Tellurium: Uses, Production and Future Potential
Abstract
Tellurium is a key raw material for the manufacture of thin-film cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) modules, meaning it is an essential component in efforts to meet future carbon dioxide emissions and associated climate change temperature targets. Solar PV modules have been the most rapidly deployed renewable energy technology worldwide with an installed capacity reaching 580.16 GW in 2019. Of this, thin-film CdTe PV is responsible for over 25 GW, with future annual installation estimates as high as 250 GW by the year 2050. This study uses a new estimated tellurium material intensity value of 37.7 t/GW for First Solar's Series 6TM PV module to assess the potential annual demand for tellurium by 2050, which may reach as high as 9,425 t/yr Te. With the exception of one gold-silver-tellurium mine in Sweden (Kankberg) and tellurium-bismuth mines in China, the vast majority (~90%) of tellurium production is recovered as a by-product of copper mining. This predominant reliance on copper production, combined with a lack of knowledge on tellurium flows as well as the unclear sourcing and mineral deposit type provenance of the Te that is produced as a by-product of copper smelting, means that there is uncertainty as to whether increased demand for tellurium can be met by current mining and smelting/refining approaches. This presentation will review current tellurium sources and discuss options for improving and/or adding new streams of refined tellurium to meet increasing future demand. Our analysis indicates that although there are numerous opportunities to improve or add supply for this critical metal the realization of this requires a) understanding the flow of tellurium through mining and metal production, b) the determination of the potential value of tellurium extraction to individual mining operations to make an economic case for tellurium extraction, and c) the improvement of recycling rates for end-of-life CdTe PV modules. All of this also requires associated research and policy developments to support the maximization of the production of critical metals like tellurium from existing and future mining operations.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021AGUFM.V41B..02J