Indium

Discovered by a two German Chemists, Ferdinand Reich and Theodor Richter co-founded Indium in 1863. Their initial focus was to trace potential Thallium in Zinc ores (rocks), however, it eventually led them to extracting Indium as a by-product of Zinc ores. As of today, there are multiple regions and elements in which Indium can be extracted from but it is not because of its accessibility but rather the demand. The demand for Indium is primarily used for technological purposes- the most prevalent being electronics with LCD screens as this accounts for 80% of Indium consumption. Though Indium is a valuable resource in today’s society, the consequences of processing and disposing of this element poses an overall threat to the environment.
Through an expensive process called ‘smelting,’ Indium is extracted through Zinc, Tin, Lead and Copper ores. Aside from knowing the origin of this metal, the key to further comprehending the …show more content…
Consequently, the demand comes with a high price averaging $600-800/kg. With rapid technical advances for phones, laptops, television, digital cameras and monitors, the supply becomes limited, in this case it is called a ‘technical scarcity.’ The main reason is because it is a dependent by-product of base-metals (Zinc). In other words, Indium is the middle man; in order to become profitable, it requires access of another source. In addition, the extraction process requires investments in the production and is only profitable at high prices. However, producers have come up with alternate solutions to help ensure the prolonged use of Indium such as stockpiling, reserves and recycling Indium by using alternate concentrates and residue from mining. Even though the last alternative seems practical, the purity of Indium and its qualities are reduced, but moreover, the residue or alternate concentrates impacts the