U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Selenium Recycling in the United States in 2004

By Micheal W. George and Lorie A. Wagner

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 1196–T

FLOW STUDIES FOR RECYCLING METAL COMMODITIES IN THE UNITED STATES
II

U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Marcia K. McNutt, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2009

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Suggested citation:

George, M.W., and Wagner, L.A., 2009, Selenium recycling in the United States in 2004, chap. T of Sibley, S.R., 

Flow studies for recycling metal commodities in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1196–T, p.T1–T7, 

available only at http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1196t/.
III

FOREWORD

As world population increases and the world economy expands, so does the demand 

for natural resources. An accurate assessment of the Nation’s mineral resources must 

include not only the resources available in the ground but also those that become available 

through recycling. Supplying this information to decisionmakers is an essential part 

of the USGS commitment to providing the science that society needs to meet natural 

resource and environmental challenges.

The U.S. Geological Survey is authorized by Congress to collect, analyze, and 

disseminate data on the domestic and international supply of and demand for minerals 

essential to the U.S. economy and national security. This information on mineral 

occurrence, production, use, and recycling helps policymakers manage resources wisely.

USGS Circular 1196, “Flow Studies for Recycling Metal Commodities in the 

United States,” presents the results of flow studies for recycling 26 metal commodities, 

from aluminum to zinc. These metals are a key component of the U.S. economy. Overall, 

recycling accounts for more than half of the U.S. metal supply by weight and roughly 

40 percent by value. 

Marcia K. McNutt

Director
IV

CONTENTS

Foreword .......................................................................................................................III

Abstract........................................................................................................................ T1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................1

Global Geologic Occurrence of Selenium .................................................................3

Primary Production and Processes.............................................................................3

Sources of Secondary Selenium......................................................................................4

Old Scrap Generated ..................................................................................................4

New Scrap Generated.................................................................................................5

Disposition of Selenium Scrap........................................................................................5

Old Scrap Recycling Efficiency......................................................................................5

Infrastructure of Selenium Scrap Recycling ...................................................................5

Processing of Selenium Scrap.........................................................................................5

Outlook ...........................................................................................................................5

References Cited .............................................................................................................6

Appendix—Definitions...................................................................................................7

FIGURES

1. U.S. selenium materials flow in 2004............................................................ T2

2. U.S. selenium end-use patterns from 1975 through 2004 ................................4

TABLE

1. Salient statistics of U.S. selenium scrap in 2004........................................... T1

CONVERSION FACTORS

Multiply By To obtain

Mass

metric ton (t, 1,000 kg) 1.102 short ton (2,000 pounds)
T1

FLOW STUDIES FOR RECYCLING METAL COMMODITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

Selenium Recycling in the United States in 2004

By Micheal W. George and Lorie A. Wagner

recycled within the United States is difficult to estimate for 

a number of reasons. For example, ASARCO Incorporated 

(Asarco), Amarillo, Tex., was the only domestic producer of 

primary refined selenium in the United States in 2004, and 

its data are withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary 

information. There were no dedicated selenium recyclers in the 

United States in 2004, and because trade statistics for selenium 

are an aggregation of selenium metal, waste and scrap, and 

ABSTRACT

The vast majority of selenium consumption in the United 

States is in dissipative uses, such as alloys, animal feeds, 

fertilizers, glass decolorizer, and pigments. The nondissipative 

use as a photoreceptor for xerographic copiers is declining. As 

a result of a lack of a substantial supply of selenium-containing 

scrap, there are no longer selenium recycling facilities in the 

United States. Selenium-containing materials collected for 

recycling, primarily selenium-containing photocopier drums, 

are exported for processing in other countries. Of the estimated 

350 metric tons (t) of selenium products that went to the U.S. 

market in 2004, an estimated 300 t went to dissipative uses. An 

estimated 4 t was recovered from old scrap and exported for 

recycling.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this report is to discuss the flow of 

selenium within the U.S. economy and to show trends 

in consumption and recycling1

 of selenium in the United 

States. The selenium materials flow study presented in this 

paper provides a snapshot of the U.S. selenium recycling 

industry in 2004. As shown in figure 1 and table 1, there 

was no selenium recycling in the United States in 2004. The 

selenium-containing products that were captured for recycling 

were exported for recycling elsewhere. In the past, however, 

selenium-containing scrap was processed in the United States. 

In 1982, owing to the high cost of recovery and the decrease 

in the price of old scrap in 1981, domestic production of 

secondary selenium was discontinued (Jensen, 1987), and 

none has been produced since that date. As end-use technology 

changed (shift of selenium use in photocopier drums to the 

use of organic photoreceptor compounds), the selenium scrap 

source has diminished. Photocopier drums remain the main 

source of selenium containing scrap as 90 percent of selenium 

consumption goes into dissipative uses.

The data presented within this study are estimates because 

the amount of selenium that is produced, consumed, and 

1 Definitions for select words are found in the Appendix.

Table 1. Salient statistics of U.S. selenium scrap in 2004.

[In metric tons of selenium unless otherwise specified. XX, not applicable]

Old scrap:

Generated1........................................................................... XX

Consumed2 .......................................................................... 3

Value of old scrap consumed .............................................. XX

Recycling efficiency4 .......................................................... XX

Supply5 ................................................................................ 30

Unrecovered6....................................................................... XX

New scrap consumed7 ............................................................ 3

New-to-old-scrap ratio8.......................................................... XX

Recycling rate9 ....................................................................... XX

U.S. net exports of scrap10...................................................... 4

Value of U.S. net exports of scrap11 ....................................... $219,500

1

Selenium content of products theoretically becoming obsolete in the 

United States in 2004. It excludes dissipative uses.

2

Selenium content of products that were recycled in 2004 in the United 

States.

3

Less than 1⁄2 metric ton.

4

Old scrap consumed plus old scrap exported divided by old scrap generated plus old scrap imported.

5

Old scrap generated plus old scrap imported.

6

Old scrap generated plus old scrap imported minus old scrap consumed 

minus old scrap exported.

7

Including new (prompt) industrial scrap, but excluding home scrap.

8

Ratio of quantities consumed, in percent.

9

Fraction of the apparent selenium supply that is scrap, on an annual basis.

10Trade in scrap is assumed to be principally old scrap.

11On the basis of average value in 2004, trade in scrap is assumed to be 

principally in old scrap.
T2 FLOW STUDIES FOR RECYCLING METAL COMMODITIES IN THE UNITED STATES Figure 1. U.S. selenium materials flow in 2004. Values are in metric tons. NA, not available; W, withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary information. Scrap consumed <1⁄2 NA

W

W

W

<1⁄2

<1⁄2

<1⁄2

<1⁄2 <1⁄2

NA

30

NA

NA

412

350

160

320

4

DOMESTIC SUPPLY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SELENIUM DISTRIBUTION OF DOMESTIC SUPPLY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SELENIUM

Imports of selenium (includes 

unwrought metal, waste and 

scrap, and compounds)

412

Exports of selenium 

(includes unwrought metal 

and waste and scrap)

160

Fabrication

Processing 

losses

Selenium products 

to U.S. market

350

New prompt scrap 

generated

<1⁄2

Domestic production 

of selenium materials

W

Old scrap 

generated

Old scrap 

supply

Net change in 

selenium 

products 

reservoir

+NA

Unrecovered 

old scrap

Old scrap 

exports

4 Dissipative uses

320

New scrap 

exports

<1⁄2
SELENIUM RECYCLING IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2004 T3

compounds, the estimation of the precise amount of selenium 

scrap leaving the United States for processing elsewhere 

was difficult. Therefore the data presented within this study 

should be viewed as estimated.

The global consumption of selenium during 2004 

was estimated to have been about 2,700 t (George, 2006, 

p. 65.1). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated 

that the 2004 consumption of selenium by end use was as 

follows: glass manufacturing, 37 percent; chemicals and 

pigments, 20 percent; electronics, 10 percent; and other, 

including agriculture and metallurgy, 33 percent (George, 

2005, p. 146). Figure 2 illustrates the end-use patterns from 

1975 through 2004. World refinery production of primary 

selenium (excluding U.S. production) was estimated to 

be 1,330 t for 2004 (George, 2006, p. 65.3). Belgium, 

Canada, and Japan accounted for more than 77 percent of 

the total world refinery production of selenium (excluding 

U.S. production) (George, 2006, p. 65.10). About 250 t 

of secondary selenium is produced worldwide each year 

(George, 2006, p. 65.3). Secondary selenium is recovered 

from scrapped xerographic copier drums and selenium 

rectifiers; the selenium in nearly all other uses is dissipated 

(not recoverable as waste or scrap).

Selenium, which is one of the chalcogen elements in 

group 16 (or 6A) of the periodic table, is a semiconductor 

that is chemically similar to sulfur for which it substitutes 

in many minerals and synthetic compounds. It is recovered 

as a byproduct of copper refining and, to a much lesser 

extent, lead refining. It is used in many applications, the 

major ones being a decolorizer for glass, a metallurgical 

additive to free-machining varieties of ferrous and nonferrous 

alloys, a constituent in cadmium sulfoselenide pigments, a 

photoreceptor in xerographic copiers, and a semiconductor 

in electrical rectifiers and photocells (Butterman and Brown, 

2004, p. 4).

GLOBAL GEOLOGIC OCCURRENCE OF 

SELENIUM

Primary selenium is produced entirely as a byproduct 

of base-metal mining and processing. More than 90 percent 

of it is derived from copper ores, and most of the remaining 

10 percent, from lead ores. There are no selenium ores or 

ore deposits, but selenium is present as a minor constituent 

in scores of minerals, most of them sulfides. Although 

selenium is a dispersed element, it is also capable of forming 

a substantial number of minerals in which it is a main 

component; thus, geochemically, it has aspects of being 

both a dispersed and a mineral-forming element (Butterman 

and Brown, 2004, p. 7). Sindeeva (1964, p. 35–37) provided 

chemical formulas for 36 minerals that can be called 

selenium minerals (minerals in which selenium is a main 

component). A few of the better known examples, all 

selenides, are calusthalite (PbSe), crookesite [(Cu, Tl, Ag)2

Se], eucairite (CuAgSe), and naumannite (Ag2Se) (Stone 

and Caron, 1961).

The selenium reserves and reserve base figures 

published by the USGS are based solely on reserves and 

reserve base estimates for the main source of selenium—

copper ores—in which selenium substitutes for sulfur in 

sulfide minerals. The world reserve base is expected to be 

able to satisfy demand for selenium for several decades 

without difficulty (Butterman and Brown, 2004, p. 4). The 

part of copper resources that appears likely to be processed 

by leaching/electrowinning is not included because these 

methods do not recover selenium. The selenium estimates 

take into account typical recoveries of selenium per metric 

ton of primary electrolytically refined copper; only a part 

of the selenium content of anode slimes from that process 

is recovered (Butterman and Brown, 2004, p. 7). The 

estimates are derived from the copper resource figures by 

using the recovery factor 0.215 kilogram of selenium per 

metric ton of primary electrolytic copper recoverable from 

the resources; for Canada, where the selenium contents of 

copper ores are higher, the factor 0.64 kilogram per metric 

ton is used (Brown, 1996, p. 731). No estimate is available 

for total selenium resources, but coal deposits have been 

estimated to contain from 80 to 90 times more selenium 

than do copper deposits. Economic recovery of selenium 

from coal is considered to be unlikely in the foreseeable 

future (Butterman and Brown, 2004, p. 7).

PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND PROCESSES

Only one U.S. copper refinery, located in Texas, reported 

domestic production of primary selenium in 2004. One 

producer exported semirefined selenium (90-percent-pure 

selenium content) for toll-refining in Asia, and two other 

companies generated selenium-containing slimes, which 

were exported for processing. Most of the selenium recovered 

in the United States in 2004 came from copper mines in 

Arizona and Utah. In 2004, despite an increase in the price for 

selenium as global demand for the metal increased, domestic 

production of primary selenium decreased because of a 

disruption in domestic copper production. With higher prices 

it was estimated that domestic producers would reduced their 

inventories of refined and semirefined selenium material. Most 

domestic selenium is produced as commercial-grade metal, 

averaging a minimum of 99.5-percent-pure selenium, and is 

available in various forms. Commercial-grade selenium may 

also be further refined to make minimum 99.999-percentpure selenium for use in electronic applications (George, 

2006, p. 65.1).

In the processing of copper ores, selenium follows the 

flow of copper sulfide minerals through beneficiation process 

(crushed, ground, and floated) where it is concentrated 

along with copper and other metals. During smelting (a 

pyrometallugical process to liberate the copper from the 
T4 FLOW STUDIES FOR RECYCLING METAL COMMODITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

manufacturing, 130 t; chemicals and pigments, 70 t; electronics 

and photocopier components, 35 t; and other (including 

agricultural and metallurgical), 115 t (figure 2). Many of these 

end-use sectors are dissipative uses for selenium. The selenium 

contents of glass and free-machining alloys are too dispersive 

to be accounted for during recycling of those materials and are 

often volatilized during melting operations. Furthermore, during 

the recycling of these products, selenium-containing scrap is 

not segregated from other forms of scrap metal or glass, further 

diluting or dispersing these materials with low concentrations 

of selenium. Selenium pigments, fertilizers, animal feeds, 

chemicals, and pharmaceuticals are dissipated in the 

environment. Therefore, electronic uses are the principal source 

of old scrap and, in fact, a high percentage of the selenium used 

in document copiers and laser printers and possibly some of that 

used in rectifiers is recovered and reprocessed into secondary 

selenium (Butterman and Brown, 2004, p. 7–8). Photoreceptors 

on the drums of plain-paper copiers had been the leading single 

application for selenium during the 1970s and 1980s. However, 

organic photoreceptor compounds have replaced these highpurity selenium materials. Selenium rectifiers were invented in 

the 1930s to replace the vacuum tube; although they were more 

efficient, they had a shorter life span and were unreliable. They 

eventually were replaced by cheaper silicon rectifiers by the 

1960s. In 2004, selenium was used to make replacement parts 

for older copiers and specialty made-to-order selenium rectifiers 

(George, 2006, p. 65.2).

sulfur and iron) most of the selenium will reside in the copper 

anode, which is a semirefined copper material containing 99 

percent copper and a minor amount of other metals including 

selenium. The copper anode is electrolyticlly refined to form 

a copper cathode containing about 99.99 percent copper. 

Electrolytic refining uses a sulfate-base electrolyte for its 

role in dissolving copper from the anode and absorbing 

copper ions on the cathode. This type of electrolyte does not 

dissolve precious and other base metals, allowing them to 

accumulate along with refractory components at the bottom 

of the electrolytic cell as slime. The quantities of metals 

present in the slimes, such as bismuth, gold, selenium, silver, 

and tellurium, are dependent on their initial content in the 

anode material and, therefore, on the ores from which the 

copper concentrate originated. Slimes resulting from copper 

metal refining can have average selenium concentrations of 

10 percent and in a few cases as high as 40 percent. Much 

of the slimes are not processed to recover selenium (George, 

2006, p. 65.1).

SOURCES OF SECONDARY SELENIUM

OLD SCRAP GENERATED

An estimated 412 t selenium products entered the U.S. 

market in 2004, of which 350 t was consumed domestically 

and the balance was exported (fig. 1). The estimated amounts of 

selenium consumed in each end-use sector were as follows: glass 

Figure 2. U.S. selenium end-use patterns from 1975 through 2004. Source: Matos and George, 2005.

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

0

300

250

200

150

100

50

CONSUMPTION OF SELENIUM, IN METRIC TONS

TIME INTERVAL, IN YEARS

EXPLANATION

Glass manufacturing

Chemicals and pigments

Electronics and photocopier components

Other
SELENIUM RECYCLING IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2004 T5

The average life cycle of a photocopier is about 10 to 12 

years, and in the United States, copiers are often replaced in 

one-half that time as a trade-in or for refurbishing. During 

the trade-in or refurbishing, the selenium-coated drum is 

sometimes replaced. In 1999, it was estimated that 40 t of 

selenium went into photocopiers. Five years later, much 

of the selenium in these photocopiers became available 

for recycling. However, many of these copiers that contain 

selenium are exported either as used copiers or as electronic 

scrap. This makes it difficult to determine how much of the 

selenium is recycled in a given year. In 2004, it was estimated 

that 4 t of selenium waste and scrap was collected and 

disseminated as selenium waste and scrap. However, much 

of the selenium-containing products would be exported as 

electronic scrap, office equipment, copiers, or other waste 

and scrap, with no information of quantity of contained 

selenium, and were therefore not included in import and 

export statistics.

NEW SCRAP GENERATED

A small amount of scrap was generated at plants that 

use selenium in fabrication and at electronics manufacturing 

assembly facilities, but the amount was difficult to estimate 

reliably.

DISPOSITION OF SELENIUM SCRAP

In 2004, an estimated 4 t of selenium in scrap was 

recovered from electronics and photocopier components. 

Since there are no selenium recyclers in the United States, 

all the scrap recovered (photocopier drums) was exported 

for processing elsewhere. The export of selenium material 

(unwrought metal, waste and scrap) in 2004 decreased by 

36 percent compared with that of 2003. Reduced production 

and the export in 2003 by producers and consumers of most 

inventories to Southeast Asia left less material available 

for trade-in in 2004 (George, 2006, p. 65.3). Much of 

the selenium was exported to the Philippines for further 

processing and finally sold to China as refined material 

(George, 2005, p. 147).

OLD SCRAP RECYCLING EFFICIENCY

Recycling efficiency is the relation between what is 

theoretically available for recycling and what was recovered. 

This relation is defined as the amount of selenium recovered 

from old scrap domestically plus old scrap exports divided 

by the sum of old scrap generated and old scrap imports 

plus or minus old scrap stock changes, as applicable. For 

selenium, as there is no domestic recovery and no data 

on scrap stocks and scrap generated, it is impossible to 

calculate the recycling efficiency. All U.S. selenium scrap 

is exported for recycling.

INFRASTRUCTURE OF SELENIUM

SCRAP RECYCLING

Many old photocopiers are either traded in for new 

ones, where they are refurbished for resale, sent for 

recycling, or they enter waste streams. Originally the drums 

were sent to the drum manufacturer for recycling, but now 

they are exported. Recycling of selenium from drums of 

photocopiers has been a practice in the copier industry, but 

is no longer practical. Information on the commercial scale 

of such recycling was proprietary, but some insight of what 

may be a commercial process, appears in two U.S. patents 

by S.S. Badesha of Xerox Corporation. Prior to the 1990s, 

Xerox recycled selenium from photoconductive scrap 

including arsenic, selenium, and tellurium. This is no longer 

practiced since its photocopiers contain much less selenium 

than in the past (Moskowitz and Zweibel, 1992, p. 11). In 

the early 1980s, changes in photoreceptor design enabled 

Xerox to replace arsenic and selenium with new organic 

materials (Xerox Corporation, 2000, p. 13). As of the early 

1990s, domestic manufacturers sold their selenium scrap to 

selenium refiners, which was introduce their process stream 

and combine recycling with primary refining (Moskowitz 

and Zweibel, 1992, p. 11).

PROCESSING OF SELENIUM SCRAP

Nearly all secondary selenium, which may be as little 

as 100 metric tons per year worldwide, is recovered from 

xerographic photocopier drums. The selenium layer is either 

broken up mechanically, cleaned and remelted or dissolved 

in sodium sulfite or other solvents, which is recovered by 

precipitation (Roskill Information Services, 1988, p. 6).

OUTLOOK

Selenium supply is directly related to the production of 

copper, the main product from which it is derived, and to a 

lesser extent, by the production of lead. Selenium price is 

often inversely related to the supply of copper. For example, 

as a byproduct of copper refining, selenium prices typically 

fall during periods of high copper production, because of 

ore supply. In 2003 and 2004, however, the driving force 

behind the increased price was short supply brought on by 

a large growth in demand, as the production of copper grew 

only marginally. Since selenium price has little influence 

on copper production, an increase in selenium demand will 

not lead to an increase in the production of copper and its 

byproducts; however, an increase in selenium price does 

influence on its recovery rate from slimes (George, 2006, 

p. 65.4).

In 2005, domestic refined copper production, excluding 

leaching/electrowinning production, declined because of 
T6 FLOW STUDIES FOR RECYCLING METAL COMMODITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

REFERENCES CITED

Brown, R.D., Jr., 1996, Selenium and tellurium, in Metals and minerals: 

U.S. Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbook 1994, v. I, p. 731–736, 

accessed June 5, 2006, at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/

pubs/commodity/selenium/830496.pdf.

Butterman, W.C., and Brown, R.D., Jr., 2004, Mineral commodity 

profiles—Selenium: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 03–

018, 20 p., accessed June 5, 2006, at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/

of03-018/of03-018.pdf.

George, M.W., 2005, Selenium: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral 

Commodity Summaries 2005, p. 146–147.

George, M.W., 2006, Selenium and tellurium, in Metals and minerals: 

U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook 2004, v. I, p. 65.1–

65.11, accessed June 5, 2006, at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/

pubs/commodity/selenium/selenmyb04.pdf.

George, M.W., 2007, Selenium: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral 

Commodity Summaries 2007, p. 144–146.

Jensen, N.L., 1987, Selenium: U.S. Bureau of Mines Mineral 

Commodity Summaries 1987, p. 140–141.

Matos, G.R., and George, M.W., 2005, Selenium end-use statistics, 

in Kelly, T.D., and Matos, G.R., comps., Historical statistics for 

mineral and material commodities in the United States: U.S. 

Geological Survey Data Series 140, accessed June 5, 2006, at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/140/.

Moskowitz, P.D., and Zweibel, K., eds., 1992, Recycling of cadmium 

and selenium from photovoltaic modules and manufacturing 

wastes—A workshop report, Golden, Colo., March 11–12, 

1992: Upton, N.Y., Brookhaven National Laboratory Informal 

Report 47787, 101 p.

Roskill Information Services Ltd., 1988, The economics of selenium 

1988 (6th ed.): London, Roskill Information Services Ltd., 

90 p., 3 appendixes.

Sindeeva, N.D., 1964, Mineralogy and types of deposits of selenium 

and tellurium: New York, N.Y., Wiley and Sons, 363 p.

Stone, J.R., and Caron, P.E., 1961, Selenium, in Hampel, C.A., ed., 

Rare metals handbook (2d ed.): London, Reinhold, p. 447–458.

Xerox Corporation, 2000, Environment, health and safety 2000 

progress report: Webster, N.Y., Xerox Corporation, 32 p., 

accessed June 5, 2006, at http://www.xerox.com/downloads/

usa/en/e/ehs2000.pdf.

an extended strike and the bankruptcy filing by Asarco, the 

main domestic producer of selenium. In 2006, domestic 

copper refinery production in the United States recovered 

to 2003 levels; however, domestic selenium production 

was estimated to be lower in 2006 than in 2003 because 

of Asarco bankruptcy. World copper production increased 

during both 2005 and 2006, resulting in an increase in 

the global production of selenium. Many companies were 

investigating ways to increase selenium production or 

find untapped sources of selenium. However, many of the 

newer copper mines have lower selenium content than 

older mines. In addition, although the production of copper 

anodes increased in 2005 and 2006, an increasing share of 

the world’s supply of refined copper came from the leaching 

and electrowinning of copper ores. This process does not 

provide for the recovery of contained selenium and will 

continue to constrain the future supply of selenium (George, 

2006, p. 65.4).

Demand for selenium in photoreceptors is likely to 

continue to decline as the cost decreases for substituting 

organic compounds (George, 2006, p. 65.4). However, 

while the use of selenium in photoreceptors has been 

declining, other electronic uses for selenium, including a 

slight resurgence in rectifiers and new uses in photoelectric 

applications, have been increasing (George, 2006, p. 65.2). 

As electronics recycling continues to increase in the United 

States, a small amount of selenium could become available 

(George, 2007, p. 144).

Though there was promising prostate cancer research 

and other health benefits of selenium dosages taken directly 

for human consumption, these uses will not induce large 

increases in demand for the metal because only minute 

quantities are necessary for effective therapy. However, 

there could be an increase in selenium demand if selenium is 

increasingly applied to the soil for adsorption by crops grown 

for consumption by humans and livestock. Selenium could 

also be introduced to livestock as a supplement (George, 

2006, p. 65.4). However, as this is a dissipative use it would 

be expected to lower the recycling rate.
SELENIUM RECYCLING IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2004 T7

APPENDIX—DEFINITIONS

apparent consumption. Primary plus secondary production 

(old scrap) plus imports minus exports plus adjustments 

for U.S. Government and industry stock changes.

apparent supply. Apparent consumption plus consumption 

of new scrap.

dissipative use. A use in which the metal is dispersed 

or scattered, such as in paints or fertilizers, making it 

exceptionally difficult and costly to recover and recycle.

new scrap. Scrap produced during the manufacture of 

metals and articles for both intermediate and ultimate 

consumption, including all defective finished or 

semifinished articles that must be reworked. Examples 

of new scrap are borings, castings, clippings, drosses, 

skims, and turnings. New scrap includes scrap generated 

at facilities that consume old scrap. Included as new scrap 

is prompt industrial scrap—scrap obtained from a facility 

separate from the recycling refiner, smelter, or processor. 

Excluded from new scarp is home scrap that is generated 

as process scrap and used in the same plant.

old scrap. Scrap including (but not limited to) metal articles 

that have been discarded after serving a useful purpose. 

Typical examples of old scrap are electrical wiring, 

lead-acid batteries, silver from photographic materials, 

metals from shredded cars and appliances, used 

aluminum beverage cans, spent catalysts, and tool bits. 

This is also referred to as postconsumer scrap and may 

originate from industry or the general public. Expended 

or obsolete materials used dissipatively, such as paints 

and fertilizers, are not included.

old scrap generated. Metal content of products theoretically 

becoming obsolete in the United States in the year of 

consideration, excluding dissipative uses.

old scrap recycling efficiency. Amount of old scrap 

recovered and reused relative to the amount available to 

be recovered and reused. Defined as [consumption of old 

scrap (COS) plus exports of old scrap (OSE)] divided 

by [old scrap generated (OSG) plus imports of old scrap 

(OSI) plus a decrease in old scrap stocks (OSS) or minus 

an increase in old scrap stocks], measure in weight and 

expressed as a percentage:

old scrap supply. Old scrap generated plus old scrap 

imported plus old scrap stock decrease.

recycling. Reclamation of a metal in usable form from 

scrap or waste. This includes recovery as the refined 

metal or as alloys, mixtures, or compounds that are 

useful. Examples of reclamation are recovery of 

alloying metals (or other base metals) in steel, recovery 

of antimony in battery lead, recovery of copper in 

copper sulfate, and even the recovery of a metal where 

it is not desired but can be tolerated—such as tin from 

tinplate scrap that is incorporated in small quantities 

(and accepted) in some steels, only because the cost 

of removing it from tinplate scrap is too high and (or) 

tin stripping plants are too few. In all cases, what is 

consumed is the recoverable metal content of scrap.

scrap consumption. Scrap added to the production flow of a 

metal or metal product.

unrecovered old scrap. Old scrap supply minus old scrap 

consumed minus old scrap exported minus old scrap 

stock increase.