raw materials are scarce and so is the modern technology of the future in real danger.
gallium, neodymium, indium - the lack of such raw materials with exotic names could soon be the development of major technologies of the future slowing in the world. Manufacturers of flat panel displays and photovoltaics industries compete for indium. In electric motors of hybrid vehicles stuck neodymium magnets, and diodes, the semiconductor gallium metal needs. The increasing demand for rare metals will lead to economic constraints and fueling international conflict, as researchers warn of Berlin.
The shortage expensive Resources "will stay with us in the coming decades more," is the scientific director of the Berlin Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT), Rolf Kreibich convinced. A total of 22 commodities and 32 future technologies, the researchers have taken together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) under the microscope. The result: In the foreseeable future will be created in many areas serious bottlenecks.
boundary of the solar energy is called for it.
The demand for the metal indium particularly scarce, both competing for the display industry and the photovoltaic manufacturers, until 2030, more than three times the current production, says researcher IZT Lorenz Erdmann, one of the authors of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs commissioned study. Here, the manufacturer of displays are at an advantage because their products at the price of the expensive raw material, much less outweigh, in solar cells. "We expect that raw material shortages will limit the massive expansion of solar energy," says Erdmann.
For many such metals that are sought after for example because of their high temperature resistance, flexibility or their corrosion protection, the researchers say A similar shortage ahead. The demand for neodymium will amount to 2030, therefore four times the present production, while that for gallium even six times.
The metals are unevenly distributed across the world are the largest reserves of lithium are in Bolivia.
The occurrence of the expensive high-tech metals are therefore extremely limited because they often fall off only as a by-product in the promotion of other commodities. Indium, for example, is found in small quantities in zinc mines. The recycling of elimination in many cases because the raw materials are processed together with other metals and to separate scarcely . Let The need is difficult to estimate because they are used partly in the lack of transparency over arms industry.
war for expensive raw materials
addition, the sought-after metals are distributed unevenly in the world. The largest deposits of lithium, indispensable for the development of batteries for electric cars, for example, is Bolivia. China, however, dominates the production of neodymium to 97 percent and "has already secured the reserves in Africa," as Kreibich said. "As the railways to international conflicts." In some Countries started the war of expensive raw materials already. In the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the access to the raw ore coltan is at stake: It won the coveted tantalum which is used for example for new phones. rule on the disputed
commodity markets is already a "deliberate shortage of speculation," says Kreibich - even if the contracts run for such coveted goods mostly long term and therefore little scope FS r speculators there. For the protection of future technologies called the IZT-director of an international or at least European agency to watch over the markets. "As decided by the G-20 to the financial markets, we need transparency," says Kreibich. This should in his opinion, "can regulate it better as a virtual financial transactions in the market for metals and commodities.
indium, a small word. 2002 cost one kilograms indium USD 60 per kg, the end of 2008 the price jumped to $ 1,000.00 / kg. World production is around 1,300 tons per year, of which about 700 tons of recycling. China buys about 200 tons a year for storage. But It gets better: In the U.S., a fund called SMG Indium resource sought approval to buy up as much with the aim of indium as possible in order to drive the price ........
indium resources are already 2011 - 2013 to go running out! Ade beautiful world ........ solar alternatives are scarce.
indium can be replaced by accepting inferior technical properties of gallium and thallium. Indium has the advantage that it is non-toxic under normal conditions. gallium is also non-toxic, thallium, however, is very toxic. "
Thomas Bräutigam
Quellen IZT Berlin und Frauenhoferinstitut ISI Forschung
0 comments:
Post a Comment