JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX- and TSX-listed Clean TeQ Holdings, which Robert Friedland and Jiang Zhaobai co-chair, has entered into an agreement with Chinalco Materials Application Research Institute (CMARI) and Chongqing University, China, for the development and adoption of scandium alloys in the global transport industry.
The agreement establishes a two-year development programme to investigate the functional and commercial benefits of scandium in a range of aluminium alloys currently used in China’s automotive and aerospace industries.
The programme will bring together research and production engineers from CMARI, Chongqing University and Clean TeQ to develop and commercialise scandium-containing alloys.
“China is embarking on a radical transformation of its transport sector, the scale of which has no precedent in history. While China’s policies to promote renewable energy and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles has captured most attention, it is advances in materials science – stronger, lighter and more durable materials in the construction of cars, planes, trains and ships – that promises to provide the most long-lasting benefits for the global economy and environment,” commented Clean TeQ CEO Sam Riggall.
He stated that scandium allowed for the creation of a new generation of aluminium alloys with unrivalled functionality.
“As the largest resource in the world of this rare metal, Clean TeQ Sunrise will become an important source of global supply for decades to come,” Riggall stated.
Clean TeQ Sunrise is one of the largest cobalt and nickel deposits outside Africa, and one of the largest and highest-grade accumulations of scandium ever discovered.