Cobalt Ore

If you've flown in a jet plane or used a rechargeable battery, you've benefited from cobalt. Cobalt is a silvery gray metal that can withstand intense heat when alloyed with other metals, which is a vital property for jet engines. Among many other uses, cobalt increases battery life of rechargeable batteries. Since most cobalt is mined as a byproduct of other metals, like nickel and copper, cobalt production relies on the markets of those other metals. This makes it difficult for producers to respond to changes in cobalt demand, which can result in cobalt supplies being too high or too low. More than one-half of the world’s cobalt supply is mined in Congo (Kinshasa), a country that has a high risk index for doing business. The United States is 74 percent reliant on imports for its cobalt needs. Image credit: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=323561