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RARE EARTHS: Wesfarmers' $1.5b bid for Lynas could spark bidding war

  • Date: 26-03-19
  • Category: RARE EARTHS
  • Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Wesfarmers' surprise $1.5 billion bid for rare earths miner Lynas Corp could spark a bidding war as companies try to cash in on the rising demand for electric vehicles and wind turbines.

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BATTERIES: Innovation boosts lithium-ion battery recycling rate to over 80%

  • Date: 25-03-19
  • Category: BATTERIES
  • Source: PV Magazine

Finnish clean-energy company Fortum has achieved a lithium-ion battery recycling rate of over 80% — against a current rate of 50% — with a low-CO2 hydrometallurgical recycling process.

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PALLADIUM: Palladium’s Hot Rally May Be Coming to an End

  • Date: 22-03-19
  • Category: PALLADIUM
  • Source: Bloomberg

Prices have rallied to fresh records on tighter supplies of the material mainly used in gasoline vehicle autocatalysts. But analysts surveyed by Bloomberg see the metal ending the year 16 percent lower than now, partly as shortages are priced in and car sales in key markets slow.

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DIESEL: Dirty lies: how the car industry hid the truth about diesel emissions

  • Date: 22-03-19
  • Category: DIESEL
  • Source: The Guardian

John German had not been looking to make a splash when he commissioned an examination of pollution from diesel cars back in 2013. The exam compared what came out of their exhaust pipes, during the lab tests that were required by law, with emissions on the road under real driving conditions. German and his colleagues at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in the US just wanted to tie up the last loose ends in a big report, and thought the research would give them something positive to say about diesel. They might even be able to offer tips to Europe from the US’s experience in getting the dirty fuel to run a little cleaner.

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MACROECONOMICS: Manufacturing Slump Deals Another Blow to Europe’s Economic Outlook

Europe’s economic outlook was thrown into fresh doubt after reports showed weakness across France and Germany.

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MACROECONOMICS: German Manufacturing Sinks Deeper Into Contraction in March

Germany’s manufacturing slump deepened this month amid tensions in global trade.

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CHINA: China Jewellery and jade value-added tax will be reduced from 16% to 13% from April 1st

  • Date: 22-03-19
  • Category: CHINA
  • Source: Jewellery.org

Announcement of the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation and the General Administration of Customs on the No. 39 of 2019 on the policy of deepening the reform of value-added tax: the general taxpayer of value-added tax (hereinafter referred to as the taxpayer) has a VAT-taxable sales act or imported goods. For the original tax rate 16%, the tax rate is adjusted to 13%; if the original 10% tax rate is applied, the tax rate is adjusted to 9%.

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RUTHENIUM: Breakthrough in acidic water electrolysis via ruthenium-based catalysts

  • Date: 21-03-19
  • Category: RUTHENIUM
  • Source: eurekalert.org

Hydrogen fuel, with the advantages of clean, renewable and of high fuel efficiency, is seen as the "ultimate fuel" and getting more attention around the world. Water electrolysis is an ideal way to produce hydrogen, yet it requires active and stable catalysts which make this process more efficient and cheaper. Without suitable catalysts, turning water into fuel only seems too good to be true.

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