BUSINESS
Nicolaas Steenkamp
Demand for lime products is set to increase in future as more modern technologies are developed .
IN THE LIME-LIGHT
Lime and lime-derived products are essential in the mining and agricultural industries , and demand is expected to increase in the near future , writes Nicolaas C Steenkamp .
Despite its importance , lime does not receive a great deal of attention in the mainstream financial media . More ‘ glamourous ’ commodities like copper , cobalt , and lithium have hit the headlines lately , especially with the development of typical Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies . Lime , however , is a key component of these commodity value chains .
Late last year , the copper price increased substantially on the back of a bullish outlook for the future of the electric vehicle ( EV ) market . Based on current figures , EVs will require three times the amount of copper that is required by fuel-driven engines . Several European countries are planning to replace most fuel engines with EVs in the next two or three decades . Add to this figure the amount of copper wiring that will be required for all the recharge docking stations , and the potential of copper in the near future increases exponentially .
One of the critical supply resources that are set to also benefit from the current uptick and anticipated future higher demand for copper , are lime products , specifically quicklime . The lithium used in the rechargeable batteries also requires
32 _ QUARRY SA | JULY / AUGUST 2018