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The UK's review of its zero-emission vehicle mandate could provide some support to automotive palladium demand If manufacturers are given greater flexibility over the pace of battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption, Heraeus states in its latest precious metals review.

In a policy review that could see the UK follow the EU in easing requirements, the UK has embarked on consultation regarding the appropriateness of its current annual zero-emission targets remaining in place as BEV sales fall short.

Hybrid vehicles are likely to be among the main beneficiaries. Their 37.7% share of UK registrations in the first six months to June 30, with plug-in hybrids adding a further 13%, is already significant.

This mirrors the European market, where hybrid electric vehicles were also the most popular powertrain in the same period, with a 37.3% share of European Union registrations.

Greater regulatory flexibility could therefore prolong demand for palladium-containing autocatalysts as consumers transition through hybrid vehicles rather than directly from internal combustion engine vehicles to BEVs. However, this would slow the erosion of automotive palladium demand rather than reverse its longer-term decline as the market moves towards zero-emission vehicles, Heraeus points out in a release to Mining Weekly.

Autocatalysts, also known as catalytic converters, are vehicle exhaust devices that use platinum group metals (PGMs) to transform harmful engine gases into harmless atmospheric elements.

In the first half of this year, battery electric vehicles accounted for 25% of UK new car registrations, 8% below the headline 33% mandate target for 2026, although manufacturers have several compliance flexibilities available.

Remaining unchanged are the UK commitments to phasing out new conventional petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and require all new cars and vans to be emission free by 2035.

Under the current mandate, 33% of manufacturers' new car registrations must be zero-emission in 2026, rising to 80% by 2030, with petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles counting as non- zero-emission vehicles.

Palladium's recent price rally has stalled after failing to hold above resistance. The price climbed from around $1 150/ oz in late June to almost $1 400/oz in early August, but has since fallen back and is currently testing resistance around $1 335/oz. Palladium's 100-day moving average at about $1 350/oz.

PLATINUM BREAKS RESISTANCE

Platinum, Heraeus points out, broke resistance around the $1 800/oz price mark after extending its recovery from July lows. The price has risen from around $1 550/oz in early

July and briefly moved above $1 900/oz last week for the first time since June, but has so far struggled to hold above this level. The 200-day moving average, currently at around $1,920/oz, could add resistance to a further move higher. A sustained move through this area would strengthen the recovery.

RHODIUM, RUTHENIUM, IRIDIUM

The prices of rhodium, ruthenium and iridium PGMs have remained flat, with rhodium at $9200/oz, ruthenium at $1 745/oz and iridium at $8 300/oz.

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers use iridium and platinum catalysts, while ruthenium could also benefit if emerging lower-iridium, ruthenium-based anode technologies achieve commercial adoption.

GOLD

Gold prices rallied to their highest level since early June last week after breaking above recent resistance. Gold prices topped $4 600/oz on August 21 as prices once again moved higher after a couple of weeks of consolidation.

This mirrors the early-August rally where gold prices rose around 7%, after having spent the whole of July in a tight range near their yearly lows around $4 000/oz.

The Bank of Korea has made its first gold investm...

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.

Natrium Redox Technologies, a green technology startup based in Britain, said on Monday it had made a firm proposal to the Tasmanian government to acquire and restart Australia's only manganese smelter, to supply global battery and electric vehicle markets.

EY Parthenon said last month the Liberty Bell Bay (LBB) Smelter would close after a proposed sale fell through. The smelter, formerly owned by British industrialist Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance, entered voluntary administration in March and liquidation this month after suspending operations mid-last year.

"We have engaged with EY Parthenon and the Tasmanian government on this proposal for six months. We have also briefed the federal government," Natrium Redox Technologies said in a statement.

"Our restart proposal seeks shared input of funds with government to the level of A$15-million ($10.75-million) for a 16-week restart period and a continuation of the existing electricity contract."

In a statement, Tasmanian Business Minister Felix Ellis said potential pathways for the site had been put forward, but no transaction has been completed and no commitments were made.

"EY currently controls the site as liquidator, which includes decisions about its sale," he said. EY Parthenon had no immediate comment.

Natrium Redox Technologies said it planned initially to use conventional smelting techniques to restart the smelter before building a pilot plant that would use new technology to produce high-purity, low-emissions manganese powder.

The process uses liquid sodium in place of coking coal to strip oxygen from manganese ore. It operates at lower temperatures than traditional smelting and does not produce carbon emissions.

The new technology would add 20% to 40% to the site's production and lift the smelter up the value chain from being a conventional alloy smelter into one of the highest-value manganese operations in the world by producing battery-grade materials, the company said.

"Battery grade materials sell for a far higher price than conventional alloys, securing LBB's financial future and ensuring it remains a strategically important critical minerals asset for Australia."

Its proposal would provide more than 200 jobs previously linked with the smelter, as well as secure others during construction, Natrium Redox Technologies said.

It also has a proposal to reprocess a A$210-million environmental liability that has accumulated from decades of slag and waste, removing environmental liabilities from the government, it said.

The company emphasised that time was of the essence because the longer furnaces are idled, the harder and more expensive a restart would become.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.

Minerals Council South Africa has responded exceedingly positively to the launch by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the third phase of South Africa's Government-Business Partnership for Growth and Jobs, which marks the next chapter of a joint effort between government and business to accelerate inclusive economic growth, unlock investment, strengthen confidence and create jobs.

The goal is to lift South Africa's economic growth to 3% by 2030 and create one-million jobs. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Unlocking R50-billion in capital currently tied up in planned projects facing delays has been flagged along with restoring investor confidence in mining, which has been singled out as the major driver of economic growth.

Phase three will be about deepening implementation, embedding reforms already undertaken to ensure that progress cannot be reversed.

"This phase must be defined by disciplined execution. Every workstream must have clear objectives, measurable targets, firm timelines and accountable leaders. Progress must be monitored regularly and reported transparently. Where implementation falls behind, we must intervene rapidly.

"Where policies or regulations are holding back investment without serving a legitimate public purpose, they must be reviewed. Where institutional capacity is weak, it must be strengthened.

"Where corruption or vested interests obstruct progress, they must be confronted. We must maintain the highest standards of governance and public integrity," Ramaphosa emphasised at the launch.

Commenting on the development, Minerals Council South Africa president Paul Dunne said in a video release to Mining Weekly: "Our President has just launched the Government-Business Partnership phase three, which will be focused on inclusive economic growth, jobs, and confidence. Mining will take its rightful place on the programme. As you all know, we're a very strong economic force, a primary industry with a strong economic multiplier and an excellent capacity to create real jobs."

Minerals Council South Africa president CEO Mzila Mthenjane, who is also the mining workstream's Focal Area Lead, added: "Really happy this afternoon to be at the phase-three launch of the partnership, where mining is one of the four growth drivers that has been identified and it is on the list of sectors that will be very key to driving South Africa's future economy.

"What is really exciting about this is the confidence that it's showing in the success that has been achieved so far with electricity as well as logistics reform and we're also seeing the progress that is being made on crime and corruption.

"It's really exciting for mining. We've always had a huge sense of belief and conviction in the ability of mining to deliver significant growth and benefit to society in terms of employment creation, in terms of livelihood support, looking at the multiplier effect.

"Of course, in this day and age of demand for the minerals, not only for technology but also for infrastructure within South Africa, in Southern Africa, this bodes very well for mining going forward over the next 20 to 30 years, and that is really the outlook that we have, that mining over those next 20 to 30 years will be delivering significant benefits for South Africans," Mthenjane pointed out.

Minerals Council South Africa senior executive Shamini Harrington described mining as one of South Africa's greatest opportunities for the future. "Its inclusion in phase three of the partnership recognises that unlocking growth, investment and jobs depends on unlocking the full potential of the sector.

"At a time of rising global demand for critical minerals, the moment is definitely now. Working in partnership with the DMPR and government, we have a ...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer unpacks the latest updates on the $5.8-billion green hydrogen-ammonia project in Nelson Mandela Bay, Exxaro scaling its renewable-energy business; and DRDGold’s very good year.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.

Further to Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinout SiTration and global miner BHP's initiative to trial valorisation technology in the historic Globe-Miami mining district of Arizona, the companies have announced two pilot deployments at BHP's Copper Cities site.

Starting this month, SiTration and BHP will validate continuous and autonomous production of copper from legacy mining water over one month using an initial small-scale pilot plant. A larger deployment is planned for later this year to produce up to two tonnes of commercial-scale copper cathodes over a two-month period.

The historic Copper Cities site produced almost 400 000 t of copper between the 1950s and 1980s. Today, SiTration and BHP see an opportunity to recover value from legacy mining assets such as these, with the potential to create new pathways for domestic US copper supply.

Through bench-scale testing using real feedstock from the site, SiTration has already demonstrated London Metal Exchange Grade A copper production without using any chemicals or generating new waste products. Additionally, preliminary tests have yielded energy consumption below 4 kWh/kg to recover copper from the diluted legacy mine water.

SiTration CEO and co-founder Brendan Smith believes the American Southwest region houses billions of dollars' worth of copper in legacy mining water. "With global copper demand projected to grow by 70% by 2050, tapping into these resources is an excellent pathway to bolster domestic supply chains while producing copper at the bottom of the global cost curve."

BHP legacy assets GM Kevin Ramsay adds that the Copper Cities pilot provides an opportunity to evaluate an innovative approach to recover copper from mining-impacted water while generating valuable technical and operational insights. "We are excited to work with SiTration to test this technology under real operating conditions and better understand its potential to recover value from legacy mining water sources."