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16 of the Most Common, Yet Uncharted, Silver Uses Today

Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any metal while it has the lowest contact resistanceand yet it has the highest electrical conductivity. In 2007, 455.5 million ounces of silver were usedfor industrial applications, while over 128 million ounces of silver were committed to thephotographic sector, 163.4 million ounces were consumed in the jewelry market, and 58.8 millionounces were used in the silverware market.

Listed below are 16 of the most common uses of silver today:

1. Health and HospitalsSilver is leading a revolution in technology and medicine. The whitemetal’s unique bacteria-fighting qualities are becoming more and morecritical in healing conditions ranging from severe burns toLegionnaires Disease. Because silver ions prevent bacteria and algaebuildup, silver is fast becoming part of water purification systems inhospitals, small community water systems, pools and spas. The majorbenefit is that silver replaces traditional germ-killing methods thatemploy harsh, sometimes dangerous chemicals such as chlorine andbromine. One of the most important uses of silver as a biocide is inhospitals and other health care facilities because they grapple withMRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a type of life-threatening Staph germ. Also referred to as a ‘superbug,’ MRSA is resistant to almost allchemical antibiotics, so many hospitals are employing silver-imbedded equipment includingsurgical tools, catheters, needles, stethoscopes, furniture, door handles and even paper files.

The most powerful treatment for burns is silver sulfadiazine, which is used in every hospital inNorth America to promote healing and reduce infection. Everything from surgical threads tobandages and dressings to doctors’ coats and catheters utilize small amounts of silver. Inhospitals as well as in common residences, silver in ductwork provides maximum sterileatmosphere. One of the most promising applications is in silver-imbedded bandages for burn andwound victims. The silver ions help prevent infection but also speed healing because the bodydoesn’t have to focus its energy on fighting infection.

2. Purification at Home, Work and PlaySilver’s anti-bacterial powers have been tested and proven scientifically eventhough its power as a bactericide has been known for centuries. The ancientPhoenicians, for example, knew that water, wine or vinegar kept in silvervessels stayed fresh during long sea voyages. Silver prevents bacteria growthwhile being completely harmless to humans.

Currently we’re seeing a surge of applications for silver-based biocides in allareas: industrial, commercial and consumer. New products are beingintroduced almost daily that use silver laced elements to purify. Establishedcompanies are incorporating silver based products in current lines – spa andpool filters, clothing, refrigerators, mobile phones, computers, washingmachines, vacuum clearers, keyboards, countertops, furniture handles and more.

An increasing trend is the millions of on-the-counter and under-the-counter water purifiers thatare sold each year in the United States to rid drinking water of bacteria, chlorine,trihalomethanes, lead, particulates, and odor. Here silver is used to prevent the buildup of bacteriaand algae in the filters. Of the billions of dollars spent yearly in the U.S. for drinking waterpurification systems, more than half make advantageous use of the bactericidal properties ofsilver. New research has shown that the catalytic action of silver, in concert with oxygen,provides a powerful sanitizer, virtually eliminating the need for the use of corrosive chlorine. Thenewest trend is the use of nano-silver particles to deliver silver ions to assist in a more germ freeenvironment.

3. Electrically ChargedSilver is the best electrical conductor among all metals. Because its properties are non-corrosive,

its use in electrical and motor control switches is universal. A fully-equippedautomobile may have over 40 silver-tipped switches to start the engine, activate

power steering, brakes, windows, mirrors, locks and other electrical accessories. Itis widely used in everyday electronics, membrane switches, for circuit breakers, asrelays used in washing machines, timer switches, contacts, fuses, dryers,

automobile accessories, vacuum cleaners, electric drills and electrically heatedautomobile windows. And at work in elevators, escalators, machine tools,

locomotives, marine diesel engines, oil-drilling motors and conductive adhesives.

4. Chemical CatalystSilver is also one of the few elements that improve the efficiency of chemical reactions. It is theonly catalyst that will oxidize ethylene gas into ethylene oxide, the building block for

polyester textiles used for clothing and specialty fabrics, andmelded items like computer keyboards, electricalcontrol knobs, domestic appliance components andMylar tape used for all audio, VCR and recordingtapes. Because of its resistance to pitting and tarnish, silver is used to coat CDsand DVDs. Nanotechnology applications using silver as a catalyst inmanufacturing are ever growing — in computers, communications, miniature

motors and switches.

5. Reflectants Silvered windshields in homes, cars and office buildings reflect some 70% of the solar energythat would otherwise pass through, thus reducing the load on air conditioners. The U.S.Department of Energy’s Energy Star Program has spurred 50% increase in silver-coated glass inrecent years, translating to 350 million square feet of glass, or five million ounces of silver peryear.

6. Solar CellsPhotovoltaic systems are simple and provide immediately useful power with no pollution. Theserelatively new energy sources use a silver paste as a base. 90 percent of all crystalline siliconphotovoltaic cells, which are the most common type of solar cells, contain significant amounts ofsilver. The conductive silver, which also enhances reflection of the sunlight, is applied in theform of a glass paste with a minimum of 90 percent silver along the top and across the bottom ofthe silicon crystal.

Around the world, solar arrays are being tested for large and small-scale electricity production. InEurope, photovoltaic systems commonly are used to power privatehomes and local businesses. South Korea is constructing photovoltaicelectric power plants to provide significant sources of electricity for thenation’s power grid. In the United States, nationwide stores such asMacy’s and Wal-Mart are installing photovoltaic systems on the roofs oftheir buildings to optimize up to 40 percent of their power needs.

All silicon cells used in space to power satellites use silver in the form ofevaporated metal to make the electrical contact.

7. Aviation BearingsSilver is the ideal industrial material. No other metal has silver’s unique qualities that combinestrength, malleability and ductility, or facilitates electrical and thermal conductivity as well, orcan reflect light and endure such extreme temperature changes. Jet engines of today andtomorrow can depend on silver-coated bearings for their performance and safety. Steel ballbearings electroplated with silver have greater fatigue strength and load carrying capacity thanany other type. These bearings are used in continuous, heavy-duty applications such as in jetengines. Because steel has a poor coefficient of friction, placing a layer of silver between thesteel ball bearing and the housing reduces friction between the two, increasing the performanceand longevity of the engine. Despite high internaltemperatures, silver-coated bearings provide superiorperformance and a critical margin of safety for engines.Even in the event of an oil pump failure, silver-platedbearings provide enough lubrication to allow a safe engineshut-down before more serious damage can occur. All majorjet engine manufacturers utilize these high-performancesilver bearings, which provide critical fail-safe lubricationrequired by the Federal Aviation Administration.

8. Printed CircuitryPrinted circuit boards (PCBs) use silver for connecting paths ofelectronic circuitry. PCBs are essential to the electronics thatcontrol the operation of aircraft, automobile engines, electricalappliances, security systems, telecommunication networks, mobiletelephones, television receivers. Most computer keyboards usesilver membrane switches. For printed circuit boards, used inconsumer items from mobile phones to computers, silver-based inks and films are applied tocomposite boards to creat electrical pathways. In similar fashion, silver-based inks produce so-called RFID tags (radio frequency identification) antennas used in hundreds of millions ofproducts to prevent theft and allow easy inventory control. They are also used in prepaid tollroad passes.

9. SuperconductorsThese low-current switches are also found in control panels of cabletelevision, telephones, and devices using digital electronics.Superconductivity is the power transmission of the future and silvermakes it faster and more effective. Silver-jacketed superconducting oxidewires can carry more than 140 times the electric load of copper wire withless than 1 percent of the weight. This wire utilizes about 1,000 ounces ofsilver per mile. Silver already improves performance at lighter weightsand size in cables, motors, generators and transformers.

10. Batteries Silver oxide-zinc batteries provide higher voltages and longer life for suchconsumer goods as quartz watches, cameras, and electronic tools. Theirhigh energy/weight ratio provides an optimum power and longevity model.They are available in either very small sizes as button cells where theamount of silver used is small and not a significant contributor to theoverall product costs, or in large custom design batteries where the superiorperformance characteristics of the silver oxide chemistry outweigh costconsiderations.

11. ElectroplatingThe ease of electro-deposition of silver accounts for silver’s widespread use in coating. Theplating thickness of some items, such as fuse caps, is less than one micron which assists inretarding the oxidation that may occur. Coatings of two to seven microns are normal for heavyduty electrical equipment.

12. Brazing & SolderingSilver facilitates the joining of materials (called brazing when done at temperatures above 600°celsius and soldering when below) and produces naturally smooth, leak-tight and corrosion-resistant joints. Silver brazing alloys are used widely in applications ranging from air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment to power distribution equipment in the electricalengineering sector. It is also used in the automobile and aerospace industries.

13. PhotographyAlthough a wide variety of other technology is available, silver-based photographywill retain its pre-eminence due to its superior definition and low cost. From itsvery outset, silver halide has been the material that records what is to be seen inthe photograph. As little as 4 photons of light activate silver halides which amplifythat incident light by a factor of one billion times. In today’s photography, silverhalides are coupled with dyes that unify the colors of the world around us into apermanent record. Approximately 5,000 color photographs can be taken using oneounce of silver.

In addition, silver is used in the ever expanding X-ray applications. Even today with declininguse due to digital cameras and high-def printers, more than 100 million troy ounces of silver areused worldwide for photographic purpose.

14. Silverware & JewelryPure silver, also known for its 999 (“three nines”) fineness, is quite tarnishresistant, but in its pure state, it is too soft for use in jewelry. Silversmiths oftenalloy it with other metals, such as copper, to harden it. Sterling silver, for example,is 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Sterling silver is a standard in manycountries for silver jewelry and has been since the 14th century.

Recently, silver has benefited from demand for the ‘white’ look in jewelry whichmirrors fashionable designs of white gold - an alloy of gold and platinum andpalladium – but at a lower price point.

15. Mirrors & CoatingsSilver’s unique optical reflectivity, and its property of being virtually 100%reflective after polishing, allows it to be used both in mirrors and incoatings for glass, cellophane or metals. Everyone is accustomed tosilvered mirrors. What is new is invisible silver, a transparent coating ofsilver on double pane thermal windows. This coating not only rejects thehot summer sun, but also reflects inward internal house heat. A new doublelayer of silver on glass marketed as “low E squared” is sweeping thewindow market as it reflects away almost 95% of the hot rays of the sun,creating a new level of household energy savings.

Over 250 million square feet of silver- coated glass is used for domesticwindows in the U.S. yearly and much more for silver coated polyester sheetfor retrofitting windows. Using a process called sputtering, silver can be

applied to glass at various thicknesses, allowing different amounts of light to penetrate. Mirrorswhich need a superior reflectivity for visible light are made in a process called silvering, thoughcommon mirrors are backed with aluminum.

Silver plating is used in a wide variety of additional applications from Christmas tree ornamentsto cutlery and hollowware

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16. CoinsSilver, being a rare and noble metal, was a more desirablemedium of exchange than beads, feathers, shells, and the like.Its use as a medium of exchange is known throughout allrecorded history. Silver coins, in the sense of having anauthenticating stamp on them and minted by an authority either public or private began to appearin the eastern Mediterranean during 550 B.C. By 269 B.C. Rome adopted silver as part of itsstandard coinage. Silver became the trading medium for merchants throughout the civilizedworld. (Gold being reserved for governments and the wealthy.)

Today silver coins continue to be the medium of exchange wherever paper is not acceptable, forexample, in parts of Africa and the Middle East. One example of a trade coin is the EmpressMaria Theresia Taler, first minted in Austria in 1741. It was standardized in 1780 as 28 gramsand 833/1000 silver (the remainder copper). Some 370 million of these 1780 dated coins havebeen minted up to 1996 and a large proportion remain in circulation today.

American Gold Reserve minted silver rounds in .999 fineness offer today’s buyers the mostsilver for their money. The 1 ounce Founding Fathers front and reverse piece is a beautifuldesign. It is 31.1 grams and measures 39 mm.

Some final points to recognize. In 1900 there were 12 billion ounces of silver in the world. By1990, the internationally respected commodities research firm CPM Group say that figure hadbeen reduced to around 2.2 billion ounces of silver. Today, that figure has fallen to less than 1billion ounces in above ground refined silver. It is estimated that more than 90% of all the silverthat has ever been mined has been consumed by the global photography, technology, medical,defense and electronics industries.

On current supply/demand trends, the amount of above ground refined silver is projected toshrink to even lower levels in the coming years. Industrial demand has been outstripping miningsupply for most of the last 20 years, driving above ground supply to historically low levels. Fewin the investment world recognize or address this significant fact.

Silver production has been flat in recent years while demand has been increasing. This hasn’tresulted in significantly higher prices yet because the world has been able to fill the gap frominventories and official government stockpiles.

However, today the U.S. government’s stockpile is all but gone, and sales from other officialsources, such as China, Russia and India, are declining, too. The decline in refined silver stocks,from around 2.2 billion ounces in 1990 to around 300 million ounces today means that silverstocks are near an all time low. Published reports state that the world is currently producing apaltry 709.6 million ounces of silver per year.

With the total annual silver demand for industrial applications, as cited in this report, at 352.2million ounces or 49.6% one can only imagine the bottleneck that will occur as silver prices near$60, $80 or even $150 an ounce.

SOURCE: www.silverinstitute.org