World mine production

In Fig. 13.2, the share of different countries and continents or political areas in available tungsten ore deposits is shown. In former times, the percentage of mine production showed a similar picture, but since the late 1970s the situation has changed. 

Within the CIS (community of independent states) in 1990, 10 mines were still working but today only one remains. Also in China, which was always the main supplier of 

FIGURE 13.2. Share of different countries, continents, or political area in known minable tungsten deposits [13.13], 

FIGURE 13.3. Tungsten price (LBM quotation) versus time (1960-1996), including closure dates of MEC mines [13.7]. 

From 1975-1980, a yearly increase in mine production of 8% could be observed. From then on, consumption remained between 40,000 and 50,0001 W/a until 1989, when a sharp decrease began. 

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The trends in total world mine production rates from 1987 to 1992 are evident in Table 3. An 8-yr averaging shows ca 2% growth in annual consumption. The average price of nickel has varied from year to year the actual price more than doubled from 1985 to 1988. However, third quarter 1993 prices dropped below mid-1980 prices to < 4.50/kg. Based on the 1992 world nickel consumption level of 813,900 t and the average annual London Metal Exchange (LME) nickel price, the 1992 monetary value for the nickel mining and refining industry would be approximately 6 x 10 . ... 

Year World mine production, nickel content, t X 10 Average annual price, /kg Average constant price, /kg... 

Mine Production of Silver. World production of silver by region is given in Table 3. Some 900,000 metric tons are estimated to have been mined since early times. By the year 1500 world mine production was about 50 t/yr. In 1992 world production exceeded 14,900 metric tons. EoUowing the breakup of tfie Soviet Union, previously undisclosed data showed that the USSR led wodd silver production during 1979—1980 at about 1550 metric tons. During the early 1990s the production in this region exceeded 2000 t/yr. 

The United States, the former USSR, Canada, and AustraUa have the largest known reserves of zinc ore which should permit mining at current levels into the next century (see Tables 2 and 3). World mine production of recoverable zinc between 1970 and 1996 is given in Table 9 (64—66). Mine production in the United States in the 1970s was lower than in the 1960s, reached a minimum in the mid-1980s and has risen since then. The U.S. share of world production has historically been 8—9%. 

Table 9. United States, Canada, North America, South America, and World Mine Production, 10001...

World mine production, reserves, and reserve base is Hsted in Table 3. ... 

Total world mine production of nickel is projected to increase steadily from 7500 metric tons in 1900 to 2 million tons by 2000 (Table 6.2). In 1980, nickel mine production in the United States was 14,500 tons or about 1.8% of the world total (Kasprzak 1987). In 1986, primary nickel production ceased in the United States. Secondary nickel production from scrap became a major source of nickel for industrial applications (USPHS 1993). In 1988, the United States imported 186,000 tons of primary nickel Canada supplied 58% of the total and Norway 14% (USPHS 1993). In 1990, Canada produced 196,606 metric tons of nickel. About 63% of the total production was exported, mostly (56%) to the United States (Chau and Kulikovsky-Cordeiro 1995). 

U.S. imports by class and country, 3 49t world mine production, reserves, and reserve base, 3 42t Antimony (III) acetate, 3 65 Antimony alloys, 3 41-56 compositional ranges, 3 52t process metallurgy, 3 44-47 selenium and metallurgy of, 22 98 uses of, 3 51-54... 

World mine production of copper is currently in the range of 13-14 Mt, about a third of which is from Chile. Other large producers are the United States, followed closely by Indonesia and Australia. The most important ore mineral is chalcopyrite [CuFeS2], and also significant are bornite [CusFeSJ and chalcocite [CU2S]. The first two are primary minerals, whereas chalcocite forms principally by their weathering and subsequent reprecipitation of the solubilized copper as enriched blankets of chalcocite ore beneath the oxidation zone. 

World mine production of zinc is 9 Mt, with almost all of it derived from sphalerite [(Zn,Fe)S], which is also the principal primary source of cadmium and several other metals, such as germanium and indium. China and Australia are the largest producers, but several other countries mine significant amounts. About half of the annual consumption is for the manufacture of galvanized products to resist corrosion, primarily in the automotive and construction industries. 

World production of antimony is about 68,000 tons per year. Table 6 shows world mine production by main countries . China, Bolivia, Mexico, the Republic of South Africa and the USSR accounted for 84% of the total world estimated mine production during 1989. 

TABLE 6. World mine production of antimony by country (metric tons (revised from Reference 70)... 

In 2003, world mine production of PGMs was 45 3 000 kg [69]. The separation of PGMs utilizes their complex chemistry and solubility in aqua regia. Platinum, palladium, and gold will dissolve in... 

Figure 13.4 shows the total world mine production from 1973 on and, in addition, a split is made in the supply by China, CIS, and others in more recent years. 

In the future the following picture seems likely. Chinese output will not exceed approximately 25,0001 W/a even at higher price levels. Further closures of state-owned mines are already planned. Estimates are about 40001 W/a for the CIS and 60001 W/a for the MEC. This corresponds to a sum of 35,0001 W/a. Even under much more favorable market conditions than today, the maximum world mine production would be around 40,0001 and this must be compared with a yearly consumption of 40,0001, which will certainly increase. 

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