Mining in focus
Lime and lime-derived
products are essential in
the mining and agricultural
industries, and demand is
expected to increase in the
near future, writes Dr Nicolaas
C. Steenkamp.
D
espite its importance, lime does not receive
a great deal of attention in the mainstream
financial media. More ‘glamourous’
commodities like copper, cobalt, and lithium
have hit the headlines lately, e specially with
the development of typical Fourth Industrial
Revolution technologies. Lime, however, is a key
component of these commodity value chains.
Late last year, the copper price increased
substantially on the back of a bullish outlook for
the future of the electric vehicle (EV) market.
Based on current figures, EVs will require three
times the amount of copper that is required by
fuel-driven engines. Several European countries are
planning to replace most fuel engines with EVs in
the next two or three decades. Add to this figure the
amount of copper wiring that will be required for all
the recharge docking stations, and the potential of
copper in the near future increases exponentially.
One of the critical supply resources that are
set to also benefit from the current uptick and
anticipated future higher demand for copper, are
lime products, specifically quicklime. The lithium
used in the rechargeable batteries also requires
lime products during the processing of the
primary lithium-bearing salts.
The demand for higher yields of agricultural
products on smaller surfaces of land is another
future growth point for lime. As the world’s
population continues to grow, more pressure
is placed on food producers to supply the
demand, yet have limitations in terms of the size
of workable land and freshwater constraints.
Lime is one of the agricultural products that is
essential for ensuring soil remains productive
and continues to provide high harvests.
Drivers of demand
According to Breton Scott, managing director of
Bowline Professional Services, lime products have
a wide range of application, with demand being
driven from sectors like construction, agriculture,
and mining. Organic and inorganic chemistry use
lime as binding agent, collector, or precipitant.
In the paper and pulp industry, it is added as
binding agent and for basifying. Sugar production
JUNE 2018 MINING MIRROR
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