferrous metallurgy enterprises.
During the discussion, the speakers paid great attention to the analysis of current opportunities, conditions, problems and trends in the development of the RM and REE market and ferrous metallurgy in Russia. The issues of the needs of domestic enterprises in rare and rare earth metals and important aspects of state policy for the development of deep processing of raw materials were also considered.
The round table was opened by the moderator of the meeting - Chairman of the Association of RM and REERuslan Dimukhamedov. He expressed his gratitude to the Central Research Institute of Chermet them. I.P. Bardin for providing the venue and helping to gather the guests.
Ruslan Dimukhamedov made a presentation “Analysis of RM and REE demand by industry. A view from the extractive industry. Project issues. Proposals for sales promotion”. In his report, he answered the questions: why it is not possible to develop some deposits, in what form REM are used in domestic enterprises of the metallurgical industry, what is the volume of RM and REE in Russia, and what prevents domestic metallurgists from buying domestic REM.
Ruslan Rafkatovich also explained why it is unprofitable to mine rare earths in Russia: “The Russian raw material base is the largest in terms of volume, but not always good in quality. It is important to understand that our legislation protects the environment and ensures rational use of subsoil resources, and therefore forms stringent requirements for mining projects. In Russia, it is impossible to mine using dirty methods, forgetting about the environment, safety and labor protection. This means that we will objectively be less competitive compared to those who do not play by the rules. The way out of this situation is the formation in Russia of the industry of a complete technological cycle from the extraction of rare-earth metals to the production of alloys and products with high added value.”
Many speakers also talked about how to eliminate the problems hindering the development of Russian projects and direct efforts not only at the production of metals, but also at integrating them into the Russian industry.
At the end of the round table, a lively discussion took place on the possibilities and methods for increasing the level of consumption of rare and rare earth metals (niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, titanium, mischmetal, cerium, lanthanum, yttrium, etc.) in the iron and steel industry as part of import substitution.
The past round table is designed to establish a connection between the production of rare and, in the first place, rare earth metals and the use of these metals in the ferrous metallurgy industry.