Transformation of antimony resource demand momentum under the background of "dual carbon" and its implications for China

Objective Antimony metal is an important strategic resource. In recent years, with the global acceleration of the "dual carbon" goals and the continuous intensification of geopolitical conflicts, antimony has attracted much attention from governments and markets around the world due to its new energy and military attributes. Understanding the global supply and demand trends of antimony resources under the background of "dual carbon" is of great significance for the rational planning and development of antimony resources in China. Methods This paper systematically analyzes the future demand and supply trend of global antimony resources by collecting the data of global antimony resource reserves, production and demand. Results The study found that under the background of "double carbon", the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry has led to a rapid increase in the demand for antimony for photovoltaic glass, and the demand for antimony resources in the photovoltaic field has become a new growth point. At the same time, flame retardants, lead-acid batteries and other traditional main antimony downstream application areas due to environmental protection and performance factors, its demand for antimony or will decline, antimony resource consumption energy from flame retardants to photovoltaic glass change. In terms of supply, the abundance of antimony in the earth's crust determines the high scarcity of antimony resources. The distribution of antimony resources is zoned and concentrated, concentrated in China (29.48%), Russia (16.12%), Bolivia (14.28%) and Kyrgyzstan (11.98%). Affected by multiple factors such as the depletion of antimony mine resources, safety and environmental protection, and the strengthening of strict control of antimony resources in various countries, the global supply of antimony resources continues to decline, and the supply of recycled antimony resources is limited due to the difficulty of recycling in the main application fields. The metallurgical technology of antimony resources is developing in the direction of green and low-carbon. Conclusions In the long term, the global supply of antimony resources will continue to shrink, and the gap between supply and demand will continue to expand. In response to the above situation, the research proposes: First, increase domestic exploration and development of antimony resources and strengthen international cooperation on antimony resources; Second, accelerate the research on antimony resource beneficiation and smelting technologies and promote the utilization of recycled antimony resources. Third, strengthen self-discipline in the antimony resources industry to promote its healthy development.