3.17.3.1 Availability and Consumption

The mines of platinum group metals in the world are mainly distributed in South Africa and Russia, whose supply occupies about 80% of the world's total. Among all platinum group metals, Pt and Pd are consumed the most, accounting for 90% of the total consumption, followed by Rh. In 1997, the world's annual output of Pt was 5 million oz and the supply of Pd was 5.65 million oz. These two figures are decreased by 5.7% and 28% respectively compared with 1996. The fluctuation of the world's markets of platinum group metals is mainly due to the declination of Russia's industrial production.     

With increasing consumption in automotive and ornaments industries, the demand for platinum group metals has augmented year by year (Table 3.17.3). An investigation report on the world's platinum markets given by the International Platinum Association points out that in Asia, especially China, the demand for platinum ornaments has achieved a new high. A big increase of palladium consumption has been also registered in automotive and electronic industries. 651 oz (about 240,000 g) of palladium was consumed by these two sectors in 1977. Available information shows that the consumption of iridium has also increased to some extent.

Table 3.17.3  Demand for platinum group metals in the world (1993~1997)  (¡Á106 oz)

In China, platinum-bearing ores were first produced in mines in 1958, but the demand has been always far more than the supply since then. Even after the 1960s when comprehensive utilization and secondary recovery of platinum resources were undertaken, the situation of "demand exceeding supply" has not been radically changed and China has to import various platinum group metals and their products to meet the domestic requirements.     

Before 1978, the annual output was about 100 kg and reached 200 kg in the 1980s. The annual output was no more than 300~400 kg in the 1990s and topped 500 kg in 1997 (Table 3.17.4).

Table 3.17.4 Outputs of platinum and palladium produced in mines in China (1980~1997)(kg)

The Jinchuan Cu-Ni Mine associated with platinum group metals in Gansu Province was first mined in 1965 and its nickel electrolytic workshop was put into production in the following year. By the end of 1988, this workshop had produced 217,300 tons of electrolytic nickel, 78,300 tons of electrolytic copper, 2,009 tons of cobalt, 4,849 kg of platinum and palladium and 1,172.74 kg of gold. The second-phase construction of the II -mining area in this mine is under way and the output of platinum group metals is expected to reach 1,200 kg after 2000. Table 3.17.5 demonstrates the production of platinum group metals of the Jinchuan Nonferrous Metallic Corporation.

Table 3.17.5 Output of platinum group metals of Jinchuan Nonferrous Metallic Corporation(kg)

In 1995, China produced 461 kg of platinum and palladium in addition to minor amoun-ts of rhodium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium. There were only a couple of factories capable of producing platinum group metals. Besides, some platinum group metals were recovered from waste instruments and meters and leftover bits from punching in the Shanghai, Shenyang and Zhuzhou Smelters. In 1980, the recovered platinum group metals in smelters were 15~17 kg and 3~4 tons of platinum group metals were obtained from secondary recovery. It should be pointed out that the secondary recovery has low costs but high economic benefits, thus it has become an important source of platinum group metals in China. In recent years, platinum group metals and gold are increasingly necessary to produce purifying and catalytic agents of tail gas and electronic industries, so waste electronic elements, circuit boards, computers, equipment and materials for telecommunication and film and television, leftover materials after punching, and automotive igniters are secondary important sources of precious metals. It has been reported that significant quantities of platinum group metals have been used in the automotive industry at present. In the world, over 50 million cellular catalyzers are produced every year and each of them needs 1.2 grams of platinum group metals. Altogether 86 tons of platinum group metals (Pt: 53 tons; Pd: 22 tons; Rh: 11 ton) were consumed in this field in 1993. The consumption of Pt and Pd makes up 50% of the total consumption of all industrial sectors and 90% for Rh. In that year, 8.9 tons of Pt, 3.3 tons of Pd and 0.9 tons of Rh were recovered from waste catalyzers. Therefore, economic benefits of the secondary recovery of platinum group metals should be taken seriously in countries being in short of platinum group metals, such as China.     

According to statistics, the consumption structure of platinum group metals of China from 1987 to 1989 is as follows: Ministry of Machine-Building and Electronics Industry, 40%; Ministry of Chemical Industry, 10%; China National Petrochemical Corp., 10%; Ministry of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 6%; Ministry of Electronics Industry, 4%; China Building Materials Industrial Corporation, 4%; Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4.5%; State Science and Technology Commission, 4.5%; General Logistic Department of PLA, 1.5%; Ministry of Nuclear Industry, 0.5%; post and telecommunications, 1%; light industry, 1%; medicine, 1%; Shanghai, 4%; Beijing, 2%, Sichuan, 2%; and 1%~1.5% for each of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Anhui and Liaoning provinces. In recent years, the consumption of platinum group metals has seen a continuous increase in many fields: nitric acid production, petrochemical, glass, automotive, electronic and light industries and dentistry.

3.17.3.2 Trends     

In 1997, a sudden change took place in regard to the supply and demand of platinum group metals in the world: excessive supply in 1996 but shortage in 1997. This is because of depressed exports of Russia due to its declined economy and governmental reform in addition to the increase of demand. In 1997, the demand of western countries for platinum group metals was 5.092 million oz, increased by 3.3% compared with 1996, and the demand of jewelry and ornaments for platinum group metals was 2.07 million oz, but the export of platinum of Russia had a 42.6% decrease compared with 1996, which is an amount equal to the total output of South Africa and North America in that year. This inevitably caused short supply of platinum group metals in the international platinum markets.     

On the one hand platinum resources are short in China and no reserve exploitation bases have been built for many years, and on the other hand the demand has ever increased and the shortage is 90%, which has to be solved only by means of import. Table 3.17.6 presents the import and export of platinum group metals in China in 1997.

Table 3.17.6Import and export of platinum group metals in China in 1997