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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: energyplay who wrote (45748)	1/24/2009 4:27:44 AM
From: TobagoJack	Respond to of 217802

<<rhodium>> ... now, there be a metal ebullionguide.com !

To: energyplay who wrote (45748)	1/24/2009 4:30:19 AM
From: TobagoJack	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 217802

just learned this ebullionguide.com about platinum <<All the platinum mined to date can fit in a typical living room. Its rarity>> if so, at 400, buy buy buy, all out buy, leverage as much as possible, but buy

To: energyplay who wrote (45748)	1/24/2009 4:44:37 PM
From: Night Trader	1 Recommendation Respond to of 217802

I'm not thinking of global recession effects on car demand (demand can only increase long term from here) but technological breakthroughs to use less PGMs like this: Japanese car manufacturer Mazda Motor Corporation is to launch the world’s first market application of single-?nanocatalyst technology in automotive catalytic converters. It will be introduced in the new Mazda3 (known as the Mazda Axela in Japan), which will go on sale across the globe later this year. What this breakthrough means in practical terms is that the ?underfloor catalytic converter in the Mazda3 requires 70% less precious metals than in the previous model. Along with the substantial ?reduction in precious metal use, the Mazda3, therefore, continues ?to qualify as a so-called super ultralow emissions vehicle in Japan, by achieving exhaust emissions that are at least 75% cleaner ?than prescribed by government’s 2005 regulations. And for those who want it, here is a technical explanation: Catalytic converters consist of a base material coated with precious metal particles. These metals promote chemical reactions that purify exhaust gases. In conventional catalysts, ?exposure to hot exhaust gases causes the precious metal particles to agglomerate into larger clumps, which reduces their ?effective surface area and catalytic activity. To counteract this, an increased amount of the precious metals is required in order to maintain an efficient purification performance. Mazda developed the single-?nanocatalyst to increase the effective surface area of the precious metals used. (The single nanocatalyst involves using single nanotechnology to control material structures on an even smaller scale than nanotechnology.) By developing a method of controlling precious metal particles that are less than 5 nm in diameter, as well as a proprietary catalyst material structure, Mazda created the world’s first catalyst that features single-nanosized precious metal particles embedded in fixed positions. As a result, there is no agglomeration of the particles, and the amount of rare metals used can be reduced significantly. Going forward, Mazda says it will progressively introduce the single nanocatalyst to all its global markets, which will contribute to a reduction in the company’s consumption of expensive, rare metals, while also aiding cleaner vehicle exhaust emissions. These ‘rare metals’ are largely platinum-group metals (PGMs) – in fact, the standard three-way catalyst device for emissions treatment consists of a mixture of platinum, rhodium and palladium, all PGMs. Where Does This Leave South Africa? As South Africa produces about 80% of the world’s platinum, Mazda’s breakthrough may be good news for global auto manu-?facturers, but not so for local miners. The auto industry is one of its biggest markets. Roughly 50% of the world’s mined platinum finds its way into auto catalysts. Also, export sales of catalytic ?converters from South Africa reached 16,25-million units in 2007 – alternatively, they earned the country R18,3-billion, much of it on the back of the high platinum price. It is the biggest component manufacturing industry in South Africa. How would reducing the amount of platinum used in the converter industry influence these figures? Effectively, the use of precious metal in the Mazda3 will drop from 0,6 g to 0,2 g, or, by two-thirds. (To be fair, car and component manufacturers would dearly love?to use less of the pricey precious metal, which is more expensive than gold, and which often fluctuates wildly in price.) South Africa’s National Association of Automotive Com-ponent and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) executive director Roger Pitot notes that a wait-and-see attitude may be prudent in the case of catalyst technology. “There have been a number of these ‘breakthroughs’ in the past 20 years, but all the others have proved unsustainable for one ?reason or another. “It remains to be seen whether this one will be reliable and cost effective.” He also notes that Mazda’s technology may be restricted to the Japanese car maker. “Some part of the technology ?might be patented and other original equipment manufacturers, or vehicle manufacturers may not be able to copy it in the medium term, even if it does prove successful.” Pitot also expects the demand for diesel vehicles – which use a different type of catalyst technology and filters – to continue growing. In general, he adds: “The pre-?dicted global growth in catalytic converter volumes is huge, more than doubling over the next ten years as China, India, and small vehicles in many other countries respond to clean legislation” miningweekly.com