Electronic Companies Scramble over Scarce Metals

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Electronic companies have started to scramble to secure its stockpiles of rare alloys as the demand for electronic gadgets is expected to increase for the next twenty years.

Meanwhile, many of these rare metals can only be found in few countries which have already been a source of bloody conflict.

Electronic companies have started to scramble to secure its stockpiles of rare alloys as the demand for electronic gadgets is expected to increase for the next twenty years.

According German research firm IZT and Fraunhofer, rare alloys including gallium, indium, scandium, and germanium have been increasingly in-demand as these metals are used in making solar panels, flat screen television, cell phones, and other consumer electronic gadgets.

The demand for Gallium, an alloy used in Light Emitting Diode (LED) television, is expected to increase six times for the next two decades as consumers are now shifting to flat-screen over cumbersome TV sets.

In a statement, IZT director Rolf Kreibich said that the dwindling supply of these rare metals is a major concern for the whole electronic industry.

While companies worry about the supply of its alloys, bloody conflicts have started to creep into countries especially in some parts of Africa as rare metals have become a priced commodity—almost comparable to “blood diamonds”.

Meanwhile, China which is the fastest-growing economy in the world has outrivaled other nations in securing its own metal reserves that mostly came from African continent, Kreibich said.

Since most rare metals are mixed into alloys, recycling these are hard, if not impossible.

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Electronic Companies Scramble over Scarce Metals

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