Tackler's trades

[Tackler]

Here is a brief list, in alphabetical order, of genuinely precious metals, which are used up in manufacturing small electronic devices. Note that only selenium and tellurium production approach 100 tonnes per year; the rest top out at 50 tonnes. The total global production of the six metals listed below is around one-eighth of the total production of gold annually:

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Gallium, a by-product of aluminium mining
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Germanium, a by-product of zinc mining
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Indium, a by-product of zinc mining
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Ruthenium, a by-product of platinum mining
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Selenium, a by-product of copper, and to a lesser extent of gold and platinum, mining
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Tellurium, a by-product of copper, and to a lesser extent of gold and platinum, mining