News

14 August 2006

 

Gallium and indium production in CIS to grow

According to a report from Russia's InfoMine Research Group, gallium raw material reserves in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) total over 10 kilotons. The vast majority of affirmed reserves, about 93%, are in
Russia, with about 6% in Kazakhstan, and the rest (about 1%) concentrated in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Tajikistan. In Russia, the principal share of gallium reserves is found in nepheline rock, apatite and
nepheline ore and bauxites.

Indium raw material reserves in the CIS are over 5 kilotons. Russia has a 76% share, Kazakhstan about 12%, Azerbaijan 8%, and other countries about 4%. Indium reserves in Russia are mainly present in copper-zinc-pyrite ores and in tin-ore deposits.

During 2000-2005, 25-43 tons of gallium was produced in the CIS annually, with some periodic variation in production volume. Despite most reserves being in Russia, the principal share of production volume belonged to
Kazakhstan and Ukraine. At present, ten enterprises possess capacities for producing metallic gallium in the CIS. The main manufacturers are joint stock company (JSC) Aluminy Kazakhstana (Kazakhstan) and JSC Nikolayevsky
Glinozemny Zavod (Ukraine), together with JSC Aluminy Kazakhstana, (Ukraine) and JSC Achinsky Glinozemny Kombinat, LLC Gally and JSC Pikalevskoye Ob'yedineniye "Glinozem" (all in Russia).

CIS countries produce 6-10 tons of metallic indium annually. Of that, Russia produces over 95%. At present, six enterprises in the CIS possess capacities for producing metallic indium, led by JSC Chelyabinsky Tsinkovy Zavod,
together with JSC Elektrotsink, JSC Novosibirsky Olovianny Kombinat (all in Russia), JSC Kaztsink (Kazakhstan), and JSC Chistye Metally (Ukraine).

Russian export volumes of gallium and indium amount to nearly the same as the production volume, because there is practically no home consumption of these metals. Consumption of gallium in Russia is estimated to be no more than 100-150kg; consumption of indium does not exceed 20-30 kg. Enterprises in Russia export gallium mainly to the Netherlands, Slovakia, the USA, Germany, Japan and the UK; indium is exported to Japan, the Netherlands, the USA, the UK and Belgium.

InfoMine forecasts that annual production of gallium in the CIS could rise from 43 tons in 2005 to about 47 tons by 2010, and that annual production of indium in Russia could increase to 10 tons in the period up to 2010, while
production volumes in Kazakhstan and Ukraine will be maintained at the present level.

  
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