RAW PHONES MATERIALS, USE, AND DISPOSAL

Modern phones and the use of rare metals

Modern phones are manufactured from a variety of materials, the majority of which are rare metals. Numerous minerals are not only uncommon but also irreplaceable, according to research by Yale academics. The experts believe that 62 of the minerals that are necessary for producing smartphones do not have equivalent substitutes. As a result, mining of the materials must be ongoing and proportionate to demand. People use phones for internet networking, video gaming, and news in addition to making calls. When the phones are no longer usable, they are brought to particular businesses where they are recycled or disposed of. This paper explores the production of are metals, which are inessential in the manufacture of phones. The paper also focuses on need necessitating development of newer phone models and how phones are disposed of after they get unusable.

China and Rare Earth Metals

China is the leading producer of the global rare earth minerals accosting for over 95% of the production of the metals. In the past few years, there has been a high demand for the rare earth due to advancements in energy requirements in newer technologies coupled with China’s decision to cut off the exporting of the precious metals, prompting for the nations to be concerned over the availability of the minerals in the coming days. Consequently, industrialized countries like Japan, USA are faced with a limited supply of the metals.

Rare earth minerals in China

Rare earth minerals have broad use in advanced-technology gadgets and clean energy production due to their peculiar properties such as strength, magnetism, and luminescence. In 1927 China scientists found out that there existed rare earth minerals in the country at a place called Bayan Obo. Harvesting of the minerals began in 1957. As the exploitation of the metals continued, further twenty-one provinces were found to be rich in the crystals. By 1998, the nation’s cumulative rare metals were approximated at 92 million metric tons. By 2000, the country’s production of the minerals had increased to 74000 metric tons. In contrast, production in other countries decreased by about 60%. In the last 15 years, China has produced over 80% of the global output of the rare earth in the form of concentrates, chemicals, and unfinished products. Reports have indicated that the production of the mineral has not been very profitable. Government policies since the 1990s have ensured a focus on conservation of the ores by controlling output. However, due to competition between local authorities had led to maintenance of higher production of the metals. The local governments in China use the minerals to foster economic development, provide employment. Since the local authorities produced more than the countries projected targets, the government has strengthened its policies and has seen the closing down of unlicensed mines. These steps have witnessed the production of the minerals to be reasonably constant over the past five years.

What Needs Do New Phone Models Satisfy?

The last one decade has seen several technological advancements which have enabled the modern person getting engrossed with Smartphones and personal computers. Companies producing smartphones are competing fiercely to satisfy customer’s needs. Studies have indicated that manufacturers are concerned not only with the technical features but also visually appealing. The technological capacities that are required for mobile telephone were in place as from the 1940s, but it was not until 1990 that the use of a mobile phone was witnessed. The early mobile phones were relatively large, not capable of fitting in the pockets. Because they were large, not portable and expensive, very few homes were in possession of these phones and usually installed in cars. As time elapsed, there was a need to manufacture lighter phones which were available on the market by 1981.

Advancements in smartphone technology

Ever since 1980s there has been a frequent release of newer mobile devices with a much more significant capability and advanced features than the ones before. Modern gadgets can perform home and work functions without the help of any other gadget. Phones with higher processor speeds, longer battery life, breakneck networking speeds and broader screens have been developed. With further upgrading of Smartphone, it is believed that the devices would be able to perform more sophisticated functions. For instance ARM, a company engaged in the manufacture of chips has innovated a newer processor model, Cortex A72 which is very powerful. This chip together with a MALI-T880 GPU would make smartphone be able to do practically what the computers are capable of performing. As advancements in mobile smartphones are on the upward trend, the production of PCs had been dropping worldwide. Tablets are taking the place of notebooks for a good number of workers. The tablets are also being replaced by phablets which have a more comprehensive screen.

Mobile phone usage in different regions

Data from Pew Research has portrayed that many Africans use mobile gadgets for money transfer services, for acquiring health, political news, and social interactions. In the USA, it is projected that more sophisticated smartphones will be manufactured that can handle advanced tasks such as 4K streaming and constant multitasking. For instance, the newer CPU manufactured by ARM posses a 50X greater capability than those developed five years ago but running of half the energy. Android manufacturers are producing devices with the ability for 4k video streaming and advanced online gaming capacities. Over time more tasks can be done by use of smartphones. These gadgets can now perform many functions that can be done by a computer, cameras, GPS devices, media players and such making the machines the primary computing apparatus for every individual.

Where Do Mobile Phones Go When We Are Done With Them?

The components of our electronics are rare elements on the world which can be recycled for future use as raw materials which in turn used as the manufacturing of other products. The cell phones are composed of expensive metals like silver, gold, copper, along with new valuable materials, this gives the individual a reason for ensuring that the phones are recycled, mostly since the option is to go on in mining metals intensively. The dead telephones are recovered because it minimizes some of the negative impacts on the people and as they are expensive as well as diminishing harmful effects to the health of the human beings and to the surrounding.

Recycling of cell phones

Some of the United States based organizations that announce that they recycle waste metals such as dead phones transport them to other countries trainers as well as reselling them. The kind of these systems which is employed by handlers has become as popular as informal recycling that makes use of aboriginal scorching as well as undressing practices in the process of recovering buyer. The necessary modules of the waste materials things, at the process, they always create community people as well as exposing the society to dangerous pollutants along with caustic that in turn brings few economic advantages to the one that is undertaking the dispensation.

If the people reflect that the United States is the right place in establishing e-waste reprocessing methods given the controlling outlines recognized in securing the surroundings along with the workers, people acknowledge that the business owners in different nations need the reusable components of what is thrown away since it is of functional importance to the human use. The foreign formal and informal entrepreneurs, take an item such as cell phones or machine like desktop, laptop, disassemble them as well as strip off some of the parts that cannot be recycled hence, the significant components remains to be improved, combined, and traded to the interested buyer

Increasing awareness of recycling

Awareness of the issue of recycling in the United States has increased, as proved in the many studies and reports printed on the e-waste as the central theme. On the side of the purchaser, contribution in the retailing stockpile, the programs are taken back along with constructor as well as municipality e-waste supported group actions have as well enlarged. Unfortunately, the buy-back of the cell phones has been significantly decreased because it now requires money along with agreements.

Conclusion

China is the leading producer of the global rare earth minerals accosting for over 95% of the production of the metals. Rare earth minerals have broad use in advanced technology gadgets and clean energy production due to their peculiar properties such as strength, magnetism, and luminescence. The local governments in China use the minerals to foster economic development, provide employment. Since the local authorities produced more than the countries projected targets, the government has strengthened its policies and has seen the closing down of unlicensed mines. Ever since 1980s there has been a frequent release of newer mobile devices with a much more significant capability and advanced features than the ones before. Modern gadgets can perform home and work functions without the help of any other gadget. Phones with higher processor speeds, longer battery life, breakneck networking speeds and broader screens have been developed. With further upgrading of Smartphone, it is believed that the devices would be able to perform more sophisticated functions. After cells phones are no longer working, the various parts can be recycled. Cellular phones consist of precious metals such as silver, gold, copper and other rare minerals necessitating recycling.

Biography

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