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18 www.resourceworld.com o c t o b e r / n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 6 W hile everyone is familiar with silver coins, bars, jewelry, silverware and its use in mirrors, it may surprise some to learn that silver has literally dozens of uses in our daily lives. Silver is a unique commodity that is characterized by its mon- etary value, beauty, strength, malleability, reflectivity, conductivity and bacteria-kill- ing ability that make it an irreplaceable metal in many applications. Strong investment demand coupled with the myriad of industrial uses has resulted in a significant deficit. According to The Silver Institute (www.silverinsti- tute.org), industrial demand for 2015 was 588.7 million ounces out of a total supply of 1,040.6 million ounces. The physical deficit was 129.8 million ounces – more than 60% larger than the 2014 deficit. Electronics is still the largest industrial use of silver due to its excellent electri- cal conductivity. As such, it is commonly used in speaker wires, switches, contacts, printed circuit boards, superconductors, elevator buttons and solar panels. Silver is also used in batteries. For exam- ple, silver oxide button batteries, which last 40% longer than lithium-ion batteries, are used in watches and hearing aids while silver-zinc batteries are used in spacecraft. Nano silver foil is used in the manufacture of fuel cells that generate electricity from chemical reactions. The Silver Institute notes that silver oxide and zinc batteries have twice the capacity of lead-acid batteries, mak- ing them the power source of choice for television and film crews, aircraft and submersibles. Every time you drive your car, you are using silver. According to the Silver Institute, over 36 million ounces of silver are used annually in automobiles. It would never cross one's mind, but every electri- cal action in a modern car is activated with silver coated contacts. These include start- ing the engine, opening and closing power windows and adjusting power seats which are all activated using a silver membrane switch. When electricity is sent to the silver- ceramic lines embedded into a vehicle's rear window, the heat generated clears the glass of frost and ice. For those who live in cold climates, the active ingredient in your vehicle's antifreeze is ethylene oxide, a compound made from silver. Another important area of silver appli- cations is in medicine because silver kills germs. For example, there is increasing usage of silver in bandages and dressings as well as gels and ointments that prevent the spread of infection. Silver can also be used to treat burns in the form of silver sulfadiazine. There are related applications as well, including using silver needles and sutures to sew up wounds and surgeries. Urinary tract infections are a common problem with catheters and silver-coated catheters help prevent this distressing condition as do silver-coated medical prostheses and the bearings of hip joint implants. Silver's germ-killing ability is also used to treat municipal water supplies, in swim- ming pool purification and in hospital tap water treatment with silver membrane filters. Doctors and lab workers coats can now contain silver that kill bacteria as The many and mostly unseen uses of silver miNiNg