How can cobalt be used

Alnico magnets can be found in hearing aids, compasses and microphones. Cutting tools can be made with stellite alloys, which contain cobalt, chromium and tungsten. Cobalt is used in electroplating, a process in which a layer of material is applied to an object to give it a particular aesthetic or protective quality.

Cobalt provides objects with an attractive surface that prevents rusting. Cobalt improves the performance of rechargeable batteries and plays an important role in hybrid electric vehicles. Cobalt alloys are used in orthopedic implants alongside titanium and stainless steel. The Idaho Cobalt Project states that approximately 70 percent of hip replacements use cobalt-chrome femoral stems. Cobalt, a radioactive form of the element, can treat some forms of cancer.

The substance can also sterilize medical supplies. Cobalt chloride, sulfate, acetate or nitrate can correct mineral deficiency in grazing animals living on cobalt-deficient soil. The alliance recently teamed up with RCS Global Group , a company that specializes in responsible sourcing of materials, to expand assessment, monitoring and improvement of artisanal and small-scale cobalt mining practices in the DRC.

The aim is to increase the transparency of the supply chain, with the hope that this will lead to safer, less exploitative practices in those mines. Alliance vice president Leah Butler says the world can draw on past experience with tungsten, tin, tantalum and gold — the so-called 3TG conflict minerals — to avoid the same mistakes with cobalt.

And it is generating change. The programs help refiners to assess baseline conditions in the mines they source cobalt from and work with those mines to improve conditions, for example by implementing zero-tolerance policies around child and forced labor.

But have these commitments made a difference on the ground in the DRC? Dummett says there are positive signs of change. Such mines, he says, are also closed off to ensure children do not enter. Another government initiative, he says, is to create official areas where artisanal mining can take place, which lends the mines a legitimacy that makes it easier for miners to form cooperatives, borrow money and bring in bigger equipment to make mining safer. Another avenue being explored to reduce adverse impacts of cobalt extraction is improved recycling , which would reduce the need for mining in the first place.

In February , the U. Department of Energy invested in a pilot plant called the ReCell Center to explore cost-effective ways to reclaim the lithium and cobalt from lithium ion batteries. Meanwhile, the U. A new pilot plant operated by Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Photo courtesy of Sumitomo Metal Mining. Cobalt is often found in areas with high levels of arsenic, which is why it's important to know what kind of products contain this metal. Since cobalt is a metal, it's commonly found in alloys i.

Any jewelry that is purchased for very cheap or from overseas contains a high level of cobalt. Since cobalt allergies are on the rise, it is important to know where your jewelry is coming from. This type of alloy can cause rashes from necklaces, bracelets, rings or any other type of jewelry that contains cobalt. Cobalt is also found in cheap face paints, body glitter, and eye shadows. Cobalt is an element that occurs naturally in the environment in air, water, soil, rocks, plants and animals.

It may also enter air and water and settle on land through wind-blown dust and enter surface water through run-off when rainwater runs through soil and rock containing cobalt. Humans add cobalt by releasing small amounts into the atmosphere from coal combustion and mining, processing of cobalt-containing ores and the production and use of cobalt chemicals. The radioactive isotopes of cobalt are not present in the environment naturally, but they are released through nuclear power plant operations and nuclear accidents.

Because they have relatively short half-lives they are not particularly dangerous. Cobalt cannot be destroyed once it has entered the environment. It may react with other particles or adsorb on soil particles or water sediments. Cobalt will only mobilize under acidic conditions, but ultimately most cobalt will end up in soils and sediments.

Soils that contain very low amounts of cobalt may grow plants that have a deficiency of cobalt. When animals graze on these grounds they suffer from lack of cobalt, which is essential for them.

On the other hand, soils near mining and melting facilities may contain very high amounts of cobalt, so that the uptake by animals through eating plants can cause health effects. Cobalt will accumulate in plants and in the bodies of animals that eat these plants, but cobalt is not known to bio magnify up the food chain.

Because of this fruits, vegetables, fish and other animals we eat will usually not contain very high amounts of cobalt. Back to chart periodic elements. More from 'Elements'. Toggle navigation.