High performance Bi2Te3 rod——a new star in tellurium market

Asian Metal: Hello, Mr. Han! Thank you for accepting the interview of Asian Metal. Please give us a brief introduction about your company.

Mr. Han: The performance of our company, with a development history of 22 years, is satisfactory and in good condition, which can be seen from that our business taxes ranked top ten in the region for many times. In the meanwhile, our company consists of Sales Center (Shanghai), Manufacturing Plant (Jiangsu) and R & D Center (Jinshan, Shanghai). Not only engaged in recycle and purification, our company also provides high-performance thermoelectric materials for semiconductor thermoelectric producers as well as helps thermoelectric device producers develop and upgrade manufacturing technique and improve performance and develop the application of thermoelectric devices to achieve the complete industry chain from material to application.

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Asian Metal: Besides the sale of refined tellurium 99.99%min, we heard that your company has produced high performance Bi2Te3 rods since 2017. Could you give us an introduction about the current capacity and output, etc?

Mr. Han: We established Bismuth Telluride Material R & D Center (hereinafter referred to as new material) in 2016, which is mainly engaged in the development and optimization of hot-pressing technology of bismuth telluride thermoelectric materials, including P-type and N-type materials, monthly capacity of which can reach 3t respectively by 2019.

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Asian Metal: With major tellurium metal consumers as refrigeration enterprises, what will your company bring to those enterprises after starting producing and selling high performance Bi2Te3 rods, and what impact will it bring to the whole tellurium metal market?

Mr. Han: Tellurium is mainly applied in thermoelectric cooling (heating) field with only limited actual uses in other fields. Taking the unique advantage in tellurium materials, we produce high performance Bi2Te3 rods of P-type and N-type; we can also provide high-quality and cheap crystal rods for refrigeration producers, reduce their production costs and help them improve the competitiveness of their products trough promoting P-type and N-type high performance Bi2Te3 rods.

Asian Metal: Thank you for your introduction about tellurium-bismuth alloy which will affect the tellurium metal consumption market gradually in the near future. In addition, tellurium metal prices increased again in China before the Spring Festival, what is your opinion on the market condition in H1 2018?

Mr. Han: We have been engaged in tellurium business for 22 years and I think reasonable prices for tellurium should be RMB550,000-650,000/t (USD86,918-102,721/t). However, prices for the material can't move up influenced by overcapacity and limited actual effect of new application. In my opinion, tellurium prices would decrease further if there are no speculation factors. Of course, quotations of some websites also play an important role in influencing the price.

Asian Metal: Environmental inspections have brought more effects on tellurium metal industry since 2017. Could you please talk about the specific effects on the tellurium market?

Mr. Han: Personally, I agree on national remediation in environmental protection. It would be helpful for formal enterprises by closing small companies and those with no production certificates. At the same time, it can also cut overcapacity and make tellurium prices stand within rational ranges.

Asian Metal: Has there been any change in the supply of tellurium raw material in both domestic and overseas markets in the recent year?

Mr. Han: We keep fixed supply sources of tellurium raw material at a relatively normal level. However, the sources will be more diversified with larger self-used volumes. We are looking for suppliers of tellurium raw material.

Asian Metal: Finally, please talk about the development plan of your company.

Mr. Han: First, we expect to become a supplier and a user of tellurium in the long term. We develop and optimize high performance Bi2Te3 rod technology to boost the development of thermoelectric industry in China. Therefore, we will vigorously promote high performance Bi2Te3 rod materials and the technology, improve the technique in the thermoelectric industry to a new level and become a leader in output and quality of high performance Bi2Te3 rods. Second, we have become a shareholder of a refrigerating plant and will fully show the performance of our high-quality materials in refrigerators. By doing this, we can become a producer as well as a user.

Asian Metal: Thank you again for your accepting our interview. Wish your company a brighter future!