Cobalt

Primary Applications

Lithium-ion batteries, superalloys, hard metals, catalysts, magnets

Mining Significance

Cobalt is commonly recovered as a byproduct or coproduct of nickel and copper mining rather than from standalone cobalt mines. It occurs in several deposit types, including magmatic Ni-Cu sulfides, sediment-hosted copper-cobalt deposits, and laterites. Because cobalt may occur in discrete minerals or substitute into nickel-, iron-, or copper-bearing phases, detailed mineralogy and metallurgical testing are important to determine where the cobalt reports and how it can be economically recovered.

Industries

None listed

Cobalt

58.93

Key Properties

Hard, lustrous transition metal with good wear resistance.
Ferromagnetic and capable of retaining magnetic properties at relatively high temperatures.
Improves high-temperature strength and corrosion resistance in superalloys.
Important redox chemistry supports use in battery cathodes and catalysts.
Commonly occurs as a minor constituent or substitution in other ore minerals.

Mining Targets

This element is often found in the following Deposit Types and Mineral targets.

Deposit Type: Magmatic Ni-Cu Sulfide - Nickel-copper sulfide deposits formed by segregation and concentration of sulfide liquids in mafic-ultramafic magmas.

Mineral: Pentlandite - (Fe,Ni)₉S₈ - Cobalt commonly occurs as a minor substituting element in pentlandite and is typically recovered as a byproduct from magmatic Ni-Cu sulfide ores.