Palladium. What is that?

Palladium is a chemical element belonging to the platinum group in which we find among others platinum or palladium, which are classified as precious metals. Pallad was discovered at the beginning of the 19th century.

Pallad as a representative of precious metals is listed on global stock exchanges. Its price is given for an ounce of Trojan, which is exactly 31 grams. Depending on the stock exchange, its value is expressed in US dollars, British pounds or euros. Metals on stock exchanges are offered through futures contracts, thanks to which, at the time of signing the contract, we are protected against a change in the price. An ideal example of a company cooperating on futures contracts is DS AUTO Sp. z o.o. Chrzanów -> https://katalizatorychrzanow.pl/, which cooperates with the London Stock Exchange. The effect of this is the ability to provide fixed prices to its customers.

WHERE PALLAD IS EXTRACTED?

Palladium deposits are found on the Earth’s crust as contamination of copper and zinc ores. The largest producer is Russia, which supplies almost 2/5 of the total. The next places are occupied by South Africa, Canada and the United States. An interesting fact is that palladium can be mined in nuclear power plants, and more specifically from nuclear fuel, but currently nobody is using this solution. Among the companies in the leading positions in palladium mining are: Norilsk Nickel, Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum, Lonmin, Stillwater Mining Company, Vale SA, North American Palladium.

WHERE DO PALLAD APPLY?

The main products where we find palladium are car catalysts, which are responsible for cleaning exhaust gases coming out of the combustion chamber of the engine before they are released into the air. The use of palladium and other precious metals such as rhodium or platinum contributes to the chemical reaction. An interesting fact is that the discoverers of organic reactions catalyzed with palladium received the Nobel Prize in the field of chemistry. Palladium is also used for the production of jewelry, watches and even test strips measuring the level of sugar in the blood.
Palladium is mainly used in industry, especially for the production of catalysts. Demand from year to year increases significantly. At the beginning of the 1990s it was about 100 tons. Currently, palladium production is over 250 tons and is constantly growing. Its price depends on the economic situation occurring on individual markets in the world.