Russian zirconium industry: current issues in raw material supply

The relevance of the research is connected with Russia’s long-term import dependence on zirconium raw materials. Goal of this research: to study the dynamics of commodity flows (production, import, export, consumption) of Russian zirconium raw materials; its prices (world and Russian); the raw material base of zirconium in Russia and the prospects for national production of its extraction and processing. Methods: statistical, graphic, logical. Results: Russia imports the vast majority (3.5–14.9 kt/year or 98–100 % of consumption) of consumed zircon concentrate. At the same time, almost all of the baddeleyite mined in Russia (4.0–9.3 kt/year or (96–100 % of production) is exported. Since 2018 has there been a decrease in its export supplies and an increase in the national consumption (up to 60 % of production). Russia has existing deposits, including a useful zirconium component, but all are connected with a certain economic and technological complexity in their development. In 2022, the national production of selective zircon concentrate began during the development of the Tugan titanium-zirconium deposit. This deposit covers up to 30 % of Russia’s demand for zirconium raw materials up to 2023. Furthermore, the construction of the 2-nd stage of the Tugan mining and processing plant will increase its supply to 15 kt/year. This will completely cover Russian demand for zirconium raw materials. Work is in progress on Zashikhinsky field preparation, where, in the course of enrichment of tantalum-rare-earth ores, up to 8 kt/year of zircon concentrate will be additionally extracted. The emerging trend of reducing Russia’s import dependence on zirconium raw materials, and in the future its complete elimination will allow consumption of zircon and zirconium oxides to be increased in the most demanding area of their use – for dampening the glaze of ceramic tiles. The presence of an independent and sufficient national mining base of zirconium raw materials will allow Russian production of metal zirconium, zirconium refractory and abrasive products, solid fuel energy cells and other zirconiumcontaining applications to be developed

Российские технологические транзитные товарные потоки критического минерального сырья

The aim of the work is to analyze transit technological flows of critical mineral raw materials, which were formed in Russia by changing of the CIS economic relations in the 90s of the XX century. The transit chain of alumina import and primary aluminum ingots export is the largest transit technological commodity flow and is the foundation of the stable operation of the Russian aluminum industry. Quite significant previously transit technological flow of chromite concentrate imports and exports of ferrochromium is gradually reducing its transit volumes due to changes in the logistics of supplying raw materials. The transit chain of imports of lithium carbonates and lithium oxides, and in the end most of the lithium hydroxides exports, is a perfect example in terms of a pure transit technological commodity flow that helped to maintain the Russian lithium industry working capacity during the economic transition. Research results of transit technological flows of critical raw materials could be used to plan the import substitution of critical goods and risk reduction of production and sale of existing mineral product transit flows. Due to the limited possibilities for import substitution of alumina, the transit flow of commercial aluminum products bears increased risks of its effectiveness. The transit technological flow of chromite concentrate imports and exports of ferrochromium is becoming uncritical due to the reduction in imports of chromium raw materials from Kazakhstan and the increase in chromite production in Russia. The transit chain of the total import of lithium carbonates and the export of produced lithium hydroxides may disappear (or be reduced) due to the planned development of the mining production of lithium raw materials in RussiaЦелью работы стал анализ транзитных технологических потоков критического минерального сырья, которые сформировались в России в результате изменений экономических связей СНГ в 90-е годы XX века. Транзитная цепочка импорта глинозема и экспорта алюминия первичного является самым крупным транзитным технологическим товарным потоком и служит основой стабильной работы российской алюминиевой промышленности. Бывший ранее весьма значительным транзитный технологический поток импорта хромитового концентрата и экспорта феррохрома постепенно сокращает свои объемы транзита ввиду изменения логистики поставок сырья. Транзитная цепочка импорта карбонатов и оксидов лития и в конечном счете большей части экспорта производимых гидроксидов лития является ярким примером чистого транзитного технологического товарного потока, который способствовал поддержанию работоспособности российской литиевой отрасли в переходный экономический период. Результаты исследований транзитных технологических потоков критического минерального сырья могут быть использованы для планирования импортозамещения критических товаров и снижения рисков производства и реализации существующих транзитных потоков минеральных продуктов. Ввиду ограниченности возможностей импортозамещения глинозема транзитный поток алюминиевых товарных продуктов несет повышенные риски своей результативности. Транзитный технологический поток импорта хромитового концентрата и экспорта феррохрома становится некритичным из-за сокращения импорта хромового сырья из Казахстана и наращивания добычи хромитов в России. Транзитная цепочка тотального импорта карбонатов лития и экспорта производимых гидроксидов лития может исчезнуть (или сократиться) ввиду планируемого развития добывающих производств литиевого сырья в Росси

OVERVIEW OF THE GLOBAL TUNGSTEN MARKET. PART 1. MINERAL RESOURCE BASE AND MINING

The relevance of the work is caused by the need to study the problems of quite volatile world market of tungsten raw materials. Objective: to study the state of the world mineral resource base of tungsten and its extraction, to assess the criticality of the tungsten raw material world supply. Methods: content analysis of information collected from open sources on the dynamics of mining tungsten raw materials, as well as information on its reserves and resources. Results. 3,9 million tons of tungsten were mined in the world from 1913 to 2020. World production volumes increased from 4 to 7 thousand tons/year in 1913–1915 to 75 to 90 thousand tons/year in 2011–2020. China is the leader in the production of tungsten products, which supplied 25–35 % of the world production of tungsten raw materials until the 1980s, and since 1983 has occupied a dominant position in the supply of tungsten products (75–85 %). Russia supplies 5–10 % of the world supply of tungsten concentrates. New countries-suppliers of tungsten raw materials: Vietnam (up to 6,5 % of the world supply), Mongolia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, have emerged. In the XXI century, in the conditions of high prices for tungsten products, there has been a tendency to revive old tungsten production facilities in Britain, Spain, Bolivia, Australia, Canada, Myanmar. A project of resumption of operation of the Tyrnauz Mining in Russia is under consideration. The world's existing reserves (3,66 million tons W) and resources (10,92 million tons W) of tungsten raw materials are enough for more than 70 years at the current level of consumption. 32,7 % of these reserves and 57,5 % of potential resources fall on China. Five of ten largest tungsten deposits in the world are located in China. Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada and Bolivia have significant reserves and forecast resources of tungsten. New deposits may be discovered in the little-explored territories of Myanmar, Mongolia and India in Asia, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Zimbabwe in Africa. Due to the significant share of tungsten raw material world production and a very high share of world trade in tungsten products from their production in one country – China, both tungsten raw materials and other commercial tungsten products will continue to be critical goods in industrialized countries in the foreseeable future

OVERVIEW OF THE GLOBAL TUNGSTEN MARKET. PART 2. COMMODITY FLOWS OF RAW TUNGSTEN PRODUCTS

Link for citation: Boyarko G.Yu. Overview of the global tungsten market. Part 2. Commodity flows of raw tungsten products. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Аssets Engineering, 2023, vol. 334, no. 5, рр.37-53. In Rus. The relevance of the work is caused by the need to study the problems of quite volatile world market of tungsten raw materials. Objective: to study the dynamics of global commodity flows (production, import, export, consumption) of raw tungsten products (tungsten ores and concentrates, ammonium paratungstate, tungsten waste and scrap); to assess the criticality of the world market of raw tungsten products. Methods: statistical, graphical, logical. Results. The raw tungsten product global market is very complex. The world production of primary tungsten raw materials increased from 4 to 7 kt 100 % W/year in 1913–1915, from 75 to 90 kt 100 % W/year in 2011–2020 with a growth rate of +2,9 %/year. Utilization of secondary tungsten raw materials in the world increased from 2–3 kt 100 % W/year in 1970s to 14–23 kt 100 % W/year in 2008–2020 with an increase rate of +4,3 %/year. The share of global utilization of tungsten waste from the amount of primary and secondary tungsten raw materials increased from 5–6 % in 1970s to 21 % in 2019. In 1970–1980, there was a period of usual low-growth global consumption of tungsten products with the growth rate of tungsten raw materials demand for +3,4 %/year. There was a strong decrease in demand for tungsten products (–6,9 %/year) in the military sphere (the end of the Cold War) and priority shift in the trade of tungsten raw material comodities (increase in the role of ammonium paravolframate trade), reducing the role of Russia in the tungsten market (the consequences of the stagnation of the Russian economy, primarily metalworking) in the 1990s. In the 2000–2010s, there was a rapid growth in global demand for final tungsten commodity products and, accordingly, global demand and supply of tungsten raw materials, with an increase in demand of +6,4 %/year. At the same time, there is a trend of decreasing share in world trade in tungsten raw materials from the amount of extracted primary and recycled secondary raw materials by volume and cost, respectively, 39 and 47 % in 1970 to 21 and 27 % in 2020. The share of raw materials in world trade in tungsten products decreased from 70–80 % by volume and 60–70 % of the cost in 1970–1980s, respectively, up to 42–55 and 15–20 % in the 2010s. China dominates in the global production, processing and consumption of raw tungsten products, therefore, its trade policy to restrain (quota) exports of these goods determines the dynamics of the world market of tungsten raw materials. In international trade, China has changed the strategy of exporting raw materials to importing them, while becoming the leader in importing tungsten concentrates. Other industrialized countries – consumers of tungsten raw materials – the USA, Germany, Britain, France, Japan and South Korea – have become critically dependent on tungsten raw material imports (the share of imports is over 50 % of consumption) and will remain so in the foreseeable future