China’s reserves of strategic resources including gold, nickel and rhenium increased sharply following a nationwide reassessment of deposits, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.
Retained rhenium resources rose by more than 200%, while the additions to gold and nickel reserves were equivalent to 50 and 30 large deposits respectively, Xinhua said, citing data released by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Gallium, indium, tantalum and vanadium all increased by the equivalent of more than 10 large deposits following the reevaluation of associated, low-grade and difficult-to-utilize deposits, according to the report.
The yearlong project focused on 17 strategic minerals across more than 1,800 operating mines and large and medium-sized mining areas. It involved more than 100 institutions and almost 2,000 survey personnel across 27 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.
China has also discovered the country’s first paleofluvial-lacustrine zircon placer deposit in Baicheng, Xinjiang, which could significantly increase domestic zircon supply, Xinhua said. The country has long been heavily reliant on imported zircon, the source of zirconium used in nuclear-reactor fuel-rod cladding and high-temperature aerospace alloys.
Rhenium is also used in high-temperature superalloys for jet-engine components.
(By Bloomberg News)
