Shelly Ryn M.

Saligumba 11- Banzon Earth Science 11

1. Computer Circuitry

The minerals and metals that are used to build the computer circuitry are gold, aluminum,
lithium, chromium, silver, nickel, gallium, lead, zinc, copper, steel, tungsten, titanium, cobalt,
germanium, tin, titanium.

 Gold – Printed Circuit Boards, Computer Chips (CPU), connectors / fingers.  It conducts
electricity very well and is very flexible, twisting easily into fine wires. It is used to make
electronic circuit boards and other components.
 Aluminum – Printed Circuit Boards, Computer Chips, Hard Drives, CPU heat sinks
 Lithium- is the lightest of all metals, has the greatest electrochemical potential, and
provides the largest energy content.
 Chromium- Printed Circuit Boards
 Silver – Printed Circuit Boards, Computer Chips, keyboard membranes, some capacitors
 Nickel – Circuit board components.
 Gallium- The most important advantage of gallium arsenide is speed. Electrons travel
about five times faster in gallium arsenide than they do in silicon. Gallium arsenide also
has a high resistance to electrical current before it is doped with any impurities to
form circuit elements.
 Lead- Lead is also used in computers for a solution soldering of tin and lead, it is used to
join chips and computer components to the circuit board.
 Zinc- Zinc is used for printed circuit boards because A printed circuit board mechanically
supports and electrically connects electronic components using conductive tracks, and
other things from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate.
 Copper- Copper is used in CPU heat sinks, wiring cables, cell phones, printed circuit
boards and computer chips.
 Tungsten- Tungsten is among the most important components in modern
integrated circuitry. All advanced chips rely on tungsten contacts (vias, plugs) to connect
the transistors and the interconnecting layers.
 Titanium- A titanium electronic circuit is made by printing insulators, conductors,
resistors and other materials onto the titanium metal. Electronic and non-electronic
components are then added to the printed titanium to produce a complete
electronic circuit that can be “bolted on”.
 Cobalt- Cobalt helps copper make better circuits in latest-generation semiconductors. 
 Germanium is one material being considered to replace silicon because it could enable
the industry to make smaller transistors and more compact integrated circuits.
 Tin- Tin is used in printed circuit boards and computer chips.
 Tantalum- Tantalum has very stable thermal, electrical and mechanical properties that
extend over a broad range of temperatures for semiconductor processing. It's
compatibility with silicon and silicon dioxide for chip processing is a big benefit.

 Gold
 Magma penetrates into solid rock walls carrying the gold within it. When the magma cools
it leaves new layers of rock and minerals, including gold, inside of the existing rock.
Placer gold is formed from already existing lode and intrusive gold deposits. Placer gold is
caused by the eroding effect of water upon rock.

Ores in which gold occurs in chemical composition with other elements are comparatively

rare. They include calaverite, sylvanite, nagyagite, petzite and krennerite. The major ores of
gold contain gold in its native form and are both exogenetic (formed at the Earth’s surface)
and endogenetic (formed within the Earth). The best-known of the exogenetic ores is alluvial
gold. Alluvial gold refers to gold found in riverbeds, streambeds, and floodplains. It is invariably
elemental gold and usually made up of very fine particles. Alluvial gold deposits are formed
through the weathering actions of wind, rain, and temperature change on rocks containing
gold. They were the type most commonly mined in antiquity. Exogenetic gold can also exist as
oxidized ore bodies that have formed under a process called secondary enrichment, in which
other metallic elements and sulfides are gradually leached away, leaving behind gold and
insoluble oxide minerals as surface deposits.

Endogenetic gold ores include vein and lode deposits of elemental gold in quartzite or
mixtures of quartzite and various iron sulfide minerals, particularly pyrite (FeS2) and pyrrhotite
(Fe1-XS). When present in sulfide ore bodies, the gold, although still elemental in form, is so
finely disseminated that concentration by methods such as those applied to alluvial gold is
impossible.

 The electronic devices used by millions of people daily are made of many tiny electronic
components and those components are made from a variety of raw materials. These
raw materials have special characteristics, ranging from superior conductivity to
unmatched insulating properties that make them perfect for use in electronic
components. Copper is often used for its excellent conductivity and malleability (the
ability to be shaped and mashed). Nickel, chromium, aluminum, lead, silver and tin are
also used. These metals go into components such as resistors, capacitors and
transducers. These minerals would be useful in another electronic item such as
televisions, cell phones, laptops, desktops, etc.

 Some major environmental dangers inflicted by careless disposal of computers include:

Heavy elements used in batteries or circuits pollute groundwater and kill animals will
drink that water. Batteries used in computers are flammable which makes them an
unsafe item in landfills as they can catch fire any time.

E-waste is different from regular waste because disposing of it properly can be much more
difficult. For one, e-waste often contains chemicals that are hazardous and more work is
required to dispose of them properly. When not dealt with appropriately, those chemicals can
leak into the air and water. Additionally, disposing of and recycling e-waste is a more labour-
intensive process. With so many tiny, intricate parts, the process of breaking down a piece of
electronics requires more time and effort. Ultimately, both of these factors make e-waste a
challenging environmental issue. You can’t throw e-waste in a landfill like you can with other
types of waste.
E-waste is currently the largest growing waste stream. It is hazardous, complex and expensive
to treat in an environmentally sound manner, and there is a general lack of legislation or
enforcement surrounding it. Such globalization of e-waste has adverse environmental and
health implications.

2. Computer Case

 The minerals and metals found in computer cases are calcium carbonate, clays, mica,
talc, sulfur and Cases are usually constructed from these materials, steel (often SECC—
steel, electrogalvanized, cold-rolled, coil), aluminium and plastic. Other materials such
as glass, wood, acrylic and even Lego bricks have appeared in home-built cases.

 Calcium carbonate, or CaCO3, comprises more than 4% of the earth's crust and is found
throughout the world. Its most common natural forms are chalk, limestone, and marble,
produced by the sedimentation of the shells of small fossilized snails, shellfish, and coral
over millions of years. The ore minerals are calcite, aragonite and vaterite are
pure calcium carbonate minerals. Industrially important source rocks which are
predominantly calcium carbonate include limestone, chalk, marble and travertine. The
most realistic origin of the ore resource are found in limestone and the fossilised
remnants of early sea life; gypsum, anhydrite, fluorite, and apatite are also sources of
calcium. The name derives from Latin calx "lime", which was obtained from heating
limestone.
 All of the minerals calcium carbonate, clays, mica, talc, sulfur would be useful for
another electronic item.

 E-waste is different from regular waste because disposing of it properly can be much
more difficult. For one, e-waste often contains chemicals that are hazardous and more
work is required to dispose of them properly. When not dealt with appropriately, those
chemicals can leak into the air and water. Additionally, disposing of and recycling e-
waste is a more labour-intensive process. With so many tiny, intricate parts, the process
of breaking down a piece of electronics requires more time and effort. Ultimately, both
of these factors make e-waste a challenging environmental issue. You can’t throw e-
waste in a landfill like you can with other types of waste.

E-waste is currently the largest growing waste stream. It is hazardous, complex and

expensive to treat in an environmentally sound manner, and there is a general lack of
legislation or enforcement surrounding it. Such globalization of e-waste has adverse
environmental and health implications.