So can other countries produce more?

Neither metal is particularly rare, but processing costs can be high. Because China has exported them relatively cheaply for so long, there are few facilities elsewhere to extract the metals. As China increased its production, other countries including Germany and Kazakhstan have pared back.

But if China’s move sends prices soaring, analysts expect production from other suppliers will rise to meet demand. Recycling could also be key. Factory-floor scrap already accounts for some supply, while germanium scrap is also recovered from the windows in decommissioned tanks and other military vehicles, according to the USGS.

Where else are the metals produced?

Excluding China, other countries with gallium production capacity include Russia and Ukraine, where the metal has been produced as a byproduct of alumina, as well as South Korea and Japan – as a byproduct of zinc. In North America, germanium is recovered alongside zinc, lead and other metals at Teck Resources’s Trail smelter in British Columbia.

Other producers include speciality materials maker 5N Plus, and Indium Corporation in the US. In Europe, Belgium’s Umicore is a producer of both metals.

And some mining projects contain higher concentrations of the metals and could offer an opportunity to increase supply – such as the Kipushi zinc project expected to start up next year in the Democratic Republic of Congo. BLOOMBERG

【 在 teleheart 的大作中提到: 】
: 非洲国家需要这东西吗？没有加工能力吧，估计只能进口电子产品
--
FROM 221.198.64.*