Production and recycling of the cutting edge material of gallium: A review

IF 8 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Science of the Total Environment Pub Date : 2025-03-11 DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179046

Tangzhen Guan , Minghui Guo , Lei Wang , Jing Liu

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Abstract

Gallium, an indispensable scattering element, is driving the development of an array of latest generation functional materials. Due to its exceptionally conductive, fluidic, thermal, flexible, and biocompatible attributes, gallium and its derivatives are increasingly introduced into diverse cutting edge industries. Meanwhile, the aggravated irreconcilable contradiction between the rapid growth of gallium consumption and the severe shortage of gallium resources also brings about big concern regarding its availability for the coming era. In this review, we conducted a comprehensive examination on the global distribution and reserves of gallium which indicates sporadic locations and low concentrations of gallium, highlighting the daunting challenge of extracting gallium. Following that, extensive assessments of gallium production and recovery treatments were presented, ranging from ore mining to high-purity gallium extraction, from major to minor production methods, and from primary gallium extraction to recycling gallium reclamation. Finally, based on evaluating ongoing trends over the field, a forecast of the future gallium production and recycling was given. Potential barriers and their corresponding mitigation strategies were interpreted.

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镓前沿材料的生产与回收研究进展

镓是一种不可或缺的散射元素，正在推动一系列最新一代功能材料的发展。由于其优异的导电性、流体性、热性、柔韧性和生物相容性，镓及其衍生物越来越多地应用于各种尖端工业。同时，镓消费的快速增长与镓资源的严重短缺之间不可调和的矛盾日益加剧，也给未来镓资源的可用性带来了很大的担忧。在这篇综述中，我们对镓的全球分布和储量进行了全面的研究，表明镓的分布位置零星，浓度低，突出了提取镓的艰巨挑战。随后，对镓的生产和回收处理进行了广泛的评估，从矿石开采到高纯度镓提取，从主要生产方法到次要生产方法，从初级镓提取到循环镓回收。最后，在对国内外发展趋势进行评价的基础上，对未来镓的生产和循环利用进行了展望。对潜在障碍及其相应的缓解战略进行了解释。

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来源期刊

Science of the Total Environment 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

17.60

自引率

10.20%

发文量

8726

审稿时长

2.4 months

期刊介绍： The Science of the Total Environment is an international journal dedicated to scientific research on the environment and its interaction with humanity. It covers a wide range of disciplines and seeks to publish innovative, hypothesis-driven, and impactful research that explores the entire environment, including the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere. The journal's updated Aims & Scope emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary environmental research with broad impact. Priority is given to studies that advance fundamental understanding and explore the interconnectedness of multiple environmental spheres. Field studies are preferred, while laboratory experiments must demonstrate significant methodological advancements or mechanistic insights with direct relevance to the environment.