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South Africa's national mineral research organisation Mintek is targeting global recognition as a minerals flotation researcher, the State-owned organisation emphasised at its recent platinum group metals (PGM) event.

Mintek's flotation group is viewed as being well positioned to expand its impact through several strategic opportunities, which range from sustainable mining to industrial support and the circular economy.

"We're aiming to become a globally recognised centre of excellence in flotation research through technology partnership and industrial implementation," Mintek post-doctoral research fellow Dr Mandla Chabalala declared at the PGM Industry Day. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Mintek makes no bones about its aspiration to become a world-class scientific research organisation with practical industrial solutions that support safer, more efficient and environmentally sustainable minerals processing.

In partnership with various stakeholders, it is looking into expanding its global footprint as well as its standing as a global minerals and metallurgical innovation leader.

Chabalala, who was one of one of a dozen Mintek managers, engineers and scientists who presented in the auditorium of this 92-year-old State-owned research organisation situated at 200 Malibongwe Drive in Randburg, said: "I'm available for technical discussions around how we can work together and become of service to you."

His group falls under Mintek's minerals processing division: "We're a team of about 14 to 15, but given the work we do, you'd think we numbered about 100.

"We see ourselves as laboratory pilot and plant scale flotation experts. We specialise in process development and optimisation, and we strive to excel in technology implementation and troubleshooting.

"Our core capabilities lie in the space of process development and scale up, where we start from the bottom and see you all the way up to your processing in the plant.

"We also look at reagent synthesis and engineering, where we can develop new reagents or look at what's currently being used and then modify it, depending on what you're looking for in the ore type that we're treating," Chabalala outlined during his end-to-end flotation solution presentation that extended beyond PGMs into the likes of copper flotation and rare earth elements.

Pursuits include:

circuit development and optimisation to maximise efficiency and improve strategies;plant support, industrial applications and coming on site to do audits, identify problems, and propose solutions; anddata modelling and digital analysis, a recent assignment proving to be "quite useful".

What can one expect when engaging Mintek on flotation?

Outlined was baseline laboratory test work informing process design as well as implementation around concentrate grade optimisation.

"We don't just do lab work and leave it there. We go all the way up to saying let's upscale and see what we can get and what we need to adjust to maximise efficiency and recoveries when we go to the plant," Chabalala explained during the presentation covered by Mining Weekly.

Current projects go beyond PGMs into copper flotation and even the effect of microorganisms, living things so small that they can only be seen with a microscope.

"We know that microbes can be used for beneficiation and we want to see how we can use microbes to assist our flotation efficiencies and then also to look into contaminated PGMs such as spillages, or other contaminants in the plant."

Treating tailings and mine waste, rare earth elements, and the circular economy are on the wanted list of Mintek, which goes beyond working with the mining industry alone.

"We have a wide range of partners, which include universities and research institutions,...

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Northern Minerals said on Tuesday that Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has ordered three offshore investment firms, including Hong Kong Ying Tak, to refrain from exercising their voting rights in the rare earths developer.

Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) said Hong Kong Ying Tak, British Virgin Islands-registered Real International Resources, and Hong Kong-registered Qogir Trading & Service failed to comply with earlier government orders to reduce their stakes in Northern Minerals.

In May, Treasurer Chalmers ordered six offshore shareholders to divest their holdings by July 2 over concerns that Chinese-linked parties were seeking control of the rare earths miner.

Reuters was unable to contact Ying Tak, which has no phone number or email listed on Hong Kong's companies registry, for comment.

"Northern Minerals welcomes the Federal Treasurer's interim directions regarding compliance with his May Disposal Orders," Northern Minerals chairperson Adam Handley said on Tuesday.

Handley said a review of Northern Minerals' share register on July 10 found that most of the shares covered by the May divestment orders were still held by the investors targeted by those orders.

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.

Remaining project capital of R964-milion of the total of R4.4-billion in real 2026 terms is to be spent this year and next on Sibanye-Stillwater's K4 platinum group metals (PGMs) project at Marikana in South Africa's North West Province.

The project is on track for steady state production in 2033 and has a 48-year economic life, which bodes well for the community of the Rustenburg municipal area in particular. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Ramp-up of production at K4 began in the second quarter of 2022 and the operation is expected to employ 4 380 people when it reaches steady state.

Already 77% complete, K4 has a net present value of R17.6-billion and is described as "a high-return project" underpinned by extensive existing infrastructure.

Monthly rock break is projected to be at a rate of 39 000 m2/m and monthly reef hoisting 190 000 t/m, which equates at steady state to 21 000 four element (4E) ounces a month and 250 000 oz a year.

The reef mix of 55% Merensky and 45% upper group two is described as being key for the smelting strategy within Sibanye-Stillwater's PGM segment.

This was spelt out by Sibanye-Stillwater EVP mining operations Dawie van Aswegen, in his overview of the Johannesburg stock Exchange-listed company's South Africa PGM operations, which stretches from the town of Brits to the town of Rustenburg, in the lower section of the western limb of the PGM-rich Igneous Bushveld Complex.

Sibanye-Stillwater commenced its PGM business in mid-2016, when it acquired Aquarius Platinum.

Later that same year, it acquired the Rustenburg platinum mines from the then Anglo American Platinum, which is now Valterra Platinum.

K4 was acquired from Lonmin in 2019 and that acquisition marked the conclusion of Sibanye-Stillwater's South Africa PGM acquisition strategy.

"The orebody is homogeneous, so what that means is that it stretches all 70 km from east to west, and it's got a constant of dip of nine degrees from south to north," Van Aswegen explained during his presentation covered by Mining Weekly.

Sibanye-Stillwater's underground PGM business consists of six trackless mechanised operations and eight conventional operations, with 44 000 people employed it total, own employees as well as contractor employees.

From inception, the PGM operations have met annual guidance.

Owing to a closure at Marikana and a shaft reaching end of its life at Kroondal, slight production reductions have been recorded but "this was partly countered by the gradual buildup of our K4 operations at our Marikana operations", Van Aswegen pointed out.

Optimisation, restructuring, and a simple operating model resulted in a right-sized PGM segment, added Van Aswegen, who described operating cost per 6E ounce as being comparable to "the lowest of our peers".

Increased stay-in-business (SIB) capital spend per 6E ounce is also said to rank below two of peers.

On average, for the last couple of years, in the region of R4.5-billion had been spent on ore reserve development (ORD) and SIB capital requirements, with continuous ORD being under way at conventional shafts and SIB per 6E ounce comparing well with peers since 2023.

However, a primary mining profile in steady decline – excluding projects – was displayed on the screen.

"If we look at our primary mining outlook, there's a drop in profile but also very important to note is that this excludes our East 4, Siphumelele and Thembelani projects," Van Aswegan pointed out.

But despite the declining profile, the cost forecast would remain competitive, with all-in sustaining costs benefiting from by-product credits that include chrome.

In general, the SIB capital spending involves 9% of total operating cost for trackless mobile machinery operations, and 7% for conventional...

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.

A new, Beijing-backed mining investment vehicle is aimed at bolstering China's grip on overseas resources, as the country pushes back against US and European efforts to curb its dominance of the mineral supply chain.

Chinese companies have been aggressive buyers and builders of overseas mining assets for more than a decade, with a few champions leading the way. At a time when Western rivals were under shareholder pressure to cut spending, firms from the world's top metals consumer expanded in Congo's copper and cobalt production, took stakes in key iron-ore projects and transformed Indonesia's nickel industry.

But fresh challenges — including more demanding producer nations and rising geopolitical tensions — have prompted Beijing to increase the number of tools at its disposal when it comes to managing strategic supply chains, according to people familiar with the matter.

Guangyan International Investment Company will be part of a broader effort led by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which oversees economic planning, the people said. The relatively new company will be used to provide support ranging from direct equity investment to advice on compliance, risk-management and market conditions.

China is seeking to standardize its process for international metals deals to improve oversight of proceedings, the people said, asking not to be identified given the sensitive nature of discussions. Miners will also be encouraged to manage their risk by bringing in other partners, rather than taking full ownership of projects, especially as costs rise and political challenges become more complex.

Guangyan, which also uses the English name Vast Rock International Investment, does not appear to sit within the upper ranks of Chinese political hierarchy — but it fits neatly with Beijing's efforts to increase control over its supply chain. In the iron-ore industry, China Mineral Resources Group has already been working to tighten the country's control of purchasing and to increase the steel sector's bargaining power.

NDRC did not immediately respond to faxed queries. Guangyan did not respond to telephone calls and questions sent to its registered email address.

China has been a major investor in overseas resources for since the early 2000s, taking large bets on vital minerals, including in jurisdictions where most Western mining giants have been reluctant to buy, from Tajikistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The spree, combined with heavy investment in processing at home, helped create an unparalleled grip on the mineral supply chain.

Over the last two decades, Chinese companies have spent over $100-billion in strategic outbound merger and acquisition deals in the mining sector, according to Bain & Co, with copper, iron-ore and gold assets among the most sought after.

But increasingly, deals have become fraught. Minerals have become a flashpoint in global geopolitics, as supply chain shocks and an increased awareness of China's dominance pushes countries to respond with investment and industrial policies of their own.

The US has been seeking allies to build an alternative supply chain from China, including by concluding partnerships with Congo to grant US investors preferential access to the African nation's metal deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium and tantalum. The European Union, and countries including Japan, are trying to catch up too.

Producer nations have also begun demanding more from natural resources companies, eager to create higher-value jobs and more tax revenue.

Congo began export controls on cobalt last year. Guinea, the world's biggest bauxite producer, has discussed plans to limit shipments of the material used to make alumina. The country also wants the companies...

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.

Platinum has received a major boost from a strategic agreement signed at Shanghai Platinum Week 2026 at a time of rapid expansion of China's platinum bar and coin market.

The boost is the result of Beijing's Caibai signing a strategic agreement with the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC).

The agreement involves the introduction of the first-ever platinum investment bar series to be stocked by Caibai, a time-honoured gold bar and coin retailer, which turns 50 this year.

With immediate effect, a series of seven 30 g platinum investment bars have hit the market

"The growing interest in platinum as an investment product presents an exciting opportunity for us, and we have added the first platinum investment bar series to our range to give our customers more choice and enable them to access this market. We believe that there is significant development potential for platinum investment," Caibai GM Caigang Ning stated.

"Our partnership with Caibai supports WPIC's broader strategy of expanding platinum investment demand by improving retail accessibility. Caibai's strong reputation and high footfall provide a compelling platform to introduce platinum to an even wider base of Chinese investors," WPIC Asia Pacific regional head Weibin Deng added in the release to Mining Weekly.

Caibai's dual role as jewellery retailer and bullion distributor reflects a distinctive feature of Asian precious metals markets, where jewellery has long held a quasi-investment function.

High-purity pieces are commonly purchased as both adornment and a store of value, with pricing often closely linked to underlying metal prices.

This has led to a high degree of interchangeability between jewellery and investment products, making it common for retailers to offer both.

Consumers frequently make jewellery purchases with the expectation that the items can be resold or exchanged based on metal content, reinforcing precious metals as a trusted investment vehicle.

The addition of platinum bars to Caibai's range is therefore a natural progression, positioning the metal within an already well-established retail investment framework. It also comes at a time of rapid expansion in China's platinum bar and coin market, which has grown from negligible levels in 2018 to an estimated 404 000 oz in 2025.

Meanwhile, industry leaders from across the global platinum group metals (PGM) value chain are engaging in Shanghai on the opportunities and challenges shaping the sector.

Other takeaways from the Shanghai Platinum Week are the manner in which AI is driving PGM demand through printed circuit board demand growth.

Much of the expenditure in optical crystal production centres on platinum and iridium needed for the crucibles to grow the crystals.

Fibreglass production has grown from 5.8-million tons in 2021 to 8.13-million tons in 2025 in China alone, with exports having doubled to 1.95-million tons.

Production capacity for low dielectric constant/low loss yarn made using PGM bushings needs to be expanded.

China's platinum and palladium markets have developed following the launch of futures and options contracts on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX), which was launched after last year's Shanghai Platinum Week. GFEX is said to have contributed to improved price discovery, with platinum open interest averaging around 620 000 oz and average daily trading volumes of 186 000 oz.

A key potential milestone will be qualified foreign Investor approval. If granted, this could allow broader international participation and make the natural arbitrage between GFEX and global exchanges more accessible.