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IMOA Annual Review2014/2015

ContentsIMOA Annual ReviewOverview from the Secretary-General

Health, Safety and EnvironmentKey activities and achievements in 2014/2015

Market DevelopmentKey activities and achievements in 2014/2015

Financial Report 2014Income and expenditure account, balance sheet

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Images courtesy of iStockphoto.com/Mlenny (cover), EJE Architecture/Bryce Thomas (pp. 2–3), Weltec (p. 4), iStockphoto.com/ParamountPics (pp. 6–7), Shutterstock.com/Mikkel Bigandt (p. 11), Studio Pei Zhu (pp. 14–15), Volkswagen AG (p. 16), CBMM (p. 17), CISRI (p.19), Nickel Institute (p. 20), Robert Kneschke – Fotolia.com (p. 21 top), Weltec (p. 21 bottom) and others and are used with kind permission.

Tim OutteridgeSecretary-General

IMOA Annual ReviewOverview from the Secretary-General

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at the 11th International Conference onGreen and Energy Efficient Buildings andundertook a range of activities to support the supply chain in the use ofmolybdenum-bearing stainless steel inbuilding and construction.

IMOA has continued research efforts todiscover and develop new or expandeduses and applications for molybdenum.These include projects which havereached or are nearing fruition, as wellas new ones, for example:

• A project on the development of improved carburizing steels has concluded, resulting in an alloy whichclearly outperforms most existing gear steels. The alloy is now scheduled for trialing with several interested parties.

• A project examining the weldability of bainitic steels has demonstratedthe advantages of molybdenum inweldable low-carbon steel.

• Two EU co-funded projects arereaching their conclusion; one investigating ways to facilitate the useof high-strength steels (HSS) in longspan structures, which will result innew guidance for structural engineers.Another, examining molybdenum-containing stainless steel bio-digestersand storage tanks, will proposeamendments to the Eurocode forstructural tank design.

Welcome to IMOA’s Annual Review, highlighting the progress we have madeon behalf of our members and in supportof the molybdenum industry over thepast year.

Health, Safety and Environment

The Health and Safety Committee continues its wide range of activities insupport of an evidence-based approachby regulators when dealing with molybdenum. The Secretariat has provided data and engaged in dialogueto guard against molybdenum being included in the list of drinking water contaminants currently being compiled in the U.S.

Likewise, we are providing molybdenumdatasets for toxicological reviews by theAmerican Toxic Substances Disease Registry and the USA-Canada RegulatoryCooperation Council. The Committee is also active in seeking to ensure thatsound scientific data supports the evaluation of molybdenum in the U.S.Toxic Substances Control Act and theChildren’s Safe Product Rule.

Key ongoing projects include:• A biomonitoring pilot study to assess

worker exposure to molybdenum.• Data generation on the bioaccessibility

of lead in molybdenite concentrates,in response to an EU Commissionproposal to drastically reduce hazardclassification thresholds to a verychallenging level.

• Assessing whether molybdenite concentrates meet current corrosivityto metals criteria under the GloballyHarmonized System of Classificationand Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).

The Molybdenum Consortium (MoCon)remains active, at a scaled-down level to conserve funding, at least until the lastREACH registration deadline in May 2018.The Technical Working Group continuesits work in support of members’ interests,

meeting once a year to review REACHdossiers and to progress related technicalissues.

The MoCon Secretariat has assistedmembers with issues such as an extended substance identity compliancecheck; an EU member state assessmentof potential further regulatory measureson molybdenum trioxide; and the generation of speciation data about theform of copper in roasted molybdeniteconcentrates. Similarly, the last subset ofREACH data, relating to terrestrial toxicity,is well advanced for peer-reviewed publication.

Market Development

The Market Development team is taskedto maintain and expand the demand for molybdenum by promoting its use innew and existing applications across awide range of sectors and markets. In the carbon steel area, we have developedlong-term relationships with steel producers at a technical level, where weare able to offer advice on optimal alloycomposition and processing. As part of theABC program, we delivered workshops,seminars and presentations to a widerange of specifiers and decision-makerson molybdenum-bearing stainless steelsin architecture and structural engineering.In China, IMOA led the organization of a session dedicated to stainless steel

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hydrodesulfurization of diesel fuel usingmolybdenum-containing catalysts. The second, conducted in collaborationwith WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, measured the environmental savings associated with using 2205 duplex stainless steel to build the Myllysiltabridge in Finland. A total of eleven casestudies are now available to downloadfrom the IMOA website.

These studies, and others, have generated further media coverage beyond metals industry titles and have helped toraise the profile of molybdenum with awider audience.

The largest global voluntary building rating systems, including USGBC LEED,reference ASTM International’s E60 Sustainability standards. E60 is chargedwith defining sustainability standards

and in depth, covering a diverse range ofend uses.

This year, we completed two further LifeCycle Assessments. The first, producedin association with PE International (now known as thinkstep), examined the

for every industry and application, there-fore participation is critical. Our NorthAmerica consultant has been chargedwith identifying issues, and encouragingand coordinating metals and mining industry participation on relevant topics,and has been named Chair of the E60.80General Sustainability subcommittee.She also serves on the E60 SustainabilityExecutive Committee.

Statistics

We collate and publish statistics showingmolybdenum production and use aroundthe world, generating additional presscoverage and further fulfilling our strategicaim to be recognized as the most reliablesource of information on molybdenum.We also provide in-depth production anduse figures and annual end-use reportson molybdenum for members.

We have added social media channels toour online communications, establishinga presence on Twitter and LinkedIn, giving stakeholders broader access totopical and relevant information. Interestin these channels has increased duringthe year, enabling us to reach a wider audience with our key messages aroundthe value and benefits of molybdenum.

The IMOA website is highly regarded asa valuable source of information, with an average of more than 15,000 uniquevisitors per month. Work is underway todevelop an educational area to give architects and specifiers easy access toexisting material that will aid their studies and reinforce the website as thepremier destination for information onmolybdenum and its applications.

Sustainability

Promoting molybdenum’s contribution to sustainable development is now an embedded element within IMOA’s overall communications strategy. Ourflagship brochure, ‘A Sustainable Worldwith Molybdenum’ was published in thesummer and showcases examples ofhow molybdenum’s unique properties arebeing harnessed to generate a widerange of sustainable benefits. Examplesare illustrated with case studies in brief

• A long-term project examining stainless steel corrosion in concrete is still active, while another analyzingcorrosion resistance synergies instainless steels has concluded.

• A project has commenced with China’sCentral Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI) to develop a stainlesssteel performance atlas for use inChina to inform future stainless steelselection for architectural outdoor applications.

• Work has started with SSAB on a new project to examine the role ofmolybdenum in modern directquenched and tempered steels.

The most recent of a series of technicalsymposia on molybdenum- and niobium-alloyed steels was held in Brazil. The symposium covered alloy steels forthe mining and processing industries,and attracted some 170 participants tohear more than 30 presentations on the importance of molybdenum in wear-resistant steels for a range of applications.

Communications

Our ongoing media relations programgenerated 13 news releases over the year,raising further awareness of molybdenumand its applications and helping to maintain IMOA’s reputation as the voiceof the industry. Our contact programs,designed to build stronger relationshipswith targeted publications, yielded positive results, with coverage in a rangeof metal and steel trade titles in Europeand the U.S. An article highlighting the unique design characteristics of duplex stainless steel appeared in The Construction Specifier, North America’spremier construction industry technicaljournal. We have also placed a series of articles relating to molybdenum’s applications in steel in Steel Times International, a leading industry magazineand website.

Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)

Sandra CareyIMOA HSE Executive

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REACH Molybdenum Consortium(MoCon)

Achieving REACH compliance, in terms ofgenerating the huge volumes of scientificdata needed within a few short years,was the single largest challenge IMOAhad ever faced within its HSE remit. Itslegacy is the step-change it has brought toour scientific knowledge, generating dataand resources that we continue to deploytoday in response to risk assessmentand regulatory challenges:

• Twelve individual and comprehensivemolybdenum substance risk assessment dossiers (each more than300 pages), containing scientificallyrobust molybdate effects data, hazardidentification, fate and exposure data,risk assessment, hazard classificationand risk management measures. Allthe effects data is stored electronicallyin the MoCon IUCLID database, and includes GLP studies conductedin compliance with current OECD protocols.

• Very few classified hazards acrossthe twelve substances. Only two,molybdenum trioxide and roastedmolybdenite concentrates (RMC) arehazard classified. Industry also developed an IT tool, MeCLAS, to assist in deriving hazard classificationsfor complex substances, such as RMC, termed an unknown or variable composition, complex reaction productsor biological (UVCB) substance.

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Health, Safety and EnvironmentKey activities and achievements in 2014/2015

SIEF agreed Classification July 2010

Hazard classification & category code: Carcinogenicity Category 2Hazard Statement: H351 = suspected of causing cancer via inhalation

Hazard classification & category code: Carc. 2; Eye Irrit.2; STOT SE3, Hazard Statements: H351 = suspected of causing cancer via inhalation,

H319 = causes serious eye irritation, H335 = may cause respiratory irritation

No classification

No classification

No classification

No classification

No classification

No classification

No classification

No classification

No classification

No classification

EC Substance Name

Molybdenum Sulfide (MoS2), roasted

Molybdenum Trioxide

Molybdenum

Disodium Molybdate

Diammonium Dimolybdate

Hexaammonium Heptamolybdate

Tetraammonium Hexamolybdate

Slags, Ferromolybdenum

Molybdenum Dioxide

Calcium Molybdate

Diiron Trimolybdenum Dodecaoxide

Molybdenum Sulfide(chemically produced MoS2)

EINECS No.

289-178-0

215-204-7

231-107-2

231-551-7 & 231-551-7

248-517-2

234-722-4 & 234-320-9

235-650-6

282-217-2

242-637-9

232-192-9

237-389-3

235-721-1

Classification & Labelling – EU CLP (using GHS hazard classification)

• Extensive arable and grazing soilsdata for EU regional risk assessment,via our participation in the GEMASsoil mapping project. A Predicted NoEffect Concentration soils calculatorhas also been developed using theterrestrial molybdate effects dataset to calculate safe threshold values for Mo in soils.

• Peer-reviewed journal publications ofthe molybdate effects datasets for thevarious environmental compartmentsand for human health endpoints.

• eSDS templates in 17 EU languagesfor our hazard classified substances.

• Enhanced contacts with importantdownstream users of molybdenumsubstances, such as the catalyst industry.

• Profile, visibility and credibility withthe European Chemicals Agency(ECHA), from our presentations attheir REACH workshops and seminars.

• Enhanced awareness about IMOAdue to the Letter of Access service fornon-MoCon members.

Currently MoCon remains on a care and maintenance basis, to conserve itsremaining operational funding until atleast the last REACH registration dead-line in May 2018. The Technical WorkingGroup meets once a year to reviewdossier status and tackle any issuesraised by ECHA. We have researchedand responded to three technical challenges this year:

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Extended substance identity compliancecheck on Ferromolybdenum Slags: In a second round of communication onthis topic, the Lead Registrant (SadaciNV), co-registrant (Climax MolybdenumBV) and the MoCon Secretariat workedto satisfy ECHA’s highly detailed data requirements about the exact compositionof FeMo slags and how they are manufactured, including feedstock inputs,process parameters and accounting for compositional variability within thisUVCB substance.

Molybdenum Trioxide (CAS No. 1313-27-5)added to ECHA’s PACT List: Within thelast year, ECHA introduced its PACT(Public Advisory Communication Tool)List. EU member states can nominate asubstance for inclusion in this list whenthey believe a further examination of intrinsic hazard and risk management iswarranted. In February 2015, Denmarkput molybdenum trioxide on the PACTList, as it was already on the Danish Listof Undesirable Substances, known as theLOUS List, for reasons of use volumesand its Category 2 carcinogenicity hazard classification. MoCon commentedextensively upon draft reports and engaged with the Danish authorities,seeking to ensure scientifically accuratecontent. At the time of writing, the outcome of the Danish assessment isthat molybdenum trioxide does not posean unacceptable risk to human healthand the environment, and no further regulatory action is proposed.

Copper species in roasted molybdeniteconcentrates (RMC): Given the currentECHA Risk Assessment Committee proposals to increase the EU hazardclassification status of some coppercompounds, it became imperative to conduct investigative work to extend ourunderstanding of precisely which copper species are contained as minor constituents of RMC. Speciation studies(XRD and Quemscan) determined that it is present in the form of copper molybdates, and not as copper speciesfor which ECHA is proposing increasedhazard classification. Had the result beendifferent, the impact would have been a lowering of the hazard classificationthreshold for copper content in RMC.

Peer-reviewed publication of all the scientific data generated for REACH isan important milestone in securing theregulatory consideration of that data infuture legislation. To this end, we are currently in the process of publishing thelast tranche of data; the terrestrial toxicitydataset. MoCon has also worked withKTH, the laboratory which generated thebioelution data for REACH, to achieve recent publication of a study investigatingthe release of molybdenum and iron frompowder particles in different syntheticbody fluids.

The next significant REACH challenge is the recent ECHA selection of disodiummolybdate for a Dossier Evaluation Compliance Check, with a focus on assessment of CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) properties.

The MoCon Technical Working Groupcontinues to work steadfastly for the benefit of the MoCon membership, longafter the initial REACH registrations were submitted in 2010.

WA

OR

CA

NV

ID

MT

WY

UT

AZ NM

TX

AK

HI

OK

COKS

NE

SD

NDMN

IA

MO

AR

LAMS AL

TN

GA

SC

FL

NCKY

VAWVIL

WIMI

IN OH

PA

NY

MEVT

NH

MA

RICTNJ

DE

MDDC

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IMOA HSE Committee activities

Interacting with regulatory authorities,conducting targeted research and developing issue communications are thethree core areas of the HSE Committeebrief.

Regulatory issues

As chemicals management legislationcontinues to proliferate around the globe, the Committee recently introducedan Issues Management Tool to track the circa 70 areas we are working onconcurrently. It will also be of interest tothe wider membership to view a summary of the broad scope of issuesbeing handled on their behalf. Entries will be updated twice yearly, one monthprior to the April and September IMOAmeetings. It features a section wheremembers can individually customize their own corporate priorities within theissues listing.

Regulatory issues consistently commandour attention and input. A few prime

examples since the last IMOA AnnualReview are as follows:

USA Drinking Water Candidate Contaminant List 4 (CCL4): The occurrence and levels of molybdenum indrinking water is being monitored acrossthe U.S. as a component of a regulatoryinitiative to determine whether it shouldbe formally considered as a contaminantsubstance. IMOA has responded twice to the U.S. Office on Water during publicconsultations on this topic, providing datato assist in the evaluation process. IMOAwould support a negative regulatory determination, meaning that the scientificdata and occurrence levels were assessed and that a formal decision tonot regulate its presence in drinking waterby limit values was taken. The outcome of CCL4 will not be known until 2016 atthe earliest.

Hazard identification and classificationtogether with risk assessment and risk management evaluation are the backbone of chemical substance regulations. Below is a selection of

current U.S. variations on this theme, all focusing on molybdenum and molybdenum compounds:

• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): IMOA hasestablished a dialogue with ATSDR to provide datasets to inform their development of a toxicological profilefor molybdenum in human health. The profile is expected to take threeyears to complete.

• Canada-USA Regulatory CooperationCouncil (RCC): This joint initiative has arisen because both countrieshave individually tabled molybdenumin their own national substance evaluation schemes. The RCC is anew two-nation chemical assessmentprogram, and molybdenum is the pilot case substance for inorganics,together with four organic compounds.IMOA, via the American ChemistryCouncil, is now an accredited stakeholder in the process, seeking toensure the molybdenum assessmentis based on sound scientific data.

• Children’s Safe Product Rule: Knowncolloquially as the ‘toxic toys act’, the rule aims to secure the toxic-freecontent of products that come intocontact with children. This legislationis set to be introduced in about 12American states this year, includingNew York, Vermont, Oregon, Maine, Minnesota and Florida. Very unexpectedly, molybdenum and compounds are appearing on the Priority Chemicals of Concern lists in several states.

US states intending to introduce Children’s Safe Product Rule in 2015

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The rule requires listed substances to be reported annually to the State,and frequently includes a phase-outperiod after which it is banned fromthe products. In response, IMOA is intervening to address this significantmisconception of the toxicology ofmolybdenum.

• U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act(TSCA): Molybdenum and compoundsare listed for review from 2017 onwards. Since it is the same U.S.Government agency leading on thisinitiative as mentioned in a previousbullet, the RCC should at the very least facilitate the ramp-up forthis TSCA assessment, or at best prepare the ground for IMOA to seeksubstance delisting.

In our previous Annual Report 2013–14,we shared the welcome news that theOECD had awarded Mutual Acceptanceof Data (MAD) status to our molybdateeffects dataset, meaning that it should be the starting point for new or revised

legislation in OECD member countries.IMOA has since successfully argued thatthe dataset’s MAD status should betaken into account by the authors of amolybdenum trioxide assessment reportbeing prepared by consultants for an EU member state country (see theMoCon section above for more details).

We continue our work on life cycle related initiatives, the latest of which was the preparation and submission of apaper about IMOA’s life cycle data to theInternational Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (IJLCA). It is one of severalpapers submitted for a special edition of the IJLCA by the metals associationsthat participated in the multi-metal LCAmethodology alignment project which wesuccessfully concluded last year.

Also in the field of life cycle assessment,and likewise as a member of a multi-metalinitiative, we are working via Eurometauxto secure the inclusion of more accurateecotoxicological data into USETox, the

UN Environment Programme-endorsed impact category assessment modelingtool which is incorporated into the most widely-used life cycle assessmentsoftware programs. This is an importantinitiative because poor quality datameans inaccurate impact assessmentwhich can dissuade product developmentspecifiers from selecting molybdenum if it is incorrectly judged to be less environmentally friendly than another alternative constituent. Whenever feasible, IMOA participates in multi-metal initiatives, whether regulatory or research-based, to maximize cost-effectiveness and streamline informationfor the membership.

Targeted Research

Three diverse issues have been thefocus of recent HSE Committee-directedresearch:

• Determination of bioaccessible leadin molybdenite concentrates: Thedriver for this research is a currentEU Commission proposal to reduce a hazard classification threshold,known as the specific concentrationlimit for lead for reproductive toxicity,down tenfold from 0.3% to 0.03%.Complying with such a low level of leadin molybdenite concentrates would bea considerable challenge for the industry. The research project testedfour molybdenite concentrate samplesfor dissolution of molybdenum, lead,arsenic and copper content in threedifferent synthetic bodily fluids to simulate inhalation or ingestion. Thenegligible dissolution of molybdenumwas as expected, at < 0.05% of total molybdenum. Lead exhibited dissolution values of up to 48%, inacidic synthetic gastric juice. Thebioaccessibility test data generated by this forward-looking IMOA pilot research project potentially offers ascientific basis for demonstrating that

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the bioaccessible lead fraction able to cause a toxic effect is significantlyless than the total lead content inmolybdenite concentrates. Such datamay be influential in arguing againsthazard classification in the future, as the concept of bioaccessibility becomes more accepted by the regulatory community.

• Testing for corrosivity to metals: Thisis both a UN Globally HarmonizedSystem and Transport Regulationsendpoint that seeks to determinewhether a substance (in this casemolybdenite concentrates), should behazard classified as corrosive to metals. After initial testing of five concentrates, each with an intention-ally diverse characterization of constituents, the project is currentlyon hold as the validity of the UN-prescribed testing methodology isunder review. The copper industry, viathe International Council on Miningand Metals (ICMM), is spearheadingthis methodology issue, with test data support from IMOA. We are conducting the testing because it is aGHS endpoint requiring data to makethe relevant SDS section entry. For the copper concentrates industryhowever, the primary driver is that it isa required test for compliance with the latest version of the InternationalMaritime Organization’s (IMO) codefor bulk solids loaded directly into theships hold. Molybdenite concentratesare shipped as packaged goods insuper sacs under the IMO’s DangerousGoods code.

• Worker exposure to molybdenum assessed by bio-monitoring: This project was launched in 2012 involving six IMOA member companiescurrently at varying stages of theprocess, although a preliminary assessment of results is expected towards the end of 2015. Participatingcompanies represent different areas

of the value chain, from mining toconversion and use in the productionof stainless steel, molybdenum metaland extrusions. The broad aim is togenerate an initial set of data aboutthe range of molybdenum levels inworker biological fluids (blood/urine),and what relationships may exist between those levels and concurrently-obtained personal airborne inhalableand respirable exposures.

Issue communications

The APEC Metals Risk AssessmentTraining Workshop is targeted towardsthe Asian regulatory community andcompanies in that geographic region.IMOA is a co-sponsor of this multi-metalinitiative coordinated by ICMM, to raise awareness and knowledge-shareabout the importance of risk assessingmetals according to their unique specificities, such as essentiality, valencystates, speciation, bioaccessibility, etc.For accurate assessment, inorganic substances should not be assessed

We commission peer-reviewed research and engage in dialogue with regulators to support anevidence-based approach for molybdenum

within more general frameworks designedfor organic substances. The APEC workshop is conveying that messageand metal-specific testing methodologiesto Asia as the region strengthens itschemicals management regulations.

All MoCon and HSE technical activitiesare managed and driven forward by the corporate member of the respective HSE Committee and MoCon TechnicalWorking Group, the HSE Executive staffmember and our consultants. We expressour sincere gratitude for their dedicationand professionalism.

MarketDevelopment

Dr. Nicole KinsmanIMOA Technical Director

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Carbon steels

Our engagement program with the carbonsteel sector continued, with participationin more than 30 conferences, events andcustomer visits over the year. A consider-able effort has been directed towardsproviding metallurgical consulting to steelmills.

A seminar on lightweighting of heavycommercial vehicles held in Beijing, China, in November 2014 attracted over90 participants and enabled various steelmakers and truck producers to discuss the production and use of modernhigh-strength steels. Four Chinese steelmakers reported their chemistriesfor producing the S700MC grade, all containing about 0.2% molybdenum – inline with the suggestion issued as part of IMOA’s market development programin recent years.

Based on the seminar, two papers highlighting the benefits of molybdenum-alloyed steels in heavy vehicle construction have been published in theSpringer journal ‘Advances in Manufacturing’. Both are available underan open access license allowing free distribution and reproduction.

‘Fundamentals and Applications of Moand Nb Alloying in High PerformanceSteels – Volume 2’, the proceedings ofthe joint IMOA-CBMM symposium

held in Jeju Island, South Korea in spring2013, have been printed and distributedto industry contacts.

The IMOA-sponsored project on the development of better carburizing steelsconcluded last year, with one of the investigated alloys clearly outperformingall European and several overseas gear steels. We continue to disseminatethese results in technical papers and atconferences. German special steel producer BGH has now produced a heatof this grade for customer trials. The material will also be included in a newproject by the German VDA-FVA, whereglobally available gear grades are benchmarked under severe loading conditions. Caterpillar and Brazilian minerSamarco are among the companies interested in trying out the new grade and

we continue to share the findings of the project with special steel and truckproducers in Europe, the U.S., China,Korea and Brazil.

To further publicize the outstanding results, we have prepared two detailedpapers. The first was presented at the recent symposium on wear resistant alloys in Brazil. The second was presentedin the Association of Iron and Steel Technology Long Products Conference inColorado, U.S. in July. Two more paperswill be presented at Material Science &Technology 2015 in Columbus, U.S., inOctober, and HSLA 2015 in Hangzhou,China, in November.

The low-carbon mainstream DP800 alloy concept for automotive applicationsproposed by IMOA, with around 0.15%

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Market DevelopmentKey activities and achievements in 2014/2015

added molybdenum, is gaining popularityin the Chinese market with several steelmakers now producing this grade. Itis expected that other companies will copythis concept, in line with our experiencewith the S700MC truck-frame grade.

Several projects developing molybdenum-containing 1800–2000 MPa press hardening steel grades are underway atsteelmakers in Germany, China, Taiwan,Korea and Japan.

The ‘International Symposium on Wear Resistant Alloys for the Mining andProcessing Industry’, was held in Campinas, Brazil, in May 2015. The event,organized by Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração (CBMM) sawsome 170 participants attend to listen to 32 presentations on the importance ofmolybdenum and niobium alloying.Codelco and Minera Los Pelambres, bothIMOA members, highlighted the needsfor better materials in the mining industryin symposium presentations.

The research project ‘HAZ-Simulation of Modern Line Pipe Steels’ carried outby Voestalpine has concluded. Contraryto claims in several literature sources,molybdenum appears to have no negativeeffect on the heat affected zone whenwelded. Molybdenum improves thetoughness of the coarse grain zone andreduces the trend to post-weld heat treatment embrittlement, especially inpresence of increased niobium content.Thus molybdenum can enhance the alloying limits for weldable low-carbonsteels.

Architecture, Building and Construction (ABC)

Workshops

In North America, IMOA and the NickelInstitute (NI) jointly sponsored buildingand construction workshops at some ofthe world’s most prestigious architecture

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and engineering firms in New York andChicago. A webinar was held for theAmerican Institute of Architects (AIA)chapter in the Virgin Islands, and twoworkshops on grade and finish selectionfor corrosive environments were hosted at Gehry Partners in Los Angeles. In total,we attracted more than 400 attendeesfrom 18 companies. IMOA now has eightcourses accredited by the AIA for both instructor-led face-to-face and distancelearning.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) sponsors one-day workshops on corrosion resistant concrete reinforcement for the transportation departments of different states. IMOA andthe NI have developed a 30-minute stainless steel presentation which wasgiven to several states over the year, atthe request of the FHWA.

We also ran a series of workshops inBeijing and Shanghai in conjunction withthe NI.

Conferences and symposia

Jointly sponsored by the NI, IMOA’s consultant gave presentations at severalevents in North America during the year. A stainless steel presentation for architectsand fabricators was given during the AIARoofing and Building Exterior Solutions

Sheet Metal Symposium in Fort Worth,Texas, U.S. A plenary session paper waspresented at the Mid-Century ModernStructures 2015 Symposium in St. Louis,Missouri, U.S., discussing the GatewayArch and subsequent molybdenum-containing stainless steel memorial appli-cations. Stainless Steel World publishedan article based on the paper and Corrosion and Materials (a publication ofthe Australasian Corrosion Associationand Asian and Pacific Materials and Corrosion Association) will reprint it laterin 2015.

Publications and new ABC content on theIMOA website

IMOA has been publishing monthly issues of the e-newsletter Stainless Solutions since August 2014. Each issuecovers a technical topic of interest to the 600+ distribution of architects, engineers and fabricators. One issue wasdedicated to our stainless steel library of more than 250 individual publicationsand resources, which can be downloadeddirectly from our website. To support the e-newsletter, new website content related to finishes, sustainability, structuralapplications, grade selection, austeniticstainless steels and applications has beenadded, and website traffic and downloadshave increased substantially.

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Market development in China

Rapid economic growth means that Chinaremains an important target for our market development activities. Over theyear, we have continued to promotemolybdenum-containing stainless steel in the ABC sector while assessing opportunities in the developing market of solar water heaters.

ABC activities

11th International Conference onGreen and Energy Efficient BuildingsWe co-founded the China Stainless Cooperative Promotion Group (CSCPG)last year, with the China Stainless SteelCouncil (CSSC), NI, the InternationalChromium Development Association(ICDA) and CITIC Metal Co. Ltd, to encourage the appropriate use of stainless steel in China. Led by IMOA, itsfirst major project was the organization ofa session dedicated to stainless steel at this conference, the leading sustainablebuilding event in China, which drewsome 4,000 delegates, including all keyChinese property developers.

A feature article entitled ‘Duplex StainlessSteel Revolutionizes Structural Design’was published in the May issue of TheConstruction Specifier (circulation 52,000),North America’s leading building andconstruction industry technical journal. Ithighlighted the new AISC steel DesignGuide, the unique design characteristicsof duplex stainless steels and numerouscurrent innovative global projects. It isalso being circulated to editors of othermagazines who may be interested in republication.

We were able to attract leading global architecture firms and senior industry experts to speak about the sustainabilityadvantages of stainless steel in architectural façade design, includingSkidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), and CoopHimmelb(l)au (CHBL).

Stephen Selkowitz, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technology and Urban Systems Department, gave a joint presentation

with the session moderator, our NorthAmerican consultant, specifically on sunscreen energy analysis. Several localstainless steel suppliers presented theirofferings to the ABC market.

Project support Since early 2014, IMOA has assistedsome of the key contractors working onthe Type 316 stainless steel curtain wall enveloping the Ping An FinancialCenter, an iconic 660 m high buildingunder construction in Shenzhen.

We have also provided significant support to the Museum of ContemporaryArt and Planning Exhibition (MOCAPE)project. Originally, the building’s façadewas to be aluminum, contrary to the vision of the architect, CHBL. However,after several meetings, glass bead-blasted Type 316 stainless steel was selected for the façade. Since then IMOAhas also assisted in the fabrication and installation phase. We are keen to improveour understanding of façade material specification in China (currently almostalways aluminum) and to strengthen ourrelationships with the supply chain.

Other effortsIMOA and the NI sponsored workshops inDecember for the Chinese offices of largecurtain wall fabricators Permasteelisa,Jangho and Meinhardt. Attracting 126 attendees, the workshops focused on theselection and fabrication of stainlesssteel. Similar sessions were held at theShanghai offices of SOM and Pelli ClarkPelli.

We have started the research work onthe Stainless Steel Performance Atlas,which we are carrying out in associationwith CISRI, China’s national preeminentiron and steel research institute. Co-sponsored by the International StainlessSteel Forum (ISSF), the NI and Outokumpu, the atlas will list performancedata for stainless steel installations ineight Chinese cities, as a useful referencefor architects when specifying future projects.

Solar Water Heaters

A potentially very large market, solar collectors manufactured from molybdenum-containing ferritic stainless steel are becoming more attractive to consumers.We have been actively promoting thisgrade, giving presentations at solar waterheating seminars and hosting workshopsfor manufacturers in Dezhou and Shandong, including Sangle-Yazaki’splant in Jinan. A new dedicated productionline at this plant will produce 100,000units per year.

We sponsor a range of research projects to discover and develop new or expanded uses for molybdenum

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The corrosion of stainless steel rebar inconcrete is being studied by Ugitech and the French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Developmentand Network (IFSTTAR). In the firstphase, accelerated corrosion tests werecarried out on stainless steel-reinforcedmortar samples, contaminated with chloride levels from 3% to 8%, for 5 daysat 40°C. Duplex stainless steel (2205) did not show any corrosion under theseconditions. In the second phase, 2205 duplex stainless steel reinforced concretesamples were contaminated with 8%chloride and long-term exposed in a climatic chamber with controlled humidityand temperature. After 18 months of exposure, current measurements indicateno corrosion despite the high chloridecontent and the elevated temperature.

A project with Ugitech and the Universityof Grenoble is designed to deepen ourunderstanding of the corrosion resistancesynergies between molybdenum and nitrogen in austenitic stainless steels. Wehave confirmed a significant increase in the protective effects of molybdenum

Duplex stainless steel

We issued the third significantly revisededition of the duplex brochure in Englishin time for distribution at the DuplexStainless Steel Seminar and Summit inStresa, Italy, in September 2014; and at Stainless Steel World Americas, inHouston, U.S., in November 2014.

The brochure is available in English, Chinese, German, Japanese, French,Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Overthe last year, 44,000 copies were downloaded, bringing the total to almost200,000 copies since 2009.

We have also revised and updated theseries of technical information leaflets or‘shop sheets’ focusing on working with duplex. Extracted from the duplexbrochure, the shop sheets on forming,machining and welding different duplexgrades are routinely amongst the mostpopular downloads.

IMOA held the position of vice-chair atthe ‘Experiences with austenitic and duplex stainless steels’ symposium at theNACE Corrosion 2015 conference in Dallas, U.S., in March. We also continuedto chair the highly-attended meeting ofthe NACE 114X technical exchangegroup on duplex and ferritic stainlesssteels.

Stainless steel service pipingThe city of Tokyo has replaced all leadpiping between water mains anddwellings with Type 316 stainless steel,to reduce water leakage and for healthreasons. Since the project began in the early 1980s, leakage has droppedfrom 15% to 2.2% in 2013, with pipe repairs falling from 58,000 to less than10,000 annually, despite seismic conditions (see figure above).

In a new project started last fall in association with the NI, we are aiming todisseminate this technology in the U.S.,Europe, China and other parts of Asia, focusing our efforts on areas with regularseismic activity, high water leakage orwater shortage.

Research

We sponsor research to discover and develop new or expanded uses formolybdenum. In addition to those withVoestalpine and CISRI mentioned earlier, we have six other projects at various stages:

% Stainless steel pipe

Repair cases

Leakage rate

Num

ber of repair cases

Stainless steel pipe and leakage rate (%

)

100

80

60

40

20

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

0

1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013

The relationship between stainless steel piping, leakage rates and repair cases in Tokyo'swater system since 1983.

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molybdenum-containing grades. Workshops and practical guidelines arebeing prepared, and amendments to the Eurocode for structural tank designwill be proposed.

Team Stainless

IMOA is a member of Team Stainless,formed from the trade associations of the stainless steel and alloying element industries to promote the benefits ofstainless steel. The Team Stainless partners jointly sponsor carefully selectedprojects which are of mutual interest.

The Swedish Royal Institute of Technology,KTH, were commissioned to test a variety of stainless steel grades using anew procedure simulating food contact.The study showed that metal releasefrom all tested grades was well below theEU specific release limits, confirming the safety of stainless steel for food use.

A study commissioned from the Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food andEnvironmental Sciences and ManchesterMetropolitan University in the UK, lookedat best practice in cleaning stainlesssteel surfaces for hygienic applications.The results are being published in abooklet in the fall.

Other efforts

We have now published ‘Practical Guidelines for the Fabrication of HighPerformance Austenitic Stainless Steels’in Italian as well as English. The 72-page brochure explains the metallurgyand alloying of austenitic stainless steeland its mechanical, physical and corrosion-resistance properties. We hopeto publish in further languages wherethere is sufficient demand.

and nitrogen when added together, compared to their individual effects whenadded alone, for acidic and neutral solutions. However, this effect diminisheswith increasing pH and disappears inhigh pH alkaline (basic) solutions. Thismay be due to molybdenum disappearingfrom the outer layer of the passive filmafter aging in alkaline solution.

IMOA is sponsoring the role of The SteelConstruction Institute (SCI) in HILONG, a three-year European collaborative research project seeking to maximize thebenefit of high-strength steels (HSS),particularly in long-span applications suchas stadia, arenas and exhibition halls.Ground-breaking laboratory tests on HSS columns and trusses have been performed and design guidance is beingdeveloped.

IMOA is also sponsoring the SCI’s role in BIOGASS, another three-year European collaborative project, designedto develop guidance for duplex and ferritic stainless steel biodigesters andstorage tanks. Field trials in two biodigesters clearly demonstrated the superior corrosion resistance of

The first year report from the stainlesssteel atmospheric corrosion testing project that we embarked on in early 2013with the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) has been completed.Half of the samples were removed from the five test sites and examined afterabout one year of exposure in spring2014. The remaining samples were removed earlier this year and are underexamination at the moment. The final report is due this fall and is expected toinform grade selection in the Middle East region.

We have also begun a new project withSSAB to examine the role of molybdenumin modern direct quenched (DQ) and tempered steels, in order to recommendoptimal molybdenum levels for industrialscale trials. We expect these grades to offer significantly improved toughnesscompared with existing DQ steels thatcontain little or no molybdenum.

IMOA/Molybdenum Consortium2014 2013

$ $

Turnover 2,789,485 3,481,542Operating and administrative expenses 3,480,009 3,406,214

Operating surplus/(deficit) (690,524) 75,328

Other interest receivable and similar income 1,954 4,014

Surplus/(deficit) on ordinary activities before taxation (688,570) 79,341

Tax on surplus/(deficit) on ordinary activities 488 1,157

Surplus/(deficit) on ordinary activities after taxation (689,058) 78,184

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Financial Report 2014Income and expenditure accountFor the year ended 31 December 2014

Financial Commentary

The 2014 audited accounts presented here are consolidatedfigures for IMOA and the Molybdenum Consortium and aresubject to approval at the 2015 AGM. Income from subscriptionsand levies amounted to US$2,789,485. After expenses ofUS$3,480,009 a deficit (after taxation) of US$689,058 was carried forward bringing the combined accumulated funds toUS$3,881,575. Of this US$2,626,487 was attributable to IMOAand US$1,255,088 to the Consortium.

In the case of IMOA, budgeted expenditure was higher thansubscription income and the year end balance fell below theExecutive Committee’s benchmark of approximately one year’sexpenditure. The Molybdenum Consortium reserves will contribute to the funding of the Consortium until at least 2018.

IMOA/Molybdenum Consortium2014 2013

$ $ $ $

Fixed assetsTangible assets 51,416 16,530Current assetsDebtors 68,209 340,699Cash at bank and in hand 4,502,889 5,089,412

4,571,098 5,430,111

Creditors – amounts falling due within one year (740,939) (876,009)

Net current assets 3,830,159 4,554,102

Total assets less current liabilities 3,881,575 4,570,632

ReservesProfit and loss account 3,881,575 4,570,632

Accumulated funds 3,881,575 4,570,632

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Balance sheetFor the year ended 31 December 2014

www.imoa.info

International Molybdenum Association454-458 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5TTPhone: +44 20 8747 6120 Fax: +44 20 8742 0128Website: www.imoa.info Email: info@imoa.infoREACH Molybdenum Consortium website: www.molybdenumconsortium.org