One Bullroarer at TOD ANZ a week or two ago featured an article
from the ABC on the possibility of mining low grade Australian
platinum reserves to supply rising demand for catalytic
converters and hydrogen fuel cells - World 'needs Australia's
platinum to build cleaner cars'. An Australian researcher has
warned that the drive to put cleaner, hydrogen-fuelled cars on
the road will stall unless new reserves of platinum are found.
Platinum is one of the key components of catalytic converters,
catalysing carbon monoxide from exhaust fumes. It is also a
critical component of fuel cells for hydrogen-powered cars.
However 80 per cent of the world's reserves come from just three
mines. John Mavrogenes says a team of geochemists from the
Australian National University has identified new methods to
detect platinum deposits. They are simulating the intense heat
and pressure of the Earth's magma to discover whether platinum
can be extracted from other minerals. "This work may help
geologists find new reserves around the