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Embattled platinum mines given lifeline by Mintek

18 Jun 2012

According to Business Report, while the drop in the platinum price, combined with persistent cost pressures, low productivity brought about by illegal strikes and a bleak economic outlook, has so far contributed to the closure of several shafts and crippled the local platinum mining sector, putting thousands of jobs at risk, research into extra uses for the metal is currently under investigation by the national mineral research organisation, Mintek.

Mintek was investigating the development of fuel cell products such as portable power devices through the Department of Science and Technology's (DST) Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Catalysis programme, Makhapa Makhafola, Mintek's general manager for research and development, said. "The long-term aim is the establishment of a platinum group metals (PGM) catalyst manufacturing industry in South Africa," he added.

Mintek co-hosts the HySA programme with the University of Cape Town (UCT) which aims to build a fuel cell and hydrogen fuel cell industry to ensure the country derives the maximum value from having 80 percent of the world's known platinum reserves, Business Report says.

Read the full article on www.iol.co.za.