Sibanye, Valterra and Johnson Matthey team up to drive new industrial demand for PGMs

South African platinum group metals (PGMs) producers Sibanye-Stillwater and Valterra Platinum have partnered with global metals chemistry specialist Johnson Matthey in a collaborative push to develop high-impact technologies centred on platinum and related metals.

This comes as the industry seeks to diversify demand and reduce reliance on traditional end uses.

PGM prices have been rebounding over the past few months in line with the phenomenal rise in the price of gold.

This has provided some respite and room to grow margins for South African PGM miners that had been struggling with reduced capitalisation and scaled back operations on the back of retrenchments and rightsizing.

Now, the collaborative effort with Johnson Matthey will enable Sibanye-Stillwater and Valterra Platinum to explore new sources of industrial growth and long-term demand for PGMs.

“This collaboration should successfully develop alternative industrial applications for PGMs, securing and diversifying future demand,” Sibanye-Stillwater CEO, Richard Stewart said Monday.

“The focus will be on the entire basket of PGMs and on developing a better supply and demand balance across the metals.”

Platinum has mainly been used in catalytic converters for internal combustion engines as well as in jewellery and investment, with the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) saying in December that “surging platinum bar and coin investment demand in China is projected to reach 418 000 ounces”.

The new initiative by the two SA PGM giants is designed to secure and diversify future PGMs demand, said Stewart.

Johnson Matthey will bring advanced research and industrial expertise to the mix, helping to “accelerate the commercialisation of new PGM-based products” and “moving innovations more rapidly from laboratory research to market” deployment.

Currently, PGM use in catalytic converters accounts for about 60% of global demand, playing a key role in reducing harmful emissions from internal combustion engines.

The new collaboration seeks to significantly broaden the application base for these metals, leveraging their exceptional performance, durability and strong circular supply chains.

“By coming together, we’re able to create a unique ecosystem to explore opportunities where PGMs could provide even more benefits and progress the technologies that best support the PGM industry and the global economy,” said Liz Rowsell, chief technology officer at Johnson Matthey.

She added that PGMs remain essential to the modern day economy and require continued innovation to unlock their full potential. 

Through its collaboration with Valterra and Sibanye-Stillwater, Johnson Matthey will explore new applications and use cases for PGM across a range of sectors, including clean hydrogen technologies, advanced emissions detection and reduction for both stationary and mobile sources.

The firms will also test usage prospects for new electronic materials, and high-performance alloys and other advanced materials, with the collaboration expected to expand over time, with the potential of other partners joining in.

Craig Miller, CEO of Valterra Platinum, said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to accelerating innovation and building a sustainable pipeline of PGM-enabled technologies.

“PGMs have extraordinary potential, and through this collaboration we can accelerate innovation that will help define the next era of demand,” Miller said.

Umicore, a leading advanced materials business, has already said that platinum is the precious metal of choice when it comes to medical technology.

This is due to its unique properties, including chemical inertness, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, temperature and dimensional stability, and excellent electrical conductivity.

"Platinum coatings are found in a wide range of medical technology applications. For example, in pacemakers or neurostimulators they provide long-lasting electrical contacts, needed to control electrical impulse transmission. They are also present in sensors for pH, glucose, oxygen, or electrocardiogram measurement,” the WPIC said last year.

BUSINESS REPORT