In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, join General Manager Tarrant Elkington and Allan Earl, Executive Consultant as they discuss the mining aspects of Technical Due Diligence.

This podcast video at a glance:

0:10 Tarrant introduces the speaker, Allan Earl, and outlines the podcast topic.
1:00 Allan provides an overview of Technical Due Diligence in the mining industry.
2:35 Allan delves into the initial aspects considered when commencing a Technical Due Diligence review.
4:30 When all data is organized, Allan discusses the initial focal points, starting with underground mines.
12:00 Allan elaborates on the distinctions in technical due diligence for open-pit mines.
14:07 Allan clarifies whether his due diligence process primarily involves data review or other tasks.
17:10 Allan compares and contrasts due diligence requirements between operating and developed mines.

Join our experts as they explore the topic of Technical Due Diligence for Mining in episode 58 of the Fresh Thinking podcast.

If you’d like to connect with Tarrant and Allan, please reach out to them at contact@snowdenoptiro.com.

This video podcast is also available as an audio podcast on @Libsyn, @Spotify, @Apple Podcasts, @Google Podcasts.

These podcasts are for those working in the mining industry.

Snowden Optiro – Mining Advisory, Consulting and Professional Development.

Source: Diana Ross

The multi part Global Atlas is a compilation of public domain global geologic information. It is organized by themes of interest and is meant to be a quick go to reference for E&P folks, researchers and academia.

This one is a very simple compilation of known distribution of critical mineral deposits around the world. I have incorporated the interesting “verbatim” responses from the Chat GPT AI engine regarding the various critical minerals to show how it can be a valuable teaching tool.

Critical minerals are defined as metal and nonmetal elements and compounds considered vital to economic and national security yet whose supplies may be at risk because of geological scarcity, geopolitical issues, trade policies, or other factors related to extraction, refining, and transport.

First, let’s consider how much gold is readily available to us.

The most recent estimate is ~210,000 tonnes extracted and ~50,000 tonnes discovered and still in the ground – There’s not much of it around!

All the gold that has been mined would fit into 4 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 🏊‍♀️

Next, let’s consider how is GOLD made. 🤔

☀ Nucleosynthesis in Stars:
– Stars are giant nuclear reactors where hydrogen is converted into helium through nuclear fusion. As the star evolves, heavier elements are formed through subsequent fusion reactions.
– During the later stages of a massive star’s life, when it undergoes a supernova explosion, intense heat and pressure cause rapid nucleosynthesis, leading to the creation of gold and other heavy elements.

🌟 Supernova Explosion:
– The explosion of a massive star, known as a supernova, is a cataclysmic event that releases an enormous amount of energy.
– The extreme conditions during a supernova, such as high temperatures and intense pressure, enable the fusion of lighter elements into heavier ones, including gold.

⚛ R-process (Rapid Neutron Capture):
– Gold, being a relatively heavy element, requires specific conditions for its formation. The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) during a supernova is crucial for creating elements heavier than iron.
– In the r-process, neutrons are rapidly captured by existing nuclei, leading to the formation of gold and other heavy elements.

💣 Distribution in Space:
– After a supernova explosion, the newly formed elements, including gold, are ejected into space. These elements become part of the interstellar medium, the material that fills the space between stars.

🌌 Formation of Planetary Systems:
– As new stars and planetary systems form from the remnants of earlier stars, the material in the interstellar medium, enriched with heavy elements like gold, becomes incorporated into these new systems.

🌎 Earth’s Formation:
– The Earth and other planets in our solar system formed from a rotating disk of gas and dust around the young Sun. This material contained traces of heavy elements, including gold, inherited from previous generations of stars.

🌋 Magmatic Processes:
– Volcanic and magmatic processes bring materials from the mantle to the Earth’s surface.
– In certain geological conditions, gold-containing fluids can migrate through the Earth’s crust and form gold deposits near the surface.

So, if you have a smart phone or any gold jewelry, you’ve got a piece of an ancient dead star! ⭐

It took BILLIONS of years for the universe to make the gold, perhaps its TRUE VALUE is much higher than what we perceive it to be.

After all economically viable sources of gold have been mined, how can more of it be produced?

#GoldMining | #MiningMatters | #StoreofValue | #PreciousMetals

Credits to Hooman Askari for this post.

✅ Highlights of this semi-mobile plant are:
➖ Semi-mobile design with truck bridges
➖ Building above crushing plant
➖ Material fed by heavy duty apron feeder
➖ Crusher designed and manufactured by TAKRAF
➖ Extremely cold weather design
➖Dust collection system
➖ Crushing capacity 4,250 t/h
➖Material – Overburden, mainly sandstone/siltstone
➖ Crusher – double roll crusher
➖ Material feed – Apron Feeder
➖ Semi-mobile crushing plants for relocation

✅ A considerable number of mines around the world opt for a semi-mobile crushing plant. These plants are designed in such a manner that they can be relocated through the use of transport crawlers and/or multi-wheel trailers. Having the flexibility to relocate the crushing plant enables travel distances for haulage trucks and belt conveyors to be optimized during the
life of the mine – all with a view to providing increased efficiency and flexibility to the mine operator. Choosing the optimal crushing plant location is an essential criteria for the reduction in the number of haulage trucks required and increase in operational efficiency.

✅ In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (IPCC)

✅ Capital and operational costs of an operation depend directly on the material transport system. Conventional truck haulage as today´s predominant means of material transport in surface mines are well established and provide excellent flexibility, however contribute up to 60% of the overall mining cost. Further to the potential operational expenditure (opex) reduction, IPCC systems also offer a number of other benefits to mining operations ranging from an increase in safety to reductions in dust, noise and greenhouse gas emissions, increased automation and bad
weather downtime.

✅ IPCC represents a viable, safer and less fossil fuel dependent alternative, comprising fully-mobile, semi-mobile or stationary crushing stations connected to conveyors and spreaders (for waste) or stackers (for ore) to transport material out of the mine.

✔ For more information on what I do:
https://lnkd.in/gw6bKKm

✔ Click on the hashtag to follow me for mining news and educational content: #MiningNewsByHooman

🔗All rights and credits reserved to the respective owner/s
See source

#miningengineering #mining #miningindustry #miningengineering #geologists #mineplanning #ingenieríaminera #minería

Articulo publicado por Minería & Desarrollo el 05 febrero de 2024.
La industria minera de Chile, el principal productor de cobre del mundo y el segundo mayor productor de litio, necesitará más de 34.000 nuevos trabajadores para 2032, según un estudio publicado esta semana.

El informe de la Alianza CCM-Eleva, una iniciativa conjunta entre el Consejo Minero y Fundación Chile, analizó las tendencias y desafíos laborales de 27 empresas mineras y proveedoras del país, que representan el 96% del sector.

“La nueva estimación de los talentos necesarios en la próxima década refleja un crecimiento del 36% en comparación con lo estimado en el estudio anterior”, afirmó Vladimir Glasinovic, director del Programa Eleva (Alianza CCM-Eleva). “Muestra una industria minera que está creciendo con fuerza, generando empleos y desarrollo local”.

Una de las principales conclusiones del estudio fue que la demanda de capital humano aumentará en más de un tercio en los próximos nueve años, en comparación con la edición anterior del estudio, publicada hace dos años. Los principales impulsores de esta demanda de talento son la jubilación de trabajadores que se acercan al final de sus carreras y el desarrollo de nuevos proyectos en regiones clave.

Los principales proyectos que impulsan la demanda de nuevos talentos, según el informe, son Quebrada Blanca 2 (T2) de Teck, que produjo el primer cobre el año pasado y está intensificando sus operaciones; Salares Norte de Gold Fields, que se espera comience en abril ; El Distrito Minero Centinela de Antofagasta y la expansión Los Bronces de Anglo American , programadas tentativamente para principios de 2026.

El estudio también identificó que el 75% de la demanda de profesionales se concentrará en cinco tipos de especialistas, siendo los mantenedores mecánicos los que encabezan la lista. Los operadores de equipos móviles y los operadores de equipos fijos ocuparon el segundo y tercer lugar, respectivamente.

El estudio tiene como objetivo proporcionar información relevante para que las políticas públicas y estrategias industriales aborden las necesidades de capital humano del sector minero, que es uno de los principales pilares de la economía de Chile. También destacó los avances y desafíos en materia de equidad de género, impacto tecnológico y oferta educativa disponible en el país.

Concluyó que la participación femenina en la industria es del 15%, donde una de cada tres contrataciones dentro de las empresas mineras fue una mujer, y la participación en puestos de toma de decisiones alcanzó el 17%.

Las cifras muestran que el porcentaje de participación femenina de Chile en el mercado laboral está por debajo del de países desarrollados u otras economías de la región. Sin embargo, en términos de participación femenina en la industria minera, el país está mejor posicionado, por encima de Perú y al mismo nivel que Estados Unidos.

En general, la industria minera de Chile registra actualmente la tasa de empleo más alta en 12 años, mostrando un aumento del 38% con respecto a 2020 y del 22% con respecto a 2011.

The Mining News Making The Headlines This Week…. 📰

Financial Results 📊

🇦🇺 BHP announced it’s first half year results – Revenue up 6% to U$27billion, underlying profit $6.6billion, net profit $927million (due to a $5.6billion impairment for Samarco disaster), dividend of 72c a share being paid out.

🇬🇧 Anglo American is expected to announce revenue of U$30billion, Net profit of $2.4billion and net debt to have increase by 35% to $10.75billion.

🇬🇧 🇦🇺 Rio Tinto posted a US$15.5billion net profit, they will return $7.1billion to investors with a $2.58 a share dividend.

🇬🇧 🇨🇱 Grupo Antofagasta Minerals recorded an 8% increase in revenue to US$6.3billion and a pre-tax profit of $1.8billion (up 11%), production is up 2%, the dividend will be 60c a share.

🇨🇭Glencore’s profits are down 75% from last year, US$4.3billion for 2023, they will return 13c a share to shareholders.

🇦🇺 Pilbara Minerals Limited posts a net profit of AU$220million, down 82% from the year before due to a 90% drop in the lithium price.

🇦🇺 Iluka Resources posted revenue of $1.24billion, net profit of $342million, 4c per share dividend.

Mergers & Acquisitions 🤝

🇦🇺 🇺🇸 Orica acquire Cyanco for US$640million with the aim of creating an integrated global manufacturing & distribution network, Cyanco mainly supply chemicals into the gold mining industry, Orica will partly fund the deal with a $US$260million equity raise.

🇺🇸 🇷🇺 🇰🇿 Polymetal International plc is selling its Russian business for U$3.7billion, after tax cash from the deal of $300million is going to be reinvested into Kazakhstan operations.

🇨🇦 Integra Resources has sold its royalty interest in Wheaton Precious Metals for US$9.8million.

Commodity price impacts 📉

🇿🇦 Anglo Platinum have announced on the back of weak platinum prices and rising operational costs that they’re reviewing up to 4,300 jobs in an effort to save money. The company employs 32,000 staff so over 10% of the workforce.

🇦🇺 🇨🇴 South32 are undertaking a review of their Cerro Matoso nickel mine

Executive Changes 📯

🇨🇦 Barrick Gold Corporation’s Executive Chairman of a decade John Thornton will move into a Chairman role.

🇨🇦 Wesdome Gold Mines announces Fernando Ragone as their new Chief Financial Officer.

Mining Projects ⛏️ 🏗️

🇨🇦 🇵🇪 Sierra Metals Inc. has been successful in obtaining environmental permitting to develop their Peruvian Yauricocha mine, they are planning to increase copper production by 40%.

🇦🇺 🇬🇳 Rio Tinto have allocated $6.2billion in capital expenditure over the next 3 years to finance projects such as Simandou and Gudai Darri.

🇦🇺 Iluka Resources have altered their estimates to complete their Eneabba rare earth processing plant to AU$1.7-1.8billion and are in discussions with the Australian government to assist with financing the additional $450-550million in costs.

hashtag#mining hashtag#miningindustry hashtag#coppermining hashtag#nickel

In this 22-minute documentary Peter Tom Jones (Director KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals – SIM2 KU Leuven) searches for answers to Europe’s seemingly problematic relationship with primary #mining of #energytransition #metals.

#mining #criticalminerals #sustainability #eugreendeal #energystorage #electricalvehicles #lithiumionbatteries #rareearths #copper #cobalt #nickel #lithium #horizoneurope

Dear young geologists,
I want to share with you my collection of useful geologic diagrams and pictures that you can use in the field.

Дорогие юные геологи,
Я хочу поделиться с вами своей подборкой полезных геологических схем и картинок, который вы можете использовать в поле.

Uranium production in Cigar Lake, Canada is the highest-grade in the world.

Since 2014, the site has mined 105 million pounds of the radioactive metal, which is naturally occurring on Earth. It is the largest uranium mine on the planet. For context, an egg-sized amount of uranium fuel can generate as much electric power as 88 tonnes of coal.

Given its vast uranium deposits, Canada has produced the most uranium worldwide since 1945.

This graphic shows cumulative uranium production by country in modern history, with data from the World Nuclear Association.

The Top Uranium-Producing Countries
Since 1945, a total of 3.5 million tonnes of uranium has been produced globally.

Together, Canada and the U.S. account for over 29% of global production, mining 932,000 tonnes over the last several decades.

Country Share of Production Cumulative Production 1945-2022 (Tonnes)
🇨🇦 Canada 17.4% 554,475
🇺🇸 United States 11.9% 378,038
☭ USSR* 11.9% 377,613
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 11.0% 349,789
🇦🇺 Australia 7.6% 240,579
🇩🇪 Germany 6.9% 219,685
🇿🇦 South Africa 5.2% 165,692
🇳🇦 Namibia 5.0% 158,856
🇳🇪 Niger 4.9% 156,797
🇨🇿 Czech Republic 3.5% 112,055
🇷🇺 Russia 2.8% 90,725
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 2.4% 76,808
🇫🇷 France 2.4% 76,021
🇨🇳 China 1.7% 53,712
🇺🇦 Ukraine 0.8% 24,670
🌍 Others 4.7% 149,299
*Until 1991, USSR comprised the uranium production of Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and other former Soviet Union republics.

During the Cold War, the USSR mined over 377,000 tonnes of uranium for a variety of purposes including nuclear reactors and naval fuel.

Due to demand from nuclear reactors, uranium production sharply increased from the 1960s to the 1980s. With this came the construction of the earliest generation of nuclear plants. Today, about 436 nuclear reactors are in operation.

Since the war in Ukraine, uranium has drawn increased attention given its role in nuclear weapons. Ukraine had 15 nuclear reactors depending on uranium from Russia, but the country rapidly signed a deal with Canada due to their exposure to the crisis.

Similar to Ukraine, nuclear reactors in Finland were at risk since their Russian-made reactors relied on the know-how of Russian firms.

While uranium is used for defense purposes, it also plays a key role in electricity generation thanks to its low carbon footprint. In the U.S., about 19% of electricity is powered from nuclear plants, and around 10% of global electricity is from nuclear power sources.

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Noruega se convirtió en el primer país del mundo en autorizar la controvertida práctica de la #minería en aguas profundas a escala comercial. Y es que el proyecto de ley que se aprobó el martes acelerará la búsqueda de metales preciosos, los cuales tienen una gran demanda en la industria de tecnologías verdes.

Al respecto, los científicos ambientales han advertido que la aprobación del proyecto podría tener efectos devastadores para la vida marina. Y aunque el plan se circunscribe a aguas noruegas, este año podría alcanzarse un acuerdo sobre minería en aguas internacionales.

No obstante, el gobierno noruego dijo que estaba siendo cauteloso y que sólo comenzaría a emitir licencias una vez que se llevaran a cabo más estudios ambientales.

Las profundidades del mar albergan rocas del tamaño de una papa que se conocen como nódulos y costras: éstas contienen minerales como litio, escandio y cobalto, fundamentales para las tecnologías limpias, incluidas las baterías.

La propuesta de Noruega le permitirá a las mineras presentar solicitudes para explotar 280.000 Km2, un área mayor que el tamaño de Reino Unido.

Aunque estos minerales están disponibles en tierra, están concentrados en unos pocos países, por lo que su suministro puede llegar a estar en riesgo. Por ejemplo, la República Democrática del Congo es dueña de algunas de las mayores reservas de cobalto, pero enfrenta conflictos en algunas partes del país.

Walter Sognnes, cofundador de la minera noruega Loke Minerals -que planea solicitar una licencia- reconoció que es necesario hacer más para comprender las profundidades del océano antes de que comience la minería.

“Tendremos un período relativamente largo de actividad de exploración y mapeo para cerrar la brecha de conocimiento sobre el impacto ambiental”, le dijo a la BBC en una entrevista.

Las críticas

Martin Webeler, activista de los océanos e investigador de la Fundación de Justicia Ambiental, dijo que el anuncio es “catastrófico” para el hábitat del océano.

“El gobierno noruego siempre destacó que quiere implementar los más altos estándares ambientales. Es hipocresía mientras se desestiman todos los consejos científicos”, comentó.

Asimismo, dijo que las mineras deberían centrarse en prevenir daños ambientales en las operaciones actuales, en vez de abrir una industria completamente nueva.

La medida pone al país en desacuerdo con la UE y Reino Unido, quienes han solicitado una prohibición temporal de la práctica debido a las preocupaciones existentes sobre posibles daños ambientales.

Las técnicas para recolectar minerales del fondo marino podrían generar una importante contaminación acústica y lumínica, así como daños al hábitat de los or

Bord and Pillar Mining:
1. Initial Development:
– Bords (or Rooms): Horizontal galleries are driven into the coal seam, creating rectangular rooms called bords or rooms.
– Pillars:The remaining coal within the pillars between the bords is left untouched to provide support to the overlying strata.

2. Extraction Phase:
– Extraction of Coal: The coal is then extracted from the bords, leaving behind the pillars.
– Pillar Size: The size and arrangement of the pillars depend on factors such as the geology of the deposit, the depth of the seam, and the desired level of recovery.

3. Support and Safety:
– Roof Support: The surrounding rock is supported by the pillars, and additional roof support methods like roof bolts or other supports may be used as needed.
– **Safety:** The design and spacing of pillars are crucial for maintaining the stability of the underground workings and preventing collapses.

Advantages of Bord and Pillar Mining:

– Selective Extraction: Allows selective extraction of coal, leaving behind support pillars.
– Safety: Provides good roof support, reducing the risk of roof collapses.

Challenges:

– Recovery Efficiency:Recovery rates may not be as high compared to some other mining methods, as significant portions of coal are left in pillars.
– Pillar Stability: Pillar stability is critical to prevent subsidence and maintain safety.

Variations:
There are variations of the bord and pillar method, such as the “room and pillar” method, which involves larger rooms and pillars and is commonly used in metal mining.

Bord and pillar mining is particularly suitable for relatively shallow, flat-lying coal seams and has been a traditional method for coal extraction in many mining regions around the world.

Source : Karim El-behairy, LinkedIn

For millennia people have purchased and relied on metals for decorative and industrial uses, figuring out their values based on their practical applications and visual luster.

Today, precious and industrial metals markets quote figures in millions and billions as they exchange thousands of ounces, with varying densities and values of metals making it difficult to compare them.

Using price data from TradingEconomics, this graphic visualizes how much of each metal you can buy for $1,000 so you can see just how much, or how little, of each metal you get for your money.

How we Value Precious and Industrial Metals
Characterized by their natural shine, metals are valued using the two key principles of rarity and their industrial uses, with unique properties such as their appearance or cultural significance also affecting their value.

Rarity: A more scarce metal or resource will often have a higher value than one which is more abundant.
For example, while there are an estimated 2.1 billion tonnes of identified copper deposits, there are only 57,000 tonnes of underground gold reserves. While copper is valued at $0.24 per troy ounce, gold is worth around $1,815 per troy ounce.
Industrial uses: Metals which are needed for important industrial processes will often have a high demand from manufacturers, increasing their valuation.
For example, for most of its history cobalt was used decoratively for its striking blue color and for the creation of superalloys and steel products. However, when it was recently discovered that cobalt could be a key component in lithium-ion batteries for EVs, demand for cobalt surged sending its price from around $23,000 per tonne to more than $90,000 per tonne at one point.
Along with these two primary factors, unique properties and historical uses can also affect a metal’s valuation.

Former monetary metals like gold and silver are still sought after by investors for their potential ability to retain value over time compared to today’s fiat currencies. Meanwhile, platinum’s durability, resistance to tarnishing, and its bright white color makes it highly sought after for jewelry, raising the demand and value of the precious metal.

Getting Less for More: Comparing Metal Density
A key factor that determines the volume of a metal you get for a certain price is also the metal’s density. Precious metals tend to be more dense than industrial metals, with sometimes more than double the density depending on the specific metals compared.

As seen in the graphic above, $1,000 …

Source: https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-metals-you-can-buy-with-1000/

Governments formulate lists of critical minerals according to their industrial requirements and strategic evaluations of supply risks.

Over the last decade, minerals like nickel, copper, and lithium have been on these lists and deemed essential for clean technologies like EV batteries and solar and wind power.

This graphic uses IRENA and the U.S. Department of Energy data to identify which minerals are essential to China, the United States, and the European Union.

What are Critical Minerals?
There is no universally accepted definition of critical minerals. Countries and regions maintain lists that mirror current technology requirements and supply and demand dynamics, among other factors.

These lists are also constantly changing. For example, the EU’s first critical minerals list in 2011 featured only 14 raw materials. In contrast, the 2023 version identified 34 raw materials as critical.

One thing countries share, however, is the concern that a lack of minerals could slow down the energy transition.

With most countries committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the total mineral demand from clean energy technologies is expected to double by 2040.

U.S. and EU Seek to Reduce Import Reliance on Critical Minerals
Ten materials feature on critical material lists of both the U.S., the EU, and China, including cobalt, lithium, graphite, and rare earths.

Despite having most of the same materials found in the U.S. or China’s list, the European list is the only one to include phosphate rock. The region has limited phosphate resources (only produced in Finland) and largely depends on imports of the material essential for manufacturing fertilizers.

Coking coal is also only on the EU list. The material is used in the manufacture of pig iron and steel. Production is currently dominated by China (58%), followed by Australia (17%), Russia (7%), and the U.S. (7%).

The U.S. has also sought to reduce its reliance on imports. Today, the country is 100% import-dependent on manganese and graphite and 76% on cobalt.

After decades of sourcing materials from other countries, the U.S. local production of raw materials has become extremely limited. For instance, there is only one operating nickel mine (primary) in the country, the Eagle Mine in Michigan. Likewise, the country only hosts one lithium source in Nevada, the Silver Peak Mine.

China’s Dominance
Despite being the world’s biggest carbon polluter, China is the largest producer of most of the world’s critical minerals for the green revolution.

Source: https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/the-critical-minerals-to-china-eu-and-u-s-national-security/

In an increasingly connected world, smartphones have become an inseparable part of our lives.

Over 60% of the world’s population owns a mobile phone and smartphone adoption continues to rise in developing countries around the world.

While each brand has its own mix of components, whether it’s a Samsung or an iPhone, most smartphones can carry roughly 80% of the stable elements on the periodic table.

But some of the vital metals to build these devices are considered at risk due to geological scarcity, geopolitical issues, and other factors.

Smartphone Part Critical Metal
Touch Screen indium
Display lanthanum; gadolinium; praseodymium; europium; terbium; dysprosium
Electronics nickel, gallium, tantalum
Casing nickel, magnesium
Battery lithium, nickel, cobalt
Microphone, speakers, vibration unit nickel, praseodymium, neodymium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium

What’s in Your Pocket?
This infographic based on data from the University of Birmingham details all the critical metals that you carry in your pocket with your smartphone.

1. Touch Screen
Screens are made up of multiple layers of glass and plastic, coated with a conductor material called indium which is highly conductive and transparent.

Indium responds when contacted by another electrical conductor, like our fingers.

When we touch the screen, an electric circuit is completed where the finger makes contact with the screen, changing the electrical charge at this location. The device registers this electrical charge as a “touch event”, then prompting a response.

2. Display
Smartphones screens display images on a liquid crystal display (LCD). Just like in most TVs and computer monitors, a phone LCD uses an electrical current to adjust the color of each pixel.

Several rare earth elements are used to produce the colors on screen.

3. Electronics
Smartphones employ multiple antenna systems, such as Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi.

The distance between these antenna systems is usually small making it extremely difficult to achieve flawless performance. Capacitors made of the rare, hard, blue-gray metal tantalum are used for filtering and frequency tuning.

Nickel is also used in capacitors and in mobile phone electrical connections. Another silvery metal, gallium, is used in semiconductors.

4. Microphone, Speakers, Vibration Unit
Nickel is used in the microphone diaphragm

Alloys containing rare earths neodymium, praseodymium and gadolinium are used in the magnets contained in the speaker and microphone. Neodymium, terbium and dysprosium are also used in the vibration unit.

5. Casing
6. Battery

Source : https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-critical-metals-in-a-smartphone/

This documentary film explores the varied and often surprising ways in which gold and the societies it is part of have transformed over time.

Join Idris Elba on a global journey that traces the human story of gold—and discover why the element’s contributions remain crucial to our evolution.

About World Gold Council
We’re the global experts on gold. The content we post here ranges from investment insights and market trends, to responsible gold mining and gold’s many uses in our world.

The Rise of the Steel Age
From the bronze age to the iron age, metals have defined eras of human history. If our current era had to be defined similarly, it would undoubtedly be known as the steel age.

Steel is the foundation of our buildings, vehicles, and industries, with its rates of production and consumption often seen as markers for a nation’s development. Today, it is the world’s most commonly used metal and most recycled material, with 1,864 million metric tons of crude steel produced in 2020.

This infographic uses data from the World Steel Association to visualize 50 years of crude steel production, showcasing our world’s unrelenting creation of this essential material.

The State of Steel Production
Global steel production has more than tripled over the past 50 years, despite nations like the U.S. and Russia scaling down their domestic production and relying more on imports. Meanwhile, China and India have consistently grown their production to become the top two steel producing nations.

Below are the world’s current top crude steel producing nations by 2020 production.
Rank Country Steel Production (2020, Mt)
#1 🇨🇳 China 1,053.0
#2 🇮🇳 India 99.6
#3 🇯🇵 Japan 83.2
#4 🇷🇺 Russia* 73.4
#5 🇺🇸 United States 72.7
#6 🇰🇷 South Korea 67.1
#7 🇹🇷 Turkey 35.8
#8 🇩🇪 Germany 35.7
#9 🇧🇷 Brazil 31.0
#10 🇮🇷 Iran* 29.0
Source: World Steel Association. *Estimates.

Despite its current dominance, China could be preparing to scale back domestic steel production to curb overproduction risks and ensure it can reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

As iron ore and steel prices have skyrocketed in the last year, U.S. demand could soon lessen depending on the Biden administration’s actions. A potential infrastructure bill would bring investment into America’s steel mills to build supply for the future, and any walkbalk on the Trump administration’s 2018 tariffs on imported steel could further soften supply constraints.

Steel’s Secret: Infinite Recyclability
Made up primarily of iron ore, steel is an alloy which also contains less than 2% carbon and 1% manganese and other trace elements. While the defining difference might seem small, steel can be 1,000x stronger than iron.

However, steel’s true strength lies in its infinite recyclability with no loss of quality. No matter the grade or application, steel can always be recycled, with new steel products containing 30% recycled steel on average.

The alloy’s magnetic properties make it easy to recover from waste streams, and nearly 100% of the steel industry’s co-products can be used in other manufacturing or electricity generation.

Source: https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/50-years-of-global-steel

While the global economy relies on many commodities, none come close to the massive scale of the oil market.

Besides being the primary energy source for transportation, oil is a key raw material for numerous other industries like plastics, fertilizers, cosmetics, and medicine. As a result, the global physical oil market is astronomical in size and has a significant economic and geopolitical influence, with a few countries dominating global oil production.

The above infographic puts crude oil’s market size into perspective by comparing it to the 10 largest metal markets combined. To calculate market sizes, we used the latest price multiplied by global production in 2022, based on data from TradingEconomics and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Note: This analysis focuses on raw and physical materials, excluding derivative markets and alloy materials like steel.

How Big Is the Oil Market?
In 2022, the world produced an average of 80.75 million barrels of oil per day (including condensates). That puts annual crude oil production at around 29.5 billion barrels, with the market size exceeding $2 trillion at current prices.

That figure dwarfs the combined size of the 10 largest metal markets:

Commodity 2022 Annual Production Market Size
Crude Oil 29.5 billion barrels $2.1 trillion
Iron Ore 2.6 billion tonnes $283.4 billion
Gold 3,100 tonnes $195.9 billion
Copper 22 million tonnes $183.3 billion
Aluminum 69 million tonnes $152.6 billion
Nickel 3.3 million tonnes $68.8 billion
Zinc 13 million tonnes $30.9 billion
Silver 26,000 tonnes $19.9 billion
Molybdenum 250,000 tonnes $12.9 billion
Palladium 210 tonnes $9.5 billion
Lead 4.5 million tonnes $9.2 billion
Based on prices as of June 7, 2023.

The combined market size of the top 10 metal markets amounts to $967 billion, less than half that of the oil market. In fact, even if we added all the remaining smaller raw metal markets, the oil market would still be far bigger.

This also reflects the massive scale of global oil consumption annually, with the resource having a ubiquitous presence in our daily lives.

The Big Picture
While the oil market towers over metal markets, it’s important to recognize that this doesn’t downplay the importance of these commodities.

Metals form a critical building block of the global economy, playing a key role in infrastructure, energy technologies, and more. Meanwhile, precious metals like gold and silver serve as important stores of value.

As the world shifts towards a more sustainable future and away from fossil fuels, it’ll be interesting to see how the markets for oil and other commodities evolve.

Source: https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/sizing-up-the-o

Rare Earth Elements: The Technology Metals
In the midst of our daily hustle and bustle, we often don’t notice the raw materials that go into the technologies we rely on.

Rare earth metals, also known as rare earth elements or simply “rare earths”, are one such group of raw materials. From this group of 17 minerals, many are found in a range of technologies—from our smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles and wind turbines.

Rare Earth Metals Production Over the Years
Despite the relative abundance of rare earth deposits, extracting them from the ground is difficult, and preparing them for usage entails significant environmental risks.

The U.S. was the world’s leading producer of rare earth metals from the 1960s to the 1980s. However, China took the helm in the 1990s and has been the dominant producer ever since.

Year U.S. Production (metric tons) China’s Production (metric tons) ROW Production (metric tons) U.S. % Share China’s % Share
1985 13,428 8,500 17,757 34% 21%
1990 22,713 16,480 20,917 38% 27%
1995 22,200 48,000 9,700 28% 60%
2000 5,000 73,000 5,500 6% 87%
2005 0 119,000 3,000 0% 98%
2010 0 120,000 11,000 0% 92%
2015 5,900 105,000 19,100 5% 81%
2020 38,000 140,000 62,000 16% 58%
In 1985, China introduced a policy that partially refunded the taxes paid by domestic producers of rare earths, which lowered costs for Chinese mining companies. This, in addition to lax environmental regulations and cheap labor, made China’s rare earth industry increasingly competitive. In fact, its production increased 464% between 1985 and 1995.

Meanwhile, in California, the Mountain Pass Mine struggled to compete with Chinese producers while facing stringent environmental regulations. Therefore, the U.S. share of production declined from 34% in 1985 to 6% in 2000 before ceasing completely in 2002.

Putting Rare Earths in Different Baskets
In 2010, China slashed its rare earth export quotas by 37%, pushing rare earth prices to all-time highs. This, in turn, fueled an influx of capital into the rare earth mining industry and kickstarted mining in other countries.

Namely, Australia saw a 672% increase in rare earth production over the last decade, and more recently, Myanmar entered the mix—producing 30,000 metric tons of rare earths in 2020. Additionally, the Mountain Pass Mine is undergoing a revival following an investment from MP Materials in 2018. As a result, the U.S. share of production is growing again.

While the mining of rare earth metals is diversifying, 80% of refining still occurs in China. With the demand for rare earths projected to double by 2030, building both mining and refining capacity overseas may prove key in reducing reliance on China.

Although the practice of gold mining has been around for thousands of years, it’s estimated that roughly 86% of all above-ground gold was extracted in the last 200 years.

With modern mining techniques making large-scale production possible, global gold production has grown exponentially since the 1800s.

The above infographic uses data from Our World in Data to visualize global gold production by country from 1820 to 2022, showing how gold mining has evolved to become increasingly global over time.

A Brief History of Gold Mining
The best-known gold rush in modern history occurred in California in 1848, when James Marshall discovered gold in Sacramento Valley. As word spread, thousands of migrants flocked to California in search of gold, and by 1855, miners had extracted around $2 billion worth of gold.

The United States, Australia, and Russia were (interchangeably) the three largest gold producers until the 1890s. Then, South Africa took the helm thanks to the massive discovery in the Witwatersrand Basin, now regarded today as one of the world’s greatest ever goldfields.

South Africa’s annual gold production peaked in 1970 at 1,002 tonnes—by far the largest amount of gold produced by any country in a year.

With the price of gold rising since the 1980s, global gold production has become increasingly widespread. By 2007, China was the world’s largest gold-producing nation, and today a significant quantity of gold is being mined in over 40 countries.

The Top Gold-Producing Countries in 2022
Around 31% of the world’s gold production in 2022 came from three countries—China, Russia, and Australia, with each producing over 300 tonnes of the precious metal.

Rank Country 2022E Gold Production, tonnes % of Total
#1 🇨🇳 China 330 11%
#2 🇷🇺 Russia 320 10%
#3 🇦🇺 Australia 320 10%
#4 🇨🇦 Canada 220 7%
#5 🇺🇸 United States 170 5%
#6 🇲🇽 Mexico 120 4%
#7 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 120 4%
#8 🇿🇦 South Africa 110 4%
#9 🇵🇪 Peru 100 3%
#10 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 100 3%
#11 🇬🇭 Ghana 90 3%
#12 🇮🇩 Indonesia 70 2%
– 🌍 Rest of the World 1,030 33%
– World Total 3,100 100%
North American countries Canada, the U.S., and Mexico round out the top six gold producers, collectively making up 16% of the global total. The state of Nevada alone accounted for 72% of U.S. production, hosting the world’s largest gold mining complex (including six mines) owned by Nevada Gold Mines.

Meanwhile, South Africa produced 110 tonnes of gold in 2022, down by 74% relative to its output of 430 tonnes in 2000. This long-term decline is the result of mine closures, maturing assets, and industrial conflict, according to the World Gold Council.

Uranium was discovered just over 200 years ago in 1789, and today, it’s among the world’s most important energy minerals.

Throughout history, several events have left their imprints on global uranium production, from the invention of nuclear energy to the stockpiling of weapons during the Cold War.

The above infographic visualizes over 70 years of uranium production by country using data from the Nuclear Energy Agency.

The Pre-nuclear Power Era
The first commercial nuclear power plant came online in 1956. Before that, uranium production was mainly dedicated to satisfying military requirements.

In the 1940s, most of the world’s uranium came from the Shinkolobwe Mine in the Belgian Congo. During this time, Shinkolobwe and Canada’s Eldorado Mine also supplied uranium for the Manhattan Project and the world’s first atomic bomb.

However, the end of World War II marked the beginning of two events that changed the uranium industry—the Cold War and the advent of nuclear energy.

Peak Uranium
Between 1960 and 1980, global uranium production increased by 53% to reach an all-time high of 69,692 tonnes. Here’s a breakdown of the top uranium producers in 1980:

Country 1980 Production (tonnes U) % of Total
U.S. 🇺🇸 16,811 24%
USSR 15,700 23%
Canada 🇨🇦 7,150 10%
South Africa 🇿🇦 6,146 9%
East Germany 🇩🇪 5,245 8%
Niger 🇳🇪 4,120 6%
Namibia 🇳🇦 4,042 6%
France 🇫🇷 2,634 4%
Czechoslovakia 🇨🇿 2,482 4%
Australia 🇦🇺 1,561 2%
Other 🌎 3,801 5%
Total 69,692 100%
Several factors drove this rise in production, including the heat of the Cold War and the rising demand for nuclear power. For example, the U.S. had 5,543 nuclear warheads in 1957. 10 years later, it had over 31,000, and the USSR eventually surpassed this with a peak stockpile of around 40,000 warheads by 1986.

Additionally, the increasing number of reactors worldwide also propelled uranium production to new highs. In 1960, 15 reactors were operating globally. By 1980, this number increased to 245. What’s more, after the Oil Crisis in 1973, nuclear power emerged as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, and the price of uranium tripled between 1973 and 1975. Although the increase in uranium production was less dramatic, high prices made mining more profitable.

However, several nuclear accidents in the world such as the Three Mile Island reactor meltdown in the U.S. in 1979 and the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 brought a stop to the rapid growth of nuclear power. Furthermore, following the end of the Cold War, military stockpiles of uranium were used as “secondary supply”, reducing the need for mine production to some extent. As a result, uranium production declined sharply after 1987.

Lithium is often dubbed as “white gold” for electric vehicles.

The lightweight metal plays a key role in the cathodes of all types of lithium-ion batteries that power EVs. Accordingly, the recent rise in EV adoption has sent lithium production to new highs.

The above infographic charts more than 25 years of lithium production by country from 1995 to 2021, based on data from BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy.

The Largest Lithium Producers Over Time
In the 1990s, the U.S. was the largest producer of lithium, in stark contrast to the present.

In fact, the U.S. accounted for over one-third of global lithium production in 1995. From then onwards until 2010, Chile took over as the biggest producer with a production boom in the Salar de Atacama, one of the world’s richest lithium brine deposits.

Global lithium production surpassed 100,000 tonnes for the first time in 2021, quadrupling from 2010. What’s more, roughly 90% of it came from just three countries.

Rank Country 2021 Production (tonnes) % of Total
#1 Australia 🇦🇺 55,416 52%
#2 Chile 🇨🇱 26,000 25%
#3 China 🇨🇳 14,000 13%
#4 Argentina 🇦🇷 5,967 6%
#5 Brazil 🇧🇷 1,500 1%
#6 Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 1,200 1%
#7 Portugal 🇵🇹 900 1%
#8 United States 🇺🇸 900 1%
Rest of World 🌍 102 0.1%
Total 105,984 100%

Australia alone produces 52% of the world’s lithium. Unlike Chile, where lithium is extracted from brines, Australian lithium comes from hard-rock mines for the mineral spodumene.

China, the third-largest producer, has a strong foothold in the lithium supply chain. Alongside developing domestic mines, Chinese companies have acquired around $5.6 billion worth of lithium assets in countries like Chile, Canada, and Australia over the last decade. It also hosts 60% of the world’s lithium refining capacity for batteries.

Batteries have been one of the primary drivers of the exponential increase in lithium production. But how much lithium do batteries use, and how much goes into other uses?

Source. https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/25-years-of-lithium-production-by-country/

RecMin es un software minero de uso libre y tiene las herramientas necesarias, específicas para ayudarte con tus proyectos, y lo mejor de todo es que si quieres probarlo no tienes nada que perder, repito es de uso libre. Lo descargas del sitio web: www.RecMin.com, lo instalas y comienzas a utilizar y probar, y ni siquiera tienes que llenar un formulario para dejar tus datos. Sirve tanto para modelamiento geológico, topografía y diseño de mina UG y OP. Es fácil de usar, pero si vez o sientes que te atascas en algún punto, puedes contactarme y te puedo ayudar, con mi formación en línea o con asistencia técnica (que es mi trabajo y negocio). Estaré encantado de hacerlo.

#RecMin
#SoftwareMinero
#MiningSoftwareFree
#Geologicalmodeling
#MineDesign

Hace un tiempo en esta red que he estado viendo circular esta imagen que resalta la importancia de la minería en nuestra vida cotidiana. Me he tomado el tiempo de traducirla, ya que considero que es un elemento crucial para concienciar a la sociedad acerca de la relevancia de la minería en nuestras vidas. Esta imagen muestra el uso diario de los minerales en nuestros hogares, en nuestra sociedad y en nuestro mundo, desempeñando un papel fundamental en nuestro pasado, presente y futuro, a través de la actividad minera. Es esencial educar a aquellos que no son profesionales del sector sobre el papel de la minería en nuestra vida.
Source:
Luis Miguel Romero, LinkedIn
La fuente original de la imagen en ingles se puede ver en este articulo:
https://www.caterpillar.com/en/news/caterpillarNews/customer-dealer-product/moderndaybroughttoyoubyminedproducts.html

Headline: Critical minerals: A new player steps in

⭐️ Geopolitical uncertainty

“Geopolitical uncertainty has complicated the picture, sowing doubts about where critical minerals might come from.
In response, governments around the world have taken swift action to form alliances, craft policies and laws, and fund initiatives that will stabilise their supplies of critical minerals. Their moves have altered the playing field for miners, intensifying competition and risk.

⭐️ Three forms of government action

🗝️ Alliances and agreements
Government-to-government strategic
partnerships or trade agreements centred on critical minerals collaboration

🗝️ Policy and legislation
Laws, policies or regulations created to protect, secure or drive growth in critical minerals and supply chains

🗝️ Funding
Direct government funding or government-backed funds to finance ventures in critical minerals and supply chains

⭐️ Noteworthy agreements on critical minerals

⚙️ Minerals Security Partnership (MSP)
Announced June 2022
Led by the US Department of State, the MSP is intended to stimulate government and private-sector investment.

⚙️ Australia–India Critical Minerals Cooperation Agreement
Announced June 2022
Australia and India established this partnership to strengthen cooperation in the development of critical minerals assets and supply chains.

⚙️ US–Japan Critical Minerals Agreement
Announced March 2023
This trade deal on battery minerals (lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and manganese) is meant to help Japanese automakers and critical minerals processors access the benefits of the 2022 US Inflation Reduction Act.

⭐️ Policy and legislation

Recently, many countries have introduced legislation addressing critical minerals production, processing and manufacturing.

With approximately US$370 billion in spending and tax credits to support clean-energy industries and supply chains, the IRA significantly increases the volume of public capital available for critical minerals investments.

⭐️ US government initiatives in critical minerals

⚙️ Loans
⚙️ Production tax credit
⚙️ Mining incentives
⚙️ Electric vehicle tax credits
⚙️ Research and development grants

⭐️ Funding

Another recent trend has seen governments establish funds to invest in critical minerals projects and supply chains.

Source: Text by Craig Hutton, LinkedIn
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/energy-utilities-resources/publications/mine.html

What if asteroid mining could solve Earth’s resource crisis and pave the way for a new era of space exploration? ⁉ #gettoknow
🔘 Space mining is the hypothetical extraction of materials from asteroids and other minor planets, including near-Earth objects. It is a relatively new field, but there is growing interest in the potential of space mining to provide access to valuable resources that are in short supply on Earth.
Asteroids are thought to contain a wide range of resources, including:

1️⃣ Metals: Asteroids are rich in metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and gold. These metals are essential for many industrial and technological applications. For example, iron and nickel are used to make steel, which is used in construction and manufacturing.
Platinum and palladium are used in electronics and catalytic converters. Gold is used in jewelry and electronics.
2️⃣ Water: Some asteroids contain water ice, which could be used for drinking, growing crops, and producing rocket fuel.
3️⃣ Rare earth elements: Rare earth elements are used in a wide range of technologies, including electronics, batteries, and magnets. Asteroids are thought to contain large concentrations of rare earth elements.
4️⃣ Organic molecules: Some asteroids contain organic molecules, which are the building blocks of life.
✔ Here are some of the potential benefits of space mining:

Access to new resources: Asteroids are thought to contain a wealth of resources that are in short supply on Earth, such as precious metals, rare earth elements, and water ice. These resources could be used to support human space exploration, develop new technologies, and create new industries.
Reduced reliance on Earth’s resources: Space mining could help to reduce our reliance on Earth’s resources, which are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive.
Economic growth: Space mining could create new jobs and industries, and drive economic growth.
Scientific discovery: Space mining could lead to new scientific discoveries about the origin and composition of asteroids.
In addition to these resources, asteroids could also be mined for other materials, such as construction materials, fertilizer, and even medicines.
However, there are also some potential risks associated with space mining, such as:

Environmental damage: Asteroid mining could potentially damage asteroids and disrupt their orbits.
Asteroid mining could lead to conflict: If space mining becomes lucrative, there is a risk of conflict between different countries or companies over access to resources.
Increased risk of asteroid impacts: If asteroids are mined for water ice, this could increase the risk of asteroid impacts on Earth.

“Today, the data shows a looming mismatch between the world’s strengthened climate ambitions and the availability of critical minerals that are essential to realising those ambitions.”

Minerals are essential components in many of today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies – from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles. Demand for these minerals will grow quickly as clean energy transitions gather pace. This new World Energy Outlook Special Report provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the complex links between these minerals and the prospects for a secure, rapid transformation of the energy sector.

Alongside a wealth of detail on mineral demand prospects under different technology and policy assumptions, it examines whether today’s mineral investments can meet the needs of a swiftly changing energy sector. It considers the task ahead to promote responsible and sustainable development of mineral resources, and offers vital insights for policy makers, including six key IEA recommendations for a new, comprehensive approach to mineral security.

Source: www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitions

Mining will need to expand. Scaling supply rapidly enough to meet demand growth between now and 2030 will be challenging for some metals, in particular lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, graphite and neodymium; but actions can be taken by governments and companies which would prevent any serious constraint on the pace of the energy transition.

Source:
www.energy-transitions.org/publications/material-and-resource-energy-transition/#download-form

Sweden is becoming one of the EU’s key suppliers of natural resources. And without copper, there’s no high tech, no battery or environmental technology. We joined the driver of a giant truck in one of Europe’s biggest copper mines, the Aitik copper mine.

Owner: Boliden
Established: 1968
Operating profit: SEK 3,076 m (2022)
Average number of employees: 932 (2022)
Type of mine: open pit
Mine depth: 450 metres
Production average grade: Cu 0.17%, Au 0.07 g/tonne (2023)
Reserves covering full production until 2047 (2050) ‒ Cu reserve grade 0.23 (0.22) %
Mineral resources end of 2022: 1 147 (917) Mtonnes
Dam investment 2022-2024

Sources:
Lucas Pereira da Silva, LinkedIn
DW News, YouTube
www.boliden.com/investor-relations/reports-and-presentations/general-presentation

⭐️ The metals basket
Transitional minerals include metals such as lithium, cobalt, copper, graphite, magnesium and nickel. They also include rare earths like neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium.

⭐️ Mining intensity requirement
Currently, mining provides almost our entire supply. The scale of demand for these minerals could result in almost 400 new mines by 2035.

⭐️ How can we manage demand?
We can design energy and transport systems to minimise mineral demand. Strategies include:
🫵 reducing our dependence on cars and using smaller vehicles
🫵 improving energy efficiency
🫵 moving to a circular economy that makes reuse and recycling a priority.

All these changes can reduce the need for new mines.

Recycling, for example, could reduce demand for mined materials. For lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, estimated reductions are 25% for lithium, 35% for cobalt and nickel, and 55% for copper by 2040.

⭐️ The runway
This recycled content will mainly come from waste batteries. However, large volumes of lithium-ion batteries won’t start reaching the end of their lives for at least a decade. Recycling will only have a significant impact from 2035.” Quote

Source: Craig Hutton, LinkedIn

C’est la course mondiale sur les minerais alors que l’appétit de l’industrie et de la Tech pour le lithium, le cobalt, manganèse et nickel ne se dément pas. Pour « La Story », le podcast d’actualité des « Echos », Pierrick Fay et ses invités dévoilent la bataille internationale pour les ressources minières du continent africain.

Source: Podcast La story, LesEchos
https://www.lesechos.fr/finance-marches/marches-financiers/en-afrique-la-ruee-sans-fin-vers-les-matieres-premieres-1878744#utm_source=le%3Alec0f&utm_medium=click&utm_campaign=share-links_linkedin

The global effort to curb carbon emissions is accelerating demand for clean energy technologies and the materials they rely on. Demand for these materials will only continue to grow, especially as some nations aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. While some major materials like steel, copper, and aluminum are already powering the fossil fuel economy, others are more minor materials with potential supply risks. These risks could jeopardize the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the desirable timeframe to avoid significant climate change. In some cases, it may be necessary to take action to improve the resilience of these material supply chains and mitigate supply risks. Understanding the importance of individual materials to clean energy and the supply risks associated with them is necessary to identifying which materials may serve as potential roadblocks to a clean energy future.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a series of 13 “supply chain deep dive” assessment reports related to the supply chains supporting various energy technologies in 2022 in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains (E.O. 14017). These reports emphasized that supply chain bottlenecks can occur at any stage of the value chain — from mining and refining to component and even subsystem manufacturing. The bottlenecks result from a combination of factors such as material availability, equipment availability, workforce availability and quality, logistics, regulatory frameworks, and market conditions. These bottlenecks were worsened during the global Covid-19 pandemic. Its lingering impacts have hindered capacity expansion for material supply chains and prevented product lead-time recovery. One approach to reduce supply chain risks for the United States is to have a strong domestic manufacturing sector with a diverse set of producers. Boosting responsible domestic production would require leveraging the latest science not only in material extraction but also in developing substitutes and fostering recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing.

Source: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/doe-critical-material-assessment_07312023.pdf

The Energy Act of 2020 defines a “critical material” as:
– Any non-fuel mineral, element, substance, or material that the Secretary of Energy determines: (i) has a high
risk of supply chain disruption; and (ii) serves an essential function in one or more energy technologies, including technologies that produce, transmit, store, and conserve energy; or
– A critical mineral, as defined by the Secretary of the Interior.

The Energy Act of 2020 defines a “critical mineral” as:
– Any mineral, element, substance, or material designated as critical by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

2023 Final Critical Materials List
DOE has determined the final Critical Materials List to include the following:
– Critical materials for energy: aluminum, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, electrical steel, fluorine, gallium, iridium, lithium, magnesium, natural graphite, neodymium, nickel, platinum, praseodymium, silicon, silicon carbide and terbium.
– Critical minerals: The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), published a 2022 final list of critical minerals that includes the following 50 minerals: “Aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium.”

This list is based on the assessment described in DOE’s most recent critical materials assessment, the 2023 DOE Critical Materials Assessment. The results of the assessment are shown in the criticality matrices below.

Source: https://www.energy.gov/cmm/what-are-critical-materials-and-critical-minerals

Autor desconocido

In this video, I’ll address Elon’s comment that lithium refining will be the bottleneck for lithium lithium supply, as well as look at margins and the benefits of vertically integrating into lithium refining.

Timeline
0:00 Introduction
01:16 Thanks, Credits, and Sources
04:37 Why is Lithium the Bottleneck?
06:10 Mining is Easy, Refining is Hard? A Red Herring
07:14 Lithium Refining // Margins
15:39 Fixed Price Contracts are being Phased Out
17:50 Lithium Refining // Forecast and Lead Times
20:39 Why is Tesla Pushing for More Refining?
24:49 Tesla Needs to Flirt Better with Entrepeneurs
25:26 Refining Integration could Save Tesla Billions
27:12 Lithium Refining // Summary

Intro Music by Dyalla: Homer Said
Source: The Limiting Factor, YouTube chanel

The unrivalled success of Australia’s mining industry has long relied on technology and innovation to improve safety, drive greater productivity and deliver better sustainable development.

The mining industry has also become an increasingly critical driver of broader industry development and innovation.

However, this innovation imperative can deliver more with a cooperative focus and a policy framework that encourages creativity and application. This publication, The Digital Mine, addresses that goal.

Australia’s minerals industry is essential for modern life and will contribute the raw materials needed for the global transition to a net zero economy. Building solar photovoltaic plants, wind farms and electric vehicles is more minerals-intensive than their hydrocarbon equivalents. Traditional commodities continue the quest to reduce emissions in extraction and use…
Foreword by Tania Constable
Chief Executive Officer
Minerals Council of Australia

The technologies:
Artificial Intelligence
Augmented and virtual reality
Big data analysis
Blockchain technology
Digital twins
Hydrogen energy
Integrated automation
Integrated operations centres
Internet of Things
Kinetic braking
Liquefied natural gas
Mine site electrification
Solar photovoltaics
Wearable technology

“When mining companies engaged in discussions at the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, COP15, in December last year, they shared solutions that will contribute towards a world in which nature is more healthy, abundant and resilient — it is clear that our industry has a unique role to play in supporting a nature-positive agenda.” Hayley Zipp, Director of Environment, ICMM

Nature and biodiversity loss is occurring at an alarming pace. Species extinction rates are 100 – 1,000 times the historical norm, with a huge acceleration in the last 150 years. This degradation puts over half of the world’s annual GDP at risk.

Mining disturbs less than 0.1% of the world’s land but often in ecologically and culturally sensitive areas. Recognising this, ICMM members have committed to understand their impact and take steps to mitigate this, while focusing on opportunities for conservation and restoration.

However, we know we need to go even further in contributing to halting and reversing nature’s decline globally, and regional collaboration across different stakeholder groups is key to making this happen. This requires a holistic understanding and careful management of shared resources – from the mine site into adjacent landscapes and value chains. It means working with communities, government and civil society to halt and reverse the loss of nature and support both conservation and fair and equitable benefit sharing of natural resources.

Source article and image: https://www.icmm.com/website/publications/pdfs/environmental-stewardship/2023/factsheet_nature-gbf.pdf

Os processos de produção estão sendo otimizados constantemente com o auxílio da eletrônica embarcada, da informática e de sistemas de comunicação. A telemetria, ferramenta presente nos caminhões utilizados na mineração, possibilita a geração de informações dos sinais vitais dos equipamentos em tempo real. Este trabalho proporcionou o desenvolvimento de ferramentas e dashboards para gestão da velocidade média da frota de transporte, possibilitando o mapeamento e atuação em campo de problemas de vias e gestão do desempenho da equipe.

Os resultados do trabalho mostraram um aumento de produtividade acima de 10% para as duas frotas de transporte avaliadas. O trabalho também teve foco na sustentabilidade, com ganhos expressivos na redução do consumo de óleo diesel e consequente redução de 1.608 t de CO2 emitidos na atmosfera. Para a implantação do monitoramento dos equipamentos através da telemetria, são necessários que existam sensores específicos, corretamente instalados; pessoas capacitadas para análise de parâmetros e rotinas sistemáticas de análise. As estradas de mina são fundamentais para garantir o sucesso da atividade mineradora, são os viabilizadores da etapa de transporte. As vias devem ser aderentes ao projeto geométrico e estrutural [1].

2. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS
2.1. Mapa de calor de velocidade
2.2. Relatórios de gestão

3. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO
3.1 Aumento de velocidade média
3.2 Aumento de produtividade
3.3 Redução no consumo de óleo diesel

AUTORES: Patrick Teixeira Oliveira – Gerente de Operação de Mina, Marcélio Prado Fontes – professor efetivo do CEFET-MG, Walter Schmidt Felsch Junior – Engenheiro Especialista em Gerenciamento de Frotas e Leonardo Cavalini Bergmann – Diretor de Operações – Instale Tecnologia.

Source: Minerios & Minerale
https://revistaminerios.com.br/telemetria-tecnologia-para-elevar-produtividade-e-reduzir-consumo-de-combustivel/
Image source: Minerios & minerales