The price of iodine has risen during the first quarter of 2011 as demand continued its recovery to pre-recession levels, market sources told IM.Demand for iodine has been driven in recent years by high-tech applications such as liquid crystal displays (LCD) and x-ray contrast media, while there have been no significant capacity expansions by the world’s major producers.Iodine crystal (99.5% min, drums, spot & contract) prices increased to $32-34/kg from $31-33/kg, adding to a marginal gain during Q4 2010.“Iodine consumption has recovered to pre-crisis levels, and continues growing at healthy rates in all applications and markets,” a major producer told IM.“End users are also rebuilding inventories, which is generating higher demand,” the source added.Asian...