More than half of the country’s coal mines are managed by pro-Russian separatist militia.

Credit: DmyTo/Shutterstock.

Normet SmartDrive is a fully new and modern technology using the latest long-life industrial grade Lithium-Ion battery technology with fast charging capability and electric motors specifically designed for harsh environments, which is available for all key machines of the mining and tunnelling portfolio. The batteries have a very long lifetime and a fast charging capability. The machine can also be charged during operation at the face from any typical underground AC-socket or quickly during operation by fast chargers.

There is no time consuming and expensive battery swapping necessary. The battery is split into modules: in the case of malfunction of a module, it will be isolated, and the rest will continue operating, without forcing the machine down somewhere in the mine or tunnel. Also, a very special feature of the electric vehicle are the two electric motors, which are redundant as well.

Normet SmartDrive is a fully new and modern technology using the latest long-life industrial grade Lithium-Ion battery technology with fast charging capability and electric motors specifically designed for harsh environments, which is available for all key machines of the mining and tunnelling portfolio. The batteries have a very long lifetime and a fast charging capability. The machine can also be charged during operation at the face from any typical underground AC-socket or quickly during operation by fast chargers. There is no time consuming and expensive battery swapping necessary.

The battery is split into modules: in the case of malfunction of a module, it will be isolated, and the rest will continue operating, without forcing the machine down somewhere in the mine or tunnel. Also, a very special feature of the electric vehicle are the two electric motors, which are redundant as well.

Spraying concrete now becomes more efficient and safer with the innovative 3D laser scanning technology SmartScan by combining the latest sensor technology with the successful shotcrete equipment and applications from Normet. SmartScan is designed for the dusty and harsh underground construction environment. Placed inside a robust stainless box mounted in front of the concrete spraying machine, the enclosure needs only to be opened for starting the scan via the touchscreen. The laser scans the face in 50 m maximum range, 0 to 180 degree horizontal and -60 to +140 degree vertical angle before spraying.

With a second scan after spraying concrete, the software automatically compares both measurements and presents in real time the thickness of the applied shotcrete. This information is shown in easy to understand colours which directly gives an overview of the targeted thickness and the under- or overspray areas. Fast deployment and scan time help to operate without breaks and the results can be automatically generated for a concrete thickness report.

Talented operators at the concrete spraying machine are becoming more and more rare with the result of huge differences in the quality of the sprayed concrete. Due to this fact, Normet developed the process automation SmartSpray to minimize the operator effect and increase the productivity of spraying. SmartSpray is available in the three versions Lite, Pro and ProPlus.

SmartSpray Lite allows the operator to control only one spraying nozzle by using only one joystick to perform basic spraying movements instead of handling two or four joysticks. The nozzle position is maintained to align the concrete spray towards the surface. With this automation support of SmartSpray Lite, the operator achieves consistent and high-quality spraying results.

With SmartSpray Pro automatic movements are possible for regular spraying. The spraying nozzle moves from point-to-point and the spraying is automatic. The operator only needs to adjust the distance to the surface and to move to the next spraying segment. Large and smooth surfaces in tunnels are the result of the SmartSpray Pro.

SmartSpray ProPlus is designed to spray automatically a before defined area. The system automatically keeps the distance between the spraying nozzle and the wall profile, maintains the speed and achieves the demanded layer thickness. SmartSpray ProPlus automatically calculates the path for the nozzle movement and sprays the concrete, turning the sprayer operator from beginner to seasoned master.

More than half of the country’s coal mines are managed by pro-Russian separatist militia.

Credit: DmyTo/Shutterstock.

Around 80-90% of rhodium comes from South African platinum mines, but it typically accounts for around less than 10% of the ounces mined. Therefore, rhodium price has traditionally only had a limited impact on investment in mining projects, says Neal Brewster, manager of strategic consulting at Roskill.

“What this means is the mine supply of rhodium can be quite inelastic,” says Brewster.

Depressed platinum prices have suppressed overall investment in new mining projects that are able to supply rhodium, further compounding supply restrictions.

“Demand in autocatalysts has overtaken supply, particularly in the last 12 months, causing prices to rocket; the spot price today for rhodium is over $13,000 per ounce, whereas in 2017 the average price was less than $1,000,” adds Brewster.

The recent announcement from Anglo American Platinum that it will temporarily shut down its entire Anglo Converter Plant in Rustenburg, following an explosion last month, is also impacting the availability of rhodium. The company accounts for around a quarter of all supply.

Earlier in the year, chief executive of Anglo American, Mark Cutifani, said he expects demand for rhodium catalysts to remain high as automakers work to reduce emissions.

"An automobile chief executive will not get fired for spending fifty dollars a car extra on PGMs but they might get fired for not meeting their emission targets," he said.

The increase in average PGM loadings on vehicle emissions, due primarily to new rules in China, has so far more than offset recent weak global auto sales, which contracted by 4% globally in 2019, says Marcus Garvey, associate director at Macquarie.

“To comply with these new rules, average PGM loadings on the country’s new auto-catalysts have increased by 15%-20%. With China’s light vehicle sales being roughly 90% gasoline engines, this has primarily been a demand boost for palladium and rhodium,” adds Garvey.

The only imminent risk to rising demand is the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which may affect near-term automobile demand. According to reports, car sales in China plummeted 80% in February from a year ago.

However, long-term demand for palladium and rhodium will remain unchanged unless automakers substitute it with other metals.

“Where possible, carmakers may start using platinum in place of palladium and rhodium – and ultimately incentivise automakers to thrift out as much rhodium as they are able to while still meeting emissions standards,” says Garvey.

Carmakers such as Fiat Chrysler have said they have teams of people looking at how to offset the increase in costs resulting from rallying rhodium prices. However, there is not any obvious substitution that can perform to the same standards.

In terms of supply, Brewster says there is some growth in rhodium production in Roskill’s forecast, of 1%-2% per year.

“But unless we see a shock to demand, the market is expected to be in deficit until the middle of the decade,” says Brewster. If the prices remain high, Brewster says rhodium, which is 13 times the price of platinum, could move from being a by-product to a core product, driving mine investment.

Garvey agrees that, although rhodium is a relatively small market, because of its price point it is currently a larger market than platinum.

“For South African PGM miners, who produce a basket of around57% platinum, 33% palladium, and 8% rhodium, plus a mixture of gold and minor PGMs, rhodium currently accounts for 40% of the basket’s value,” says Garvey.

As examples of this, Impala Platinum recently reversed its 2018 decision to close two previously loss making mine shafts. Northam also decided to re-open the Eland mine in South Africa. The company CEO, Paul Dunne, has said that the deficit in rhodium is rising by about 20% a year.

The lack of primary rhodium mines will continue to constrain the potential for supply growth. Moreover, the current major PGM projects under development or investment consideration are all relatively low rhodium, says Garvey.

“This is because they are based in Russia, North America and South Africa’s Northern Limb, all of which have ore bodies with low rhodium, generally below 5% compared to South Africa’s Western Limb where legacy mines ore can contain in excess of 10% rhodium,” he explains.

However, while a deficit is likely to remain the story for the near-to-midterm, towards the end of the decade there could be a switch back to a surplus as electric vehicle take-up reaches a critical point, says Brewster.

“As we head towards the end of the decade, we think we'll see falling demand for rhodium in autocatalysts as we reach a turning point with EVs. We also expect significant growth in recycled material to occur. These combined effects mean the rhodium market will then likely go back into surplus,” he explains.