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Do balloons use a significant portion of the total helium production? I cannot find the number but I believe the vast majority is used in industrial processes,

• mNovak 7y ago
  Technically balloons use "balloon gas", which is essentially helium thats not pure enough for industrial applications. So I doubt a few hundred of these make a meaningful dent.
  • MisterTea 7y ago
    Are you saying that helium, a non reactive noble gas, can not be purified, or more properly, separated from other gas components?
    • rtkwe 7y ago
      It can be purified but it's probably cheaper to not purify since there's a market for the impure versions and even the pure version is being sold very cheaply.
      • MisterTea 7y ago
        The point is it's a poor excuse to frivolously use helium simply because it's dirty.
• onion2k 7y ago
  Do balloons use a significant portion of the total helium production? The problem is that we can't make new helium, and the rate at which it's being used far exceeds what we capture from natural gas production. A decade ago this was considered a serious problem. https://phys.org/news/2010-08-world-helium-nobel-prize-winner.html https://phys.org/news/2010-08-world-helium-nobel-prize-winne...
  • segfaultbuserr 7y ago
    I know the problem is real. But what is the point of paying attention to balloons if they only contribute to a negligible portion of the problem?
    • AstralStorm 7y ago
      Because they're contributing to the project and not, say, fixing it. Might be the ultimate damper on the technology too. (Though I still think it won't get off the ground, antennas getting cheaper all the time.)