Historically low rhenium prices are leading to a decline in the amount of recycled material coming into the market, with several recycling facilities having closed or reduced production.
Metal Bulletin's assessed rhenium pellet prices at $623-658 per lb on March 2, down from $700-750 last month and from highs of $4,600-4,850 per lb 10 years ago. Catalyst-grade ammonium perrhenate (APR) prices are also languishing at all-time lows of 1,450-1,600 per kilogram compared with highs of 10,300-10,800 per kg in 2008.Nordmet is among the producers to have stopped recycling rhenium completely in order to focus on more profitable businesses."It's safe to assume at least 90% of rhenium recycling makes no sense at the current price...