A new plant under construction, the first of its kind in the world, is aimed at turning two obscure metals into valuable products. Molybdenum, a metal known at Kennecott Utah Copper by the more pronounceable nickname "molly," is about to become big business in Utah. Along with it, Kennecott intends to produce a finished form of rhenium, a metal most people have never heard of. When used as additives, rhenium and molybdenum increase the value of high-end steel by making it harder, stronger and more resistant to heat and wear. In a crystallized powder form, rhenium is more valuable than silver, selling for about $2,000 a pound. Deseret News
Friday, March 2, 2012
Kennecott Utah Copper to process obscure, valuable metals
A new plant under construction, the first of its kind in the world, is aimed at turning two obscure metals into valuable products. Molybdenum, a metal known at Kennecott Utah Copper by the more pronounceable nickname "molly," is about to become big business in Utah. Along with it, Kennecott intends to produce a finished form of rhenium, a metal most people have never heard of. When used as additives, rhenium and molybdenum increase the value of high-end steel by making it harder, stronger and more resistant to heat and wear. In a crystallized powder form, rhenium is more valuable than silver, selling for about $2,000 a pound. Deseret News
