2. To employ certain outstanding electrical properties and heat resistance abilities in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). Fuel cells were invented over a century ago and have been used in practically every NASA mission since the 1960’s, but until now, they have not gained widespread adoption because of their inherently high costs.
SOFCs convert a fuel source (typically natural gas CH) and oxygen into electricity, water, CO and heat. SOFCs use a hard ceramic material as a solid electrolyte between an anode and cathode, which when subjected to high temperatures, catalyses the conversion of natural gas to energy. Here is a typical arrangement of the anode, cathode and electrolyte.
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SOFCs convert a fuel source (typically natural gas CH) and oxygen into electricity, water, CO and heat. SOFCs use a hard ceramic material as a solid electrolyte between an anode and cathode, which when subjected to high temperatures, catalyses the conversion of natural gas to energy. Here is a typical arrangement of the anode, cathode and electrolyte.
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Lots of Patents replace Y in Yttrium Stabilized Zirconium electrolytes with Sc (SOFCs are devices that promote chemical reactions that oxidize a fuel source under high heat to generate electricity. They use a selective solid electrolyte to control the process, typically employing yttrium oxide to stabilize the material against heat. Substituting scandium for yttrium as the stabilizing agent improves the power density of the units (better conductivity).
Lower operating / reaction temperature that extends fuel cell life.
Critical for fuel cell dynamics, economics (cuts the cost) and environment (through generating less CO2).
3. To capture unique optical properties including natural lighting effects in lamps (as Scandium iodide- ScI), improvements in lasers and crystals, and video screens such as TV studios, cinema/photography and stadium lighting systems. Certain lasers employ gadolinium scandium gallium garnets, and scandium is used in select high performance switches in computers.
Scandium combusting on the sun is what gives us ‘sunlight’. Scandium produces a natural light in a lighting element, very much like natural sunlight to the human eye.
Widespread use in film set and stadium lighting to replicate daylight.
New environmentally benign incandescent replacement.
There are also some emerging industries which can grow the scandium usage as:
High voltage tension wire – high efficiency transmission lines due to Sc-Al alloys having high electrical conductivity.
Sporting equipment – baseball bats, golf clubs, lacrosse sticks, bicycle frames.
High intensity lamps – scandium-based lamps provide light which most resembles sunlight.
3. Scandium: Supply and Demand
The first reported large-scale scandium production was associated with Russian military programs. Not much details are available but Russians alloyed the metal with aluminum to make lightweight MIG fighter parts. Mining at these historic Russian production sites has ceased. There was only one reported scandium producer from primary deposit in Ukraine (Zhovti/Vodi mine, it appears the mine was flooded some years ago and has not produced any scandium since then).
The rest of the Scandium metal is produced as a by-product of processing activities associated with the production of other metals, minerals (Uranium ore, Bayer processing to produce Alumina and some Nickel laterite ores) or rare earths. The current main producing countries that supplying Scandium in form of oxide or metal as by product are China (Bayan Obo rear earth mine) and on Russia (apatite mines on Russia’s Kola Peninsula and by product of Alumina production). There were countries with past producing record that include Kazakhstan (by product of uranium mining), Norway and Madagascar (both by product of processing pegmatite).
The fact is demand is there, supply is lacking:
Global Scandium trading / production is small; almost 10 tons per annum (tpa) sourced primarily as a by-product from China (REEs), Russia (from Bauxite residue – Red Mud), Ukraine (the only world direct deposit), Kazakhstan (as Uranium ore residue/by product).
Neither the US Department of Commerce nor the International Trade Commission has specific data on trading for Scandium metal.
There is no formal buy/sell market, Scandium is not traded on an exchange and there are no terminal or futures markets.
Scandium metal is traded between private parties, mostly at undisclosed prices and in undisclosed amounts.
Aerospace and SOFCs industries (e.g. Bloom Energy) would like to see stable supply of 300 tpa of Sc production before retooling.
Companies mining rare earth elements rarely disclose their scandium production, making it difficult to estimate the global scandium production with any accuracy.
Some suppliers of scandium metal and scandium compounds include: Absco Materials; Alfa Aesar (part of Johnson Matthey); Atlantic Equipment Engineers (part of Micron Metals); GFS Chemicals; Goodfellow (part of the Goodfellow Group); Materion (formerly Brush); Stanford Materials, and The Low Hanging Fruit Co. BV.
4. Scandium: Risks
Lower operating / reaction temperature that extends fuel cell life.
Critical for fuel cell dynamics, economics (cuts the cost) and environment (through generating less CO2).
3. To capture unique optical properties including natural lighting effects in lamps (as Scandium iodide- ScI), improvements in lasers and crystals, and video screens such as TV studios, cinema/photography and stadium lighting systems. Certain lasers employ gadolinium scandium gallium garnets, and scandium is used in select high performance switches in computers.
Scandium combusting on the sun is what gives us ‘sunlight’. Scandium produces a natural light in a lighting element, very much like natural sunlight to the human eye.
Widespread use in film set and stadium lighting to replicate daylight.
New environmentally benign incandescent replacement.
There are also some emerging industries which can grow the scandium usage as:
High voltage tension wire – high efficiency transmission lines due to Sc-Al alloys having high electrical conductivity.
Sporting equipment – baseball bats, golf clubs, lacrosse sticks, bicycle frames.
High intensity lamps – scandium-based lamps provide light which most resembles sunlight.
3. Scandium: Supply and Demand
The first reported large-scale scandium production was associated with Russian military programs. Not much details are available but Russians alloyed the metal with aluminum to make lightweight MIG fighter parts. Mining at these historic Russian production sites has ceased. There was only one reported scandium producer from primary deposit in Ukraine (Zhovti/Vodi mine, it appears the mine was flooded some years ago and has not produced any scandium since then).
The rest of the Scandium metal is produced as a by-product of processing activities associated with the production of other metals, minerals (Uranium ore, Bayer processing to produce Alumina and some Nickel laterite ores) or rare earths. The current main producing countries that supplying Scandium in form of oxide or metal as by product are China (Bayan Obo rear earth mine) and on Russia (apatite mines on Russia’s Kola Peninsula and by product of Alumina production). There were countries with past producing record that include Kazakhstan (by product of uranium mining), Norway and Madagascar (both by product of processing pegmatite).
The fact is demand is there, supply is lacking:
Global Scandium trading / production is small; almost 10 tons per annum (tpa) sourced primarily as a by-product from China (REEs), Russia (from Bauxite residue – Red Mud), Ukraine (the only world direct deposit), Kazakhstan (as Uranium ore residue/by product).
Neither the US Department of Commerce nor the International Trade Commission has specific data on trading for Scandium metal.
There is no formal buy/sell market, Scandium is not traded on an exchange and there are no terminal or futures markets.
Scandium metal is traded between private parties, mostly at undisclosed prices and in undisclosed amounts.
Aerospace and SOFCs industries (e.g. Bloom Energy) would like to see stable supply of 300 tpa of Sc production before retooling.
Companies mining rare earth elements rarely disclose their scandium production, making it difficult to estimate the global scandium production with any accuracy.
Some suppliers of scandium metal and scandium compounds include: Absco Materials; Alfa Aesar (part of Johnson Matthey); Atlantic Equipment Engineers (part of Micron Metals); GFS Chemicals; Goodfellow (part of the Goodfellow Group); Materion (formerly Brush); Stanford Materials, and The Low Hanging Fruit Co. BV.
4. Scandium: Risks
It should be noted although there are much optimism for scandium’s future among the interested mining companies, there are quite significant risks associated with Scandium:
Not easy to invest in bull market (lack of appetite).
Murky and shadow pricing: few are traded on metals exchange (scandium sales are settled between individual buyers and sellers, and prices are kept private).
Off-exchange traded metals are un-hedgeable.
Small market, majority of Scandium supply is produced as by-products and sold forward.
Scandium supply as by-product can be subject to sudden increase or decrease or intermittent production stoppages that are based more on the economics of primary products.
Pricing is discovery-driven, not GDP-correlated.
Different scandium product (besides scandium oxide, other products include scandium chloride, scandium iodide, scandium fluoride and scandium acetate), different scandium price.
Pure scandium metal is “extremely scarce and expensive” to allow for widespread adoption.
Lack of know-how and commercial available technology to produce metal.
The increased use of scandium alloys.
The acceptance and commercialization of scandium-containing SOFCs.
The rapid exhaustion of current scandium stockpiles (It is estimated Russia has up to 400 t of Scandium stockpiles).
The superior economics of “primary” scandium extraction versus those of its recovery from existing tailings.
5. Scandium: Opportunities
Despite the lack of known and stable supply, high price and uncertainty in commercial available Scandium metal production technology; there have been many researches and works to develop know-how and new products incorporating the metal over the last few years. As mentioned earlier, Scandium’s potential in high-tech applications is well known and documented and is developing.
Aluminum alloys present the largest of these potential scandium applications. If only a tiny fraction (0.1 percent) of the annual aluminum market absorbed scandium in alloy at a 0.5 percent level, it would represent 350 tons in annual global scandium demand. Global demand could increase exponentially in a relatively short time once the consumers source more reliable and cheaper supply however there are roadblocks to establish a scandium market:
A large source of high grade scandium (With the recent high grade scandium resources discovered or on the progress long term supply source based on current demand can be guaranteed).
A step change in Sc2O pricing (new technologies might result in lower production cost).
Customer willingness support new development with offtake (Customers and suppliers must work in partnership to develop new resources and markets for Scandium).
6. Scandium: Projects and Junior Mining Companies with focus on Scandium
Over the past few years a number of junior mining companies took steps toward bringing primary scandium projects forward. This is a good step to secure stable Scandium supply as scandium is mainly produced as a by-product of other metals such as titanium, uranium, bauxite and rare earths. Some of the known primary projects are:
Clean TeQ Holdings (Syerston Scandium Project, Australia - JORC compliant): 19.0 Mt @ 424 g/t Sc (8,035 t Sc metal/12,295 t Sc2O)
Metallica Minerals Ltd (Nornico project in Queensland, Australia – JORC compliant): 16.8 Mt @ 130 g/t Sc (2,175 t Sc metal/ 3,250 t Sc2O3)
Jervois Mining Ltd (Nyngan project in Australia – JORC compliant): 12 Mt @ 261 g/t Sc (3,130 t Sc metal/4,700 t Sc2O3)
Platina Resources Ltd (Owendale scandium project, Australia, JORC compliant): 10.1 Mt @ 340 g/t (3,400 t Sc metal/ 5,100 t Sc2O3)
Scandium International Mining (Nyngan scandium project, Australia, NI 43 101 compliant)9 Mt @ 235 g/t (Resource) and 1.44 Mt @ 409 g/t
A.V. Naumov, in an article ennoscriptd “Review of the World Market of Rare-Earth Metals” in the Russian Journal of Non-Ferrous Metals (2008), showed how much scandium was extracted from the Earth’s surface along with “other mined minerals”.
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Not easy to invest in bull market (lack of appetite).
Murky and shadow pricing: few are traded on metals exchange (scandium sales are settled between individual buyers and sellers, and prices are kept private).
Off-exchange traded metals are un-hedgeable.
Small market, majority of Scandium supply is produced as by-products and sold forward.
Scandium supply as by-product can be subject to sudden increase or decrease or intermittent production stoppages that are based more on the economics of primary products.
Pricing is discovery-driven, not GDP-correlated.
Different scandium product (besides scandium oxide, other products include scandium chloride, scandium iodide, scandium fluoride and scandium acetate), different scandium price.
Pure scandium metal is “extremely scarce and expensive” to allow for widespread adoption.
Lack of know-how and commercial available technology to produce metal.
The increased use of scandium alloys.
The acceptance and commercialization of scandium-containing SOFCs.
The rapid exhaustion of current scandium stockpiles (It is estimated Russia has up to 400 t of Scandium stockpiles).
The superior economics of “primary” scandium extraction versus those of its recovery from existing tailings.
5. Scandium: Opportunities
Despite the lack of known and stable supply, high price and uncertainty in commercial available Scandium metal production technology; there have been many researches and works to develop know-how and new products incorporating the metal over the last few years. As mentioned earlier, Scandium’s potential in high-tech applications is well known and documented and is developing.
Aluminum alloys present the largest of these potential scandium applications. If only a tiny fraction (0.1 percent) of the annual aluminum market absorbed scandium in alloy at a 0.5 percent level, it would represent 350 tons in annual global scandium demand. Global demand could increase exponentially in a relatively short time once the consumers source more reliable and cheaper supply however there are roadblocks to establish a scandium market:
A large source of high grade scandium (With the recent high grade scandium resources discovered or on the progress long term supply source based on current demand can be guaranteed).
A step change in Sc2O pricing (new technologies might result in lower production cost).
Customer willingness support new development with offtake (Customers and suppliers must work in partnership to develop new resources and markets for Scandium).
6. Scandium: Projects and Junior Mining Companies with focus on Scandium
Over the past few years a number of junior mining companies took steps toward bringing primary scandium projects forward. This is a good step to secure stable Scandium supply as scandium is mainly produced as a by-product of other metals such as titanium, uranium, bauxite and rare earths. Some of the known primary projects are:
Clean TeQ Holdings (Syerston Scandium Project, Australia - JORC compliant): 19.0 Mt @ 424 g/t Sc (8,035 t Sc metal/12,295 t Sc2O)
Metallica Minerals Ltd (Nornico project in Queensland, Australia – JORC compliant): 16.8 Mt @ 130 g/t Sc (2,175 t Sc metal/ 3,250 t Sc2O3)
Jervois Mining Ltd (Nyngan project in Australia – JORC compliant): 12 Mt @ 261 g/t Sc (3,130 t Sc metal/4,700 t Sc2O3)
Platina Resources Ltd (Owendale scandium project, Australia, JORC compliant): 10.1 Mt @ 340 g/t (3,400 t Sc metal/ 5,100 t Sc2O3)
Scandium International Mining (Nyngan scandium project, Australia, NI 43 101 compliant)9 Mt @ 235 g/t (Resource) and 1.44 Mt @ 409 g/t
A.V. Naumov, in an article ennoscriptd “Review of the World Market of Rare-Earth Metals” in the Russian Journal of Non-Ferrous Metals (2008), showed how much scandium was extracted from the Earth’s surface along with “other mined minerals”.
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Even though the figures today will be significantly different, it does illustrate just how much of the metal is actually out there — if it could be recovered easily. (And this does not even include any “primary” scandium production such as those mentioned above.)
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Some mining companies that are looking to produce Scandium as a by-product are:
Texas Rare Earth Resources (Round Top rare earths project, USA)
NioCorp Developments (Elk Creek niobium project, USA)
Orbite as by product from Alumina production (Gaspé region of Quebec, Canada); up to 60 t/year as per Preliminary Economic Assessment, 1,000 Mt @ 16-18 ppm Sc
Buckton, AB (DNI Metals Inc.) 550 Mt @ 14.3 ppm Sc (5 ppm recoverable = 2,749 tonnes Sc)
Existing /Past Production:
Bayan Obo mines, China: Up to 163 ppm Sc in REE ore tailings
Zhovti Vody mine, Ukraine (Abandon): Ore grade 105 ppm Sc, holds 775 tonnes Sc
7. Scandium: Pricing Insights
It is difficult to get a reliable Scandium price from the market as it is depending on the end product’s quality and purity. Generally prices ranging from USD$2,000-3,000/kg Sc2O3. It is expected that Scandium prices to drop as some of these projects start production due to a reliable supply of scandium becoming available however we can expect to see prices rising again as a result of increased demand from the solid oxide fuel cell, auto and aerospace industries.
Some price insight from current mining companies are:
Clean TeQ’s scoping study for its Syerston scandium deposit uses scandium oxide (99.9% purity) price assumption of US$1,500 per kilogram at an operating cash cost of AUD$571/kg Sc2O3. Average production of 42.5tpa scandium oxide over the initial 20 year mine life is considered in scoping study in 2015.
Scandium International Mining Corp. for its Nyngan Scandium Project feasibility study used an Oxide Price Assumption of US$2,000 per kilogram (97 to 99% purity scandium oxide).
Platina Resources used a US$2,000 per kilogram scandium oxide price in a scoping study for its Owendale project, released in March 2015.
USGS historical on Scandium products price is presented in Table 3 below:
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Texas Rare Earth Resources (Round Top rare earths project, USA)
NioCorp Developments (Elk Creek niobium project, USA)
Orbite as by product from Alumina production (Gaspé region of Quebec, Canada); up to 60 t/year as per Preliminary Economic Assessment, 1,000 Mt @ 16-18 ppm Sc
Buckton, AB (DNI Metals Inc.) 550 Mt @ 14.3 ppm Sc (5 ppm recoverable = 2,749 tonnes Sc)
Existing /Past Production:
Bayan Obo mines, China: Up to 163 ppm Sc in REE ore tailings
Zhovti Vody mine, Ukraine (Abandon): Ore grade 105 ppm Sc, holds 775 tonnes Sc
7. Scandium: Pricing Insights
It is difficult to get a reliable Scandium price from the market as it is depending on the end product’s quality and purity. Generally prices ranging from USD$2,000-3,000/kg Sc2O3. It is expected that Scandium prices to drop as some of these projects start production due to a reliable supply of scandium becoming available however we can expect to see prices rising again as a result of increased demand from the solid oxide fuel cell, auto and aerospace industries.
Some price insight from current mining companies are:
Clean TeQ’s scoping study for its Syerston scandium deposit uses scandium oxide (99.9% purity) price assumption of US$1,500 per kilogram at an operating cash cost of AUD$571/kg Sc2O3. Average production of 42.5tpa scandium oxide over the initial 20 year mine life is considered in scoping study in 2015.
Scandium International Mining Corp. for its Nyngan Scandium Project feasibility study used an Oxide Price Assumption of US$2,000 per kilogram (97 to 99% purity scandium oxide).
Platina Resources used a US$2,000 per kilogram scandium oxide price in a scoping study for its Owendale project, released in March 2015.
USGS historical on Scandium products price is presented in Table 3 below:
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8. Scandium: Metallurgical Process Technologies for Scandium Recovery
As mentioned earlier Scandium is mainly recovered as by-product from residues, tailings and waste streams in the production of other metals. Metallurgical recovery process is combined with both hydro- and pyro processes. New technologies is under development through pilot plant tests for recovery of the Scandium from primary deposit. Here is a selective processes:
Scandium International Mining Corp. (Nyngan Scandium Project) flowsheet to produce Scandium from primary deposit
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As mentioned earlier Scandium is mainly recovered as by-product from residues, tailings and waste streams in the production of other metals. Metallurgical recovery process is combined with both hydro- and pyro processes. New technologies is under development through pilot plant tests for recovery of the Scandium from primary deposit. Here is a selective processes:
Scandium International Mining Corp. (Nyngan Scandium Project) flowsheet to produce Scandium from primary deposit
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(Adapted from NI 43-101 Technical Report published in Sedar at May 2016)
Orbite (Canada) flowsheet to produce Scandium and other Rare Earth from Bauxite Residue
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Orbite (Canada) flowsheet to produce Scandium and other Rare Earth from Bauxite Residue
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Scandium from TiO2 Process Residue: Clean TeQ’s Scandium Pilot Plant on recovering low grade Scandium recovery from TiO2 process stream (pilot contains of leaching, extraction, elution and desorption stages).
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Scandium recovery from Rare Earth deposit (based on Wang et al. / Hydrometallurgy 108 2011 100–108)
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