Quoted from the International Nickel Institute

This article is the first in a series titled "From Nickel Mines to Electric Vehicles," focusing on the issue of nickel resources and reserves. (Cover image courtesy of ELEMENTS

Nickel and the properties of nickel

The name "nickel" originates from the German word Kupfernickel, meaning "false copper." This term was used by miners in the 15th century because they found this reddish-brown ore resembled copper. In 1751, Swedish chemist Axel Cronstedt first identified and successfully separated nickel as an element. Mining of nickel began in Norway in 1848; New Caledonia started mining activities in 1875; and Canada began nickel mining in 1886. In the early days of nickel mining during the 19th century, nickel was primarily used for electroplating and alloying, such as forming nickel silver (which does not contain silver) with copper and zinc alloys.

Nickel is a shiny, silver-white metallic element. It is the fifth most common element on Earth and is widely found in the crust and core of the planet. Nickel, along with iron, is a common element in meteorites. Nickel occurs naturally in soils and aquatic environments. It is also an essential nutrient for plants. Although nickel is enriched in the crust at a concentration of 80 parts per million, the main components of the core are nickel and iron.

Nickel has excellent physical and chemical properties, making it an essential component in thousands of products. The largest use of nickel is in alloys, especially when combined with chromium and other metals to produce stainless steel and heat-resistant steel.

（Nickel Availability）Nickel Availability

（Mineral reserves and resources are two terms commonly used to describe the availability of raw materials.The Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards Define these two terms as: Mineral resources Refers to solid substances with economic interests, whose concentration and existence in the crust reach a certain form, grade, or a certain quality and quantity, thus having a reasonable prospect for ultimately economically exploitable mining. Mineral reserves refer to the portion of a mineral that has been measured or designated as economically exploitable.

Mineral reserves" imply a higher level of knowledge and confidence. Mining companies are constantly converting resources into reserves through exploration. Therefore, the issue of limited accessibility to raw materials is usually not whether there are enough raw materials underground, but whether there is enough capacity in the short term to meet the surge in demand.

At present, the global land-based nickel resources are estimated to be 350 million tons. Australia, Indonesia, South Africa, Russia and Canada account for more than 50% of the world's nickel resources. Economically viable concentrations of nickel resources exist in sulfide nickel deposits and laterite nickel deposits.

Although 80 percent of all nickel ever mined has been extracted in the last three decades, known resources and reserves have steadily increased during this time. Several factors are contributing to this evolution, including a better understanding of, and more exploration activities in, remote deposits by mining companies driven by more attractive commodity prices. Improvements in mining, milling, and refining technologies as well as increased capacity have also enabled the processing of lower-grade nickel ores. A decrease in the (commercial) ore grade is no longer a sign of mine resource depletion but reflects improved and advanced mining and processing technologies.

The reserves of deep-sea nickel resources are also considered to be considerable. The manganese nodules found on the deep-sea seabed have a high nickel content. Recent estimates show that such nickel resource reserves could reach as much as 300 million tons. The development of deep-sea mining technology allows people to look forward to obtaining deep-sea nickel resources in the future.