Element 52 · Metalloid
Tellurium
Tellurium powers thin-film solar cells and improves the machinability of steel.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Te
ATOMIC NO.
52
ATOMIC WEIGHT
127.60
CATEGORY
Metalloid
PERIOD
Period 5
GROUP
Group 16
Historical Uses
Tellurium was discovered in 1782 by Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein, an Austrian mining inspector, in a Transylvanian gold ore from the Facˇbai mine. It was named “Tellus” (Earth) by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, who confirmed the discovery in 1798. For much of the 19th–20th centuries it was used in vulcanising rubber and as an additive to improve the machinability of copper alloys.
Current Uses
Tellurium’s primary current use is in cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar panels, made by First Solar — one of the leading solar panel manufacturers globally. Other uses include thermoelectric cooling devices, phase-change memory alloys (in rewritable optical discs and non-volatile RAM), and as a free-machining additive in steel and copper. It is one of the rarest stable solid elements.
Not Commercially Viable for Scrap
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Tellurium:
Tellurium is one of the rarest solid elements on Earth (rarer than platinum in the Earth’s crust), produced only as a trace byproduct of copper refining from anode slimes. It does not appear in general scrap streams and requires specialist processing at copper refineries.
Price Context
Tellurium trades at approximately £25–75/kg, tightly linked to CdTe solar panel manufacturing cycles and copper refining volumes. China dominates production. Not traded at scrap yards.