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We’re kicking off our online informational campaign on Gateway Metals and their Co-products by taking a closer look at one of the most well-known industrial mainstay metals – Copper.

Lately, “old school” Copper – long acknowledged as an indispensable building block of the industrial age — has been undergoing turbulent times on the global commodity market stage.  Hard rock commodity prices have come down significantly over the past five years,  and copper is no exception.  In the long run, we can reasonably expect the self-corrective nature of the market associated with commodities cycles to work -

“Growth rates slow, supply exceeds demand, prices fall, producers idle their mines, postpone new projects and abandon exploration. Then, the economy works through the surplus production, demand returns, supply tightens – prices rise – and so does the incentive for investment in new exploration and development.”

In fact, some analysts already predict a looming global copper shortage as a cooling investment environment means fewer projects will come online.

But even current market trends notwithstanding – Copper remains critical for a number of reasons, as our very own Daniel McGroarty outlined three years ago:

“National security.  Copper is the second most widely used metal by weight in U.S. defense systems.  According to a DoD study, lack of timely copper supply has already led to a significant weapons system delay.  An MIT study found that the “risk of copper disruption is significantly greater than for the other major metals… and is at or near a historical high.”

Alternative energy.   A single industrial wind turbine requires more than three tons of copper.  Next generation solar power looks to CIGS-based photovoltaic cells – where the C stands for copper and the S for selenium, 95 percent of which is derived from copper mining.  Electric vehicles require 25 percent more copper than gas-fed cars – more than a mile worth of copper wire per EV.”

As the field of materials science advances, new applications for Copper, at which we will take a closer look in a separate post, will undoubtably continue to be discovered and add to the metal’s relevance.

However, Copper’s status as a gateway metal must not be overlooked.

“Versatility.  Copper is often extracted in conjunction with other critical metals, like rhenium, which is used in jet fighter turbines and to formulate lead-free gas.  Three-quarters of global Rhenium supply comes from the copper smelting process. And copper yields 95 percent of the world’s tellurium – like selenium, key to solar power cells.”

In addition to Rhenium, Copper processing also yields access to Molybdenum, Selenium and Tellurium, as well as (in small trace amounts) Rare Earths.

While we will first explore some of Copper’s uses and applications, as well as take a look at supply and demand for this gateway metal, we will begin zeroing in on its co-products – which are important tech metals in their own right – next week.

But as ARPN followers know, it’s not magic.  Our advances grow out of the revolution in materials science that is powering the technology age.

As we set out to take an in-depth look “Through the Gateway” over the course of the next few months, we will be zeroing in on the five gateway metals we examined as part of our 2012 report – Aluminum, Copper, Nickel, Tin and Zinc, as well as the tech metals they“unlock.” These materials have increasingly found (…) more

“If you don’t have yeast, you don’t have pizza.” What may seem like a random – albeit logical – conclusion has more to do with critical minerals than you may think.  David Abraham, director of the Technology, Rare and Electronic Materials Center, recently used the yeast/pizza analogy to exemplify the importance of rare metals, which (…) more

Over the course of the last few months, slumping prices have prompted Japanese companies to reassess their rare metals strategies and cancel cooperative agreements that were once considered a high priority. As Nikkei Asian Review reports, state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC) has cancelled a joint exploration contract for a tungsten mine in (…) more

ARPN followers are used to our coverage of metals and minerals shortages, and the need to develop more sources of domestic supply.  But the value of U.S.-produced minerals is best evidenced in the ability to meet global needs.  Take borates, one of the relatively few minerals where the U.S. is a net exporter. The issue (…) more

Earlier this week, the American Geosciences Institute hosted a webinar entitled “Underpinning Innovation: The Science and Supply of America’s Critical Minerals and Materials.” Speakers for the event, which was co-sponsored by a variety of expert organizations, included: Lawrence D. Meinert, Mineral Resources Program, U.S. Geological Survey; Steven M. Fortier, National Minerals Information Center, U.S. Geological (…) more

Last week, we highlighted what has been one of the bright spots in the metals and minerals sphere in recent months – Lithium.  Potentially one of the most important critical materials of our time because of its application in battery technology, its rise to stardom has cast a shadow on another material that may be (…) more

At a time when mineral commodities have been slumping, one material is proving to be the exception to the rule, leading many to hail lithium as “a rare bright spot for miners, amid cratering prices of raw materials tied to heavy industry such as iron ore to coal.”  Via our friend Simon Moores, managing director (…) more

In his testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on “the Near-Term Outlook for Energy and Commodities Markets” last week, ARPN Principal Daniel McGroarty argues that while in the long-run, the market is self-corrective, there are certain actions that should be taken while we wait for that long-run to arrive if (…) more