Scandium is a light transition metal with a smooth and soft texture. In its pure form, the metal has a silvery-white color, but it becomes pinkish or yellowish when exposed to air. Due to its unique properties, scandium finds application in a wide spectrum of industries. The better part of the world’s annual scandium supply is used in scandium-aluminium alloys – the product’s major application by weight. The strong alloy is usually used in the making of select aerospace industry components. Scandium is also extensively alloyed with other metals. Approximately 80 kilograms of the global scandium supply are used annually to make halide lamps/light bulbs.
Global scandium recourses are abundant, particularly when considered in relation to actual and potential demand; they vary from 18 to 25 parts per million (ppm). Australia, Russia, China, Ukraine, Norway, Madagascar and Kazakhstan possess substantial scandium resources; however, these deposits are not mined.
Worldwide scandium resources
Scandium is obtained only as a byproduct from the extraction of other metals (mostly uranium). There only three mines across the globe producing scandium, namely Zhovti Vody in the Ukraine, Bayan Obo in China and Kola Peninsula in Russia.
Nowadays, the world’s annual scandium supply varies from 2 to 10 tonnes. The overall production does not meet the potential demand for the product, and there are no leading scandium producers. The world consumers still depend on the former Soviet Union’s stockpiles of scandium oxide.
Treibacher Industrie AG, OJSC MAST, Less Common Metals, Beijing Cerametek Materials, Cathay Advanced Materials Limited, Haihang Industry, Sigma-Aldrich Corp and Metallica Minerals are among the most entrenched players in the world scandium marketplace.
The world scandium market is poised to have bright prospects in future due to scheduled scandium development projects. The overall scandium market is likely to be driven by the increasing use of the product in the aerospace industry, solid oxide fuel cells, as well as in lighting & lasers applications in the upcoming years.
More information on the scandium market can be found in the report “Scandium Global Market Research”.