New applications compete with solar for Te supply
UK-based cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) producer Kromek has signed multiple deals in the past month to develop CZT detectors for medical imaging, which is among the applications increasingly competing with solar for tellurium supply.
Kromek is one of only four companies globally that manufacture CZT, which it uses to produce imaging and detection equipment for civil nuclear applications, medical imaging and security screening.
Kromek has agreed to collaborate with sensor technology supplier Analogic on the development of next-generation CZT-based detectors for photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) equipment in the medical imaging and security sectors.
PCCT detectors using CZT address limitations in conventional computed tomography (CT) detectors to increase spatial and energy resolution and reduce radiation doses, according to Kromek. This can improve image quality to enable the early detection of illnesses in medical imaging and identify dangerous items in security scans.
Kromek will integrate CZT sensors into Analogic's detector designs to optimise its detection systems. It will also provide the production capacity to support Analogic's PCCT demand.
Kromek has also signed an initial seven-year agreement this week with an unnamed tier 1 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the health technology sector to develop CZT-based detectors for use in advanced medical imaging scanners.
The agreement will transition to a longer commercial supply phase after a short development period, the companies said. The collaboration across development and supply will aim to facilitate the customer's progress in next-generation imaging-based technologies for precision diagnosis and therapy.
In March, Kromek signed repeat orders valued at a total of $1.1mn from three medical imaging customers in its key target market of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).
Commercial demand for Kromek's CZT products for CT and SPECT applications has been increasing in the second half of its 2023 financial year ending in June, in addition to its long-term contracts, the company said.
The deals include a $300,000 order for detectors for niche SPECT applications, which is expected to be delivered in the company's 2023 financial year. A $563,000 order from an OEM for niche SPECT applications and a $205,000 order for niche medical imaging applications are from long-term customers, with delivery due to start before June and conclude in the first half of the 2024 financial year.
Kromek reported a 50pc year-on-year increase in revenue during its fiscal third quarter ending in March. The company expects strong revenue growth for the full financial year as it continues to trade in line with market expectations.
Tellurium market could tighten on new demand sources
Applications such as medical imaging and security scanning are increasingly using advanced semiconductor materials including CZT and gallium nitride, competing with their primary applications for supply.
The largest share of the world's tellurium output is used to produce cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar panels — about 40pc — and the rapidly growing deployment of renewable energy capacity is increasing the industry's consumption. US-based First Solar, one of the world's largest CdTe panel manufacturers, has ambitious plans to ramp up its production capacity that would drive its tellurium consumption beyond the current level of global supply.
At the same time, demand from thermoelectric device manufacturers, which account for about 30pc of the market, and metallurgical applications, which account for about 15pc, is expected to rise in the coming years.
Bismuth telluride is used in thermoelectric devices for cooling and energy generation as well as sensors, and companies such as First Tellurium are developing new applications for tellurium in the sector. First Tellurium is also among the companies working to develop lithium tellurium batteries for electric vehicles.
Rising demand for nanostructured tellurium semiconductors and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence are expected to add another new source of consumption.
As tellurium is largely produced as a by-product of copper mining, supply depends on demand for copper refining. China accounted for an estimated 53pc of global output of approximately 640t in 2022, with Russia, the second-largest producer, accounting for 12.5pc. Ongoing geopolitical tensions are giving further impetus to efforts to identify alternative sources of supply to meet the demand growth.
Related news posts
Fortescue hold firms on 2024-25 iron ore target
Fortescue hold firms on 2024-25 iron ore target
Beijing, 30 August (Argus) — Australian iron ore producer Fortescue has reiterated its iron ore shipment target for the 2024-25 fiscal year ending 30 June of 190mn-200mn t, including 5mn-9mn t from its Iron Bridge project on a 100pc basis. The Iron Bridge magnetite project in Western Australia shipped its first cargo in July last year, with Fortescue's iron ore shipments totalling 191.6mn t for the full year . It had targeted to ship 192mn-197mn t for 2023-24. The company achieved a hematite average revenue of $103/dry metric tonne (dmt), up by 9pc on a year earlier. Hematite C1 costs for 2023-24 rose by 4pc from the previous year to $18.24/wet metric tonne (wmt) because of higher labour rates and mine plan driven cost escalation, although Fortescue said its cost control measures offset the partial increase. It forecasts hematite C1 costs for 2024-25 to rise to $18.50-19.75/wmt. The Argus ICX seaborne iron ore fines assessment for 62pc Fe cfr Qingdao averaged $119.40/dmt for 2023-24. Fortescue is on track to achieve real zero, or no fossil fuels and no offsets, for its scope 1 and 2 terrestrial emissions across its Australian iron ore operations by 2030. It is aiming to achieve this with building a new solar farm, deployment of electric excavators and the use of battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell haul truck prototypes. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US OCTG, line pipe imports fall in July
US OCTG, line pipe imports fall in July
Houston, 29 August (Argus) — Preliminary data from the US Department of Commerce shows that imports of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and line pipe products fell in July. OCTG volumes fell by 88,100 metric tonnes (t) from the prior year, as volumes from Japan dropped by 15,500t, South Korea and Thailand both dropped by 13,500t, and volumes from Vietnam and Mexico fell by 11,300t and 9,300t, respectively. Volumes of line pipe less than or equal to 16in fell by 12,300t, as Italian volumes dropped by 4,500t, Ukraine dropped to zero from 4,400t in the prior year, and Brazilian volumes fell by 3,100t. Standard pipe imports increased by 13,400t on a 7,900t increase from Turkey. Heavy structural shape volumes jumped by 39,700t as Spanish volumes increased by 21,700t from the prior year, and imports from Germany rose by 9,200t. By Rye Druzchetta US pipe and tube imports metric tonnes Product Jul-24 Jul-23 Volume change ±% Jun-24 OCTG 95,792 183,909 -88,117 -47.9% 126,760 Line pipe 69,387 80,875 -11,488 -14.2% 87,976 Standard 66,100 52,716 13,384 25.4% 76,317 Heavy Structural Shapes 107,979 68,253 39,726 58.2% 54,096 US Department of Commerce July 2024 data is preliminary data, which is subject to change. Line pipe is all diameters. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Higher flats volumes lead US steel imports up
Higher flats volumes lead US steel imports up
Houston, 29 August (Argus) — Higher volumes of flat steel imports led overall US steel imports higher in July. Total US steel imports for consumption were 2.2mn metric tonnes (t) in July, according to preliminary data from the US Department of Commerce. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports rose by 22,600t from the prior year, driven by a 32,900t jump in Japanese volumes, which were offset slightly by a 9,200t drop from Canada. Cold-rolled coil (CRC) volumes were up by 37,000t in July, with Canada exporting 8,800t more than the prior year. Hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) coil imports from Brazil jumped by 17,200t from the prior year, while volumes from Mexico rose by 13,000t. Volumes of blooms, billets and slabs dropped by 121,900t, as Mexico's volumes dropped to zero from 95,800t in the prior year. By Rye Druzchetta US steel imports metric tonnes Product Jul-24 Jul-23 Volume change ±% Jun-24 HRC 156,952 134,326 22,626 16.8% 156,861 CRC 172,746 135,778 36,968 27.2% 113,400 HDG 233,511 165,607 67,904 41.0% 238,809 Blooms, billets, slabs 364,138 486,053 -121,915 -25.1% 395,478 Total (all items)* 2,197,347 2,153,126 44,221 2.1% 1,955,800 US Department of Commerce July 2024 data is preliminary data, which is subject to change. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
ThyssenKrupp Steel executives leave as tensions rise
ThyssenKrupp Steel executives leave as tensions rise
London, 29 August (Argus) — Seven board and supervisory board members of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe have left their positions given deepening strife with the chief executive of parent company ThyssenKrupp. There has been an ongoing dispute between ThyssenKrupp chief executive Miguel Lopez and board members of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, including the latter's chief executive Bernhard Osburg, for some months now over the future of the business. Osburg and two other board members from Steel Europe have now stepped down, as has the chairman of the Steel Europe supervisory board Sigmar Gabriel and three other supervisory board members. The members have "lost all confidence in the will and ability of the chairman of the executive board of ThyssenKrupp AG to co-operate appropriately", Gabriel said in a note after a meeting today. He said Lopez has carried out an "unprecedented" and public campaign against the executive board of Steel Europe, damaging its ability to act and breaching trust. The Steel Europe board had proposed a plan to align the business' production to its recent shipments, meaning a decline from about 12mn t/yr to 9mn t/yr, and to exit from steelmaker HKM's joint venture with Salzgitter and Vallourec. HKM is viewed as a high-cost slab producer. However, Lopez felt the plans did not go far enough to restructure the business, calling for a deeper reorganisation and reduction in headcount. A spokesperson for union IG Metall said it "strongly" supports Osburg and the outgoing chairman, and criticises the actions of Lopez. The union is not legally allowed to call for strike action, but has called for protests over the departures. One executive said the dispute could threaten the future of Steel Europe as an entity. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
![](/_next/image?url=%2F-%2Fmedia%2Fproject%2Fargusmedia%2Fmainsite%2Fimages%2F14-generic-hero-banners%2Fherobanner_1600x530_generic-c.jpg%3Fh%3D530%26iar%3D0%26w%3D1600%26rev%3D-1%26hash%3DFC2BEDE406483FEF5FDB9549159BAC11&w=3840&q=75)
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more