I-China manje ikhiqiza ama-80% omkhiqizo womhlaba we-neodymium-praseodymium, inhlanganisela yezinsimbi zomhlaba eziyivelakancane ebalulekile ekwakhiweni kozibuthe abanamandla aphezulu.
Lawa mazibuthe asetshenziswa kuma-drivetrains ezimoto zikagesi (EVs), ngakho-ke ukuguqulwa kwe-EV okulindelekile kuzodinga ukunikezwa okukhulayo okuvela kubavukuzi bomhlaba abangavamile.
Yonke i-EV drivetrain idinga kufika ku-2kg we-neodymium-praseodymium oxide - kodwa i-turbine yomoya wokushayela oqondile wamamegawathi amathathu isebenzisa u-600kg. I-Neodymium-praseodymium isesandleni sakho se-air-conditioning ehhovisi noma odongeni lwasekhaya.
Kodwa, ngokwezinye izibikezelo, i-China eminyakeni embalwa ezayo izodinga ukuba ngumthengisi we-neodymium-praseodymium - futhi, njengoba injalo, i-Australia iyizwe elihle kakhulu lokugcwalisa lelo gebe.
Sibonga i-Lynas Corporation (ASX: LYC), izwe selivele lingelesibili emhlabeni umkhiqizi wemihlaba engavamile, nakuba lisakhiqiza ingxenye encane yomkhiqizo waseChina. Kodwa, kuningi okuseza.
Izinkampani ezine zase-Australia zinezinhlelo ezithuthuke kakhulu zomhlaba wangemuva, lapho kugxilwe khona ku-neodymium-praseodymium njengomphumela oyinhloko. Ezintathu zazo zitholakala ngaphakathi kwe-Australia kanye nesine eTanzania.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, sineNorthern Minerals (ASX: NTU) enezakhi zomhlaba ezingavamile ezifunwa kakhulu (HREE), i-dysprosium ne-terbium, ebusa indawo yayo yomhlaba eyivelakancane kuphrojekthi ye-Browns Range eNtshonalanga Australia.
Kwabanye abadlali, i-US inezimayini ze-Mountain Pass, kodwa lokho kuncike e-China ukucubungula okukhiphayo.
Kunamanye amaphrojekthi ahlukahlukene aseNyakatho Melika, kodwa awekho lawo angase abhekwe njengakulungele ukwakhiwa.
I-India, iVietnam, iBrazil neRussia ikhiqiza amanani aphansi; kunemayini esebenzayo eBurundi, kodwa ayikho kulezi enekhono lokudala imboni kazwelonke enesisindo esibucayi esikhathini esifushane.
INorthern Minerals kudingeke ukuthi ishaye indiza imboni yayo yokushayela iBrowns Range e-WA okwesikhashana ngenxa yemikhawulo yezokuvakasha ebekiwe ngenxa yegciwane le-COVID-19, kodwa inkampani ibikhiqiza umkhiqizo ongathengiswa.
I-Alkane Resources (ASX: ALK) igxile kakhulu egolideni kulezi zinsuku futhi ihlela ukudicilela phansi iphrojekthi yayo yezinsimbi zobuchwepheshe be-Dubbo uma izinxushunxushu zamanje zemakethe yamasheya se zidambile. Umsebenzi uyobe usuhweba ngokuhlukana njenge-Australian Strategic Metals.
I-Dubbo isilungele ukwakhiwa: inazo zonke izimvume zayo ezibalulekile zikahulumeni kanye nezifundazwe futhi i-Alkane isebenza ne-Zirconium Technology Corp (Ziron) yaseNingizimu Korea ukuze kwakhiwe indawo yokuhlola yezinsimbi ezihlanzekile e-Daejeon, idolobha lesihlanu ngobukhulu eNingizimu Korea.
Idiphozithi kaDubbo ingu-43% zirconium, 10% hafnium, 30% umhlaba ongavamile kanye no-17% we-niobium. Okubalulekile emhlabeni okungavamile kwenkampani yi-neodymium-praseodymium.
I-Hastings Technology Metals (ASX: HAS) inomklamo wayo wase-Yangibana, otholakala enyakatho-mpumalanga ye-Carnarvon e-WA. Inezindawo zayo ezigunyazwa yi-commonwealth zemvelo zemayini yomgodi ovulekile kanye nendawo yokucubungula.
I-Hastings ihlela ukuthi ibe semkhiqizweni ngo-2022 ngokukhishwa konyaka kwe-3,400t ye-neodymium-praseodymium. Lokhu, kanye ne-dysprosium ne-terbium, kuhloswe ngayo ukukhiqiza u-92% wemali engenayo yephrojekthi.
UHastings ubelokhu exoxisana ngesivumelwano seminyaka eyi-10 noSchaeffler waseJalimane, umkhiqizi wemikhiqizo yensimbi, kodwa lezi zingxoxo zibambezelekile umthelela wegciwane le-COVID-19 embonini yezimoto yaseJalimane. Kuphinde kwaba nezingxoxo no-ThyssenKrupp kanye nozakwethu waseShayina ohambe naye.
I-Arafura Resources (ASX: ARU) yaqala ukuphila ku-ASX ngo-2003 njengomdlalo wensimbi kodwa ngokushesha yashintsha inkambo lapho isithole iphrojekthi ye-Nolans eNyakatho Territory.
Manje, ilindele ukuthi i-Nolans ibe nempilo yezimayini yeminyaka engama-33 futhi ikhiqize u-4,335t we-neodymium-praseodymium ngonyaka.
Le nkampani ithe ukuphela komsebenzi e-Australia ukuthola imvume yokumba, ukumba kanye nokuhlukaniswa komhlaba ongavamile, okuhlanganisa ukuphatha imfucuza ekhipha imisebe.
Le nkampani ibheke e-Japan ngokuthengisa kwayo i-neodymium-praseodymium offtake futhi inenketho yamahektha ayi-19 omhlaba e-Teesside yase-England ukuze kwakhiwe indawo yokuhluza.
Isiza seTeesside sivunyelwe ngokugcwele futhi manje inkampani ilinde ukuthi ilayisense yayo yezimayini ikhishwe uhulumeni waseTanzania, okuyisidingo sokugcina sokulawula iphrojekthi yeNgualla.
Ngenkathi i-Arafura isayine izivumelwano zokuqondana namaqembu amabili aseShayina aphumayo, izethulo zayo zakamuva zigcizelele ukuthi "ukusebenzelana kwamakhasimende" kuhloswe kubasebenzisi be-neodymium-praseodymium okungahambelani nesu elithi 'Made in China 2025', okuwuhlaka lweBeijing oluzobona izwe likwazi ukuzimela ngo-70% emikhiqizweni yobuchwepheshe obuphezulu eminyakeni emihlanu kusukela lapho - kanye nesinyathelo esikhulu sokubusa umhlaba wonke kwezokukhiqiza ubuchwepheshe.
I-Arafura kanye nezinye izinkampani zazi kahle ukuthi i-China inamandla okulawula iningi lomhlaba jikelele elingavamile lokuhlinzekwa komhlaba - futhi i-Australia kanye ne-US kanye namanye ama-allies bayaqaphela usongo olubangelwa ikhono leShayina lokuvimbela amaphrojekthi angewona amaShayina ukuthi aqale phansi.
I-Beijing ixhasa ukusebenza komhlaba okungavamile ukuze abakhiqizi bakwazi ukulawula amanani - futhi izinkampani zaseShayina zingakwazi ukuhlala ebhizinisini kuyilapho izinkampani ezingezona zaseShayina zingakwazi ukusebenza endaweni eyenza ukulahlekelwa.
Ukuthengiswa kwe-Neodymium-praseodymium kwenganyelwe yi-China esohlwini lwe-China Northern Rare Earth Group, okungenye yezinkampani eziyisithupha ezilawulwa nguhulumeni eziqhuba izimayini zomhlaba ongavamile e-China.
Ngenkathi izinkampani ngazinye zithola ukuthi zingakwephula ezingeni elingakanani futhi zenze inzuzo, abahlinzeki bezezimali bavamise ukuba nemithetho eqinile.
Izintengo ze-Neodymium-praseodymium okwamanje zingaphansi nje kuka-US$40/kg (A$61/kg), kodwa izibalo zomkhakha zilinganisela ukuthi izodinga okuthile okusondele ku-US$60/kg (A$92/kg) ukuze kukhululwe imijovo emikhulu edingekayo ukuthuthukisa amaphrojekthi.
Eqinisweni, ngisho naphakathi nokwethuka kwe-COVID-19, iChina ikwazile ukuvuselela ukukhiqizwa kwayo komhlaba okungandile, njengoba uMashi ethumela ngaphandle kwe-19.2% unyaka nonyaka ngo-5,541t - okuyisibalo esiphezulu sanyanga zonke kusukela ngo-2014.
ULynas naye wayenesibalo esiqinile sokulethwa ngoMashi. Ngekota yokuqala, ukukhishwa kwayo kwama-earth oxides ayivelakancane kufinyelele ku-4,465t.
I-China yavala ingxenye enkulu yezimboni zayo zomhlaba ezingavamile uJanuwari wonke kanye nengxenye kaFebhuwari ngenxa yokusabalala kwaleli gciwane.
“Ababambe iqhaza emakethe balinde ngesineke njengoba kungekho muntu onokuqonda ngokucacile ukuthi ikusasa limphatheleni njengamanje,” uPeak weluleka abaninimasheya ekupheleni kuka-April.
"Ngaphezu kwalokho, kuyaqondakala ukuthi emazingeni entengo amanje imboni yaseShayina yomhlaba eyivelakancane ayisebenzi kunoma iyiphi inzuzo," kusho yena.
Amanani ezinto ezihlukahlukene zomhlaba ezingavamile ziyahlukahluka, amele izidingo zemakethe. Njengamanje, umhlaba uhlinzekwa kakhulu nge-lanthanum ne-cerium; nabanye, hhayi kakhulu.
Ngezansi kunesithombe samanani sangoJanuwari - izinombolo ngazinye zizohamba kancane kancane, kodwa izinombolo zibonisa ukwehluka okukhulu kokulinganisa. Zonke izintengo ziyi-US$ ngekhilogremu ngayinye.
I-Lanthanum oxide – 1.69 Cerium oxide – 1.65 Samarium oxide – 1.79 Yttrium oxide – 2.87 Ytterbium oxide – 20.66 Erbium oxide – 22.60 Gadolinium oxide – 23.68 Neodymium oxide – 41.3mium oxide – 41.376 oxide 44.48 I-Scandium oxide – 48.07 Praseodymium oxide – 48.43 Dysprosium oxide – 251.11 Terbium oxide – 506.53 Lutetium oxide – 571.10
Isikhathi sokuthumela: May-20-2020