China, one of the world’s leading producers of critical minerals, announced export controls on two technology-critical elements, gallium (Ga) and germanium (Ge), sending shockwaves through the global market.
- Though the decision comes as a retaliation against moves of Western countries, it may impact not just India’s ambition of becoming a semiconductor hub but also its burgeoning telecommunications and electric vehicle industries.
About gallium (Ga) and germanium (Ge)
- Both silvery-white in appearance and commonly classified as minor metals the metals aren’t typically found on their own in nature.
- They’re produced in small concentrations as a byproduct from refineries focused on other, more mainstream raw materials like zinc or alumina.
- Germanium ores are rare and most germanium is a by-product of zinc production and from coal fly ash.
- China produces around 60% of the world’s germanium.
- Gallium is found in trace amounts in zinc ores and in bauxite, and gallium metal is produced when processing bauxite to make aluminium.
- Around 80% is produced in China.
- Gallium is used in compound semiconductors, which combine multiple elements to improve transmission speed and efficiency, in TV and mobile phone screens, solar panels and radars.
- Germanium’s uses include fiber-optic communication, night-vision goggles and space exploration – most satellites are powered with germanium-based solar cells.
