Cadmium ranks 65th in the list of the most abundant elements within the Earth's crust. This is a soft metal, silver-white in color with a bluish tinge on the surface. It is even possible to cut pure cadmium with a knife. The acids soluble and alkalis insoluble lustrous metal has properties similar to zinc, for instance it also tarnishes in air. It is not allowed to discard cadmium into the environment in many countries, therefore the products that contain cadmium are recycled to recover cadmium.
Production
There are rare ores that contain cadmium. This mineral is produced as a by-product from zinc's sulfide ores mining, smelting and refining. Therefore, it is mainly produced in areas where zinc is refined. When the iron and steel scrap are recycled, the dust is generated, which is regarded as a secondary source for the production of small amounts of cadmium.
India is amongst the Cadmium producing countries, such as Korea, Japan, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Peru and Mexico.
Applications of Cadmium