China issued its first national standard for black mass material used in lithium-ion battery recycling on the final day of 2024, with market participants expecting that it will provide clearer guidance on importing the material into the powerhouse country, Fastmarkets heard on Friday January 10.

Reducing reliance on China’s hugely successful critical minerals supply chain dominance was never going to be easy, as some western mining companies are finding out the hard way.

Markets will be required to pay a premium for green alumina soon because of producer Alunorte’s developments in terms of decarbonization and sustainability, Carlos Neves, vice president of operations at Hydro Bauxite and Alumina, said in an interview with Fastmarkets on Tuesday January 7.

President Joe Biden has followed up on his threat to block the $15 billion acquisition of US Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel.In a statement released early on Friday January 3, President Biden cited national security concerns for his decision, despite US Steel’s own objections and an inconclusive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States […]

European imports of pipeline natural gas from Russia via Ukraine have ended, putting the region’s metals smelters and refineries on alert for potential hikes in operational costs.

What if the success of your biofuel operations hinged on a single variable—tallow prices?

The first amendment decreases the differentials’ publishing frequency to once monthly from once weekly. Both differentials will be next assessed on January 3, 2025, and on the first Friday of each month thereafter. The monthly frequency matches Fastmarkets’ low-carbon aluminium differentials in other regions and better reflects current market liquidity. No feedback was received during […]

China's tightened export controls on gallium and germanium formalize existing restrictions, heightening supply concerns amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Japan’s government has announced plans to make carbon trading, a system of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions quotas, mandatory for high-emission firms from the 2026 fiscal year, which could have far-reaching consequences for Asian steelmakers, sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Friday November 29.

There are five major challenges facing China’s green ferro-alloys premiums, multiple sources told Fastmarkets at the 40th International Ferro-alloys Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 10-12.