Lead
70% of the world's germanium is produced in China.
And what about the United States, how much germanium is produced in the United States?
In fact, the United States has the largest germanium reserves in the world, but it is not mined.
In 43 years, the germanium in the United States will run out, and what will be the global price of germanium?"
In recent years, the price of germanium in China has increased, mainly because the United States has begun to reduce imports of germanium from China.
So why did the United States suddenly buy a lot of germanium from China?
And why does China produce 70% of the world's germanium?
Production of germanium.
How is germanium produced?
In geology, there is a term called "magmatic activity".
During this activity, the elements in the earth's crust are activated, and then the distribution and combination of different elements will take place, and finally the various ores we are familiar with today will be formed.
In the process of the evolution of the earth, as new magma continues to rise, new minerals are formed, all of which also provide resources for production and life in the future.
Among these minerals is a mineral called "germanium".
The germanium content of this mineral is very high, almost 72%, so it is also called "germanium stone".
According to the periodic table of chemical elements, we can classify germanium as a semi-metallic element, which contains various forms such as polycrystalline germanium, monocrystalline germanium, and metallic germanium.
However, with the gradual decrease of germanium content in the earth's crust, the germanium content in the earth's crust is not very abundant.
In order to produce germanium, it is necessary to find ores with a high germanium content.
In geological exploration, a quartz stone with a high germanium content was discovered.
In quartz, the germanium content is dispensable, so the germanium content in quartz is also very low, only 0.0015%.
However, the germanium content in quartz stone is very rich, so it is also called "quartz germaniumite".
In addition to this, there is also thioarsenic germanium.
These are ores that contain germanium.
And these germanium combinations formed on the earth form germanium ore, in the ore, germanium exists in a variety of forms, so we need to heat the ore in the production of germanium.
At different temperatures, germanium will be precipitated in different forms.
The main uses of germanium.
Among various semiconductor materials, germanium is widely used.
Because germanium has good electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance is also very good, and the stability is also very high, it is also widely used in various fields.
Among semiconductor materials, germanium is characterized by good electrical conductivity, so it can conduct electricity well and is used to manufacture various semiconductor devices, such as transistors, radars and space exploration devices.
In the manufacture of lasers, semiconductor lasers and other instruments, germanium materials will be used, because germanium has good thermal conductivity, after doping treatment, high-quality lasers can be made.
In addition, germanium materials will also be used in space exploration, because the temperature and other factors in space are very extreme, so electronic components need to have the ability to adapt, and germanium materials have such characteristics and are widely used in space exploration.
In medical devices, germanium materials are also used, such as medical X-ray transilluminators, urine analyzers, etc.
In nuclear reactors, germanium is also used because it is very resistant to radiation.
Germanium materials are used in the packaging of nuclear reactors.
In satellite communications, germanium materials are used in the manufacture of various antennas and various navigation instruments.
In the military field, germanium materials will also be used, such as rocket navigators, missile navigators in semiconductor materials will use germanium materials, so germanium materials are not only widely used, but also play a very important role in economic construction and national defense construction.
In the medical field, germanium materials are also used, such as for medical imaging, X-ray transilluminators, CT scanners, etc.
In life, germanium materials will also be used, such as infrared sensor lamps.
Global germanium reserves and exploitation.
In the world's germanium reserves, there are about three countries that account for the majority of the world's reserves, namely China, the United States and Canada.
China's germanium reserves account for 42% of the world's total reserves, while the United States accounts for 20% of the world's germanium reserves and Canada's germanium reserves account for 4% of the world's germanium reserves, and these three countries alone account for about 7% of the world's germanium reserves.
China's germanium production accounts for about 70% of the world's germanium.
In the United States and Canada, it has not been mined for a long time, but as the world's germanium resources are decreasing, it must be mined as well.
At present, it is exploited in Canada, but not in the United States, and the germanium reserves in the United States are the total amount mined and stored.
In Florida, there is a humble mine that stores some germanium ore.
These ore resources are some sulphur arsenic germanite.
About 50% of the U.S. reserves of sulphur arsenic germanium ore would have lasted for 50 years if the U.S. had not mined them.
In the United States, germanium production is mainly used for the production of semiconductors, and as electronic products become more and more popular, the demand for semiconductor materials for electronic products will increase, so they must also be mined.
In Florida, the company will mine germanium ore, the first of its kind in the world.
The machine extracts the ore from the ground and transports it to the surface, where it is sorted or crushed by machine or manual.
In geological exploration, scientists exploit ore layers by detecting them underground.
However, due to the depth of the ore seam and its relatively hidden location, it must be mined with the help of mechanical equipment.
The size of this machine is so large that it can only be transported by special transport equipment, and the operators must undergo strict training before they can operate it, which also greatly eliminates the occurrence of accidents.
epilogue
Although the United States has the largest reserves of germanium in the world, it has not been mined.
After the germanium reserves in the United States will be exhausted, then the global germanium price will soar, and it is necessary for China to make appropriate savings in its germanium resources so that it can continue.