Production Of Precious Metals Research Articles

PRECIOUS METALS MARKET FORECASTING IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

The article analyzes trends in the precious metals market. The general characteristics and assessment of the most popular precious metals are given. The key factors influencing the supply and demand of precious metals are analyzed. Precious metals market forecasts have been developed. An analysis of the state of the world gold market in recent years has been carried out. Using the method of comparative analysis, modern trends in the supply and demand of this precious metal were revealed. The dynamics and structure of world gold reserves are considered. The world's precious metal reserves in different countries were also studied. The potential gold reserves in Ukraine are estimated. The production of precious metals in the world was studied. The rating of countries producing precious metals has been compiled. The leaders in this field have been identified based on the criteria of production capacities and growth rates of precious metals extraction. The structure of consumption of precious metals in the world is analyzed. The factors that lead to an increase in the rate of consumption of precious metals in modern conditions are considered. In particular, an increase in the current rate of commissioning of new solar energy capacities and an increase in the use of electric transport have been identified, which has significantly increased the demand for precious metals in the world. The impact on price dynamics of geopolitical and other economic factors, such as changes in trade relations between countries, currency fluctuations, market crises, changes in the monetary policy of central banks in many countries, and, above all, the increase in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve, was also studied. Considering these and other influencing factors, forecasts of the price dynamics of the precious metals market for 2024 and subsequent years were developed using a graphical method.

Commercial organizations with foreign investments: problems of foreign economic activity in the field of precious metals mining

The article research the problematic issues of foreign economic activity and, in general, the financial and economic activities of commercial organizations with foreign investments operating in the field of precious metals mining. The author considers the dual nature of foreign direct investment as a factor that simultaneously contributes to the development of the national economy and creates risks and threats in the field of protecting and ensuring the security of the national economy from external interference. In the article, the author draws attention to the specific factors of foreign investment in the field of industrial production and mining, including the prevalence of the re-export nature of foreign investment and its causes, as well as the period of turnover of investments, which are also influenced by exchange rate differences. The article focuses on the consideration of specific sanctions that have been imposed on the sector of mining and production of precious metals, reveals their essence and specifics, and assesses their direct negative impact on mining and manufacturing enterprises in general, as well as their negative impact on commercial organizations with foreign investments, in particular. Sanctions are considered in the context of private and public sanctions measures, as well as from the position of countering them from the economic entities themselves. The article also examines the issues and provides a description of the practical aspects of direct anti-sanction and indirect public financial regulation, adversely affecting the financial and economic results of domestic enterprises operating in the field of production and extraction of precious metals

Time and quantile domain connectedness between the geopolitical risk of China and precious metals markets

It is expected that the irrational behavior of the investors due to psychological reasons in risk situations, the decisions taken in fear and panic affect the performance of investment instruments, and thus the decisions of the diversified portfolio. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the existence of the argument that precious metals investments as an investment asset can protect against geopolitical risks and potentially act as a safe haven against such risks. To this end, we examine the impact of geopolitical risk for China, because China is the world leader in terms of the production of precious metals, on gold, silver, palladium, and platinum prices. In doing so, the monthly data from January 1990 to August 2022 is analyzed with time-varying quantile connectedness method. Our results show that especially during the higher tension periods such as the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in 1999, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the trade war between the USA and China and Covid-19 pandemic, high precious metals have received spillover from the geopolitical risk index.

Pengaruh Promosi dan Fluktuasi Harga Emas terhadap Peningkatan Jumlah Nasabah pada Produk Murabahah Logam Mulia Untuk Investasi Abadi (MULIA) di PT Pegadaian Cabang Cikudapateuh Kota Bandung

Precious Metals are one type of gold for a long-term investment with minimal risk. The goal of this research is to see how Promotions and Price Fluctuations affect Increasing the Number of Customers on Murabahah Precious Metal Products For Lasting Investment (MULIA) at PT Pegadaian Cikudapateuh branch in Bandung. This research uses the incidental sampling technique to obtain is 100 respondents. The quantitative implementing approach, descriptive, was used in the analytical method. Data collection using observation, literature studies, and questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS version 25 software, it is evident that promotional variables affect increasing the number of customers, while price fluctuations do not affect the increase in the number of customers partially. Simultaneously, promotions and price fluctuations affect the number of customers with a contribution value of 16,9% and the remaining 83,1% is influenced by other variables like the quality of the product, place, service quality, and brand image.
 Keywords: promotion, price fluctuations, increasing the number of customers

Electrochemical Separation of Ag2S and Cu2S from Molten Sulfide Electrolyte

The production of precious metals from Cu-rich sources such as ore products or secondary sources is slow and complex largely due to limited solubility in aqueous electrolytes. This results in sequential processing with various electrolytes and chemistries, where first Cu is electrorefined, followed by Ag, followed by Au and the platinum group metals. These are separate processes, often conducted in separate electrorefining and electrowinning facilities. The chemical properties of molten sulfides, and their ability to operate at a temperature where liquid metal cathodes are used, suggest the possibility of an alternative, streamlined processing route for Cu and precious metals. Unfortunately, little thermodynamic or electrochemical information is available regarding the behavior of Cu and precious metal sulfides in molten sulfide electrolytes. Herein, the relative activity of the Cu2S-Ag2S pseudobinary dissolved in a BaS-La2S3 supporting electrolyte is measured at 1523 K. It was found that the supporting electrolyte favors mixing with Ag2S over Cu2S. Molten sulfide electrolysis of Cu and Ag was conducted, with results in good agreement with the thermodynamic model. It is found that the Ag-Cu cathode chemistry will influence the electrochemical selectivity in the Ag-Cu-Ba-La-S system.

“Avenida Central” Building – Pioneer Design and Construction with Reference to the Use of Steel Structures in Rio de Janeiro/RJ

The first Brazilian capital was Salvador/BA, between 1549 and 1763. Then, the city of Rio de Janeiro/RJ was the second capital of Brazil, from 1763 to 1960. Until 1763, Salvador/BA was considered a more modern and equipped city. However, based on the discovery of gold in the region of Minas Gerais/MG, and the consequent risk of smuggling, it was necessary to transfer the main headquarters of the country to a city closer to the region of the mines [1]. In this sense, between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, the city of Rio de Janeiro/RJ becomes the main link between Minas Gerais and Europe. Subsequently, with the reduction of the production of precious metals, the city went through hegemonies and economic crises, during the following two centuries, due to a series of changes in the economy, which became supported mainly by the agricultural production of sugar cane and coffee. [2].

INFLUENCE OF THE RATE OF IRON HEXATIANOFERRATE ON ITS SORPTION ABILITY IN RELATION TO SILVER, INDIUM AND GALLIUM CATIONS

The processing of phosphorites into elemental phosphorus is accom-panied by the formation of waste - cotrile "milk", in which indium, gallium, and silver are present. This waste can be considered as a cheap raw material for the production of rare and precious metals. In the scientific literature there are data on the sorption capacity of hexacyano-ferrates of iron, which has a crystal lattice with a channel diameter from 3.0 to 3.5Å. Investigation of the sorption process in the model system "Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3·10H2O - Ag+- In3+- Ga3+ - H2O" depending on the norm of iron hexacyanoferrate (sorbent). The initial concentration of silver, indium and gallium ions and their residual content in solutions were determined using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer "PerkinElmer Analyst 400" (USA). The microstructure of the initial iron hexacyanoferrate and iron hexacyano-ferrate, after sorption, was studied on the CarlZeissFESEM and JEOL brand "JXA-8230" (Japan). With a ratio to T:W equal to 1.75-2.5:100, the degree of sorption of Ag+ with iron hexacyanoferrate is 99.5 and 99.8 %. The highest degree of sorption (96.75%) of In3+ ions can be obtained with a sorbent weighing 3 g per 100 g of solution at 60oC. A high degree of sorption of Ga3+ cations is achieved at low (0.5:100 wt. h.) and high (3:100 wt. h.) consumption of iron hexacyanoferrate. It was revealed that iron hexacyanoferrate exhibits sorption properties simultaneously with respect to mono- and trivalent metals, and the basic laws of their sorption were established.

Simple Polypyrrole Based Preparation for Fe-N-C Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Hydrogen based fuel cells could play an imprtant role for future CO2-free energy supply, especially with respect to the transportation and automotive sector. However, efficient fuel cell catalyst mostly rely on the precious metal platinum. The contributions of platinum based catalysts and their application are estimated with up to 40% of the overall stack costs [1], [2]. Furthermore, taking into account the released CO2 equivalents, soil acidification and fresh water consumption the mining and production of precious metals leaves a great ecological foot-print [3].FeNC catalysts are a promising alternative to replace platinum for the oxygen reduction reaction. However, still several challenges need to be faced. A low voumetric activity, a poor long-term stability in the device and difficuilties during scale-up of the preparation procedure are the main issues. Especially for the high performing catalysts that are based on zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) [4], [5], the scale-up of the ZIF synthesis and subsequent FeNC preparation seems difficuilt while maintaining the same material properties [6], [7].Here, we present a simple prepration for FeNC catalysts that relys on nanostructured polypyrrole. Because the presented method is based on a simple polymer the scale-up seems easier in realizationWe will discuss the impact of different aspects as amount and kind of iron precursor, level and kind of doping agents, and pyrolysis temperature and their impact on fuel cell performance data and structural composition. The variation of these aspects leads to significant variation in structural composition, activity, selectivity and stability of these catalysts. For example, very low levels of hydrogen peroxide formation are found even for low catalyst loadings during RRDE [8]. Further, by an increase of the pyrolsis temperature from 800°C to 1000°C the retained current density after 50 hours of potentiastatic testing at 0.5 V could be increased by a factor of 1.6.[1] S.T. Thompson, D. Papageorgopoulos, Platinum group metal-free catalysts boost cost competitiveness of fuel cell vehicles, Nat Catal, 2 (2019) 558-561. [2] A.R. Wilson, J.P. Marcinkoski, D., Fuel Cell System Cost, DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record, in Departement of Energy, 2016. [3] P. Nuss and M.J. Eckelmann, PLOS one, Vol. 7 Life Cycle Assessment of Metals: A Scientific Synthesis, 2014. [4] E. Proietti, F. Jaouen, M. Lefevre, N. Larouche, J. Tian, J. Herranz, J.-P. Dodelet, Nature Commun., 2, 416, 2011. [5] D. Zhao, J.-L. Shui, L. R. Grabstanowicz, C. Chen, S. M. Comment, T. Xu, J. Lu, D.-J. Liu, Adv. Mater., 26, 7, 2013. [6] M. Hovestadt, J. Vargas Schmitz, T. Weissenberger, F. Reif, M. Kaspereit, W. Schwieger, M. Hartmann, Scale-up of the Synthesis of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework ZIF-4, Chem-Ing-Tech, 89 (2017) 1374-1378. [7] T. Johnson, M.M. Lozinska, A.F. Orsi, P.A. Wright, S. Hindocha, S. Poulston, Improvements to the production of ZIF-94; a case study in MOF scale-up, Green Chem, 21 (2019) 5665-5670. [8] L. Ni, C. Gallenkamp, S. Paul, M. Kübler, P. Theis, S. Chabbra, K. Hofmann, E. Bill, A. Schnegg, B. Albert, V. Krewald, U. I. Kramm, Active Site Identification in FeNC Catalysts and Their Assignment to the Oxygen Reduction Reaction Pathway by In Situ 57Fe Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Adv. Energy Sustainability Res., 2, 2021

Ingenios and ingenuity: rethinking Indigenous histories of silver in the colonial Andean mining industry

ABSTRACT Silver amalgamation technologies revolutionized the production of precious metals in the colonial Andes and throughout Latin America, changing the region and the global economy in ways that are almost impossible to fully comprehend even today. We know a great deal about the productive capacity of Potosí's amalgamation refineries (ingenios), but little of other aspects of workers' experiences within those walled environments. Most archaeological studies of ingenios focus on their material cultural remains; most literary studies of ingenio analyze the term's resonance within the conventions of baroque aesthetics. By combining methods of archaeological and literary study, this article sheds light on understudied aspects of family life, clandestine silver production, and definitions of scientific knowledge in the colonial Andean silver industry. Doing so enables us to tell a richer, more complete, and more complex story of the silver that circulated as coins within the global reaches of the early modern Spanish empire.

The Real Effects of Monetary Expansions: Evidence from a Large-scale Historical Experiment

Abstract The discovery of massive deposits of precious metals in America during the early modern period caused an exogenous monetary injection to Europe’s money supply. I use this episode to identify the causal effects of money. Using a panel of six European countries, I find that monetary expansions had a material impact on real economic activity. The magnitudes are substantial and persist for a long time: an exogenous 10% increase in the production of precious metals in America measured relative to the European stock leads to a front-loaded response of output and, to a lesser extent, inflation. There was a positive hump-shaped response of real GDP, with a cumulative increase up to 0.9% six to nine years later. The evidence suggests that this is because prices responded to monetary injections with considerable lags.

Implementation of the Application of Multi Akad Murabahah and Rahn in the Mulia Metal Products in the Sharia Pawnshops City of Singkawang Islamic Law Perspective

The juridical operation of any sharia-based financial institution must refer to the DSN-MUI fatwa, including the multi-contract issue or better known as a hybrid contract, where has mandated by Law No. 21 of 2008 concerning Islamic Banking Article 26 paragraph (2). Two multi-contracts are permitted by the DSN-MUI in the fatwa, namely Fatwa No. 71 of 2008 concerning Sale and Lease Back and Fatwa No. 72 Years. 2008 on Ijarah Sale and Back. However, PT. Pegadaian (Persero) Alianyang Singkawang Sharia Service Unit has carried out multiple contracts (murabahah and Rahn) since the last 6 (six) years on Murabahah Logam Mulia Abadi Investment (MULIA) products for non-cash Financing of gold. There is no fatwa from DSN- MUI, so that raises doubts about the guarantee of the quality of the product. So it is essential to study how the MULIA product contract system uses the murabahah and Rahn contracts from the perspective of sharia economic law. This research is descriptive qualitative research that deepens by conducting direct interviews with the parties involved in implementing multi-murabahah and Rahn contracts. This research completed in 2019. The sources of data in this study are the leadership and staff at the Singkawang sharia pawnshop, then customers who use multi-contract product services at the Singkawang sharia pawnshop. The results of the study concluded that the application of multi-murabahah and Rahn contracts on precious metal products at PT. Pegadaian (Persero) Alianyang Singkawang Sharia Service Unit, as stipulated in Law No. 21 of 2008 concerning sharia banking, has been implemented on this product. Therefore, in the view of sharia economic law, it is permissible and justified because the system refers to the DSN-MUI fatwa No. 92 of 2014 concerning Financing that accompanied by Rahn and becomes the basis for the use of multiple contracts.

ФЛОТАЦИОННЫЕ РЕАГЕНТЫ ДЛЯ ИЗВЛЕЧЕНИЯ ТОНКОВКРАПЛЕННОГО ЗОЛОТА ИЗ ТРУДНООБОГАТИМЫХ РУД И ТЕХНОГЕННЫХ ПРОДУКТОВ

At the present stage of development of the mineral resource base of precious metals, the wider involvement of refractory ores and technogenic products in the mineral processing is playing a very important role. It is due to these types of mineral resources the main Russian and foreign companies plan to get the increase in the production of gold and other precious metals. Refractory ores are characterized by low content and uneven distribution of valuable components, emulsion dissemination of gold, complex material composition, flotation active silicate and carbonaceous rock components. The main technologies for their processing include combined schemes that provide intensive preliminary preparation of ore, fine and ultrafine grinding. Creation of effective reagents for flotation of fine classes of noble metals, selective depression of gold-free sulfides, like pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, and rock minerals is one of the recognized innovative solutions for intensifying the enrichment process of this type of raw material. The studies performed at IPKON RAS in the framework of the scientific school of Academician V.A. Chanturiya helped to develop and substantiate the novel selective reagents-collectors of dithiocarbamate type (DEDTCm, OPDTC, DBDTC, MDTC) and herbal modifiers that possess complexing properties in relation to noble metals and provide an increase in the recovery of valuable components of gold by 5-7%. A set of analytical methods - scanning electron (LEO 1420VP, Carl Zeiss) and laser microscopy (KEYNCE VK-9700, Shimadzu), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ARL ADVANT’X), ICP –MS (Agilent 725 ICP-OES, Agilent Technologies), X-ray diffractometry (DRON-2.0, XRD 7000, Shimadzu), potentiometry, titrimetric analysis, methods of mathematical statistics helped to study the adsorption layer of the reagents on natural minerals and model sulfides with micro- and nanosized gold. Using an original technique for quantitative assessment of the reagent coating by image analysis (SLM), the surface area of the mineral occupied by the reagent was calculated. A method for selective flotation of gold-containing sulfides using OPDTC and oak bark extract has been developed and tested in the separation of the collective gold-arsenic concentrate of the Olympiada deposit. It showed the possibility of obtaining a gold-pyrite concentrate with an arsenic content of less than 2%. The prospect of using plant modifiers for gold recovery during flotation of complex ores has been substantiated.

Development of Muruntau–Myutenbai joint open pit mine

Muruntau open pit mine has been in operation since 1967 and is one of the largest open pit mines in the world. As per the project of mining phase V effective since 2020, it is among the world’s three largest open pit mines. The distribution of ore reserves per horizons is analyzed with regard to nature-and-process zones delineated in Muruntau–Myutenbai joint open pit mine. The project parameters of the pit and the scope of mining operations were determined from the geological and mathematical modeling including the detailed survey data and borehole assay results. The open pit mining scenarios within the project limits of mining phase V up to 2030 are considered. The open pit mining scheduling is performed with regard to operational specifics of the deposit, number of nature-and-process zones and duration of the scheduling period. It is concluded that maintenance of the required gold content of ore to be processed needs stimulation of the annual mining output up to 50–60 Mm3 in the easterly direction of the pit at the preserved production output in all nature-and-process zones. To this effect, it is required to formulate a sustainable action plan, with the assigned performance indicators, with regard to the Extra Activity Progr am to Improve Production of Precious Metals at Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combinat over the period to 2026 and further on to 2040. The authors appreciate participation of Head of a Department at VNIPIpromtekhnologii, Candidate of Engineering Sciences A. V. Seleznev in this study.

Research on Creative Product Design of Jewelry Design

With the development of the times and the promotion of technology, people’s living standards and aesthetic requirements have also been continuously improved. Intelligent design enables jewelry to break through its position in the traditional sense It is no longer limited to the handmade production of precious metals. Intelligent design can also be applied to jewelry design. The unlimited choice of materials allows designers to have greater design space and imagination. With the development of fashion trends, jewelry as a kind of decoration, in another way shows the personal quality of life and life attitude. Therefore, the more diversified forms of jewelry design are eclectic, and the pursuit of higher levels and more comprehensive forms to create fashionable and personalized products.

The Value of Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction in Antam’s Precious Metal Products (A Kano Model Analysis)

Abstract. This researcher aims to map and analyze the customer loyalty and satisfaction of Antam's Precious Metal (LM) products through four categories of the Kano model. These include one dimensional or performance needs, must be or basic needs, attractive or excitement needs, and indifferent needs. This is a qualitative research with data obtained from interviews, observation and documentation. The study shows that the value of customer loyalty and satisfaction in Precious Metal products, referring to the Kano model analysis, is included in the one-dimensional or performance requirements. Here, the level of satisfaction is directly proportional to the performance attributes. This means that the performance attributes can affect the level of customer satisfaction. Pure Gold, as an Antam’s Precious Metal products, is not considered as must-be or basic needs. It is regarded as attractive or excitement needs due to the rapid development of PT. Antam which is strongly influenced by the quality and development of its product attributes, especially the precious metal products. This study proposes the formation of classification of customer satisfaction using the Kano model and customer loyalty so that it provides benefits in terms of the classification of customer satisfaction.Keywords: Loyalty, Satisfaction, Customer, Antam and Kano Model Analysis Abstrak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memetakan dan menganalisis loyalitas dan kepuasan konsumen produk Logam Mulia (LM) Antam melalui empat kategori model Kano yaitu: one dimensional atau performance needs, must be atau basic needs, atractive atau excitement needs, dan Indifferent. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif dengan data yang diperoleh melalui wawancara, observasi dan dokumentasi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa nilai loyalitas dan kepuaan konsumen pada LM Antam, perspektif model Kano, masuk pada kategori one dimensional atau performance needs. Ini berarti tingkat kepuasan berbanding lurus dengan kinerja atribut, sehingga berdampak pada tingginya kepuasan konsumen. Sedangkan emas LM Antam tidak masuk kategori must be atau basic needs, atractive atau excitement needs, dan Indifferent karena perkembangan pesat PT. Antam saat ini sangat dipengaruhi oleh kualitas dan perkembangan Atribut produk, khususnya pada LM Antam. Hasil penelitian tersebut berimplikasi pada terbentuknya klasifikasi kepuasan konsumen dengan menggunakan model Kano dan loyalitas konsumen. Hal ini memberikan manfaat dalam hal klasifikasi kepuasan konsumen.Kata kunci: Loyalitas, Kepuasan, Konsumen, Antam dan Model Kano

Empresarias mineras de Guanajuato, 1714-1803

La industria minero-metalúrgica de Guanajuato del siglo XVIII exigió la participación de amplios sectores de la sociedad, incluyendo las mujeres, sobre todo, a partir del gran incremento de la producción de metales preciosos de la segunda mitad del siglo. Sin embargo, ellas son las grandes ausentes de la historiografía mexicana a pesar de que se insertaron en diversos espacios de esa industria, algunas como poseedoras de minas, haciendas de beneficio y zangarros, otras como rescatadoras de metales. A partir de la trayectoria de dos empresarias mineras propietarias de distinto tipo de bienes, cuya conservación las obligó a realizar múltiples transacciones y mantener una estrecha relación con otros empresarios, pretendo mostrar su capacidad empresarial para administrar sus empresas.

Comparison performance of Artificial Neural Networks and Fuzzy Inference systems in forecasting precious metals price Case Study: Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium

Awareness about the price of precious metals and the correct prediction on the process of taking decision can bring facilities, and purchasing them in the global market and recognizing the specific time of dealing can cause investment. In this article comparison of the performance of Artificial Neural Networks and Fuzzy Inference Systems in predicting the price of the precious metals (Case Study: Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium).has been pointed. The information about each of these metals (Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium) is monthly considered from 1998 until 2018 including 360 data. Thus, by examining different influential variables, National Product Parameters, Time, getting higher the value of USD dollar against the Canadian dollar, global production and global reserves of precious metals are chosen as influential variables. In this research, implementation of (ANFIS) is made for the prediction model by using Artificial and Fuzzy Neural Model. Evaluation of models by using coefficient values, the average set of squares and the square root of the average set of the squares in order of the values for Gold 0.9964 , 0.000268 & 0.01637 for silver 0.987, 0.000092 & 0.0096, for platinum 0.9976, 0.000209 & 0.01448 and for palladium 0.99, 0.0001 & 0.01 have been achieved. As a result, while the best predictive model for the price of gold and platinum is Artificial Neural Networks, the model of ANFIS is suggested for the silver and palladium.

Precious metal abundance and economic growth: Evidence from top precious metal producer countries

In this study, metal curse hypothesis was suggested for top precious metal producer countries, i.e. Australia, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Peru, South Africa and the USA by using nonlinear Smooth Transition Autoregressive Distributed Lag (STARDL) models for the period 1963–2017. We used precious metal production data as an indicator for resource richness. According to the analysis results of STARDL models, we found statistically significant regime specific long-run and short-run relationships between economic growth and each precious metal type under analysis. We couldn't find supporting results for metal curse for Canada, Philippines, Peru, South Africa and the USA, but the positive effect of each precious metal abundance is asymmetric between the regimes. For Australia and Mexico, the effect of precious metal abundance on economic growth is various depending on precious metal type, the regime which the economy is in, the short- and long-run.

Study of the possibilities of technology of complex extraction of useful components from coastal-sea placers of Primorye with application of methods of pyro-hydrometallurgy

Intensive exploitation of placer gold deposits in Primorye led to the depletion of their geological reserves, which was reflected in a sharp decrease in the production of precious metals. An alternative source of precious metals is the never before exploited placer deposits of the Primorsky shelf, which have concentrated a significant amount of gold and titanomagnetite. The importance of gold as the basis of the economic security of our country can hardly be overestimated. Titanomagnetites are solid solutions of titanium dioxide in magnetite containing a rich gamut of impurities V, Cr, Zr and other alloying elements. Russia has gained vast experience in processing gold-bearing ores, but the problem of developing gold-titanomagnetite coastal-marine placers has not yet been solved. The objectives of our research included assessing the possibilities of industrial processing of metal-bearing sands of the Rudnev Bay of the Sea of Japan using pyro-hydrometallurgy and fluoride opening methods. For this, a four-stage scheme for the extraction of useful components was developed. In the first of them, the initial sands underwent gravitational enrichment, followed by separation by electromagnetic separation into magnetic and non-magnetic fractions. In the second stage, the magnetic material represented by titanomagnetite underwent fine grinding, reduction firing in hydrogen, and sintering of the powder material. In the third stage, non-magnetic components, which include the bulk of gold and zircon, served as the feedstock for exposure to a thiocarbamide-thiocinate solution. In the fourth stage, the insoluble cake concentrating zircon was fluorinated with ammonium bifluoride. The use of this scheme for processing metal-bearing sands made it possible to extract native gold, zirconium concentrate and iron powders of various fineness.

Does Resource Curse Really Exist in Precious Metal Producer Countries?

In this study, the relationship between precious metal production and economic growth is examined for the countries producing them the most, namely Australia, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Peru, South Africa and USA, for the period 1963–2016 by using Markov switching-vector error correcting models and impulse–response functions. All economies under examination in this study are well described by Markov switching intercept heteroscedasticity-vector error correction models. We detect both estimated intercepts and variances differ across regimes. According to results, the effect of precious metal production on economic growth is various. As a whole, there is a long-run relationship between each precious metal production and economic growth. In the short run, whereas gold production has a negative effect on USA’s and Canada’s economies, which supports resource curse, it has positive one on South Africa’s. The effect of silver production on economic growth of Australia and Peru is negative, but it is positive for Canada and South Africa. While copper production has a positive effect on the economic growth of Australia and South Africa, we find supporting evidence for resource curse for Canada, Peru and USA. We also find insignificant correlation between any precious metals and economic growth for Mexico and Philippines.