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Commercial quantities of selenium are recovered as a byproduct of the electrolytic
refining of copper where it accumulates in anode residues. Growth in
consumption was driven by the development of new uses, including applications in
rubber compounding, steel alloying, and selenium rectifiers. By 1970, selenium
in rectifiers had largely been replaced by silicon, but its use as a photoconductor in
plain paper copiers had become its leading application. During the 1980's,
the photoconductor application declined (although it was still a large end-use)
as more and more copiers using organic photoconductors were produced. In
1996, continuing research showed a positive correlation between selenium supplementation
and cancer prevention in humans, but widespread direct application of this important
finding would not add significantly to demand owing to the small doses required.
In the late 1990's, the use of selenium (usually with bismuth) as an additive to plumbing
brasses to meet no-lead environmental standards became important. The average price for
selenium in 2000 was $3.82 per pound.
Tellurium is a relatively rare element, in the same chemical family as oxygen, sulfur, selenium, and polonium: oxygen and sulfur are nonmetals, polonium is a metal, and selenium and tellurium are semiconductors (i.e., their electrical properties are between those of a metal and an insulator). Nevertheless, tellurium, as well as selenium, is often referred to as a metal when in elemental form. Tellurium production is mainly a byproduct of copper processing. The 1960's brought growth in thermoelectric applications for tellurium, as well as its use in free-machining steel, which became the dominant use. The use of high-purity tellurium in cadmium telluride solar cells is very promising. Some of the highest efficiencies for electric power generation have been obtained by using this material, but this application has not yet caused demand to increase significantly. Commercial-grade tellurium, which is not toxic, is usually marketed as minus 200-mesh powder but is also available as slabs, ingots, sticks, or lumps. The yearend price for tellurium in 2000 was $14 per pound. |
Publications
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Annual Publications
- Selenium
PDF Format:
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | - Tellurium
PDF Format:
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | - Appendixes
- Selenium and Tellurium
PDF Format:
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
XLS Format:
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | - Archive
| 1932-1993 | - Recycling-Metals
Special Publications
- Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States
Data Series 140 - Metal Prices in the United States through 1998
- Mineral Commodity Profiles: Selenium
OF-03-018
Contacts
- USGS Mineral Commodity Specialist
Micheal George
Phone: 703-648-4962
Fax: 703-648-7757
Email: mgeorge@usgs.gov
- USGS Mineral Resource Specialists
