Indium use, resource, market and ore deposit type

Abstract

With the continuous advancement of science and technology, rare dispersed elements that have long been dormant in rocks and ignored by humans have become increasingly important. Indium is one of these rare dispersed elements, although most people know little or nothing about it. In fact, indium has a wide range of important uses in many aspects. Given the unique physical and chemical properties of indium, some uses are even irreplaceable. Therefore, many countries have included some rare elements, including indium, in the list of national strategic resources or critical metals for protection. This article not only popularizes the main uses of indium in modern society, briefly describes the distribution and current status of natural indium ore resources around the world, but also explores its market status in the past 10 years and future development trends. Finally, the main genesis types of associated or symbiotic indium ores around the world are summarized and briefly discussed. Because indium does not exist as an independent deposit and can only exist as a by-product of non-ferrous metals such as copper, lead, zinc and tin, it is very important to research and develop new sources of indium, including recycling and reuse. These new sources include but are not limited to waste rock piles and tailings from related abandoned old mines, etc.