Indium minerals

Class: Non-Ferrous Metals

Group: Rare Metals

Subgroup: Rare Refractory Metals

Metal: Indium

Indium is contained in the following own mineral:

CLASSIFICATION OF OWN INDIUM MINERALS

Indium is contained in the following mineral too:

  • Kudriavite

  • Cassiterite

  • Cylindrite

  • Sphalerite

  • Chalcopyrite

  • Stannite

  • Franckeite

  • Bornite

  • Galena

  • Tetrahedrite

  • Covellite

  • Galena

  • Enargita

  • Chalcocite

  • Pyrite

  • Arsenopyrite

  • Wolframite

  • Pyrrhotite

The main producers are: China, Canada, USA (South Korea, Japan)

Indium is used as a dopant to the semiconductor silicon or germanium. It is used as a sealing material in space technology and vacuum devices, as well as a connector of piezoelectric crystals.

India finds its application in temperature limiter and signaling devices, fuses and radiation contours of nuclear reactors. It is used as a solder, is applied to the bearing surfaces, reflectors and mirrors, indium also may be a component of low-melting alloys.

CLASSIFICATION OF MINERALS CONTAINING INDIUM:

METALS and INTERMETALLIC ALLOYS (NATIVES ): Native indium, Damiaoite, Yixunite

SULFIDES: Indite, Cadmoindite, Roquesite, Laforetite, Sakuraiite, Abramovite, Petrukite, Kudriavite, Cylindrite, Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite, Stannite, Franckeite, Bornite, Tetrahedrite, Covellite, Galena, Enargita, Chalcocite, Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Pyrrhotite

OXIDES: Cassiterite, Wolframite

HIDROXIDES: Dzhalindite

PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES: Yanomamite

SELECTION OF METHODS FOR SEPARATING OF INDIUM MINERALS

During the processing of minerals containing indium, plants use the following types of separation:

Indium is extracted as a byproduct from the following slag:

  • Lead-zinc ore (~75 %)

  • Tin ore (~10-15 %)

  • Polymetallic ore

  • Copper ore

Indium is considered to be trace rare minerals, so called the rare items that do not have the ability to concentrate in the earth's crust. They do not form their own fields, and raw materials are extracted from the processing of ores or other elements. The industrial value has an ore containing more than 0.1% indium.

References

  1. Ph.D. Natalia Petrovskaya. Fundamentals of the theory of flotation, 2007

  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjiP5Q6g_aM

  3. http://www.ngpedia.ru/id156992p1.html

  4. http://all-best-tips.com/38316-which-chemical-elements-include-indium.html

  5. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%B9

  6. http://www.mining-enc.ru/i/indij/

  7. http://www.kaznu.kz/ru/3403

  8. http://gold-silver.com.ua/valuable_metals/indium.html

  9. http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/nauka_i_tehnika/himiya/INDI.html

  10. https://books.google.cl/books?id=Fl4yBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=indium+mineral+group&source=bl&ots=InPeWYd7AZ&sig=vaixeyOfxzIluAixeCGXuPGi8gQ&hl=ru&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjH4rT08ZDVAhXCfpAKHaLwBWwQ6AEITDAF#v=onepage&q=indium%20mineral%20group&f=false

  11. https://www.mindat.org/min-29261.html

© Ph.D. Natalia Petrovskaya

October 22, 2016

nataliapetrovsky@gmail.com