52 Elements at Risk of Short Supply Published

Posted in Industry News on 19th September 2011

William Rowland are a leading supplier of Tungsten and Niobium.

A list which highlights 52 economically valuable elements that are at risk of becoming short in supply has been published by the British Geological Survey (BGS). The list is based on the various metals abundance, political stability of the location, accessibility and reserves.

What does this mean for today's society?
Well, the list includes "Rare Earth Metals" which are found in a wide range of modern technologies such as our mobile phones of which an estimated 50 million new handsets are being produced a year. Hosting Lithium batteries, containing an average of 24 milligrams of Gold, and along with Indium in the screen these mobile devices can actually be recycled, however it is with great difficulty that the embedded elements can actually be extracted. It is also a very costly process and energy intensive therefore it is being requested that manufacturer's make them more accessible for recycling. Other groups at risk include Platinum group Metals, Niobium and Tungsten which are also commonly used in flat screen TV's, electric cars, and wind turbines to name just a few.

China has come under the spot light as the supplier of 97% of the worlds Rare Earth Metals, not only that but it is the leading producer of 27 of the listed. Andrew Bloodworth, head of minerals and waste at the BGS, said: "We need to diversify supplies of Metal, especially those critical in delivering green economy and digital technologies, by finding new resources from the Earth, by recycling more and doing more with less."

There are alternative geographic locations where these rare metals can be mined, including Southern Africa, Australia, Brazil and America. It's hoped that by mining in these different locations it will take away the monopoly of current suppliers.

With supply and demand of the various elements constantly changing it is thought the "risk list" is to be updated annually to keep better track.

Source: BBC

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