and they should be really proud of, is that we have a history of responsibly producing the metals that the world needs here in Alaska,” Satre said. “The ability of [PZ[WPZaP]XTWWPYYTL_ZʭYO_SP^PXL_P]TLW^_SL__SPd need for their society, now our modern society — that bSZWP []ZNP^^ U`^_ QL^NTYL_P^ XP _SL_ bPɪaP ʭR`]PO that out over time.” Even if you don’t work at an Alaska mine — or know any of the approximately 4,500 people who do — you’ve almost certainly encountered a product that may have been made using Alaska metals. Here’s a look at just some of them: Smartphones “If you want to hold all of Alaska’s minerals in your hand, you just hold your smartphone,” Satre said. “It’s going to have everything we’re producing, plus minerals like copper that we have in abundance but aren’t mining. This is where everything’s being used.” Gold, silver, zinc and even lead are used to build the world’s increasingly pocket-sized electronics. Even when the overall market for gold and silver is down, it continues to increase in the tech industry as consum- ers demand more and more memory in their devices. The precious metals don’t corrode, along with other qualities that make them ideal for use in electronics. “They have excellent conductivity properties,” Sa- tre said. “They’re extremely malleable.” In 2016, Apple famously reported that it had recov- ered over a ton of gold from recycled iPhones and oth- er products the previous year. Your run-of-the-mill smartphone has a higher concentration of precious metals than the average mine. “If you have one ton of iPhones, you actually have more gold and silver … than in a ton of rock in the mines in Alaska,” Satre said. Batteries When it comes to portable electricity, Alaska metals have a critical role to play. “Zinc and lead are throughout our battery systems that we use,” Satre said. Alkaline batteries — like the ones powering your remote control and rattling around your junk drawer — require zinc, while lead-acid batteries power ev- erything from cars to electric wheelchairs to backup power systems. “Lead-acid batteries are still so incredibly preva- lent,” Satre said. “The primary use of lead is the stan- dard lead-acid battery that you have in your car, you have in a boat, you have in an airplane.” If graphite prospects near Nome are developed, Alaska could also be an important provider of the graphite that’s used in many lithium-ion batteries, he added. Electric cars, game consoles, smartphones, [ZbP]_ZZW^NZX[`_P]^LYOPaPYʮL^SWTRS_^TYN]PL^ - ingly use these lightweight power sources.
Medical devices Had an x-ray recently? Undergone a medical pro- cedure? Alaska metals may have helped keep you healthy and safe. “Silver in particular has natural anti-bacterial, anti-microbial properties that were recognized even back in the early days,” Satre said. “People realized if you used a silver-lined vessel or put a silver coin in water, it would keep it fresher longer.” That, he added, makes silver a perfect choice for medical applications, from instruments to dressings to clothing. “It helps to minimize the risk of infection,” Satre said. 0aPYWPLO[WLd^L]ZWPTY_SPXPOTNLWʭPWO,W_SZ`RS 20th century science helped people understand that lead doesn’t belong in pipes or paint, its impenetra- bility means it can be helpful — even life-saving — in the right situation, such as when it’s used as shielding to protect care providers and patients from exposure to X-rays. Green energy Low-emissions vehicles, wind turbines, solar pan- els — more and more, average people are looking for ways to lessen their impact on the environment.
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January 2020
The Alaska Miner
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