SUBSTITUTES The lack of an adequate supply of either columbium or tantalum has stimu lated the search for substitutes. No suitable all-round substitute for columbium has been developed, although titanium is usable in some cases. Investigations have been made using titanium, vanadium, and tantalum as substitutes for columbium. Titanium is an acceptable substitute for columbium in 18-8-type stainless steels for a majority of applications. The use of ferrocolum.biumtantalum, made from low-grade ores, has conserved some columbium. Lowering the carbon content and therefore the columbium needed to stabilize 18-8-type stainless steels is another way of saving this critical metal. Substantial quantities of columbium may be conserved, for more critical uses, by recent developments permitting the substitution of low-carbon (0.02-0.03 percent) stainless steel for columbium stabilized steel for certain applications. Tantalum can be replaced for certain applications by zirconium, tungsten. molybdenum, and platinum. Zirconium (ductile) is lighter, cheaper, and just as corrosion resistant as tantalum and eventually (when zirconium is available to industry in quantity) probably will be used for many applications requiring tantalum today; in chemical plant equipment, surgical appliances and equipment, and in vacuum tubes. Molybdenum and tungsten tools have been substituted but for certain purposes were not considered as desirable as tantalum carbide. Columbium carbide has been substituted but this does not contribute to the conservation of columbium. In the manufacture of certain radio tubes, zirconiumcoated molybdenum, platinum-coated molybdenum, and platinum and graphite have been substituted for tantalum. For some tubes these substitutions are not acceptable. Platinum can be used in place of tantalum for some chemical uses. No satisfactory substitute has been devolped for the use of tantalum potassium fluoride as a synthetic-rubber catalyst. PROBLEMS OF INDUSTRY Shortage of columbium-tantalum ore, during periods of emergency, and the guaranty of a steady market for the products of the ore, during normal periods, constitute the major problem of the industry. The requirements of defense programs make it necessary to allocate the supplies of columbium-tantalum products for this purpose. When defense demands decrease, a period of time is required to regain commercial markets. Government regulations relative to end uses are often in force after defense demands are decreased, thus creating an oversupply on the part of the producer. If new or expanded uses are de veloped for columbium and tantalum, this situation may not materialize. The United States, the largest consumer of columbium-tantalum minerals in the world, is now able to supply less than 1 percent of its requirements. The metallurgical know-how and ingenuity of United States technicians will eventually release to industry the columbium-tantalum minerals now locked in the many types of low-grade deposits distributed throughout the United States. The contribution will be significant but probably never more than 50 percent of domestic requirements will be reached during periods of emergency. One of the more troublesome factors in columbium-tantalum metallurgical investigations has been the lack of a rapid, accurate, analytical control procedure. The successful development of such a procedure will aid materially the successful completion of investigations to recover columbium-tantalum from low-grade deposits. RECOMMENDATIONS In view of almost complete dependency on foreign sources for our supply of highly strategic columbium-tantalum and the necessity of keeping sea lanes open in times of emergency, every effort should be made to achieve the stockpile objectives as soon as possible. Consideration should be given to stockpiling ferrocolumbium and ferrotantalum-columbium (more immediately usable materials than columbite-tantalite) as an aid in maintaining a healthy industry. In order to meet requirements for columbium-tantalum, emphasis must be placed upon developing both domestic and foreign deposits. Funds allotted for programs should be prorated over a period of three or more years. The auecessful completion of any phase will depend on noninterrupted, continued studies. Personnel, equipment, and technological problems are difficult to solve on au Intermittent basis. Funds should be provided at the rate of $75,000 per year for research on metallurgical problems and field investigations for a period of at least 3 years. Does the Senator MALONE. I have a question before we go on. State Department or any department of government have any part in the arrangements with foreign governments for beryl, columbium, and tantalum shipments to the United States? Mr. KLINE. In the case of beryllium, the State Department has played a very large role in regulating imports of the material, because a great deal of it has been imported. In fact, the major part of it has been imported. Senator MALONE. Would you like to describe just what this relationship is at the present time? Mr. KLINE. I am not certain of the mechanics of the operation, Senator. I do know that they make most of the arrangements with the nations regarding the shipments of beryllium, and they do have contact and participation in the arrangements on columbium and tantalum. Senator MALONE. Go right ahead. ZIRCONIUM AND HAFNIUM Mr. KLINE. The two metals, zirconium and hafnium, will be described together because of their very close association and nature. Both of these metals are won from a mineral called zircon. All of the zirconium and hafnium that has been produced and is being produced is from that source. The reserves and production capacity for zircon, the commercial ore for zirconium, are ample for any fore. seeable demand. Senator MALONE. Domestic reserves? Mr. KLINE. Yes; we have a superabundance of domestic reserves. Imports from Australia are comparable to domestic production because of lower price and a tie-in with the export of rutile. The limited refinery capacity and inadequate metallurgical processes are limiting factors controlling the growth of metallic applications. Senator MALONE. Then there is really no reason for the importation of this zircon raw material? Mr. KLINE. Absolutely not, other than by arrangement between this Government and the Australian Government, I believe, so we can obtain the rutile. Senator MALONE. You mean as the price of shipping us rutile, they require us to accept zircon? Mr. KLINE. That is right. Senator MALONE. Would this not be an incentive to use local ores, such as ilmenite or a location of sufficient rutile in our production of titanium? Mr. KLINE. I think there is every reason in the world to use our domestic minerals in the production of titanium and zirconium in preference to the foreign. Senator MALONE. Is there any real problem in using the local ores, such as ilmenite, for use in the production of titanium? Mr. KLINE. There is a problem. Senator MALONE. Is it insurmountable? Mr. KLINE. I think it is not, but Mr. Blue will cover that. Zircon contains about 50 percent zirconium and about 1 to 2 percent hafnium. Senator MALONE. There is no scarcity of zircon in this country? Mr. KLINE. We have a superabundance. 444 Senator MALONE. This is a little like during the war days when an entertainment organization purchased some good liquor; they were also required to purchase a few cases of secondary products. Mr. KLINE. I usually try to stay on the better grades. Senator MALONE. That is the answer. I think we should do that here. Mr. KLINE. The consumption to date of zircon for metallic purposes is small when compared with its other uses. As has already been pointed out, we are producing about half of what we consume but we could produce any amount. In discussing the uses of zirconium I am going to emphasize the metal, rather than the mineral zircon, although zircon also has some important uses. But there is no shortage of the mineral. In the construction of nuclear reactor powerplants, because of its physical properties, resistance to heat and corrosion, and low thermal neutron absorbion cross section, zirconium has no substitute. Its special corrosion-resistant alloys are ideal for handling some chemicals. Many other uses for the metal will develop as soon as it is available to industry in greater quantity. Hafnium, which is closely tied in with the extractive processes, is also an essential metal for the atomic energy program. Senator MALONE. The headline that we are going to construct a commercial reactor in yesterday afternoon's papers and this morning should interest you greatly. Mr. KLINE. I saw that in this morning's paper. Senator MALONE. I have been familiar with that development for at least 3 or 4 years, and it was thought for a while that the Govern ment would build a small reactor, a sort of pilot plant reactor of 15,000, 20,000 or 25,000 kilowatts. They had examined and some of the technicians had settled on the idea of putting it in Eureka, Nev., where it is estimated there is $150 million worth of lead and zinc at the bottom of the shaft, which required 12,000 to 15,000 gallons of water, and costs about 22 cents a kilowatt-hour for power. But when they decided on the large one, it was too large for that area. They are not going to build it there. I am glad they are going to build it. There is no question of its feasibility in an area where the power costs are low. Mr. KLINE. Considering the enormous reserves of raw material. zircon, it is unfortunate that more advantage is not being taken of the desirable properties of zirconium and its alloys. Hafnium now produced in conjunction with the production of hafnium free zirconium is available for the first time in quantities ample for experi mental purposes. Continued research aimed toward producing zir conium and devising continuous metallurgical process for its production is imperative. Further alloy studies and investigations to determine other uses of zirconium and hafnium must be continued. It is interesting to mention at this point that all the zirconium produced in the United States is produced by the Bureau of Mines, and the same is true of hafnium. Senator MALONE. I am familiar with your development in Oregon. I think it is a great piece of work. Just as were your investigations in titanium at Boulder City. Mr. KLINE. You are also probably aware, Senator, that there are other industrial concerns that are owned privately that are going to adopt our method and go into production. Senator MALONE. Yes; generally speaking, I am. Of course, knowing of these developments, it probably accounts for one of the main reasons that I undergo a slow burn when I hear people taking for granted, and some of our high officials stating, that we are dependent for certain raw materials on foreign nations, and therefore we must do practically what they say we must do. It is a mild case of blackmail in a lot of these cases. If the information you men have in the Bureau of Mines were generally known, I think a lot of people could relax. Mr. KLINE. Again, Senator, it is interesting to note that we are not now presently able to produce sufficient zirconium or hafnium to meet our domestic requirements. That is the reason other people are invited in. This is my statement. Senator MALONE. The statement on zirconium and hafnium will be accepted, and appear at this point in the record as a part of Mr. Kline's statement. (The information is as follows:) ZIRCONIUM AND HAFNIUM Zircon, the principal source mineral of zirconium and hafnium, is unique among rare-metal minerals in that deposits from which zircon can be extracte i economically are plentiful. Sufficient zircon can be recovered in conjunction with titanium-mineral mining operations in Florida to meet present and estimated future demands. Known placer deposits in Florida, California, Idaho, and Oregon are estimated to contain 15 million tons of zircon. These reserves could be increased substantially if demand for zircon warranted intensive exploratory campaigns. Zircon reserves in other parts of the world are known to be extensive. Brazil is known to have large reserves of zircon in beach deposits and over 2 million tons of the mineral baddeleyite (ZrO2) in rock deposits. Australia contains enormous reserves of zircon and is the principal source of zircon imports for the United States. These imports are tied in with imports of rutile, a mineral in shorter supply. Large zircon deposits are known in India, Egypt, and French West Africa. Most zircon contains small quantities of hafnium, a metal formerly of little interest, which had not been separated from the metallic zirconium produced from zircon. Recently, however, it has been found that the hafnium content is detrimental in certain atomic-energy applications of metallic zirconium. Hafnium-free zirconium is now being prepared and a limited amount of metallic hafnium is being produced. Hafnium has atomic-energy uses that are due in part to the same properties that make the metal an undesirable constituent of metallic zirconium. To date nearly the entire supply of zirconium and hafnium has been produced at the Bureau of Mines Electrodevelopment Laboratory at Albany, Oreg. A commercial zirconium and hafnium metals plant is being constructed by Carborundum Metals, Inc., at Akron, N. Y., and completion is expected in July of this year. The company has a 5-year contract with the Atomic Energy Commission to deliver 150,000 pounds of zirconium and hafnium-sponge metal a year and will process zircon mined from Florida beach sands. The availability of zirconium and hafnium metals for industrial application is limited by the existing production capacities, not by the available supply of zirconium ore. USES Zirconium has come to the attention of metallurgists and engineers recently as a structural metal having tremendous potentialities. Because of its high resistance to heat and corrosion and because of special nuclear properties, zirconium is being used as a structural material for nuclear reactors and is playing an important part in harnessing atomic power. It also has great interest for engineers seeking a metal that can withstand the high temperatures in the combustion chambers of jet engines. The atomic-energy and national-defense programs are consuming almost the entire limited supply of zirconium; little has been available for experimental industrial applications. The most spectacular use of zircon (the principal source mineral of zirconium) during the past 2 years has been in the production of metallic zirconium, although only a small part of our zircon supply is used for metallic and alloying purposes. The estimated percentage distribution of zircon, by use, is as follows: Refractories, 45 percent; foundry facings, 19 percent; porcelain enamel, 7 percent; metals and alloys, 7 percent; pottery, 7 percent; electrical and chemical porcelain, 3 percent; glass, 1 percent; miscellaneous, 11 percent. RESERVES United States Reserves of zircon in the United States are yielding more than enough to provide for demands due to the production of the coproducts-ilmenite, rutile. and monazite. Production of zircon in the past and at present is limited gener ally to the southeastern areas of the United States-North and South Carolina. and Florida. Extensive deposits exist in California, Idaho, and Oregon but must await either a nearby processing industry or development of coproducts for economic operation. These western deposits could be brought into production to satisfy the needs in case of emergency demand. Imports of zircon from Australia result from the coproduction of zircon and rutile and a tie-in with the imports of both ores. Western Hemisphere Brazilian baddeleyite deposits estimated at 2 million tons are being worked to produce concentrates containing 70 to 85 percent zirconium oxide. Beach sands containing zircon, monazite, and rutile are known to exist near Vitoria. Deposits have been located in the Guianas and other Latin American countries but have not been developed. PROBLEMS OF INDUSTRY Zirconium and hafnium are classed as rare metals not because of their relative abundance in the earth's crust, but because of the difficulty in extracting the metals from their ores. The major problem of the metal industry is the produc tion of sufficient ductile zirconium and hafnium to make their commercial utilization economically attractive. The megnesium-reduction method, developed by the Bureau of Mines, for the production of ductile zirconium and hafnium is essentially a multistep batch process. Studies are being made to eliminate as many steps as possible in order to make the process continuous, which would aid materially in lowering the cost The defense effort has used the bulk of the ductile metal produced thus far: very little has been available to industry. The metals are known to have very attractive structural and corrosion-resistant properties. As production capaci ties and resultant supply are increased investigations must be conducted to develop new uses, especially in the metallic alloy field. The enormous available reserves of raw material assure an ample, continuing, supply for industrial expansion. At present, less than 10 percent of the zircon production is consumed in metallic applications. Expanded, useful applications in the high-temperature refrac tory and ceramic field can be expected as a result of continued research. The present markets for zircon are entirely in the East. Large zircon deposits in California, Oregon, and Idaho await development for lack of a western market. The establishment of zircon processing industries in the West appears to be attractive. RECOMMENDATIONS Research directed to produce lower production costs, and to devise a continuous metallurgical extraction process for both zirconium and hafnium should be continued for several years. The application of these metals in alloys and the physical characteristics of each of these products should be studied. Such a program would require a minimum of $200,000 annually. |