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Indian Minerals Yearbook 2013

(Part- II : Metals & Alloys)

52nd Edition

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(FINAL RELEASE)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES

Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines, NAGPUR 440 001

PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471 PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648

E-MAIL : cme@ibm.gov.in Website: www.ibm.gov.in

May, 2015

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3 Cadmium

Cadmium is a soft, bluish-white metalpresent generally in zinc ore deposits asgreenockite (CdS). The principal source ofcadmium is zinc ore, sphalerite. Other sulphides andsulphosalts may also carry small amounts ofmetal.

In India, cadmium is recovered as a by-productduring zinc smelting and refining. The concentrationof cadmium in sphalerite, the principal ore of zinc,ranges from 0.03 to 9.0 wt%. In zinc concentrate atRampura Agucha, the concentration of cadmium is0.18% while in lead concentrate, it is 150 ppm. Thereare no separate resources of cadmium.

INDUSTRYThe total installed capacity for recovering

cadmium was 913 tonnes of which HZL accounted for833 tonnes. Binani Zinc Ltd reported the remaining80 tonnes capacity (Table-1). HZL produces cadmiumof high quality in its zinc smelters which is casted inthe form of pencils weighing from 250 g to 500 g.The purity is 99.95% Cd, max. at Debari, 99.97% Cd,max. at Vizag and 99.99% Cd, min. at Chanderiyaplants. HZL has plans to conduct R&D for productionof high purity cadmium. High purity cadmium istypically used for nuclear shielding applications.

Table 1 : Installed Capacity forRecovery of Cadmium

Unit Location Installedcapacity (tpy)

Total 913

1. HZL, Debari, 250 Debari Zinc Smelter Distt. Udaipur,

Rajasthan.2. HZL,* Visakhapatnam, 115

Vizag Zinc Smelter Andhra Pradesh.3. HZL, Chanderiya, 468

Chanderiya Lead-Zinc Distt. Chittorgarh, Smelter Rajasthan.

4. Binani Zinc Ltd Binanipuram, 80Distt. Ernakulam,Kerala.

* Operation suspended since 2002.

Table 2 : Production of Cadmium2010-11 to 2012-13

(By States)(Quantity in tonnes; value in L '000)

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13(P)State

Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

India 550 104958 449 85862 391 63392

Kerala 57 10400 57 8200 73 8600

Rajasthan 493 94558 392 77662 318 54792

USESCadmium is used to control the fissionable

elements in nuclear reactors. Along with nickel,i t i s used in e lec t r i ca l s to rage ba t te r ies .Cadmium-based bear ing a l loys are used inh igh-speed in te rna l combus t ion eng ines .Copper-cadmium alloys possess high strength,high conductivity and high resistance to abrasionand therefore, the alloys are used in electrictransmission wires. The main use of cadmium is inelectroplating where it can be applied as a verythin coating to protect iron, steel, copper alloysand other metals and alloys from corrosion.Cadmium sulphide forms brilliant golden yellow,orange-red, or reddish brown pigments used inpaint, enamel, soap, rubber, glass and ceramicglazes. Some cadmium salts are also used inphotographic films and in lithography. Cadmiumcoated products are preferred for a wide range ofcritical and safety related applications in theaerospace, electrical, defence, mining, nuclear andoff-shore industries. Cadmium plating is usedmainly in the aviation and aerospace industriesto p ro tec t fas tners exposed to hos t i l eenvironments.

PRODUCTIONProduction of cadmium recovered as a by-

product of zinc smelting in 2012-13 was 391 tonnes.It decreased by 13% as compared to that in theprevious year. The entire production was reportedunder private sector (Tables - 2 and 3).

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Table 3 : Production of Cadmium, 2011-12 and 2012-13(By Sector/States/Districts)

(Quantity in tonnes; value in L '000)

2 0 1 1 - 1 2 2012-13 (P)State/District Smelter

Quant i ty Value Quant i ty Value

India 4 4 9 8 5 8 6 2 3 9 1 6 3 3 9 2Private sector 4 4 9 8 5 8 6 2 3 9 1 6 3 3 9 2

K e r a l a 5 7 8 2 0 0 7 3 8 6 0 0 Ernakulam Binani 57 8 2 0 0 7 3 8 6 0 0

Rajasthan 3 9 2 7 7 6 6 2 3 1 8 5 4 7 9 2 Chittorgarh HZL 3 9 2 7 7 6 6 2 3 1 8 5 4 7 9 2

Udaipur Chanderiya & Debari

RECYCLINGNat iona l Col lec t ion and Recyc l ing

Associations (NCRAs) have been created aroundthe world to promote the collection and recyclingof all batteries, both from the general public andfrom industrial consumers. Nickel-cadmiumbatteries are virtually 100 percent recyclable oncethey have been collected.

There are 9 major Ni-Cd battery recyclingplants located in the United States of America,Europe and Japan. This includes, copper-cadmiumalloy scrap, some complex non-ferrous alloy scrapand cadmium containing dust from electric arcfurnace . India impor ts cadmium & scraps .However, the details of the recycling units is notavailable.

SUBSTITUTESSuitable replacements of cadmium in all uses,

especially in pigments and plating are beingcontemplated and enforced owing to the pollutionhazards associated with the use of cadmium. Ni-Cd batteries, in some applications, are replacedwith lithium ion and nickel metal hydride batteries.However, higher costs of these substitutes restricttheir uses. Cadmium in plating applications canbe substituted by coatings of zinc or vapour-deposited aluminium. Cerium sulphide is used asa replacement for cadmium pigments mostly forplastics. Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) flexible thinfilm solar cells are an alternative to traditional

crystalline silicon solar cells and are suitable forcommercial roof top applications and large scaleground mounted u t i l i ty sys tems . CdTephotovol ta ic ce l l s a re po ten t ia l ly a sa fe ,environment friendly application for cadmium.

In India, cadmium is consumed in industrieslike paint, glass and chemical.

HEALTH AND SAFETYCadmium in a l l i t s chemica l fo rms i s

considered highly toxic to living species as it doesnot decompose and is ingested easily throughfood, water and air but cannot be excreted. It isboth bioaccumulated and biomagnified. Ingestedcadmium accumulates in liver, kidney, pancreasand thyroid. Excessive exposure to cadmium hasbeen l inked wi th resp i ra tory insuf f ic iency(via occupational exposure) and renal disturbance(via environmental and occupational exposure).Cadmium has a lso been impl icated in thedevelopment of cancer of various types.

During the last decade, regulatory pressureto reduce or even eliminate the use of cadmiumhas ga ined momentum in many deve lopedcount r ies . The wor ld recommended ta rge tguidelines for cadmium as a residual heavy metalbelow which no major risk is expected which couldhave significant or adverse impact on aquatic biotaor human use, is 0.1 mg/l. In the USA, Federaland State agencies regulate cadmium content inthe environment . Cadmium present in CRT

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screens, printer inks, toners, etc. is known tocause health hazards affecting the kidneys andcausing flue like symptoms and muscular pain. InIndia, the silver jewellery industry is an importantcadmium consuming industry. Silver is mixed withcadmium and then used to make silver jewellery.

During this process, there is a formation ofcadmium fumes and the workers inhale the fumes.Cadmium being a neurotoxic and nephrotoxicheavy metal results in cadmium induced peripheralneuropathy, nephropathy and decreased bonedensity. Cadmium metal also known as KDM, usedas a economical soldering material, may have illeffects on human health. Bureau of IndianStandards (BIS) has also banned its use in hallmarked gold jewellery.

WORLD REVIEWCadmium is extracted from zinc ores and

concentrates, and other materials like scrap. Zinc-to-cadmium ratios in typical zinc ores range from200:1 to 400:1. The world reserves of cadmium areestimated at 0.5 million tonnes in terms of metalcontent, located in China (18%), Peru (11%),India (7%), USA and Kazakhstan (6%) each. Theworld reserves of cadmium by principal countriesare furnished in Table - 4.

Table 4 : World Reserves of Cadmium(By Principal Countries)

(In tonnes of metal content)

Count ry Reserves

World : Total (rounded) 5 0 0 0 0 0Australia N ACanada 2 3 0 0 0China 9 2 0 0 0India 3 5 0 0 0Kazakhstan 3 0 0 0 0Mexico 4 7 0 0 0Peru 5 5 0 0 0Poland 1 6 0 0 0Russia 4 4 0 0 0USA 3 2 0 0 0Other countries 1 3 0 0 0 0

Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2014.

The world product ion of cadmium wasestimated at 21,861 tonnes in 2012. Most ofthe wor ld ' s p r imary cadmium was be ingproduced mainly in China, Republic of Korea,Japan, Canada, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Russiaand USA.

World 's secondary cadmium product ionaccounted for 20% of the total metal production.Most secondary metal was produced at Ni-Cdbattery recycling facilities in Asia, Europe and theUnited States. China, Belgium and Japan are byfar the world's largest consumers of cadmium. Theworld production of cadmium during 2010 to 2012by principal countries is furnished in Table-5.

AustraliaMost of the cadmium metal produced was

exported; only a small amount was consumed inthe count ry by spec ia l i sed e lec t rop la t ingindustries. Sun Metals Corp. Pty Ltd, a subsidiaryof Korea Zinc Co. Ltd , z inc ref inery nearTownsville northern Queensland have the capacityto produce 1,000 tonnes per year of cadmium cake(containing 75-80% cadmium).

CanadaTeck, Resources Ltd (Vancouver, British

Columbia) produced approximately 1,000 tonnesper year of refined cadmium at its metallurgicalcomplex at Trail British Columbia. This plant wasconstructed in 1991.

ChinaChina was the world's leading producer and

consumer of refined cadmium.

Korea, Rep. ofKorea Zinc (Seoul) was one of the leading

suppliers of cadmium metal to China. Productioncapacity of refined cadmium at the company'sOnsan zinc-lead refinery in Kyoung Nam Provincewas approximately 3,000 tonnes per year. Cadmiumsticks were also produced at Young Poong Corp's(Seoul Sukpo zinc refinery).

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Table 5 : World Production of Cadmium(By Principal Countries)

(In tonnes)

Count ry 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 2

World : Total 2 2 9 3 6 2 0 7 7 2 2 1 8 6 1

Australiae 3 5 0 3 9 0 3 8 0

Bulgaria 3 8 9 4 2 7 3 6 3

Canada 1 3 5 7 1 2 0 3 1 2 8 6

China 7 3 6 3 6 6 7 2 7000 (e )

Germany 4 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0

India 5 5 0 4 4 9 370 (e )

Japan 2 0 5 3 1 7 5 5 1 8 5 6

Kazakhstan 1 4 0 7 1 2 7 8 1 1 6 6

Korea, Rep. of 4 1 6 6 3 0 0 5 3 9 0 4

Mexico 1 4 6 4 1 4 8 5 1 4 8 2

Netherlands e 5 6 0 5 7 0 5 6 0

Norway 3 0 0 3 0 9 310 (e )

Peru 357 5 7 2 6 8 4

Poland 4 5 1 5 2 6 3 7 0

Russiae 7 0 0 7 0 0 7 0 0

USA 6 3 7 6 0 0 600 (e )

Other countries 4 3 2 4 3 1 4 3 0

Source: World Mineral Production, 2008-2012.

FOREIGN TRADEExports

In 2012-13, exports of cadmium (includingwaste & scrap) were only 15 tonnes as comparedto 9 tonnes in the previous year. Exports weremainly to Bangladesh and UK.

Exports also comprised nominal unwroughtpowders to UK (Tables - 6 &7).

ImportsImports of cadmium (including waste & scrap)

increased marginally in 2012-13 to 693 tonnes from567 tonnes in the previous year. The importscomprised 352 tonnes unwrought , powdersand 340 tonnes scrap besides nominal quantityof cadmium and alloys in 2012-13. Importswere mostly from Republic of Korea & Japan(Tables-8 to 11).

Table 6 : Exports of Cadmium(Including Waste & Scrap)

(By Countries)2011-12 2012-13

CountryQty Value Qty Value(t) (L 000) (t) (L 000)

All Countries 9 3304 15 3211Australia ++ 1594 ++ 1367UK ++ 146 3 1364Bangladesh 6 225 12 384UAE ++ 27 ++ 40Saudi Arabia - - ++ 31Spain - - ++ 24Other countries 3 1312 ++ 1

Table 7 : Exports of Cadmium Unwrought,Powders

(By Country)2011-12 2012-13

CountryQty Value Qty Value(t) (L 000) (t) (L 000)

Al l Countr ies - - - 1 4 6

U K - - ++ 1 4 6

Table 8 : Imports of Cadmium(Including Waste & Scrap)

(By Countries)2011-12 2012-13

CountryQty Value Qty Value(t) (L 000) (t) (L 000)

All Countries 567 84058 693 75108Korea, Rep. of 265 39986 427 45789Japan 195 26400 141 14941China 3 3653 41 5546Mexico 20 2258 40 4453Myanmar - - 20 1969Malaysia - - 20 1843Canada 1 1237 4 526Germany 3 678 ++ 37UK ++ 34 ++ 2USA ++ 39 ++ 1Other countries 80 9773 ++ 1

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Table 10 : Imports of Cadmium : Unwrought, Powders(By Countries)

2 0 1 1 - 1 2 2 0 1 2 - 1 3Country

Q t y Value Q t y Value( t ) (L 000) ( t ) (L 000)

Al l Countr ies 3 8 2 5 3 0 6 7 3 5 2 4 0 6 8 5

Korea, Rep. of 8 6 1 3 6 4 3 1 4 7 1 7 6 3 3

Japan 1 9 5 2 6 4 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 7 1 6

China 1 1 1 1 6 4 1 5 5 4 3

Mexico 2 0 2 2 5 8 4 0 4 4 5 3

Canada - - 3 3 3 5

Germany - - ++ 5

Other countries 8 0 9 6 5 0 - -

Table 11 : Imports of Cadmium & Scrap(By Countries)

2 0 1 1 - 1 2 2 0 1 2 - 1 3Country

Q t y Value Q t y Value( t ) (L 000) ( t ) (L 000)

Al l Countr ies 1 8 2 30117 3 4 0 3 4 1 9 4

Korea, Rep. of 1 7 9 2 6 3 4 3 2 8 0 2 8 1 5 7

Japan - - 2 0 2 2 2 5

Myanmar - - 2 0 1 9 6 9

Malaysia - - 2 0 1 8 4 3

Other countries 3 3 7 7 4 - -

Table 9 : Imports of Cadmium & Alloys(By Countries)

2 0 1 1 - 1 2 2 0 1 2 - 1 3Country

Q t y Value Q t y Value( t ) (L 000) ( t ) (L 000)

Al l Countr ies 3 8 7 4 1 2 2 9Canada - - 1 1 9 0G e r m a n y 3 6 7 8 ++ 3 3China - - ++ 3U K ++ 3 4 ++ 2USA ++ 3 9 ++ 1Other countries ++ 1 2 3 - -

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FUTURE OUTLOOKThe cadmium market in the world is in a state

of uncertainty. While the primary cadmium supplyis on decrease, there is a modest rise in productionthrough recycling. Though, cadmium consumptionin various applications is clamoured with concernsover its toxicity and hazardous effect on humanheal th and environment , the product ion ofcadmium as a by-product will however continueas long as lead and zinc are produced.

However, demand for cadmium may increaseowing to several new market opportuni t iesfor Ni-Cd batteries, particularly in industrial

applications. Ni-Cd battery is used in electricalvehicles as also in a limited number of hybridelectrical vehicles, making important contributionto the development of the electric car market inEurope.

Cadmium p igments and s tab i l i se rs a reimportant additives in certain specialised plastics,glasses, ceramics and enamels to achieve brightcolours along with long service life, even in verydemanding appl ica t ions . I t should a l so beemphasised that cadmium in these applications isin a chemically very stable, highly insoluble formand embedded in the product matrix.