Dundee Metals realises value in waste matters – germanium and gallium
Dundee Precious Metals has found value in the smelting waste byproducts – germanium and gallium. – and plans to treat them as parallel mineral streams.
Germanium is recovered at some copper smelters and from the fly ash of coal-burning industrial power plants.
Gallium is mainly recovered from the smelter flue dust of zinc ores and as a byproduct of aluminium production and copper.
Dundee Precious Metals operates the Tsumeb Copper Smelter, where germanium and gallium have been treated as waste.
During a meeting in Windhoek, the company’s CEO, David Rae, told President Hage Geingob that they are considering using the two waste materials now listed as rare earth minerals.
“Historically, we have been focused on the D300 project. The global competition in concentrate treatment has intensified. We have explored opportunities in numerous locations worldwide.
“We have identified critical minerals in germanium and gallium at the mine and are considering treating these minerals as a parallel stream at the smelter. These two minerals were previously deemed as waste materials,” Rae said.
Gallium is used in electronics as semiconductors, making LEDs, microwave circuits, satellite TVs, commercial wireless infrastructure, satellites, cable television transmission, and medicinal thermometers.
Germanium is used to make fibre-optic systems, infrared optics, solar cell applications, light-emitting diodes, and fluorescent lamps.
