World Mineral Production 2014-2018¶
Contents:
Preface¶
Welcome to the latest edition of World Mineral Production, which includes global mineral production data for 2018 and is a continuation of the dataset that began in 1913.
This publication is compiled from a comprehensive database, maintained by the British Geological Survey, through which we aim to provide a reliable, comprehensive and continuous set of data covering most of the minerals that enter international trade. In this volume we have set out the production figures by country for more than 70 mineral commodities, over the five-year period from 2014 to 2018. The objective of this series remains to present the latest production information obtained from official bodies in individual countries, although other sources are also used to ensure completeness and accuracy. The cooperation afforded to the British Geological Survey by numerous national and international organisations is gratefully acknowledged.
Whilst the increases and decreases in production for most minerals between 2017 and 2018 are less than 10 per cent, there are notable exceptions. The largest increases elate to the commodities required for batteries – lithium (up 25 percent), cobalt (up 18 per cent), graphite and nickel (both up nearly 13 per cent). For lithium this ncrease is particularly significant as it comes on top of another significant increase between 2016 and 2017; over the five year period covered in this volume global ithium production has increased by more than 235 per cent (in terms of Li content). A large part of this increase has occurred in Australia, where the opening/re-opening of ines means that there are now six sites producing lithium minerals, but there have also been significant increases in production from Canada, Chile, Zimbabwe and China as well as new production in Namibia and Nigeria.
In contrast to lithium, the global increase in the mine production of cobalt is more of a mixed picture, with decreased output from some countries being masked by a 33 percent increase in production from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a consequence, the proportion of the global production originating in DRC has risen to 65 per cent, its highest level in the five years covered by this volume. For graphite, the increase between 2017 and 2018 has still not returned the total worldwide output to the levels experienced in 2014 and 2015. Notable increases in the production of graphite from Mozambique, Brazil and Namibia have been partially offset by decreases elsewhere. The increase in mine production of nickel is largely due to a 134 per cent increase in Indonesia’s output following the temporary relaxation of the export ban in early 2017.
However, the changes in global production of mineral commodities between 2017 and 2018 have not all been increases. There have also been notable decreases in global output of mercury (down 31 per cent), zirconium minerals (down nearly 15 per cent), iron ore (down 13 per cent) and tungsten (just under 13 per cent down). In all these examples, the declines have resulted in 2018 production figures that are lower than 2014 despite increases in the intervening years. In the case of mercury this fall is likely to be as a result of the Minamata Convention on Mercury which came into force on 16 August 2017 with the aim of protecting human health and the environment from mercury emissions.
There is continuing interest and concern surrounding the worldwide security of supply of certain minerals. As before, particular interest focusses on the so called ‘critical’ minerals, i.e. those elements that are essential for new and/or green technologies. New policies and programmes of supporting research have continued to be developed across the entire worldwide supply chain, with the common aims of diversifying the supply base, improving resource efficiency and developing alternatives for the most constrained elements. During the past year, the BGS has continued to be involved with many European partners in several minerals-related research projects [e.g. New geomodels to explore deeper for High-Technology critical raw materials in Alkaline rocks and Carbonatites (HiTech AlkCarb; http://www.bgs.ac.uk/hiTechAlkCarb/), Solution for Critical Raw Materials – a European Expert Network (SCRREEN; http://scrreen.eu/) and Optimising quality of information in raw materials data collection across Europe (ORAMA)].
As always, I would welcome any comments and suggestions that you have relating to this volume, which might help us to meet your ongoing needs.
Karen Hanghøj Director British Geological Survey Keyworth Nottingham
February 2020
Authors¶
T J Brown, N E Idoine, C E Wrighton, E R Raycraft, S F Hobbs, R A Shaw, P Everett, C Kresse, E A Deady and T Bide
Technical support: A C MacKenzie
Disclaimer¶
Keyworth, Nottingham British Geological Survey 2020
© UKRI 2020 all rights reserved First Published 2020
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Bibliographical reference¶
Brown, T.J., Idoine, N.E., Wrighton, C.E., Raycraft, E.R., Hobbs, S.F., Shaw, R.A., Everett, P., Kresse, C., Deady, E.A. and Bide, T. 2019. World Mineral Production 2014-18. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham.
Cover image: Evaporation pond, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. Photograph taken by E Petavratzi. Copyright © 2020 BGS.
ISBN 978-0-85272-788-1 (website version)