Palladium dubbed ‘unobtainium’, rhodium ‘next palladium’ – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly.com – March 7, 2018)

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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – While diesel demonisation continues to the detriment of platinum, several key steps that will benefit platinum are poised to be taken in the next 18 to 24 months.

The first of these key steps is the substitution of platinum for palladium in gasoline systems, against the backdrop of palladium being dubbed ‘unobtainium’ because of its growing scarcity.

“They’re struggling with palladium availability and certainly, in our conversations with coaters and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the predominant conversation is can you secure increasing quantities of palladium and the short answer is ‘no, not right now’,” Impala Platinum (Implats) group executive: refining and marketing Paul Finney said in response to Mining Weekly Online during a media roundtable.

“We’re already seeing platinum replacing palladium in the diesel market, and if platinum can achieve just a 10% penetration into the gasoline market, it’ll be an 800 000 oz shift,” said Finney, who revealed that Implats and a leading international coater are at an advanced stage of developing three-way gasoline catalysts that, if introduced, have the potential to bring the palladium market into balance, relieve OEM anxiety and work wonders for the platinum price.

For the rest of this article: http://www.miningweekly.com/article/palladium-becoming-unobtainium-rhodium-becoming-next-palladium-2018-03-07