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Posts Tagged ‘niobium’

Gallium, cobalt and tantalum hold for many characters in the fantasy saga The Lord of the Rings. In fact, however, the waste from the underworld essential for many key technologies. News.de lists the ten most important raw materials of the future.

The growth of world economy will drive the demand for traditional commodities such as iron, steel or copper. With advances in technology are booming but are also elements that lead is still a niche.

Even commodities are subject to large fluctuations. In March of the cocoa crisis, the speech was a ton of cocoa beans reached a 30-year high of almost 2600 €. Now the bubble has burst: In London, the price fell to around 1900 pounds. Unlike agricultural commodities, the price is significantly influenced by the successful harvest, decide on rare metals and minerals and energy security on the value.

Many of the better metals SeltenerdmetalleDie name would be the rare earths. The elements usually occur only in small quantities in many, widely dispersed layered minerals and when blended into other minerals. for example, according to estimates by Thomas Puls, substituted commodities expert at the Institute of German Economy in Cologne, is difficult, therefore, be replaced by other substances. They are generally not as rare as silver, but they are almost exclusively included in ores such as monazite or before Bästnasit. Therefore, a reduction of rare earth metals is expressed most difficult – and costly.

Most underrated: Phosphate

The most underrated substance is, according to pulse but none of the rare earths, but a proverbial about important substance, namely phosphate. As phosphorus fertilizer for plants, the mineral will be given the growing world population is of enormous importance in heart rate predicts news.de conversation. “Without phosphorus, no life. If populated in 30 to 40 years, nearly ten billion people the earth, the food production and critical size. ”

Phosphates are millions of years ago dead algae, which were deposited in the earth. It supports the salt, especially in China, the United States and Morocco. PeakDer their term comes from English and means “summit, peak, peak value. In the economic statistics referred to as the Peak Oil-the global oil production peak. (Peak) will achieve the promotion of phosphate according to expert estimates, in about 20 years, then one must adjust to declines in production – combined with growing demand.

In a study for the Association of Bavarian industry (VBW), the Institute calculated the “risk index” of 37 metals and minerals. In this case, the scientists on criteria such as the statistical range (as long as there are still occurrences?), The country risk (what is the political stability of producing countries?) Or the significance of future technologies such as laser technology, medical technology, photovoltaics and propulsion technologies

1. Yttrium
The red list of commodities with the highest supply risk in the study leads to a result of yttrium. This rare earth is required for the construction of permanent magnets for electric motors and laser devices and is virtually irreplaceable. Moreover, it is almost exclusively (99 percent) in China reduced. The well-known and recoverable reserves of yttrium are in relation to demand lower than for all other metals of this group.

2. to 4 Cobalt, tungsten, neodymium and scandium
While the latter two also include the group of rare earth and could therefore experience similar supply problems as yttrium, cobalt and tungsten are almost indispensable for special alloys. Cobalt occurs naturally in front of practically pure form, but only in combination with nickel, copper and other ores. Moreover, about 40 percent of global production are currently being promoted in the unstable Congo. Besides the use of cobalt for super alloys is needed especially for storage batteries.

5. Tungsten carbide
The counts related to carbon production of tungsten carbide the hardest material and is required for cutting tools or the military. Also put in light bulbs tungsten. Although there are in Germany and Austria this heavy metal deposits, the main producing country but is currently by far China, which represents about 80 percent of world production.

6. Phosphate
In addition to its above-described role as a fertilizer for food production, the mineral is taking in the coming years an important role in the production of lithium iron phosphate batteries. The efficiency of these batteries is still not as high as in conventional lithium-ion batteries, but they have a higher heat resistance and significantly faster charging times. So that they could be used to the fuel cell technology is an alternative.

7. Niobium
This metal finds use in special steels. More than 90 percent of global production only in three countries (mainly Brazil) and by only three companies. Although niobium is substituted by other metals such as tantalum, molybdenum or tungsten. Most of these substitutes but not achieve the same effect and are often more expensive.

8. and 9 Selenium and germanium
These substances belong with indium to the “spice metals.” These are distinguished by the fact that they occur very rarely and can also be obtained only as a byproduct. Of indium, which is degraded primarily with zinc ores, there were worldwide in 2007, only about 11,000 tonnes of reserves. Spice metals are “bycatch” – that is, the main product such as zinc or copper is not reduced, so there is no indium or germanium. Use find these particular metals in photovoltaic, LED technology, mobile phone or infrared systems.

10. Palladium, platinum and rhodium
The platinum metals are only used interchangeably. Since South Africa and Russia hold about 80 percent of world production of these precious metals, the degree of concentration is extremely high. Principal use of platinum metals catalysts car, but also in the electrical industry and in the jewelry sector is the demand high. It is through the use of catalysts in annual lost of precious metals stocks go high, they are literally on the street (as particulates).

The recycling potential is not yet fully exploited. In addition, platinum metals for financial investors of interest. Thus, the cost ounces of rhodium in the summer of 2008, about 10,000 U.S. dollars and this was almost ten times as expensive as gold, to the price at the end of the year fell to $ 1,000.

The light metal lithium is conducted in the study to 11th place. This metal is important for the batteries technology. The problem is that the largest lithium brines in Bolivia, Chile and Argentina can be found. Completing the red group with chromium and molybdenum to rank 12 to rank 14th

The heavy metal chromium is not replaceable and is currently being produced, especially in countries that either already used or where this strategic raw materials are feared in the future must be. Moreover, they argue that countries of Kazakhstan, Turkey or Russia is more than (political) risk countries. And molybdenum is also not easily be substituted – the specialty metal is used primarily for alloys used in aircraft and rocket construction as well as in displays and solar cells.

The price determines the occurrence

Rare as rare earths are in fact depends crucially on the market. Peter Buchholz, head of commodity economy at the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources provides almost none of the substances have a long-term bottleneck. can “Geologically it not be said that there is a shortage of these commodities. Short and medium term, there can be significant supply problems, as now rare in the earth.

Growing demand or shortage in supply such as export restrictions by increasing the price – and thus the development of new deposits “lucrative, says Buchholz. “The earth is not full of holes like Swiss cheese.” Through exploration would arise constantly new reserves.

As tantalum: During the IT boom in the early 2000s increased the demand so rapidly that the price increased five-fold and from the mines could not be replenished fast enough. Tantalum is used for the construction of capacitors in mobile phones and electronics division. Today, no delays remain.

Resource-rich Germany

are really just opinion Buchholz could “the two special metals neodymium and dysprosium. This would expect a supply deficit in 20 years. For them there are no real substitutes, that is, the two metals can not be replaced by other substances. They are used for magnetic resonance imaging, micro-motors and drives, as well as for permanent magnet rotors in wind turbines or electric cars.

By the way, Germany is by no means a resource poor country, as is often claimed: The Federal Republic is the world number one in the degradation of brown coal and the third largest producer of potash and kaolin. How the raw material and opens up the German AG is currently the single major mining companies since 2006, the deposits from Flensburg to Freiburg – a license for rare earths, the company has in the Saxon Stork joke.

We do have requests from buyers of tantalite also known as coltan, since the mineral contains both tantalum and columbite or niobium. If you have tantalite for sale and ready for export, please approach us with your details.