Rhenium

Rhenium was predicted in 1869 by the Russian chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev and discovered in 1925 by the German chemists Ida and Walter Noddack, together with Otto Carl Berg. The trio identified rhenium in platinum ores and columbite using X-ray spectroscopy. They named it after the Latin name for the Rhine River, in reference to their homeland.

Due to its rarity and the difficulty of extraction, rhenium was long used exclusively in research laboratories.

Industrial use began only in the 1950s, when it was incorporated into high-temperature alloys for aircraft turbines, catalysts for petroleum refining, as well as in medical X-ray tubes and electronics.

There are no pure rhenium mines. The element is obtained as a by-product of copper and molybdenum mining.

Production is concentrated in a few countries. Chile is the leading producer, accounting for more than half of global output. Major sources include the Chuquicamata and Escondida copper mines, operated by Codelco and BHP, respectively.

The Chilean–Swiss company Molymet is one of the world’s largest rhenium processors.

The United States also has notable rhenium production. The Bingham Canyon copper mine—also known as the Kennecott Copper Mine—operated by Rio Tinto, is the largest single source of rhenium. While it covers part of the U.S. demand, the country still relies on imports due to increasing demand for superalloys in the aerospace industry.

Other major rhenium producers include Poland, with copper producer KGHM Polska Miedź, and China. Since 2020, Uzbekistan has also become an important rhenium producer through the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine.

The United States and Germany are leaders in rhenium recycling.

Global annual production amounts to approximately 60.000 kilograms.

Substitute materials for rhenium in platinum–rhenium catalysts are continuously being evaluated. Applications using iridium and tin have already achieved commercial success. Other metals being tested for catalytic use include gallium, germanium, indium, selenium, silicon, tungsten, and vanadium. The use of these and other metals in bimetallic catalysts could reduce the share of rhenium in the existing catalyst market.

However, this may be offset by rhenium-containing catalysts that are being considered for use in several planned gas-to-liquid (GTL) projects.

Materials that can replace rhenium in various end applications include cobalt and tungsten for coatings on copper X-ray targets; rhodium and rhodium–iridium for high-temperature thermocouples; tungsten and platinum–ruthenium for coatings on electrical contacts; and tungsten and tantalum for electron emitters.