On the geological availability of germanium

Based on a detailed statistical analysis of chemical data published in the scientific literature, estimates were made of the minimum amounts of recoverable Ge contained within sulphidic zinc ores and coals, given current processing technologies. It is expected that at least 119 kt (∼7 kt in zinc ores and ∼112 kt in coal) of recoverable germanium exist within proven reserves (at present stage of knowledge) at grades in excess of 100 ppm in sphalerite and 200 ppm in coal, while at least 440 kt (∼50 kt in zinc ores and ∼390 kt in coal) should become recoverable in the future, being associated to coal reserves at 8–200 ppm Ge and zinc resources containing in excess of 100 ppm Ge in sphalerite. Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) deposits are expected to be the most important hosts of germanium-rich sphalerite, while both brown and hard coals are expected to be equally important as hosts of germanium. The approach taken in this publication shows that reliable minimum estimates for the availability of by-product metals lacking suitable reserve/resource data may be attained by using robust statistical methods and geochemical data published in the scientific literature

[1]  C. Winkler.  Germanium, Ge, ein neues, nichtmetallisches Element , 1886 .

[2]  G. H. Buchanan.  THE OCCURRENCE OF GERMANIUM IN ZINC MATERIALS , 1916 .

[3]  G. H. Buchanan.  The Occurrence of Germanium in Missouri and Wisconsin Blendes , 1917 .

[4]  L. Dennis,et al.  GERMANIUM.1I. EXTRACTION FROM GERMANIUM-BEARING ZINC OXIDE. NON-OCCURRENCE IN SAMARSKITE. , 1921 .

[5]  J. Papish,et al.  GERMANIUM. XXV. ARC SPECTROGRAPHIC DETECTION AND ESTIMATION OF GERMANIUM. OCCURRENCE OF GERMANIUM IN CERTAIN TIN MINERALS. ENARGITE AS A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF GERMANIUM1 , 1927 .

[6]  L. Graton,et al.  Spectrographic evidence on origin of ores of Mississippi Valley type , 1935 .

[7]  V. Goldschmidt.  Rare Elements in Coal Ashes , 1935 .

[8]  P. Evrard.  Minor elements in sphalerites from Belgium , 1945 .

[9]  D. V. Mohrenschildt,et al.  Russia: A Handbook , 1948 .

[10]  J. Axelrod,et al.  Germaniferous lignite from the District of Columbia and vicinity. , 1950, Science.

[11]  K. J. Murata,et al.  Concentration of germanium in the ash of American coals, a progress report , 1953 .

[12]  M. Fleischer,et al.  Minor elements in some sulfide minerals , 1955 .

[13]  C. Wayne Burnham,et al.  Metallogenic provinces of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico , 1955 .

[14]  V. Fryklund,et al.  Geochemistry of sphalerite from the Star Mine, Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho , 1956 .

[15]  H. Onishi.  Notes on the Geochemistry of Germanium , 1956 .

[16]  N. A. Ibrahim.  Beitrag zur Kenntnis ostalpiner Fahlerze , 1957 .

[17]  K. W. Payne,et al.  Germanium Enrichment in Lignites from the Lower Lias of Dorset , 1958, Nature.

[18]  T. Stadnichenko,et al.  Geochemistry of minor elements in coals of the Northern Great Plains coal province. [Be, B, Ti, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Mo, Sn, Y, La] , 1961 .

[19]  C. Berthold.  Rubidium and Cesium. Where are they going , 1962 .

[20]  P. Hörmann.  Zur geochemie des germaniums , 1963 .

[21]  M. Shima.  The distribution of germanium and tin in meteorites , 1964 .

[22]  S. Taylor,et al.  Abundance of chemical elements in the continental crust: A new table: Geochimica e t Cosmochimica Ac , 1964 .

[23]  Arthur W. Rose,et al.  Trace elements in solflde minerals from the Central district, New Mexico and the Bingham district, Utah☆ , 1967 .

[24]  G. Wetherill,et al.  The distribution of trace quantities of germanium between metal, silicate and sulflde phases , 1968 .

[25]  Huang Yung-Chin.  Genetic significance of germanium distribution in coals of a certain district , 1969 .

[26]  M. Intiomale,et al.  Géologie et géochimie du gisement de Kipushi, Zaïre , 1974 .

[27]  Société géologique de Belgique,et al.  Gisements stratiformes et provinces cuprifères , 1974 .

[28]  O. R. Kulinenko.  Relationship between germanium content and seam thickness in Paleozoic paralic coal basins of Ukraine , 1977 .

[29]  H. Gluskoter.  Trace elements in coal : occurrence and distribution , 1977 .

[30]  Richard Smith,et al.  Atmospheric trace element pollutants from coal combustion , 1979 .

[31]  L. Bernstein.  Germanium geochemistry and mineralogy , 1985 .

[32]  I. Gorst.  Survey of energy resources , 1985 .

[33]  J. E. Dutrizac,et al.  Host minerals for the gallium-germanium ores of the Apex Mine, Utah , 1986 .

[34]  Dennis P. Cox,et al.  Mineral deposit models , 1986 .

[35]  L. Bernstein.  Geology and Mineralogy of the Apex Germanium-Gallium Mine, Washington County, Utah , 1986 .

[36]  A. E. Torma,et al.  Extraction Processes for Gallium and Germanium , 1991 .

[37]  D. D. Harbuck,et al.  Gallium and Germanium Recovery From Domestic Sources , 1992 .

[38]  S. Yun,et al.  Genetic environment of germanium-bearing gold-silver vein ores from the Wolyu mine, Republic of Korea , 1993 .

[39]  D. Doucet,et al.  Geology of the Bousquet 2 Mine; an example of a deformed, gold-bearing, polymetallic sulfide deposit , 1993 .

[40]  Ruud Meij,et al.  Trace element behavior in coal-fired power plants , 1994 .

[41]  K. H. Wedepohl.  The Composition of the Continental Crust , 1995 .

[42]  X. Querol,et al.  Trace elements in coal and their behaviour during combustion in a large power station , 1995 .

[43]  Hu Rui-zhong,et al.  The genesis of Lincang germanium deposit — A preliminary investigation , 1996 .

[44]  J. E. Dutrizac,et al.  The mineralogical deportment of germanium in the Clarksville Electrolytic Zinc Plant of Savage Zinc Inc. , 1996 .

[45]  胡瑞忠,et al.  The Genesis of Lincang Germanium Deposit—A Preliminary Investigation , 1996 .

[46]  V. A. Prokin,et al.  Massive copper–zinc sulphide deposits in the Urals , 1998 .

[47]  D. Spears,et al.  Geochemistry and origin of elements in some UK coals , 1999 .

[48]  C. Herring,et al.  The invention of the transistor , 1999 .

[49]  U. Thiele.  The Current Status of Catalysis and Catalyst Development for the Industrial Process of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Polycondensation , 2001 .

[50]  M. Brownfield,et al.  Coal quality and resources of the Former Soviet Union; an ArcView project , 2001 .

[51]  P. Herzig,et al.  The transition from porphyry- to epithermal-style gold mineralization at Ladolam, Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea: a reconnaissance study , 2002 .

[52]  V. V. Seredin.  Anomalous Trace Elements Contents in the Spetsugli Germanium Deposit (Pavlovka Brown Coal Deposit) Southern Primorye: Communication 1. Antimony , 2003 .

[53]  Y. Yudovich.  Notes on the marginal enrichment of Germanium in coal beds , 2003 .

[54]  Y. Yudovich,et al.  Coal inclusions in sedimentary rocks: a geochemical phenomenon. A review , 2003 .

[55]  V. V. Seredin.  Anomalous Concentrations of Trace Elements in the Spetsugli Germanium Deposit (Pavlovka Brown Coal Deposit, Southern Primorye): Communication 2. Rubidium and Cesium , 2003 .

[56]  F. Melcher.  THE OTAVI MOUNTAIN LAND IN NAMIBIA: TSUMEB, GERMANIUM AND SNOWBALL EARTH , 2003 .

[57]  K. Kelley,et al.  A Special Issue Devoted to Barite and Zn-Pb-Ag Deposits in the Red Dog District, Western Brooks Range, Northern Alaska , 2004 .

[58]  R. Hu,et al.  Continental hydrothermal sedimentary siliceous rock and genesis of superlarge germanium (Ge) deposit hosted in coal: A study from the Lincang Ge deposit, Yunnan, China , 2004 .

[59]  A. R. Norman,et al.  The global distribution of zinc mineralisation, an analysis based on a new zinc deposits database , 2004 .

[60]  T. Armbruster,et al.  PUTZITE, (Cu4.7Ag3.3)∑8GeS6, A NEW MINERAL SPECIES FROM CAPILLITAS, CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA: DESCRIPTION AND CRYSTAL STRUCTURE , 2004 .

[61]  W. Ridley,et al.  Textural, Compositional, and Sulfur Isotope Variations of Sulfide Minerals in the Red Dog Zn-Pb-Ag Deposits, Brooks Range, Alaska: Implications for Ore Formation , 2004 .

[62]  James C. Hower,et al.  Impact of coal properties on coal combustion by-product quality: examples from a Kentucky power plant , 2004 .

[63]  Qi Huawen,et al.  Continental hydrothermal sedimentary siliceous rock and genesis of superlarge germanium (Ge) deposit hosted in coal: A study from the Lincang Ge deposit, Yunnan, China , 2004 .

[64]  M. Mastalerz,et al.  From in-situ coal to fly ash: a study of coal mines and power plants from Indiana , 2004 .

[65]  V. Goldschmidt.  Über das krystallochemische und geochemische Verhalten des Germaniums , 1926, Naturwissenschaften.

[66]  A. Martín-Izard,et al.  Trace element contents in galena and sphalerite from ore deposits of the Alcudia Valley mineral field (Eastern Sierra Morena, Spain) , 2005 .

[67]  J. M. Chimenos,et al.  Speciation of major and selected trace elements in IGCC fly ash , 2005 .

[68]  Angel Lopez-Soler,et al.  Ge extraction from gasification fly ash , 2005 .

[69]  V. V. Seredin,et al.  Ge-bearing coals of the Luzanovka Graben, Pavlovka brown coal deposit, southern Primorye , 2006 .

[70]  E. Makovicky,et al.  CATAMARCAITE, Cu6GeWS8, A NEW GERMANIUM SULFIDE MINERAL SPECIES FROM CAPILLITAS, CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA: DESCRIPTION, PARAGENESIS AND CRYSTAL STRUCTURE , 2006 .

[71]  L. Monteiro,et al.  Geology, petrography, and mineral chemistry of the Vazante non-sulfide and Ambrósia and Fagundes sulfide-rich carbonate-hosted Zn–(Pb) deposits, Minas Gerais, Brazil , 2006 .

[72]  Angel Lopez-Soler,et al.  Geochemistry and mineralogy of the Cretaceous Wulantuga high-germanium coal deposit in Shengli coal field, Inner Mongolia, Northeastern China , 2006 .

[73]  R. Höll,et al.  Metallogenesis of germanium—A review , 2007 .

[74]  N. Eremin,et al.  Rare minerals from massive sulfide ores: Typomorphic features and geochemical trend , 2007 .

[75]  F. Melcher,et al.  Zinc–germanium ores of the Tres Marias Mine, Chihuahua, Mexico , 2009 .

[76]  Robert B. Finkelman,et al.  Metalliferous coals: A review of the main genetic and geochemical types , 2008 .

[77]  M. P. Ketris,et al.  Estimations of Clarkes for Carbonaceous biolithes: World averages for trace element contents in black shales and coals , 2009 .

[78]  D. Mosier,et al.  Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the world: Database and grade and tonnage models , 2009 .

[79]  Sergei A. Pisarevsky,et al.  Compilation of Mineral Resource Data for Mississippi Valley-Type and Clastic-Dominated Sediment-Hosted Lead-Zinc Deposits , 2009 .

[80]  Maria Izquierdo,et al.  Ge distribution in the Wulantuga high-germanium coal deposit in the Shengli coalfield, Inner Mongolia, northeastern China , 2009 .

[81]  Daniel P. S. Oliveira,et al.  Germanium-rich chalcopyrite from the Barrigão remobilised vein deposit, Iberian Pyrite Belt, Portugal , 2009 .

[82]  岩倉 國浩.  The distribution of trace (中国四国英文学研究) , 2009 .

[83]  Jian‐tang Peng,et al.  Geological and geochemical constraints on the origin of the giant Lincang coal seam-hosted germanium deposit, Yunnan, SW China: A review , 2009 .

[84]  Nabor Soliani.  WATER TUBE BOILERS , 2009 .

[85]  O. Rouxel,et al.  Germanium isotopic systematics in Ge-rich coal from the Lincang Ge deposit, Yunnan, Southwestern China , 2011 .

[86]  B. Li,et al.  Trace element geochemistry of sphalerite in Huize lead-zinc deposit, northeast Yunnan, China , 2011, 2011 International Conference on Multimedia Technology.

[87]  X. Querol,et al.  Trace element affinities in two high-Ge coals from China , 2011 .

[88]  F. Melcher,et al.  Critical Metals Handbook , 2014 .

[89]  Gus Gunn,et al.  Critical metals handbook , 2014 .

[90]  R. Rudnick,et al.  Composition of the Continental Crust , 2014 .