Editing Zirconium (section)

==Applications==
Approximately 900,000 tonnes of zirconium ores were mined in 1995, mostly as zircon.<ref name="Ullmann" />

Most zircon is used directly in high-temperature applications. Because it is refractory, hard, and resistant to chemical attack, zircon finds many applications. Its main use is as an opacifier, conferring a white, opaque appearance to ceramic materials. Because of its chemical resistance, zircon is also used in aggressive environments, such as moulds for molten metals.<ref name="Ullmann" />

[[Zirconium dioxide]] (ZrO<sub>2</sub>) is used in laboratory crucibles, in metallurgical furnaces, and as a refractory material<ref name="CRC2008" /> Because it is mechanically strong and flexible, it can be [[sintered]] into [[ceramic knife|ceramic knives]] and other blades.<ref name="kyo">{{cite web |title= Fine ceramics – zirconia |publisher= Kyocera Inc. |url=http://global.kyocera.com/prdct/fc/list/material/zirconia/zirconia.html}}</ref> Zircon (ZrSiO<sub>4</sub>) and [[cubic zirconia]] (ZrO<sub>2</sub>) are cut into gemstones for use in jewelry. Zirconium dioxide is a component in some [[abrasive]]s, such as grinding wheels and [[sandpaper]].<ref name="greenwood" /> Zircon is also used in [[Detrital zircon geochronology|dating of rocks]] from about the time of the Earth's formation through the measurement of its inherent [[Radionuclide|radioisotopes]], most often [[uranium]] and [[lead]].<ref>{{multiref2|{{cite journal|last1=Davis|first1=Donald W.|last2=Williams|first2=Ian S.|last3=Krogh|first3=Thomas E.|year=2003|title=Historical development of U-Pb geochronology|editor=Hanchar, J.M. |editor2=Hoskin, P.W.O.|journal=Zircon: Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry|volume=53|pages=145–181|url=http://people.uncw.edu/lamaskint/GLY%20445-545%20FALL%202013/Davis%20et%20al%20Historical%20Development%20of%20Zircon%20Geochronology.pdf|doi=10.2113/0530145}}|{{cite journal|author1=Kosler, J.|author2=Sylvester, P.J.|year=2003|title=Present trends and the future of zircon in U-Pb geochronology: laser ablation ICPMS|editor=Hanchar, J.M. |editor2=Hoskin, P.W.O.|journal=Zircon: Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry|volume=53|issue=1|pages=243–275|doi=10.2113/0530243|bibcode=2003RvMG...53..243K}}|{{cite journal|author1=Fedo, C. M.|author2=Sircombe, K. N.|author3=Rainbird, R. H.|year=2003|title=Detrital zircon analysis of the sedimentary record|journal=Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry|volume=53|issue=1|pages=277–303|doi=10.2113/0530277|bibcode=2003RvMG...53..277F}}}}</ref>

{{Further information|Zirconium alloys}}

A small fraction of the zircon is converted to the metal, which finds various niche applications. Because of zirconium's excellent resistance to corrosion, it is often used as an alloying agent in materials that are exposed to aggressive environments, such as surgical appliances, light filaments, and watch cases. The high reactivity of zirconium with oxygen at high temperatures is exploited in some specialised applications such as explosive primers and as [[getter]]s in [[vacuum tube]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rogers |first=Alfred |year=1946 |title=Use of Zirconium in the Vacuum Tube |journal=Transactions of the Electrochemical Society |volume=88 |page=207 |doi=10.1149/1.3071684}}</ref> Zirconium powder is used as a degassing agent in electron tubes, while zirconium wire and sheets are utilized for grid and [[anode]] supports.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.refractorymetal.org/the-magic-industrial-vitamin-zirconium-metal/ |title=Zirconium Metal: The Magic Industrial Vitamin |website=Advanced Refractory Metals |access-date=Oct 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Ferrando |first=W.A. |year=1988 |title=Processing and use of zirconium based materials |journal=Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=195–231 |doi=10.1080/10426918808953203}}</ref> Burning zirconium was used as a light source in some [[flash (photography)#Flashbulbs|photographic flashbulbs]]. Zirconium powder with a [[Mesh (scale)|mesh size]] from 10 to 80 is occasionally used in pyrotechnic compositions to generate [[Spark (fire)|sparks]]. The high reactivity of zirconium leads to bright white sparks.<ref name="stars">{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e4GOAIA8HaEC&pg=PA49 |title=Pyrotechnic Spark Generation |author1=Kosanke, Kenneth L. |author2=Kosanke, Bonnie J. |pages=49–62 |journal=Journal of Pyrotechnics |isbn=978-1-889526-12-6 |year=1999 }}</ref>

=== Nuclear applications ===

Cladding for nuclear reactor fuels consumes about 1% of the zirconium supply,<ref name="Ullmann" /> mainly in the form of [[zircaloy]]s. The desired properties of these alloys are a low neutron-capture [[neutron cross-section|cross-section]] and resistance to corrosion under normal service conditions.<ref name="madehow">{{cite web |title= Zirconium |work= How Products Are Made |publisher= Advameg Inc. |date= 2007 |url=http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Zirconium.html |access-date= 2008-03-26}}</ref><ref name="CRC2008" /> Efficient methods for removing the hafnium impurities were developed to serve this purpose.<ref name="Stwertka" />

One disadvantage of zirconium alloys is the reactivity with water, producing [[hydrogen]], leading to degradation of the [[nuclear fuel#Common physical forms of nuclear fuel|fuel rod cladding]]:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Motta |first1=Arthur T. |last2=Capolungo |first2=Laurent |last3=Chen |first3=Long-Qing |last4=Cinbiz |first4=Mahmut Nedim |last5=Daymond |first5=Mark R. |last6=Koss |first6=Donald A. |last7=Lacroix |first7=Evrard |last8=Pastore |first8=Giovanni |last9=Simon |first9=Pierre-Clément A. |last10=Tonks |first10=Michael R. |last11=Wirth |first11=Brian D.|author11-link=Brian Wirth |last12=Zikry |first12=Mohammed A. |date=May 2019 |title=Hydrogen in zirconium alloys: A review |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022311518316763 |journal=Journal of Nuclear Materials |language=en |volume=518 |pages=440–460 |doi=10.1016/j.jnucmat.2019.02.042|bibcode=2019JNuM..518..440M }}</ref>

:{{chem2 | Zr + 2 H2O -> ZrO2 + 2 H2 }}

Hydrolysis is very slow below 100&nbsp;°C, but rapid at temperature above 900&nbsp;°C. Most metals undergo similar reactions. The redox reaction is relevant to the instability of [[nuclear fuel|fuel assemblies]] at high temperatures.<ref>Gillon, Luc (1979). ''Le nucléaire en question'', Gembloux Duculot, French edition.</ref> This reaction occurred in the reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the [[Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant]] (Japan) after the reactor cooling was interrupted by the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami|earthquake and tsunami]] disaster of March 11, 2011, leading to the [[Fukushima I nuclear accidents]]. After venting the hydrogen in the maintenance hall of those three reactors, the mixture of hydrogen with atmospheric [[oxygen]] exploded, severely damaging the installations and at least one of the containment buildings.<ref name="IAEA2015">{{cite book |url=https://www.iaea.org/publications/10962/the-fukushima-daiichi-accident |title=The Fukushima Daiichi accident |date=2015 |publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency |isbn=978-92-0-107015-9 |series=STI/PUB |location=Vienna, Austria |pages=37–42}}</ref>

Zirconium is a constituent of [[uranium zirconium hydride]]s, nuclear fuels used in [[research reactor]]s.<ref>{{multiref2|{{Cite journal |last1=Tsuchiya |first1=B. |last2=Huang |first2=J. |last3=Konashi |first3=K. |last4=Teshigawara |first4=M. |last5=Yamawaki |first5=M. |date=March 2001 |title=Thermophysical properties of zirconium hydride and uranium–zirconium hydride |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022311501004202 |journal=Journal of Nuclear Materials |language=en |volume=289 |issue=3 |pages=329–333 |doi=10.1016/S0022-3115(01)00420-2|bibcode=2001JNuM..289..329T }}|{{Cite journal |last1=Olander |first1=D. |last2=Greenspan |first2=Ehud |last3=Garkisch |first3=Hans D. |last4=Petrovic |first4=Bojan |date=August 2009 |title=Uranium–zirconium hydride fuel properties |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0029549309001745 |journal=Nuclear Engineering and Design |language=en |volume=239 |issue=8 |pages=1406–1424 |doi=10.1016/j.nucengdes.2009.04.001|bibcode=2009NuEnD.239.1406O }}}}</ref>

=== Space and aeronautic industries ===

Materials fabricated from zirconium metal and ZrO<sub>2</sub> are used in space vehicles where resistance to heat is needed.<ref name="Stwertka">{{cite book|last=Stwertka|first=Albert|title=A Guide to the Elements|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=1996|pages=117–119 |isbn= 978-0-19-508083-4}}</ref>

High temperature parts such as combustors, blades, and vanes in [[jet engine]]s and stationary [[gas turbine]]s are increasingly being protected by thin [[ceramic]] layers and/or paintable coatings, usually composed of a mixture of zirconia and [[yttria]].<ref>{{multiref2|{{cite journal|doi= 10.1115/1.2906801|title= The Evolution of Thermal Barrier Coatings in Gas Turbine Engine Applications|date= 1994|last1= Meier|first1= S. M.|last2= Gupta|first2= D. K.|journal= Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power|volume= 116|pages= 250–257|s2cid= 53414132}}|{{Cite journal |last=Allison |first=S. W. |title=37th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit |url=https://technicalreports.ornl.gov/cppr/y2001/pres/112377.pdf |journal=AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference |archive-date=2023-08-27 |access-date=2023-08-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827185802/https://technicalreports.ornl.gov/cppr/y2001/pres/112377.pdf |url-status=dead }}}}</ref>

Zirconium is also used as a material of first choice for [[hydrogen peroxide]] ({{chem2|H2O2}}) tanks, propellant lines, valves, and thrusters, in [[Spacecraft propulsion|propulsion space systems]] such as these equipping the [[Sierra Space]]'s [[Dream Chaser]] [[spaceplane]]<ref name="Clark2023" /> where the [[thrust]] is provided by the [[combustion]] of [[kerosene]] and hydrogen peroxide, a powerful, but unstable, [[oxidizer]]. The reason is that zirconium has an excellent [[Corrosion#Resistance to corrosion|corrosion resistance]] to {{chem2|H2O2}} and, above all, do not [[catalysis|catalyse]] its spontaneous self-decomposition as the [[ion]]s of many [[transition metal]]s do.<ref name="Clark2023">{{cite web | last=Clark | first=Stephen | title=After decades of dreams, a commercial spaceplane is almost ready to fly | website=Ars Technica | date=2023-11-01 | url=https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/11/after-decades-of-dreams-a-commercial-spaceplane-is-almost-ready-to-fly/ | access-date=2023-11-03}}</ref><ref name="Zircadyne">{{cite web | author= ATI Materials | title=Zircadyne® 702/705 in Hydrogen Peroxide | url=https://www.atimaterials.com/Products/Documents/datasheets/zirconium/alloy/zircadyne_702_705_in_hydrogen_peroxide_v1.pdf | work= atimaterials | access-date=2023-11-03}}</ref>

=== Medical uses ===

Zirconium-bearing compounds are used in many biomedical applications, including dental implants and [[crown (dentistry)|crowns]], knee and hip replacements, middle-ear [[ossicles|ossicular]] chain reconstruction, and other restorative and [[prosthesis|prosthetic]] devices.<ref name="Lee" />

Zirconium binds [[urea]], a property that has been utilized extensively to the benefit of patients with [[chronic kidney disease]].<ref name="Lee" /> For example, zirconium is a primary component of the [[sorbent]] column dependent dialysate regeneration and recirculation system known as the REDY system, which was first introduced in 1973. More than 2,000,000 [[Kidney dialysis|dialysis]] treatments have been performed using the sorbent column in the REDY system.<ref>Ash SR. Sorbents in treatment of uremia: A short history and a great future. 2009 Semin Dial 22: 615–622</ref> Although the REDY system was superseded in the 1990s by less expensive alternatives, new sorbent-based dialysis systems are being evaluated and approved by the U.S. [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA). Renal Solutions developed the DIALISORB technology, a portable, low water dialysis system. Also, developmental versions of a Wearable Artificial Kidney have incorporated sorbent-based technologies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kooman |first=Jeroen Peter |date=2024-03-20 |title=The Revival of Sorbents in Chronic Dialysis Treatment |journal=Seminars in Dialysis |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=54–61 |language=en |doi=10.1111/sdi.13203 |issn=0894-0959|doi-access=free |pmid=38506130 |pmc=11867157 }}</ref>

[[Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate]] is used by mouth in the treatment of [[hyperkalemia]]. It is a selective sorbent designed to trap [[potassium]] ions in preference to other [[ions]] throughout the gastrointestinal tract.<ref>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1056/NEJMe1414112 |pmid= 25415806 |title= A New Era for the Treatment of Hyperkalemia? |journal= New England Journal of Medicine |volume= 372 |issue= 3 |pages= 275–7 |year= 2015 |last1= Ingelfinger |first1= Julie R.}}</ref>

Mixtures of monomeric and polymeric Zr<sup>4+</sup> and Al<sup>3+</sup> complexes with [[hydroxide]], [[chloride]] and [[glycine]], called [[Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly|aluminium zirconium glycine]] salts, are used in a preparation as an [[antiperspirant]] in many [[deodorant]] products. It has been used since the early 1960s, as it was determined more efficacious as an antiperspirant than contemporary active ingredients such as [[aluminium chlorohydrate]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Laden |first=Karl |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0FZDwAAQBAJ |title=Antiperspirants and Deodorants |date=January 4, 1999 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-4822-2405-4 |pages=137–144 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Defunct applications ===

Zirconium carbonate (3ZrO<sub>2</sub>·CO<sub>2</sub>·H<sub>2</sub>O) was used in lotions to treat [[poison ivy]] but was discontinued because it occasionally caused skin reactions.<ref name="nbb">{{cite book |last= Emsley |first= John |title= Nature's Building Blocks |publisher= Oxford University Press |date= 2001 |location= Oxford |pages= 506–510 |isbn= 978-0-19-850341-5}}</ref>