3 ms·
Looking at the paper it uses Gallium, Indium and tin - not particularly abundant metals (yes, tin as well). Global annual production of Gallium in particular i
by Tade0 3y ago
Looking at the paper it uses Gallium, Indium and tin - not particularly abundant metals (yes, tin as well).
Global annual production of Gallium in particular is ~770 tonnes - about a fifth of the amount of gold mined.
The element is found largely in bauxite at a concentration of 50ppm, so recovering it is an involved affair.
- mcphage 3y agoIs the global production so low because of how rare it is, or because there's not many uses, so the small amount of gallium produced as a byproduct of aluminum production is sufficient for current demand?
- rbanffy 3y agoThere might even be sources richer than 50 ppm for it, but bauxite is already mined for aluminium, so that part comes for free. For a while we imagined Gallium Arsenide would replace Silicon in HPC, but then Seymour Cray died and there was nobody stubborn enough to make it work.