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68-561: ASA founded in 2003 by a consortium of businesspeople, including Kalaa Katema Mpinga, David Fish, Tim Wadeson, Oliver Mandishona Chidawu and Douglas Tawanda Munetsi. Then Mwana Africa, in 2003 ASA became the majority shareholder in Bindura Nickel Corporation after acquiring it from Anglo American Corporation. The following year, it acquired the majority share in Freda Rebecca Gold Mine. It is based in

136-413: A gnome (mine spirit) by others. Cobalt is a ferromagnetic metal with a specific gravity of 8.9. The Curie temperature is 1,115 °C (2,039 °F) and the magnetic moment is 1.6–1.7 Bohr magnetons per atom . Cobalt has a relative permeability two-thirds that of iron . Metallic cobalt occurs as two crystallographic structures : hcp and fcc . The ideal transition temperature between

204-589: A bucket used in mining, frequently mentioned by Agricola, namely the kobel/köbel (Latinized as modulus ). Another theory given by the Etymologisches Wörterbuch derives the term from kōbathium or rather cobathia ( κωβάθια , "arsenic sulfide" ) which occurs as noxious fumes. An etymology from Slavonic kowalti was suggested by Emanuel Merck (1902). W. W. Skeat and J. Berendes construed κόβαλος as "parasite", i.e. as an ore parasitic to nickel , but this explanation

272-804: A deep cash flow crisis." At the time, David Murangari was head of the board, while Toindepi Muganyi was interim CEO. In 2018, a number of its mines were struggling with debt, with Freda Rebecca partly attributing the issue to mismanagement by ASA Resource Group. Panaf was bidding to buy ASA Resource Group's assets in January 2018. In December that year, it struck a deal with an unnamed company to sell its stake in BNC. In 2019, ASA Resources in Zimbabwe included its two major mines and an agribusiness venture. It also had diamond operations in South Africa and copper in

340-450: A feasibility study of a $ 200 million Hunters Road mine, which was estimated to have 200,000 tons of nickel. In September 2019, BNC was evaluating takeover bids. In 2020, BNC was headed by CEO Batirai Manhando. The chairman is Muchadeyi Masunda. Mines Products include nickel , copper and cobalt . Smelter Cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element ; it has symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel , cobalt

408-782: A hostile takeover" by Centar Mining. Mwana Africa in September 2015, rebranded as Asa Resources, with Mwana Africa changing their name after the exit of Mwana founder Kalaa Mpinga. Mawana acquired BNC in 2015. In 2016, it owned 85% of the Freda Rebecca gold mine, based in Zimbabwe. ASA between 2015 and April 2017 was accused of mismanagement due to the dominance of its shareholder China International Group Corporation. In Zimbabwe, there were disputes between Freda Rebecca Gold Mine employees and Asa Resources over salary drops and management changes, with workers giving notice of intention to strike. In April 2017, ASA chairman and CEO Yat Hoi Nang

476-408: A late 18th century writer. Later, Grimms' dictionary (1868) noted the kobalt/kobelt ore was blamed on the mountain spirit ( Bergmännchen  [ de ] ) which was also held responsible for "stealing the silver and putting out an ore that caused poor mining atmosphere ( Wetter ) and other health hazards". Grimms' dictionary entries equated the word "kobel" with "kobold", and listed it as

544-519: A mere variant diminutive , but the latter is defined in it as a household spirit . Whereas some of the more recent commentators prefer to characterize the ore's namesake kobelt (recté kobel ) as a gnome . The early 20th century Oxford English Dictionary (1st edition, 1908) had upheld Grimm's etymology. However, by around the same time in Germany, the alternate etymology not endorsed by Grimm ( kob/kof "house, chamber" + walt "power, ruler")

612-466: A poor financial performance in 2013, with losses totaling $ 42.5 million, more than $ 35 million more than the previous year. This was due to a $ 43.7 million impairment charge for its Bindura Nickel Corporation (BNC) operations in Zimbabwe . In October 2013, Asa appointed Yim Chiu Kwan as its finance director. In 2014, Mwana Africa fired chairperson Mark Wellesley-Wood "amid suspicion he was an agent for

680-436: A result, with the mining index dropping 50% that year. BNC that year was the second worst performer on the exchange. In 2015, ASA gained control of the company and its assets, after acquiring BNC's holding company Mwana Africa and expelling founder Kalaa Mpinga from the company. The "coup" was orchestrated by Chinese International Mining Group Corporation (CIMGC), BNC's largest shareholder, and CIMGC chairman Yot Hoi Ning. BNC

748-449: A transition metal-alkyl complex that is notable for its resistance to β-hydrogen elimination , in accord with Bredt's rule . The cobalt(III) and cobalt(V) complexes [Li(THF) 4 ] [Co(1-norb) 4 ] and [Co(1-norb) 4 ] [BF 4 ] are also known. Co is the only stable cobalt isotope and the only isotope that exists naturally on Earth. Twenty-two radioisotopes have been characterized:

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816-559: A wide variety of coordination complexes with ammonia and amines, which are called ammine complexes . Examples include [Co(NH 3 ) 6 ] , [Co(NH 3 ) 5 Cl] ( chloropentamminecobalt(III) ), and cis - and trans - [Co(NH 3 ) 4 Cl 2 ] . The corresponding ethylenediamine complexes are also well known. Analogues are known where the halides are replaced by nitrite , hydroxide , carbonate , etc. Alfred Werner worked extensively on these complexes in his Nobel-prize winning work. The robustness of these complexes

884-528: Is +2 (cobalt(II)). These salts form the pink-colored metal aquo complex [Co(H 2 O) 6 ] in water. Addition of chloride gives the intensely blue [CoCl 4 ] . In a borax bead flame test , cobalt shows deep blue in both oxidizing and reducing flames. Several oxides of cobalt are known. Green cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) has rocksalt structure. It is readily oxidized with water and oxygen to brown cobalt(III) hydroxide (Co(OH) 3 ). At temperatures of 600–700 °C, CoO oxidizes to

952-424: Is a commercially important radioisotope, used as a radioactive tracer and for the production of high-energy gamma rays . Cobalt is also used in the petroleum industry as a catalyst when refining crude oil. This is to purge it of sulfur, which is very polluting when burned and causes acid rain. Cobalt is the active center of a group of coenzymes called cobalamins . Vitamin B 12 , the best-known example of

1020-570: Is a mining company based in Zimbabwe 's Mashonaland Central . Bindura operates mines and a smelter complex in the area of Bindura, Zimbabwe . BNC is operated and majority-owned Mwana Africa plc , an African multinational mining company based in Johannesburg . BNC is listed on the ZSE and the VFEX . The company's founding CEO was Kalaa Mpinga. In 2003, Anglo American sold its stake in

1088-430: Is demonstrated by the optical resolution of tris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(III) ( [Co(en) 3 ] ). Cobalt(II) forms a wide variety of complexes, but mainly with weakly basic ligands. The pink-colored cation hexaaquocobalt(II) [Co(H 2 O) 6 ] is found in several routine cobalt salts such as the nitrate and sulfate. Upon addition of excess chloride, solutions of the hexaaquo complex converts to

1156-561: Is faulted for its anachronism since nickel was not discovered until 1751. Cobalt compounds have been used for centuries to impart a rich blue color to glass , glazes , and ceramics . Cobalt has been detected in Egyptian sculpture, Persian jewelry from the third millennium BC, in the ruins of Pompeii , destroyed in 79 AD, and in China, dating from the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) and

1224-480: Is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron . The free element , produced by reductive smelting , is a hard, lustrous, somewhat brittle, gray metal . Cobalt-based blue pigments ( cobalt blue ) have been used since antiquity for jewelry and paints, and to impart a distinctive blue tint to glass. The color was long thought to be due to

1292-460: Is much more sensitive to oxidation than ferrocene. Cobalt carbonyl ( Co 2 (CO) 8 ) is a catalyst in carbonylation and hydrosilylation reactions. Vitamin B 12 (see below ) is an organometallic compound found in nature and is the only vitamin that contains a metal atom. An example of an alkylcobalt complex in the otherwise uncommon +4 oxidation state of cobalt is the homoleptic complex tetrakis(1-norbornyl)cobalt(IV) (Co(1-norb) 4 ),

1360-541: Is not found on Earth's surface because of its tendency to react with oxygen in the atmosphere. Small amounts of cobalt compounds are found in most rocks, soils, plants, and animals. In the ocean cobalt typically reacts with chlorine. In nature, cobalt is frequently associated with nickel . Both are characteristic components of meteoric iron , though cobalt is much less abundant in iron meteorites than nickel. As with nickel, cobalt in meteoric iron alloys may have been well enough protected from oxygen and moisture to remain as

1428-459: Is obtained by reducing the cobalt by-products of nickel and copper mining and smelting . Since cobalt is generally produced as a by-product, the supply of cobalt depends to a great extent on the economic feasibility of copper and nickel mining in a given market. Demand for cobalt was projected to grow 6% in 2017. Primary cobalt deposits are rare, such as those occurring in hydrothermal deposits , associated with ultramafic rocks , typified by

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1496-419: Is one of the few simple stable cobalt(III) compounds. Cobalt(III) fluoride, which is used in some fluorination reactions, reacts vigorously with water. The inventory of complexes is very large. Starting with higher oxidation states, complexes of Co(IV) and Co(V) are rare. Examples are found in caesium hexafluorocobaltate(IV) (Cs 2 CoF 6 ) and potassium percobaltate (K 3 CoO 4 ). Cobalt(III) forms

1564-586: Is reduced to metal by the aluminothermic reaction or reduction with carbon in a blast furnace . The United States Geological Survey estimates world reserves of cobalt at 7,100,000 metric tons. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) currently produces 63% of the world's cobalt. This market share may reach 73% by 2025 if planned expansions by mining producers like Glencore Plc take place as expected. Bloomberg New Energy Finance has estimated that by 2030, global demand for cobalt could be 47 times more than it

1632-515: The Congo in 1914, mining operations shifted again. When the Shaba conflict started in 1978, the copper mines of Katanga Province nearly stopped production. The impact on the world cobalt economy from this conflict was smaller than expected: cobalt is a rare metal, the pigment is highly toxic, and the industry had already established effective ways for recycling cobalt materials. In some cases, industry

1700-567: The Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD). Cobalt has been used to color glass since the Bronze Age . The excavation of the Uluburun shipwreck yielded an ingot of blue glass, cast during the 14th century BC. Blue glass from Egypt was either colored with copper, iron, or cobalt. The oldest cobalt-colored glass is from the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt (1550–1292 BC). The source for the cobalt

1768-549: The United Kingdom . China International Mining Group Corporation (CIMGC) became an ASA shareholder in 2012 when it injected $ 21 million into restarting Bindura Nickel Corporation (BNC). In 2012, ASA injected $ 23 million into BNC, allowing it to refurbish its Trojan Mine. Between 2003 and 2015, ASA loaned $ 11 million to Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, with ASA placed under administration in the United Kingdom. The firm had

1836-544: The kobold . Today, some cobalt is produced specifically from one of a number of metallic-lustered ores, such as cobaltite (CoAsS). The element is more usually produced as a by-product of copper and nickel mining. The Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia yields most of the global cobalt production. World production in 2016 was 116,000 tonnes (114,000 long tons; 128,000 short tons) (according to Natural Resources Canada ), and

1904-676: The monoxide CoO. The metal reacts with fluorine (F 2 ) at 520 K to give CoF 3 ; with chlorine (Cl 2 ), bromine (Br 2 ) and iodine (I 2 ), producing equivalent binary halides . It does not react with hydrogen gas ( H 2 ) or nitrogen gas ( N 2 ) even when heated, but it does react with boron , carbon , phosphorus , arsenic and sulfur. At ordinary temperatures, it reacts slowly with mineral acids , and very slowly with moist, but not dry, air. Common oxidation states of cobalt include +2 and +3, although compounds with oxidation states ranging from −3 to +5 are also known. A common oxidation state for simple compounds

1972-552: The Bou-Azzer district of Morocco . At such locations, cobalt ores are mined exclusively, albeit at a lower concentration, and thus require more downstream processing for cobalt extraction. Several methods exist to separate cobalt from copper and nickel, depending on the concentration of cobalt and the exact composition of the used ore. One method is froth flotation , in which surfactants bind to ore components, leading to an enrichment of cobalt ores. Subsequent roasting converts

2040-529: The Congo. Further assets included a nickel mine in Botswana and a base metal exploration in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was working on finalizing its exit from BNC to an unnamed mining company by October 2019. At the time, ASA Resource group was struggling to pay creditors. In 2019, it was still producing gold through its Fred Rebecca gold mine in Zimbabwe. The mine was debt-ridden at

2108-485: The DRC alone accounted for more than 50%. Cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries , and in the manufacture of magnetic , wear-resistant and high-strength alloys . The compounds cobalt silicate and cobalt(II) aluminate (CoAl 2 O 4 , cobalt blue) give a distinctive deep blue color to glass , ceramics , inks , paints and varnishes . Cobalt occurs naturally as only one stable isotope , cobalt-59. Cobalt-60

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2176-477: The Egyptians used is not known. The word cobalt is derived from the 16th century German " kobelt ", a type of ore, as aforementioned. The first attempts to smelt those ores for copper or silver failed, yielding simply powder (cobalt(II) oxide) instead. Because the primary ores of cobalt always contain arsenic, smelting the ore oxidized the arsenic into the highly toxic and volatile arsenic oxide , adding to

2244-533: The US. High purity cobalt was highly sought after for its use in jet engines and gas turbines. An adequate supply of the ore was found in Idaho near Blackbird canyon . Calera Mining Company started production at the site. Cobalt demand has further accelerated in the 21st century as an essential constituent of materials used in rechargeable batteries, superalloys, and catalysts. It has been argued that cobalt will be one of

2312-407: The anhydrous dichloride is blue, the hydrate is red. The reduction potential for the reaction Co + e → Co is +1.92 V, beyond that for chlorine to chloride, +1.36 V. Consequently, cobalt(III) chloride would spontaneously reduce to cobalt(II) chloride and chlorine. Because the reduction potential for fluorine to fluoride is so high, +2.87 V, cobalt(III) fluoride

2380-527: The atmosphere, weathering occurs; the sulfide minerals oxidize and form pink erythrite ("cobalt glance": Co 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·8H 2 O ) and spherocobaltite (CoCO 3 ). Cobalt is also a constituent of tobacco smoke . The tobacco plant readily absorbs and accumulates heavy metals like cobalt from the surrounding soil in its leaves. These are subsequently inhaled during tobacco smoking . The main ores of cobalt are cobaltite , erythrite , glaucodot and skutterudite (see above), but most cobalt

2448-414: The black cobalt(II) sulfides , CoS 2 ( pyrite structure), Co 2 S 3 ( spinel structure ), and CoS ( nickel arsenide structure). Four dihalides of cobalt(II) are known: cobalt(II) fluoride (CoF 2 , pink), cobalt(II) chloride (CoCl 2 , blue), cobalt(II) bromide (CoBr 2 , green), cobalt(II) iodide (CoI 2 , blue-black). These halides exist in anhydrous and hydrated forms. Whereas

2516-428: The blue cobalt(II,III) oxide (Co 3 O 4 ), which has a spinel structure . Black cobalt(III) oxide (Co 2 O 3 ) is also known. Cobalt oxides are antiferromagnetic at low temperature : CoO ( Néel temperature 291 K) and Co 3 O 4 (Néel temperature: 40 K), which is analogous to magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ), with a mixture of +2 and +3 oxidation states. The principal chalcogenides of cobalt are

2584-475: The cobalt ore may have got its name from "a type of mine spirit/demon" ( daemon metallicus ) while stating that this is "apparently" the kobold. Joseph William Mellor (1935) also stated that cobalt may derive from kobalos ( κόβαλος ), though other theories had been suggested. Several alternative etymologies that have been suggested, which may not involve a spirit (kobel or kobold) at all. Karl Müller-Fraureuth conjectured that kobelt derived from Kübel ,

2652-551: The company received a $ 10 million dollar loan to pay for operations while the company sought restart funding. In 2012, after it was closed, BNC stated that it would again begin underground operations at Trojan Nickel Mine. In 2012, China International Mining Group Corporation spent $ 21 million to recapitalise BNC. A $ 43.7 million impairment charge for Bindura Nickel Corporation’s operations in Zimbabwe resulted in huge losses for its parent company, Mwana Africa in 2013. The losses totaled $ 42.5 million, more than $ 35 million more than

2720-751: The company said operations would continue. It was reported that Asa was facing a hostile takeover by Rich Pro, a Chinese firm allegedly connected to the two missing executives. The Rich Pro bid had been criticised by shareholders for being too low. In February 2018, 10 firms under ASA Resources Group were "seeking to be placed under provisional judicial management citing viability challenges," including Freda Rebecca Holdings, Hunter’s Road Nickel Mine, Trojan Nickel Mine, BSR Limited, Greenline Enterprises, ASA Services Zimbabwe, Bindura Estates and Mwana Properties. The company delisted in London in March 2018 after "delays in fixing

2788-663: The company, selling its 52.9% stake in Bindura Nickel Corporation to Mwana Africa Holdings for $ 8 million. In 2004, ASA Resource Group acquired the majority share of BNC from Anglo American Corporation, owning about 75%. BNC's debts subsequently went over $ 31 million. After the murder of BNC's chairman Leonard Chimimba in May 2006, there were media reports speculating foul play by the Botswana government. BNC hired an investigation firm in South Africa, and said there

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2856-465: The deep blue CoCl 2− 4 , which is tetrahedral. Softer ligands like triphenylphosphine form complexes with Co(II) and Co(I), examples being bis- and tris(triphenylphosphine)cobalt(I) chloride, CoCl 2 (PPh 3 ) 2 and CoCl(PPh 3 ) 3 . These Co(I) and Co(II) complexes represent a link to the organometallic complexes described below. Cobaltocene is a structural analog to ferrocene , with cobalt in place of iron. Cobaltocene

2924-448: The free (but alloyed) metal. Cobalt in compound form occurs in copper and nickel minerals. It is the major metallic component that combines with sulfur and arsenic in the sulfidic cobaltite (CoAsS), safflorite (CoAs 2 ), glaucodot ( (Co,Fe)AsS ), and skutterudite (CoAs 3 ) minerals. The mineral cattierite is similar to pyrite and occurs together with vaesite in the copper deposits of Katanga Province . When it reaches

2992-418: The hcp and fcc structures is 450 °C (842 °F), but in practice the energy difference between them is so small that random intergrowth of the two is common. Cobalt is a weakly reducing metal that is protected from oxidation by a passivating oxide film. It is attacked by halogens and sulfur . Heating in oxygen produces Co 3 O 4 which loses oxygen at 900 °C (1,650 °F) to give

3060-443: The main objects of geopolitical competition in a world running on renewable energy and dependent on batteries, but this perspective has also been criticised for underestimating the power of economic incentives for expanded production. The stable form of cobalt is produced in supernovae through the r-process . It comprises 0.0029% of the Earth's crust . Except as recently delivered in meteoric iron, free cobalt (the native metal )

3128-403: The metal bismuth . Miners had long used the name kobold ore ( German for goblin ore ) for some of the blue pigment-producing minerals . They were so named because they were poor in known metals and gave off poisonous arsenic -containing fumes when smelted. In 1735, such ores were found to be reducible to a new metal (the first discovered since ancient times), which was ultimately named for

3196-583: The mine re-opens. Employees who were retrenched received a stipend of $ 50 a month. Given that many employees have families, many left the mines with no compensation and have since struggled to make a living with very little consequence to the company. Mwana was considering delisting BNC from the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in 2009, as it sought to raised up to $ 150 million to restart operations in Bindura under CEO Kalaa Mpinga. In September 2011,

3264-586: The most stable, Co , has a half-life of 5.2714 years; Co has a half-life of 271.8 days; Co has a half-life of 77.27 days; and Co has a half-life of 70.86 days. All the other radioactive isotopes of cobalt have half-lives shorter than 18 hours, and in most cases shorter than 1 second. This element also has 4 meta states , all of which have half-lives shorter than 15 minutes. The isotopes of cobalt range in atomic weight from 50 u ( Co) to 73 u ( Co). The primary decay mode for isotopes with atomic mass unit values less than that of

3332-474: The notoriety of the ore. Paracelsus , Georgius Agricola , and Basil Valentine all referred to such silicates as "cobalt". Swedish chemist Georg Brandt (1694–1768) is credited with discovering cobalt c.  1735 , showing it to be a previously unknown element, distinct from bismuth and other traditional metals. Brandt called it a new "semi-metal", naming it for the mineral from which he had extracted it. He showed that compounds of cobalt metal were

3400-417: The only stable isotope, Co, is electron capture and the primary mode of decay in isotopes with atomic mass greater than 59 atomic mass units is beta decay . The primary decay products below Co are element 26 ( iron ) isotopes; above that the decay products are element 28 (nickel) isotopes. Many different stories about the origin of the word "cobalt" have been proposed. In one version the element cobalt

3468-430: The ores to cobalt sulfate , and the copper and the iron are oxidized to the oxide. Leaching with water extracts the sulfate together with the arsenates . The residues are further leached with sulfuric acid , yielding a solution of copper sulfate. Cobalt can also be leached from the slag of copper smelting. The products of the above-mentioned processes are transformed into the cobalt oxide (Co 3 O 4 ). This oxide

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3536-487: The previous year. At the time, the CEO of BNC was Kalaa Mpinga. Prior to the impairment, the company had shown its first profit since 2007, with revenues in 2013 of $ 109 million. In 2013, Mpinga stated that a plan to develop Bindura's " refinery and smelter at Mwana's nickel operations" would be enacted by 2014. The mine and plant had been put on hold in 2008 due to weak nickel prices, but had been restarted in 2012. BNC in 2014

3604-546: The source of the blue color in glass, which previously had been attributed to the bismuth found with cobalt. Cobalt became the first metal to be discovered since the pre-historical period. All previously known metals (iron, copper, silver, gold, zinc, mercury, tin, lead and bismuth) had no recorded discoverers. During the 19th century, a significant part of the world's production of cobalt blue (a pigment made with cobalt compounds and alumina) and smalt ( cobalt glass powdered for use for pigment purposes in ceramics and painting)

3672-408: The time was Georgius Agricola . He was also the oft-quoted authority on the mine spirits called " kobel " (Latinized as cobalus or pl. cobali ) in a separate work. Agricola did not make an connection between the similarly named ore and spirit. However, a causal connection (ore blamed on "kobel") was made by a contemporary, and a word origin connection (word "formed" from cobalus ) made by

3740-416: The time, ASA operated Trojan Nickel Mine through BNC. In January 2017, Asa Resources owned 76% of BNC. By July 2018, the company was in the red, with assets of $ 28 million and liabilities totaling $ 32.7 million. At that point, the smelter restart project at Bindura had been suspended due to funding constraints, and was 83% complete. At that time, the company pointed to hobbling power costs in Zimbabwe, and

3808-484: The time, with Freda Rebecca Gold Mine and nine other gold mining firms under ASA Resources Group "seeking to be placed under provisional judicial management citing viability challenges." There had also been legal battles between the boards of ASA and Freda Rebecca Holdings. The sale of BNC was finalized in October 2019, with some technical hurdles remaining. At the time, BNC had halted its smelter construction project, and

3876-448: The type, is an essential vitamin for all animals. Cobalt in inorganic form is also a micronutrient for bacteria , algae , and fungi . The name cobalt derives from a type of ore considered a nuisance by 16th century German silver miners, which in turn may have been named from a spirit or goblin held superstitiously responsible for it; this spirit is considered equitable to the kobold (a household spirit ) by some, or, categorized as

3944-687: Was "nothing unusual" about his death in a carjacking. After a plunge in nickel prices, in 2008 BNC began operating on "care and maintenance," i.e. sans production. At the time of its shutdown, it was the only integrated nickel miner, smelter and refinery in Africa. The cost of resuming the Trojan mine was estimated at $ 50 million, and the Bindura complex at $ 150 million. Mwana owned 53% of the company. The shut down of BNC in 2008 resulted in many job losses without compensation and with employees being told not to look for other jobs as they would be reinstated once

4012-464: Was 75% owned by Mwana Africa in August 2015, with Kalaa Mpinga bidding to retain his position as BNC chairman despite being forced out of Mwana on June 10 after clashes with shareholders. In 2015, the company stopped its Trojan Mine restart program and re-deep project. The company continued a restructuring in 2015, firing 350 workers, with intent to reduce headcount by up to 1,150 people. Yat Hoi Ning

4080-486: Was able to change to cobalt-free alternatives. In 1938, John Livingood and Glenn T. Seaborg discovered the radioisotope cobalt-60 . This isotope was famously used at Columbia University in the 1950s to establish parity violation in radioactive beta decay . After World War II, the US wanted to guarantee the supply of cobalt ore for military uses (as the Germans had been doing) and prospected for cobalt within

4148-557: Was being proposed as more convincing. Somewhat later, Paul Kretschmer (1928) explained that while this "house ruler" etymology was the proper one that backed the original meaning of kobold as household spirit, a corruption later occurred introducing the idea of "mine demon" to it. The present edition of the Etymologisches Wörterbuch (25th ed., 2012) under "kobold" lists the latter, not Grimm's etymology, but still persists, under its entry for "kobalt", that while

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4216-776: Was carried out at the Norwegian Blaafarveværket . The first mines for the production of smalt in the 16th century were located in Norway, Sweden, Saxony and Hungary. With the discovery of cobalt ore in New Caledonia in 1864, the mining of cobalt in Europe declined. With the discovery of ore deposits in Ontario , Canada, in 1904 and the discovery of even larger deposits in the Katanga Province in

4284-424: Was entirely focused on its "shaft deepening project." Asa's products include gold , nickel , copper , zinc , cobalt and, more recently, diamonds and petroleum . Major mining operation interests as of 2007: Asa maintains a corporate office in South Africa. The company is expanding its operations by acquiring extant mining companies . Bindura Nickel Corporation Bindura Nickel Corporation (BNC)

4352-496: Was fired over allegations of fraud. He had been appointed executive chairman in mid-2015. In July 2017 as well, ASA's shares on the London exchange were suspended, after alleged improper accounting of assets among subsidiaries. In 2017, a manhunt was triggered by Zimbabwean authorities for two former ASA Resource Group executives, over allegations of fraud. At the time, the former CEO and finance director had been missing for several months. $ 4.3 million were reported unaccounted for, but

4420-443: Was named after " kobelt ", the name which 16th century German silver miners had given to a nuisance type of ore which occurred that was corrosive and issued poisonous gas. Although such ores had been used for blue pigmentation since antiquity, the Germans at that time did not have the technology to smelt the ore into metal (cf. § History below). The authority on such kobelt ore (Latinized as cobaltum or cadmia ) at

4488-404: Was operating the Freda Rebecca gold mine in Zimbabwe. The mine was complying with a law newly enforced by Zimbabwe that required 51% of the company be held by black nationals of the country. The company was the best performer on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in 2014. After a dip in Bindura Nickel Corporation's share price in 2015, there were reports that the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange had struggled as

4556-463: Was pressing the government for a "standstill on electricity costs in order to keep the industry viable." In 2019, BNC was lobbying the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to change forex rules relating to mining companies. In 2019, it was saying that its Trojan Mine smelter would be operational by October 2020. The company had recently been acquired by Sotic International. In 2019, it was working on

4624-402: Was serving as executive chairman. In 2016, the company cut production costs, increasing gross production and increasing profit by 261%. The following year, their Trojan mine smelter was stalled over a lack of funding. At the time, it was still Africa's only integrated nickel producer. After 2017, Chinese group ASA Resources Group said it was selling its stake in Bindura Nickel Corporation. At

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