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Silver cycles: The stocks and flows project, part 3

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Abstract

The quantitative assessment of the flows of materials from resource extraction to final disposal informs resource policy, energy planning, environmental science, and waste management. This article reports the technological cycles of silver worldwide and in representative countries for 1997. Most silver is produced in conjunction with other metals; only a quarter of world production is from silver ore. Industrial applications account for 40% of silver use. While about a third of world use goes into jewelry, tableware, and the arts, silver cycles through the world economy to recycling faster than metals such as copper and zinc. Despite decreasing use in photography, demand for silver continues to increase.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, all at Yale University, New Haven, USA

    Jeremiah Johnson

  2. Department of Geology and Geophysics, all at Yale University, New Haven, USA

    Robert Gordon

  3. School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, all at Yale University, New Haven, USA

    Thomas Graedel

Authors
  1. Jeremiah Johnson
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  2. Robert Gordon
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  3. Thomas Graedel
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Johnson, J., Gordon, R. & Graedel, T. Silver cycles: The stocks and flows project, part 3. JOM 58, 34–38 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-006-0006-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-006-0006-z

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