Articles

  In recent times, there are some suspicions concerning several German manufacturers like Daimler and Volkswagen. Apparently, they would manipulate their vehicles’ engines to validate the tests on polluting emissions of their diesel engines. According to the newspaper Der Spiegel, which published an article on the topic last Friday, they are now under threat of a new recall action for some of their diesel vehicles.   How do they fraud? Apparently, the fr ...

    One precious metal currently worth investing in is platinum, cheaper than gold yet, according to many, in greater demand. But what are the prospects for Platinum?   40% of the demand derives from the automobile industry; platinum is an essential component of catalytic converters, now a necessary component for all vehicles. Other industrial applications include jewelry (30%) and investment (10%).   Platinum, along with gold and silver, is a safeguard agai ...

    The Scandinavians have quickly become trendsetters in the field of recycling waste and manufacturing eco-friendly vehicles. Norway is a case in point. Indeed, it is currently the largest producer of oil in Western Europe. However, it is also the world leader in the electrification of road transportation. The information board on Norwegian Road Traffic announced in early January 2018 that more than half of new vehicles sold in the country in 2017 were hybrid and elec ...

In many countries, particularly the USA, the automobile is the single most recycled consumer product. Despite cars long being the bane of environmentalists, the auto recycling industry is vibrant and entrepreneurial; environmentally friendly, market-driven, and sustainable. Cars are lasting longer than ever before, but in the end, all vehicles have a lifespan and end up scrapped. “Scrap”, though, is, perhaps, an unfair descriptor to define the unroadworthy vehicle. Indeed, ...

Historically, platinum has invariably commanded higher prices than gold. This is mainly due to the scarcity of the raw material and the associated high production costs. Indeed, as recently as 2016, platinum mines produced less than 5% of the output from gold mines. However, in recent times this situation has reversed and the platinum future has become uncertain. With a sharp decline in demand for platinum, and a consequent fall in its market price below that of gold. 60% of platinum ...

The beginning of cat regulations… The catalytic converter has been with us since the introduction of new regulation in the 1970s. There were more and more concerns over toxic emissions from vehicle engines; and this first started to impact manufacturers. That is how they introduced the catalytic converter. This emissions control device aimed to reduce the level of toxic pollutants released into the atmosphere. To do so, it uses a mix of precious metals – Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium – as cata ...

All auto recyclers know how valuable recycling of old catalytic converters can be. Despite this, some cats end up in a bin or crushed into scrap, still attached to the car. This appears to be a real waste of cash-earning potential. Every catalytic converter contains platinum, palladium and rhodium, precious metals used to reduce exhaust emissions. In one tonne of catalytic converters, there is approximately one kg of precious metals. The automotive recycling industry is by far the largest sou ...

    About 760 union workers at Stillwater Mining will receive a 5 percent raise during the next two years under a new agreement with owner Sibanye Gold Ltd., the company announced Monday. The pay hike for miners represented by the United Steelworkers is another reflection of improved prices for precious metals and an important step for the company’s new South African owners, union and company officials said.   “We got what we could get from them. … It was a fair set ...

The topical interest in Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) has, for several years, regularly involved bad news from African mining activities; and 2017 is no exception. Actually, the position has worsened. First because investors now understanding that South African and Zimbabwean mines are facing a bleak future of non-profitability. Secondly because of increasing demands for pay rises from the workforce. Therefore, any previous hope for the future seems to have vanished. So, what other solutions a ...