Soaring prices for zircon are causing end users
to evaluate cheaper substitutes for a range of
applications, including foundries (pictured) where
chromite sand can replace its costlier counterpart
The world market for zircon and downstream zirconium materials represents a $3.5bn industry, which has witnessed dramatic changes in demand and supply during the past few years. The future forecast shortage in zircon supply has been brought forward due to strong demand in China, and has caught many people by surprise as they adjust to the reality of the current situation. Across all applications worldwide, the issue now is how to allocate approximately 1.3m. tpa of zircon when demand exceeds supply by more than 100,000 tpa in 2011.
Though the immediate concern is zircon supply in 2011, supply in future years is even more uncertain. TZ Minerals International Pty Ltd (TZMI) is forecasting that zircon supply will stay at current...