MINEX Forum

Tag: germanium

  • China Eyes Coal Waste as New Source of Critical Minerals

    China Eyes Coal Waste as New Source of Critical Minerals

    China is exploring the recovery of critical minerals from coal waste, with researchers highlighting fly ash and coal gangue as potential sources of strategic metals including germanium, gallium, lithium and aluminum.

    According to a new report, China’s extensive coal mining and power generation infrastructure could be leveraged to recover valuable metals from by-products that have traditionally been treated as industrial waste.

    “The coal refuse contains a variety of metal elements and could become an important source of critical metal supply,” said Dai Shifeng, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at the China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing.

    Coal gangue refers to the rock separated from coal during mining, while fly ash is the fine mineral residue left after coal combustion. Although typically disposed of or used in construction materials such as cement, both materials can contain economically valuable concentrations of critical minerals and rare earth elements.

    Researchers argue that China’s integrated coal industry provides a strong foundation for resource recovery. Existing coal washing, chemical processing and power generation facilities could potentially be adapted to extract strategic metals from waste streams, reducing the need for additional mining.

    The approach could support China’s growing demand for critical minerals used in semiconductors, batteries, electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies and defence applications, while also improving resource efficiency and reducing industrial waste.

    However, the report notes that commercial recovery remains technically challenging. Metal concentrations vary significantly depending on the geological characteristics of individual coal deposits, and fly ash from different coal sources is often blended during power generation, resulting in inconsistent feedstock quality that can affect the economic viability of extraction.

    Researchers nevertheless believe rising demand for critical minerals will continue to improve the prospects for recovering metals from coal waste, building on China’s existing experience in extracting germanium from coal-related resources.

  • Ukraine: A Potential Key Player in the Global Critical Raw Materials Race?

    Ukraine: A Potential Key Player in the Global Critical Raw Materials Race?

    In a recent statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided a clear outlook on the future of American policy regarding critical raw materials. As global supply chains for these materials continue to shift, Ukraine’s vast reserves of key minerals could play a pivotal role in reshaping the global balance of power, particularly in the ongoing confrontation between the U.S. and China.

    Rubio highlighted several critical materials essential for advanced technology, renewable energy, and national security, including neodymium, dysprosium, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and titanium. Remarkably, Ukraine is home to abundant reserves of these very materials—and more. With its substantial deposits of germanium and gallium, Ukraine is positioned to be a critical player in the global supply of strategic resources.

    A Treasure Trove of Critical Materials

    • Titanium Ore (Ilmenite): Ukraine ranks 11th in the world for ilmenite reserves, found in the Irshanske, Byrzulivske, and Malyshevske deposits across the Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Titanium is vital for aerospace, defense, and high-tech manufacturing.
    • Lithium: As a key component in batteries, particularly for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, Ukraine holds 1% of the world’s lithium reserves—equivalent to 30% of Europe’s supply. Major deposits can be found in Polokhivske (Kirovohrad region) and Balka Kruta (Zaporizhzhia region). The strategic importance of lithium was recently highlighted by China’s attempts to use the resource as leverage in international relations.
    • Germanium and Gallium: Crucial for electronics and telecommunications, these materials are abundant in Ukraine’s coal and lignite deposits in the Donetsk and Lviv-Volyn basins. Before the full-scale war, Ukraine was the world’s third-largest exporter of germanium, although exports have been halted due to the ongoing conflict. Ukraine’s reserves of these rare metals remain a critical asset for global tech industries.
    • Rare Earth Elements (Neodymium and Dysprosium): Located in the Zhytomyr region, these elements are indispensable in the production of magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and high-tech equipment.
    • Nickel and Cobalt: Essential for battery production, Ukraine’s nickel and cobalt reserves are also noteworthy, found in deposits like Devladivske (Dnipropetrovsk region), Lypovenkivske (Kirovohrad region), and Dereniukhivske (Mykolaiv region). While the reserves are smaller compared to other countries, they still contribute to Ukraine’s strategic importance.
    • Manganese and Iron: Ukraine is a major global player in manganese and iron ore production, with significant deposits in the Nikopol Manganese Basin and the Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Deposit. These resources are fundamental to the global steel and metallurgy industries.

    Ukraine’s Growing Role in Global Supply Chains

    As the global supply chain for critical raw materials becomes increasingly volatile, especially with rising tensions between the U.S. and China, Ukraine has the potential to become a key partner for the U.S. in securing access to these vital resources. With its diverse array of minerals and metals, the country offers not only essential raw materials but also strategic geopolitical leverage in a rapidly changing world order.

    The country’s natural resources, coupled with its strategic location in Europe, make it a valuable partner for countries looking to diversify their supply chains and reduce reliance on China.

    By prioritising partnerships with the U.S. and other nations, Ukraine can play a pivotal role in shaping the future of critical materials and ensure its place as a key player in the global economy.

    The Road Ahead

    The ongoing geopolitical shifts present an opportunity for Ukraine to position itself as a leading supplier of critical materials. With strategic investments in its mining and extraction sectors, Ukraine can not only boost its economy but also secure its place in the new global order. Now more than ever, the world needs Ukraine’s resources, and Ukraine is ready to take center stage.

  • Gecamines to Ship First Germanium Concentrates to Europe from Congo

    Gecamines to Ship First Germanium Concentrates to Europe from Congo

    The Democratic Republic of Congo’s state miner, Gecamines, announced on Monday that it will make its first shipment of germanium concentrates to Europe, sourced from its Big Hill tailings dump. The new concentrates are produced at a new plant in Lubumbashi, the country’s mining hub, and will be sent to Umicore in Belgium for further processing to be used in high-tech applications, according to a statement released by the company.

    “This inaugural shipment of germanium confirms our ambition, nurtured over several years, to make Congo a global hub for strategic metals,” said Gecamines chairman Robert Lukama. The shipment follows a deal signed in May between Umicore and Gecamines, which has allowed the plant to increase output by processing waste material from the tailings site. This agreement also enables Umicore to diversify its supply of germanium, a rare mineral essential for chipmaking, infrared technology, fibre optic cables, and solar cells.

  • Belgium leads the way in rare earth metals recycling

    Belgium leads the way in rare earth metals recycling

    Belgium is a European leader in recycling, one of the few nations to meet recycling targets set out by the EU. Other than household and commercial waste, Belgian recycling plants are now helping to reduce Europe’s dependence on foreign minerals.

    Rare earth metals, commonly used in the production of high-tech goods, are desperately needed for the European economy. China has a monopoly on the supply of these metals, producing up to 97% of the world’s supply.

    In July, China placed export restrictions on gallium and germanium metals, which are indispensable for the production of advanced chips.

    China accounts for about 80% of the global production of gallium, which is used in integrated circuits, LEDs and solar panels, among others. The country also dominates the production of germanium, which is used in the production of fibre-optic cables and infrared applications.

    The European Commission is concerned that restrictions on exports of certain rare earth metals will impact EU supply chains, especially within the context of growing demand for these metals for the green transition. It wants to reduce dependence on third countries such as China to 65% for imports of 18 critical resources.

     

    Rare metals from scrap

    Belgian companies want to play a role in the transition away from reliance on rare earth metals imports. Even if Europe is not well-suited for the extraction of these precious metals, it can play a role in reducing imports, notably through recycling.

    One factory in Liège is one of the very few places in Europe to process metallurgy-related waste and recover the valuable rare earth metals. Hydrometal has been extracting gallium and germanium from waste for nearly 20 years. However, this is no simple process.

    “It’s very precise, difficult to make profitable, very competitive, and you can’t find a lot of raw materials on the market. It really requires specific knowledge and specific chemistry. Our factory is the only one in Wallonia. Today, there are two actors in Belgium who can do it, and only two actors in Europe too,” Phillipe Henry, administrator of Hydrometal, told RTL Info.

    Recent Chinese export restrictions have caused prices on the market to skyrocket. The current market price for gallium is $614 per kg, and $2,716 per kg for germanium. Faced with these rising prices, recycling has become a more profitable endeavour.

    “We are contacted almost every day to be able to respond to these challenges. They will not be easy, because we have to remain competitive, answer also have to see if it can be maintained in the long-term,” Henry noted.

    For now, Belgian companies are focused on the extraction of rare earth minerals from waste in the metallurgy industry. Granted, much of our tech and smartphones contain highly sought after rare earth metals, but these amounts are still too small to be profitable for major recycling companies.

    The amounts contained in phones amount to just a few grams per tonne, and it is not currently viable to extract gallium, germanium, or indium from them, at least in Belgium.

    While recycling plays an important role in reducing dependence on Chinese exports, Europe may soon switch to encouraging their extraction from European soil. Currently, no rare earth metals are mined in Europe.

    But new studies have revealed massive deposits of valuable rare earth metals, which could feasibly be extracted. In Sweden, mineral group LKAB discovered an untapped reserve of more than 10 million tonnes of oxides, the largest known deposit of its kind in Europe.

    The EU will reflect on the possibility of the opening of new rare earth metal mines in Europe, but will likely still face resistance from locals due to environmental concerns. The largest potential extraction site for Europe is at Kvanefjeld in Greenland, but extraction has been prevented by indigenous groups and local residents.

    The need to find new solutions is growing. Last year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen predicted that “Lithium and rare earth metals will soon be more important than oil and gas.”

  • Explained: The EU’s handicap in the global race for critical raw materials

    Explained: The EU’s handicap in the global race for critical raw materials

    The EU is highly dependent on third countries for the raw materials needed to engineer its energy transition and digital transformation.

    Russia’s war in Ukraine and the need to wean itself off fossil fuels in order to reach climate targets have prompted the EU to accelerate its green transition in recent months but also forced it to acknowledge its dependencies over access to critical raw materials.

    In the global race for raw materials, the EU faces multiple challenges.

    The first one is China, which recently started restricting exports of gallium and germanium, two metals essential for the production of semiconductors, in response to Western curbs on Beijing’s access to micro-processing technology.

    The EU considers both materials of high strategic importance. As well as semiconductors and other electronic devices, they are used for military applications such as missile defence and radar systems.

    Beijing’s restrictions come as a stark warning as the EU attempts to diversify and boost domestic supply of raw materials to reduce dependency on third countries.

    Reliance on ‘low-governance’ countries

    But diversifying supply chains could mean the EU has to source these materials from countries that don’t adhere to the same standards.

    Recent data suggests the EU’s supply is highly dependent on countries that have a low governance level, based on indicators including political stability, rule of law and corruption control.

    The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), adopted in March this year, stipulates that EU strategic projects to scale up supply must be assessed taking into account all aspects of sustainability, including environmental protection, socially responsible practices and respect for human rights such as the rights of women.

    But many countries feeding EU supply are not aligned with European values. This raises concerns about the impact on the local communities where materials are mined, as well as the potential exploitation of natural resources.

    For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose governance indicators are among the lowest in the world, supplies 63% of the EU’s cobalt, which is essential for manufacturing batteries for electrical vehicles.

    Diversifying supply a challenge

    The EU is also highly dependent on single countries for key materials such as Magnesium (China, 97%), Lithium (Chile, 97%), Iridium (South Africa, 93%) and Niobium (Brazil, 92%). These dependencies make supply chains vulnerable.

    The Critical Raw Materials Act aims to ensure no third country provides more than 65% of the Union’s annual consumption of any raw material.

    But diversifying supply is complex when refineries of many essential materials are monopolised by one or more global powers. China dominates the refining market for many critical raw materials.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis has shown the acute dangers of over-reliance for supplies of raw materials. China’s increasingly antagonistic stance and the political instability in many African countries have also served as reminders of the fragility of the EU’s trading relationships.

    A spiralling global demand

    The demand for raw materials is growing steeply, as developed countries race to digitalise and decarbonise their economies. This can only happen with sufficient supply of raw materials, meaning countries must scale up extracting, refining and recycling operations.

    The global demand for lithium, for example, is set to increase a staggering 89-fold by 2050, according to the European Commission. Demand for gallium will multiply 17-fold during the same time.

    The Critical Raw Materials Act sets targets for the Union to extract 10%, process 40% and recycle 15% of its annual consumption of raw materials by 2030.

    To meet these targets and compete on the global stage, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU needs to speed up investments in research and development, recognising that the bloc’s global share of R&D expenditure has fallen 10% in the last 20 years.