Gold catalyst advance, mining falls, far-reaching rare earths
Text Size By: Martin Creamer
Published on 20th April 2012
Updated 5 hours ago
The long-awaited first semicommercial gold catalyst plant has been developed. After years of research, South Africa’s Project AuTEK is able to supply significant quantities of gold catalysts in a form suitable for use in a range of applications. Read on page 14 of this edition of Mining Weekly of the research and development funding mechanism, which involves State-owned Mintek matching private-sector contributions. The catalyst plant itself has been funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Mintek and mining major AngloGold Ashanti. Gold catalyses carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide at ambient and even subambient temperatures, which makes it the most active known catalyst able to remove carbon monoxide from the air at room temperature. As a result, gold catalysts can be used in air conditioners and gas masks. Carbon monoxide has also been identified as a challenge of the hoped-for hydrogen economy, which expects the widespread use of fuel cells for vehicles. The challenge stems from small amounts of carbon monoxide present in the hydrogen fuel being responsible for the poisoning and subsequent poor performance of fuel cells. Gold offers the ability to oxidise the performance-retarding carbon monoxide and converting it to carbon dioxide, which is inert. Project AuTEK, launched in 2000, identified the opportunity for the development of new industrial uses for gold.
The South African mining industry is simply not exploiting its pre- eminent position. The latest production figures indicate that South Africa’s mining output is again down, with February recording the biggest monthly drop in nearly four years – a 14.5% year-on-year decline. Read on page 16 of this edition of Mining Weekly of platinum-group metals being the largest underperformer, plunging by 47.6% year-on-year in February. South African banking firm Nedbank expects mining production to remain weak in the coming months and says that mining will probably make a negative contribution to the gross domestic product in the first quarter. Although volume was down, value was up, with a 14.1% year-on-year value increase in January to R29.15-billion.
Rare earths continue to attract attention. In South Africa, TSX-listed Great Western Minerals Group is refurbishing the Steenskampskraal rare earths mine in the Western Cape, while in the US, the Pentagon has pronounced on the minerals, saying that a shortage would prompt a US Defence Department intervention. As is reported on page 21 of the latest edition of Mining Weekly, a Pentagon official responsible for industrial policy says a contingency in the case of constrained supply would allow US defence contractors to buy materials on behalf of the Pentagon. The 17 materials include elements such as neodymium, samarium and dysprosium, which also go into commercial products, including hybrid batteries, mobile phones and computer hard drives. In South Africa, Great Western intends using part of the $90- million raised in a convertible bond offering to complete a Canadian National Instrument 43-101-compliant technical report on the Steenkampskraal project, as well as to develop the property, and, in the US, it is calculated that the country’s domestic rare earths supplies will meet defence needs by 2013. Given that rare-earth materials are used to make high-powered magnets for defence electronics and are usually ordered 24 to 36 months in advance of the production of weapons systems, the US Congress requires the Pentagon to assure supplies by 2015. The Defence Department may seek additional Congressional approval to stockpile rare earths if a shortage threatens.
