Bismuth resources, reserves and production-Metalpedia

Bismuth, at an estimated 8 parts per billion by weight, ranks 69th in elemental abundance in the Earth’s crust and is about twice as abundant as gold. World reserves of bismuth are usually based on bismuth content of lead resources because bismuth production is most often a byproduct of processing lead ores; in China, bismuth production is a byproduct of tungsten and other metal ore processing. Bismuth minerals rarely occur in mines that produced bismuth from a bismuth ore. (source: USGS)
The most common bismuth minerals are bismuthinite(Bi2S3) and bismite(α-Bi2O3), which are found in minute quantities within other metals’ ores. The Tasna mine in Bolivia, which has the largest deposits of bismuth, and one mine in China are the only mines that have produced bismuth from a bismuth ore.
Pure bismuth can also be obtained by reducing the oxide with carbon or by roasting the sulfide in the presence of charcoal and metallic iron to remove the sulfur.
Abundances of bismuth in various environments
In this table of abundances, values are given in units of ppb (parts per billion; 1 billion = 109), both in terms of weight and in terms of numbers of atoms.

According to the latest data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), bismuth resources globally are estimated at 680,000 tones, with the majority located in China, Bolivia and Mexico.
World bismuth reserves are estimated at 320,000 tonnes. China has the world’s largest quantity of bismuth reserves, with a total of 240,000 tones, which accounts for 75% of the world total. It has a reserve base of around 470,000 tonnes, taking a 69% worldwide share. Bolivia and Mexico each have 10,000 tonnes, while the US and Canada both possess 5000 tonnes.

In China, bismuth is scattered across 13 provinces and autonomous regions, with Hunan, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces standing in the first three places in terms of reserves, adding up to 85% of the domestic total. Following the three major reserve bases are Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, Fujian, Guangxi, and Gansu.

The important mineral sources of bismuth are bismite (Bi2O3), bismuthinite (Bi2S3) and bismutits. Tasna mine in Bolivia and a mine at China are the only ones that produce bismuth from these bismuth ores. The world reserves of bismuth containing ore stands at 320,000 tonnes and the reserve base is estimated to be 680,000 tonnes. The mined bismuth content production in 2013 can be seen in the table below.
In 2013, worldwide total bismuth mining production was 7,600 tonnes, falling 0.7% (600 tonnes) compared with last year’s figure of 8,200 tonnes. China remains the biggest bismuth producer, with a total production of 6,500 tonnes, which accounts for 86% of the world total, down by 500 tonnes year-on-year. Mexico produced 940 tonnes of bismuth in 2013, while other countries failed to reach 100 tonnes.
Most bismuth is produced from mines in China, Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia. Only one Bolivian mine is a primary bismuth mine; in other countries the bismuth is a by-product of mining other metals. In addition, an important part of world production comes from the small amount of bismuth in the ores of other metals, which is recovered in Belgium and Japan from foreign ores which are shipped to those countries for smelting. The United States does not produce any bismuth, except for small amounts through recycling. Recycled bismuth makes up less than 10% of U.S. consumption.

In China, bismuth is produced as a by-product of tungsten. During 2012, China produced 6,500 tonnes, making up 86% of total world production, so China plays a very important role in the world bismuth market.
Bismuth production had never reached 1,000 tonnes before 2004, but since the price jumped in that year, the production has soared, thanks also to minor deposits contributed by Chenchow, Hunan; Ganzhou, Jiangxi and Gejiu, Yunna. Price-boosting companies started to recycle bismuth from lead anode slime, copper fumes, and tin anode slime. In addition, China imports bismuth raw materials form the US, Peru, Canada and Belgium.