Tellurium Supply, Demand and Waste
Abstract
Tellurium is one of the least abundant elements in the Earth's crust, yet society has a burgeoning need for a reliable supply of this semi-metal, particularly as a key ingredient in solar panels. Although established uses in alloys and computer components have declined, rapid growth in solar power has dramatically increased the consumption of tellurium. Tellurium is almost exclusively produced as a by-product of refining other metals (chiefly copper), and at present, industry is poorly positioned to increase supply in line with growing demand. Alternative sources of tellurium are known, but the mechanisms by which tellurium is enriched are poorly understood, and targeted exploration for such deposits is limited by such knowledge gaps. A further challenge for tellurium supply has been in the "how" of recovering it. There are a number of metallurgical problems with the extraction of the element even from enriched ores.
Ongoing research in the "TeaSe" Project (Tellurium and Selenium: Cycling and Supply) is providing insight into the crustal processes that lead to Te enrichment, and to novel processing methods to more effectively recover it without compromising on economic or environmental factors.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFM.V31G0198S
- Keywords:
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- 0493 Urban systems;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 1030 Geochemical cycles;
- GEOCHEMISTRYDE: 0215 Economic geology;
- GEOHEALTHDE: 3665 Mineral occurrences and deposits;
- MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY