World class palladium dominated
The Gonneville deposit is estimated to contain 10 million ounces of palladium, platinum and gold – collectively called 3E (three elements) – plus more than 900,000 tonnes of base metals. Most significant was the platinum and palladium finding, which single-handedly inaugurated a new critical minerals industry.
Palladium has been found uncombined in nature, in Brazil, but most is found in sulfide minerals such as braggite. It is extracted commercially as a by-product of nickel refining. It is also extracted as a by-product of copper and zinc refining.
Palladium is a metal found primarily in Russia, South Africa, and Canada.
You can find palladium scrap in many different items. A couple places to look include: Palladium alloys used for manufacturing: Look out for palladium sponges, palladium flakes, palladium sputter and sputtering targets. Palladium jewelry items: This can include rings, chains, bracelets, jewelry scrap.
Palladium has the appearance of a soft silver-white metal that resembles platinum. It is the least dense and has the lowest melting point of the platinum group metals. It is soft and ductile when annealed and is greatly increased in strength and hardness when cold-worked.
Relatively hard: Palladium is considered to be a softer metal, but it is still much harder and more durable than gold, which lends more protection against impact and a greater resistance to denting. Compared to gold's knoop hardness of 200, Palladium has a knoop hardness of 400.
While Australia has moderate geological potential for platinum, according to Geoscience Australia, the bulk of platinum group elements (PGEs) are found in South Africa, currently responsible for some 70% of global platinum production. Russia and Zimbabwe are other historically strong producers.
Palladium is generally found only in pure form, and along with platinum is found in sulfide concentrations in mafic igneous rocks It is mined in Russia, the USA(Montana), Zimbabwe, Australia, Canada and Finland.
Check for Markings
For example, 24 karat gold is generally marked “999.” If you have a jeweler's loupe or a magnifying glass, inspect your piece. If it's marked “PD950,” it's more likely to be genuine palladium. If there's no marking or you're inspecting an older piece, additional testing is required.
There's rhodium in them thar hills. Galileo Mining has reported presence of the metal in assays from the Callisto discovery at the company's 100 per cent-owned Norseman project in Western Australia.
Australia is one of the world's leading producers of bauxite (aluminium ore), iron ore, lithium, gold, lead, diamond, rare earth elements, uranium, and zinc. Australia also has large mineral sand deposits of ilmenite, zircon and rutile.
Palladium mine production worldwide 2022, by country. The mine production of palladium in Russia reached an amount of some 88 metric tons in 2022. This production volume ranked Russia as the world's leading palladium producer that year. The average price of palladium was 2,178 U.S. dollars per ounce in 2022.
Rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, osmium, gold, palladium and silver are the order this comes in. The most valuable of all precious metals is rhodium.
Exporters and Importers
In 2021, the top importers of Palladium unwrought or in powder form were Germany ($5.01B), United States ($4.4B), United Kingdom ($3.77B), Japan ($3.7B), and Italy ($1.85B).
Palladium's relative rarity makes it a valuable investment option when used to strategically diversify a Precious Metals portfolio.
In 2022, the global supply of palladium was forecast to be 7.12 million ounces. In 2021, the total supply of palladium amounted to seven million ounces worldwide.
Although they are paramagnetic, the platinum metals, especially platinum, palladium, and rhodium, are capable of interacting in alloys with other metals to form ferromagnetic or very nearly ferromagnetic materials.
According to the International Platinum Group Metals Association, in the electronics sector, most palladium is used for multi-layer ceramic (chip) capacitors (MLCC). MLCCs store energy in electronic devices such as broadcasting equipment, mobile telephones, computers, electronic lighting and high voltage circuits.
All palladium compounds should be regarded as highly toxic and as carcinogenic. Palladium chloride is toxic, harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin.