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Anglo has the metals to meet the world’s new demands

20th September 2019

By: Martin Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

     

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The metals and minerals that Anglo American mines enable a cleaner, more electrified world to meet the fast-growing consumer-driven demands of the globe’s developed and maturing economies, says Anglo American market development executive head Benny Oeyen.

Copper, nickel, iron-ore and platinum-group metals (PGMs) have a particularly strong role to play in the future of basic industries, such as electricity and food production, as well as innovative technologies such as renewable energy, smart grids, electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells, he adds.

In terms of supplying the commodities necessary in the future, the Anglo group comprises the world’s No 1 refiner and No 2 producer of PGMs, as well as the No 6 producer of nickel and the No 8 producer of copper.

The pace of hydrogen infrastructure deployment is rising, with early hydrogen networks that provide basic countrywide coverage beginning to form, with California calculating that a well-planned network of 1 000 stations can largely replicate its current network of more than 10 000 gasoline stations.

Germany has just ordered the largest fleet of fuel cell trains. The UK is transforming 100 diesel trains to fuel cell hydrogen trains.

“We see fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as complementary technologies in response to changing consumer demand in the mobility space.

“One of the areas that we believe is key to bringing hydrogen fuel cells to commercial use is in the heavy-duty sector. We have demonstrated our confidence by our commitment to having a fuel cell haul truck operating at one of our sites next year.

“Hydrogen is the most abundant resource on our planet. The ability to harvest this resource in a sustainable way will be a key component in decarbonising transport, heat and power and industry,” Oeyen points out.

Hydrogen production can be achieved from water, seawater and brackish water by harnessing wind and solar energy. It can be stored and transported, with only heat and water as by-products.

In this question-and-answer interview, Oeyen provided Mining Weekly with insight into current trending.

How much platinum is being earmarked for passenger cars powered by fuel cells?

The US Department of Energy has set a target of 0.125g/kW in a fuel cell stack. At that loading, a typical passenger vehicle with a 100 kW stack would contain 12.5 g of platinum. Current FCEVs on the road have higher loadings.

What amount of PGMs is used in the electrolysers that produce the hydrogen used by FCEVs?

There are various types of electrolysers, one of which – proton exchange membrane electrolysers – contain platinum and small amounts of iridium. Other electrolysers, such as alkaline exchange cell (AEC) electrolysers, do not contain any PGMs. As with most technologies, the type of electrolyser used is dependent on the application.

How much hydrogen infrastructure has been built to refuel FCEVs?

Hydrogen infrastructure is still relatively limited globally, yet the pace of deployment is picking up and deployment targets have been set in numerous countries across the world. In some countries, such as Germany and Japan, early hydrogen networks which provide basic countrywide coverage are beginning to form. A key thing to keep in mind is that the number of hydrogen stations required does not need to replicate the number of existing refuelling stations/forecourts to reach sufficient coverage. For example, in California, it is estimated that a well-planned network of 1 000 stations could largely replicate today’s network of gasoline stations (currently there are over 10 000 gasoline forecourts in California).

How much more infrastructure is there for BEVs?

As BEVs are further along the commercialisation curve, it is natural for there to be more BEV chargers being rolled out. Also, while there is limited penetration of BEVs, existing infrastructure can be used.

Electricity infrastructure will need to be upgraded as BEV penetration levels increase. Further, the number of BEV chargers cannot be compared directly with the number of hydrogen refuelling stations. An average 400 kg hydrogen station could support 800-plus cars, while a standard low voltage BEV charger could support 1 to 3 vehicles at a maximum.

What is the market share of FCEVs compared with BEVs?

As FCEVs are in the very early stages of commercialisation, only a few thousand of the vehicles are on the road. California, for example, has about 7 300 FCEVs on the road. BEV market share is in the very low single digits.

What is the medium-term outlook for mobile and stationary fuel cell demand?

Fuel cells are particularly well suited to high utilisation, heavy-duty and/or long-range applications. These are the type of use-cases where the medium-term outlook of PGM-containing fuel cells are most promising. There are numerous examples globally of fuel cells and hydrogen finding traction:

In recent years, many countries, such as China, Japan, South Korea and Australia, have all committed significant resources towards readying their nations for the hydrogen economy.

E4tech director Dr David Hart of Switzerland, who has been in the fuel cell and hydrogen sector for 25 years, said at the recent Nedbank CIB conference on fuel cells that the forever-five-years-away technology was no longer five years away. “Things are happening very, very fast,” Hart told the conference. Is this an accurate reflection?

We are aligned to Dr Hart’s statement and are similarly experiencing increasing momentum in the sector. The International Energy Agency, for example, has described 2019 as a year of “unprecedented momentum” for hydrogen, with 50 policies or targets introduced globally to support its development.

Is the Hydrogen Council’s activities translating into increased platinum demand?

The Hydrogen Council was formed to enable conversations and advocacy at the highest level of the member organisations and governments around the world. Anglo American was a founding member of the organisation, having recognised the need for such a body at the time.

Today the Hydrogen Council has grown from 13 members at inception in 2017 to 60 members. This growth indicates an acknowledgement from industry that hydrogen has a significant part to play in decarbonising our world and the need for collaborative development of infrastructure and supportive policy advocacy.

The Hydrogen Council provides a successful mechanism to achieve these goals, as evidenced by the participation of the council at the G20 Summit in Japan, at the invitation of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Hydrogen is one of only two energy vectors that can be fully decarbonised, the other being electricity. It is hydrogen’s versatility, in enabling the mass storage, transport and conversion to either heat or power that makes it a key part of any future energy system. Electricity alone is not able to decarbonise all sectors.

Where does Anglo American stand in providing materials that ensure that power is generated in a completely emission-free manner?

Anglo American is committed to playing a leading role in building a more sustainable energy future, particularly for an integrated and decarbonised mobility ecosystem.

We see BEVs and FCEVs not as competing solutions in achieving these goals, but as complementary technologies that will coexist in the auto sector, responding to different consumer demands and mobility challenges.

How valuable is the heat that fuel cells provide as a by-product?

As fuel cells produce only electricity with water and heat as by-products, using this heat, for instance, to warm a car, greatly increases the efficiency of a fuel cell when compared with other technologies. As BEVs require additional energy to heat the vehicle from the same battery responsible for propelling it, it can adversely affect the driving range of the BEV. This is an important distinction and adds to the range of benefits offered by FCEVs.

Does Anglo American also intend to enter the BEV market by providing its PGM materials to lithium air batteries and lithium sulphur batteries?

Being a major producer of PGMs, but also copper and nickel, the Anglo American group is already well placed for an electrifying and decarbonising world. The development of PGM-containing batteries is part of the company’s market development initiatives which aim to create new long-term demand sources.

What role can PGMs potentially play to increase the discharge capacities of lithium-air batteries and lithium-sulphur batteries and are these batteries used to store electricity for BEVs and stationary power?

PGMs increase the discharge capacity and cyclability of lithium-air/oxygen and lithium-sulfur batteries by reducing the charge over-potential (the extra energy required in the charge-up that you don’t get back and stabilising the electrolytes through minimising reactivity with the anode.

What is the benefit of platinum and palladium potentially increasing the cyclicality of these batteries?

By stabilising the electrolytes through minimising reactivity at the anode, PGMs could enable the development of batteries with cyclability of equal or superior to the best-in-class lithium-ion battery, but at a much higher power to weight ratio. Such compactness can free up more space in automotive design and has further potential in static or mobile battery pack applications.

How long has Florida University been doing research into next-generation battery technology?

They produced a first research paper on the subject in 2015.

What other complementary opportunities are being reviewed by Lion Battery Technologies to develop this technology?

The current focus of Lion Battery Technologies is to support the research project led by Florida International University and aimed at exploring the use of platinum and palladium in lithium-oxygen and lithium-sulphur battery technology. In the future, the research may be expanded to other types of battery technologies that could also be using platinum and palladium.

What makes the lithium-air and lithium-sulphur batteries significantly lighter than lithium-ion batteries and why is this important?

Lithium-air (Li-air) and lithium-sulphur (Li-sulphur) inherently have significantly less inactive material than lithium-ion (Li-ion) that contributes to their high power to weight ratio. The practical power to weight ratio of Li-air and Li-sulphur is approximately the same as gasoline combustion engine system (that includes a fuel tank). This brings tremendous advantage for the design and comfort of the automobile by freeing up those spaces needed by the current Li-ion technology which now can be used for larger passenger and/or luggage space. The lighter weight contributes to greater efficiency of the vehicle (more power for the same weight or less weight for the same power).

Mining Weekly can confirm that former Anglo American chairperson Harry Oppenheimer, drove around Johannesburg in a demonstration Daimler EV well before the turn of the century. The electricity to power the car was provided by a Zebra battery. A patent for the sodium-nickel chloride battery was filed 1981 and published in 1986, which means patent protection has since expired. Why did Anglo allow the EV opportunity to slip its grasp and what are its EV aspirations now?

While we cannot comment on the company’s strategic choices of 38 years ago, the metals and minerals that Anglo American mines enable a cleaner, more electrified world to meet the fast-growing consumer-driven demands of the world’s developed and maturing economies.

Edited by Nadine James
Features Deputy Editor

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