1016 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1985 
 
two Hitco divisions, which are leading suppliers of carbon fibers epoxy resins
and preimpregnated fabrics for advanced cornPlans fora leveraged buyout of
the Timet 
Div of Titamum Metals Corp of America (TMCA) by a Timet management group
were shelved in late November. Timet is the largest producer of titanium
alloys and metal in the United States and operates a 14,000-ton-per-year
sponge plant at Henderson, NV. Allegheny International Inc. and NL Industries
Inc joint owners of TMCA said that although the outlook for the tita mum
metal market was favorable they would continue to seek a buyer for the 
*Thnet Div. as part of their new divestiture strategy Top Timet executives
and Kelso & Co a New York management consulting firm, which was arranging
financing in return for a share in the company, had agreed in January to
purchase the division. However, the management group was unable to arrange
financing partly because of lower-than-anticipated projected sales volume
and profits for the division 
 Consumption of NH4VO3, granular pentoxide and other vanadium chemicals for
catalysts dropped back to the depressed levels of 1983, and remained far
below the average of the last decade. Sulfuric acid 
production, a major end use for vanadium oxidation catalysts approximated
that of 1984. More than 80% of the sulfuric acid currently being produced
in the Umted States is synthesized by the contact process, winch uses an
8% VA5 catalyst on a silica support to convert the sulfur dioxide to sulfur
trioxide. Vanadium catalysts are also used in the commercial synthesis of
three key organic intermediates: maleic anhydride, adipic acid, and phthalic
anhydride. Production of maleic anhydride increased only 4% in 1985 while
production of adipic acid and phthahc anhydride declined 7% and 4% respectively
In November Mon santo Industrial Chemicals permanently closed its 110-million-pound-per-year
benzene-based maleic anhydride unit in St Lows MO after raising the capacity
of its new butane-based unit at Pensacola, FL, from 130 million to 190 million
pounds per year. The butane process employs a new proprietary vanadium catalyst
that has a higher V205 content than the previous 2V205*Mo03 benzene catalyst.

 In addition to the consumers' stocks, producers' stocks of vanadium as fused
oxide, precipitated oxide, vanadates, metal, alloys, and chemicals totaled
2,849 tons of contained vanadium at yearend 1985, compared with 3,321 tons
at yearend 1984. 
 
Table 4—Producers of vanadium alloys or metal in the United States
in 1985 
Producer 
Plant location 
Products1 
Affiliated Metalsand Minerals Inc               
Cabot Corp., Engineered Products Group          
Do                                
NewCastle, PA        
Henderson, KY        
Wenatchee,WA        
FeV. 
VA1 and ZrVAI. 
Do. 
FooteMineralCo.,FerroalioysDiv               
Cambridge,OH        
FeVandFerovan.2 
Metalluiglnc.,ShieldalloyCorp                
ReadingAlloys Inc  
Teledynelnc.,TeledyneWahChangAlbanyDiv 
Union Carbide Corp., Umetco Minerals Corp       Do                      
         
Newfleld,NJ          
Robesonia,PA         
Albany,OR           
Marietta, OH3         
NiagaraFalls,NY       
FeV. 
FeVandVAl. 
V. 
Carvan2 and Nitrovan.2 
FeV and VA1. 
1FeV.ferrovanadium; V. vanadium metal; VA1, vanadium aluminum; ZrVA1, zirconium
vanadium aluminum. 
3Registered trademarks for proprietary products. 
3Elkem Metals Co. has been toll converting vanadium oxide at Marietta for
Union Carbide since 1981.