U.S.Geological Survey (USGS): Bismuth

Statistics and Information: Bismuth is mainly a byproduct of lead ore processing.  It has a metallic luster and is silver-white with an iridescent tarnish.  Among the heavy metals, it is the heaviest and the only non-toxic.  Bismuth has been used in solders, a variety of other alloys, metallurgical additives, medications, and in atomic research.  In the early 1990's, research began on the evaluation of bismuth as a nontoxic replacement for lead in such uses as ceramic glazes, fishing sinkers, food processing equipment, free-machining brasses for plumbing applications, lubricating greases, and shot for waterfowl hunting.  Since 1997, the United States has been completely dependent on imports for its supply of primary bismuth.  The average price for bismuth in 2000 was $3.50 per pound.

Bismuth
(Data in metric tons of bismuth content unless otherwise noted)

U.S. Domestic Production and Use: The United States ceased production of primary refined bismuth in 1997 and is thus highly import dependent for its supply. A small amount of bismuth is recycled by some U.S.  firms. Bismuth is contained in some lead ores mined in the United States, but the bismuth-containing residues are not processed in the U.S, and may be exported. The value of bismuth consumed was approximately $64 million. About 47% of the bismuth was used for metallurgical additives; 34% in fusible alloys, solders, and ammunition cartridges; 18% in pharmaceuticals and chemicals; and 1% in other uses.

The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendment of 1996 required that all new and repaired fixtures and pipes for potable water supply be lead free after August 1998. Bismuth use in water meters and fixtures is one particular application that has increased in recent years. An application with major growth potential is the use of zinc-bismuth alloys to achieve thinner and more uniform galvanization. Bismuth was also used in the United States in the manufacture of ceramic glazes, crystal ware, and pigments; as an additive to free-machining steels; and as an additive to malleable iron castings.

U.S. Recycling: All types of bismuth-containing alloy scrap were recycled and contributed about 10% of U.S. bismuth consumption, or 300 tons.

U.S. Import Sources (2004-2007): Belgium, 38%; Mexico, 23%; China, 19%; United Kingdom, 12%; and other, 8%.

U.S. Depletion Allowance: 22% (Domestic), 14% (Foreign).

Events, Trends, and Issues: Owing to its unique properties, bismuth has a wide variety of applications, including use in free-machining steels, brass, pigments, and solders, as a nontoxic replacement for lead; in pharmaceuticals, including bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient in over-the-counter stomach remedies; in the foundry industry, as an additive to enhance metallurgical quality; in the construction field, as a triggering mechanism for fire sprinklers; and in holding devices for grinding optical lenses. Currently, researchers in the European Union, Japan, and the United States are investigating the possibilities of using bismuth in lead-free solders. Researchers are examining liquid lead-bismuth coolants for use in nuclear reactors. Work is proceeding toward developing a bismuth-containing metal polymer bullet.

The price of bismuth started 2008 at $13.25 per pound and remained in a narrow range through the end of June. In July, the price fell to $12.50 per pound and generally declined through the end of October, where it finished at $9.75 per pound. The estimated average price of bismuth for 2008 was about 14% below that for 2007. Industry analysts attributed the lower price to slackened world demand in view of a world economic slowdown.

In Canada, an exploration firm announced that its cobalt-gold-bismuth deposit in the Northwest Territories was undergoing a feasibility study and that an agreement was reached to sell all of its eventual bismuth production to a European bismuth refiner. Another Canadian exploration firm announced increased expenditures to develop its property in Vietnam that contains bismuth, fluorspar, and tungsten.

World Mine Production, Reserves, and Reserve Base:

World Resources: Bismuth, at an estimated 8 parts per billion by weight, is the 69th element in order of abundance in the Earth’s crust and is about twice as abundant as gold. World reserves of bismuth are usually based on bismuth content of lead resources because bismuth production is most often a byproduct of processing lead ores; in China, bismuth production is a byproduct of tungsten and other metal ore processing. Bismuth minerals rarely occur in sufficient quantities to be mined as principal products; the Tasna Mine in Bolivia and a mine in China are the only mines that produced bismuth from a bismuth ore. The Tasna Mine has been on standby status since the mid-1990s awaiting a significant and sustained rise in the metal price. Several bismuth-containing deposits are in varying stages of mining feasibility review. These polymetallic deposits include Bonfim in Brazil, NICO in Canada, and Nui Phao in Vietnam.

Substitutes: Bismuth can be replaced in pharmaceutical applications by alumina, antibiotics, and magnesia. Titanium dioxide-coated mica flakes and fish-scale extracts are substitutes in pigment uses. Indium can replace bismuth in low-temperature solders. Resins can replace bismuth alloys for holding metal shapes during machining, and glycerine-filled glass bulbs can replace bismuth alloys in triggering devices for fire sprinklers. Free-machining alloys can contain lead, selenium, or tellurium as a replacement for bismuth.

 (e)  Estimated. — Zero.

U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2009