Until recently, I was unaware that it called. "Spice metals" are. This refers to some very rarely occurring metallic elements that are not irreplaceable especially for modern technologies, including key technologies and because of their special properties (yet) become indispensable. There are over 50 of these rare metal elements.
Each computer chip is now "seasoned" with up to 40 of these elements, a radio telephone with up to 25 of these fine metals, for. Example Coltran. Diodes, (LED lights) come without gallium or indium, depending on the color, nothing. Also, flat panel displays, illuminated displays (displays), but also CIS solar cells require indium.
As commodities experts such. As Armin Reller from the University of Augsburg stress, threaten some of these spice metals to be scarce or their recovery extremely expensive. Nevertheless, they are still subject to some strong price fluctuations. So in 2007 increased the prices of platinum and palladium at record levels, with palladium, however, formed a production surplus - the prices went promptly back down.
Platinum is known to be used for catalytic converters, however - if you wanted to equip all cars in the world so that there would be problems because the metal must be won more complex. So ten tons of ore must be processed in order to extract one ounce of platinum. A portion of the platinum, the catalysts is blown into the air and finally stored in our lungs, another part never gets into recycling, but remains somewhere in old cars, only 30-40 percent of the catalysts are given to recycling companies. (more ...)
