Monthly Archives: September 2016

The Philippines has ordered the suspension of 20 more mines for environmental violations, as the world’s top supplier of nickel ore vowed to pursue stricter standards than in global mining centers such as Canada and Australia. Most of the mines were nickel producers and the news sent global prices up more than 1 percent on Tuesday, helping the metal recover from earlier losses amid worries over disruption of supply to the important Chinese market. … Continue reading →

The federal government has revealed that Nigeria can generate $400 billion from nickel, a new mineral resource recently discovered in Kaduna State. Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Hon Abubakar Bawa Bwari, who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, said the discovered nickel deposits run into over 1 million tonnes. Speaking on the value of the discovered mineral, he pointed out that despite the collapse of global mineral and oil … Continue reading →

Indonesian nickel smelter investors fear the government of President Joko Widodo will change rules that have supported prices of the metal, and put up to $12 billion in its budding smelting and mineral processing industry at risk. Indonesia banned metal ore shipments in 2014 to push firms to build smelters and shift exports from raw materials to higher-value semi-finished and finished metals. The ban cost Southeast Asia’s largest economy – the world’s top nickel … Continue reading →

As one of the world’s leading metal producers, China is running into a new problem acquiring the mineral ores it needs to churn out stainless steel and aluminum: concern for the environment. Rising anti-mining sentiment rippling through Southeast Asia has led to a series of mine shutdowns that are helping push up prices for some crucial minerals. The latest threat to China’s ability to source minerals comes from the Philippines, the world’s top supplier … Continue reading →

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In a new computational study published in The Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, University of Arkansas engineering researchers found that nanocomposites composed of layers of nickel and graphene — a promising new material for flexible electronics devices — can be tuned for optimal fracture strength by manipulating the structural arrangement of the graphene sheets. The study was conducted by Scott Muller, mechanical engineering graduate student, and Arun Nair, … Continue reading →

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Barrick Gold Corp. said on Thursday that it is temporarily suspending operations at its Veladero mine in Argentina following a new leak. Argentine authorities fined Barrick $9.3 million earlier this year after a 2015 cyanide spill at the mine in the western province of San Juan. The world’s largest gold mining company said Thursday that the new leak took place on Sept. 8 when a pipe that carried process solution … Continue reading →

Carbon, a hot 3D printing startup promising production speeds of up to 100 times faster than traditional printers, is raising $81 million from a number of big name manufacturers hoping to adopt the technology. GE Ventures, BMW, Nikon and JSR are investing as the Redwood City, Calif.-based startup’s first strategic investors. The new investment is an extension of its $100 Series C round, which was led by Google GOOGL -0.52% Ventures. Its total funding … Continue reading →