The Economist (February 16)
2013/ 02/ 18 by jd in Global News
“Exotic but useful metals such as tantalum and titanium are about to become cheap and plentiful.” Prices of neodymium, tungsten and vanadium may also drop if a new revolutionary production process utilizing electrolysis fulfills its promise. To date, costly and cumbersome production processes have kept prices of these metals prohibitively high, limiting their applications. “The idea that steel itself might one day be displaced by titanium is a long shot, but it is no longer inconceivable.”
