Johannesburg – Nornickel (https://nornickel.com) announced its strategy for the development of palladium-based technologies at PGMS Industry Day, an international conference held in South Africa.
The company's experts shared insights into new technology developments that could redefine the use of Platinum Group (PGM) extracted in the African continent, particularly in the fields of energy, electronics and green technology.
This presentation attracted a great deal of interest from conference participants. Industry representatives noted the practical relevance of nornickel innovation to the market and the important potential of palladium in emerging high-tech applications.
Nornickel is the world's largest producer of palladium and premium nickel, and is one of the leading global suppliers of platinum, copper, cobalt and other precious and basic metals.
The company's palladium centre focuses on the development and implementation of innovative palladium-based solutions aimed at increasing industrial efficiency.
Palladium is the most extracted metal in PGM and is the advantage of a geographically diversified supply chain.
Two major production regions, Russia and South Africa, have secured a stable global supply.
From a chemical perspective, PGM complements each other in many applications. Nornickel's studies show that other palladium alloys with PGM frequently outperform individual metals in terms of efficiency and durability.
Nornickel's approach to palladium innovation is closely aligned with energy transition, sustainable development, digitization, namely the major global megatrends.
Promising application areas include solar and hydrogen energy, biofuels, and next-generation electronics. Palladium can reduce the costs of conductive components, hard drives and OLED displays.
In existing markets, the company focuses on improving end-user performance and economics.
Nornickel is actively building a global partnership network to jointly develop and commercialize palladium-based solutions.
The company is working on long-term collaboration with scientists, manufacturers and end users to accelerate adoption of advanced technologies and products.
“Our goal is to be a technology partner for producers of PGM-based products,” said Dmitry Izotov, CEO of Nornickel's Palladium Center. .
“We focus on identifying applications where palladium offers a strong competitive edge, bring together key science teams to develop prototypes, conduct large-scale industrial testing, optimize products, and transfer technology to manufacturers.
“This approach allows us to create more efficient materials and open new markets for palladium applications.”
Since its launch, the Center has built a portfolio of 25 products. By 2030, the portfolio is expected to exceed 100 projects, creating an annual demand for additional palladium of 40-50 tonnes.
