Prices for the lightest rare earth oxides, lanthanum and cerium, dived this week as Chinese exporters rushed to use up their remaining export quotas for 2011, industry sources told IM.
The Chinese government regulates the export of rare earths by giving a limited amount of quotas to a group of companies every six months.
The price of lanthanum oxide (99%, FOB China), used mainly in catalysts for the petroleum industry, dropped 21% to a range $70-95/kg.
Cerium oxide, used in many...