THE
S I L V E R
I N S T I T U T E
EL
I N S T I T U T O
DE LA PLATA
Fourth Quarter 2008
In mid-2009 a major laptop maker will release the first computer designed to use
silver-zinc batteries, according to Ross Dueber, chief executive of ZPower
(www.zpowerbattery.com), a company that produces silver-zinc batteries.
The battery will afford the user more operating time and be environmentally
friendlier compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, says Dueber.
He notes that users can expect up to 40 percent more run time than traditional
lithium-ion batteries. With recent improvements in battery cycle life, silver-zinc batteries
achieve 200+ cycles at 100 percent discharge and thousands of cycles at intermediate
discharge. He notes that over 95 percent of key battery elements can be recycled and
reused because the raw materials recovered in the recycling process of silver-zinc
batteries are the same quality as those that went into the battery’s creation. In addition,
Dueber says that silver-zinc batteries are safer than lithium batteries because they are
non-flammable and not subject to flame-ups as reported for some laptop computer
batteries.
“Today’s consumer has the ability to watch an entire movie on a palm-sized device --
but portable power technology has not kept up,” says Dueber. “Engineers admit that they
are hitting the wall on lithium polymer and lithium-ion performance. Unstable lithiumion
batteries have resulted in a high number of product recalls by manufacturers of
notebook computers. These market trends are creating a pressing need for a better
battery.”
Camarillo, California-based ZPower, Inc. was previously named Zinc Matrix Power,
but changed its name in 2007 to better support its marketing efforts.
Silver-Zinc Battery Being
Readied for Laptop
The first silver-zinc battery for laptops is expected soon.
Z P O W E R
Silver Demand Up This Year; 2008 Price to
Average Over $15: GFMS Interim Market Review
G F M S
Silver Prices are expected to rally in the short
term as investor interest returns, according
to Philip Klapwijk, Chairman of GFMS Limited.
Speaking in November at the annual New York
Silver Dinner organized by The Silver Institute,
Klapwijk presented GFMS’s Interim Silver Market
Review.
Highlights of the Review include:
• Fabrication demand is projected to rise 1 percent
this year. For jewelry, many consumers are
buying silver at gold’s expense. Indian demand
has also surged in recent months on lower local
silver prices.
• Mine production is forecast to rise about 5 million ounces (171 tons) or just under 1 percent this year.
• Increasing mine supply should be offset by lower scrap supply and government sales.
• A rebound in investment is expected within the next few months in contrast to a weaker 2007, and should drive the silver price
higher again. Demand for silver-backed ETFs and, especially, bullion coins has grown.
• For the first ten months of 2008, the silver price averaged $15.93, up 21 percent year-on-year, and will remain volatile in 2009.
The review is available for free on The Silver Institute’s website: www.silverinstitute.org.
Silver Sanitizes Municipal Garbage Trucks
By Samuel Etris, Senior Technical Consultant to
The Silver Institute
UK-based T.P. Technology (http://www.tarn-pure.com), a
provider of Tarn-Pure systems which sanitize water
systems for hundreds of hospital and elder care centers, has
provided a silver-copper sanitation system to clean about 100
Birmingham, UK, garbage trucks.
Garbage trucks accumulate huge colonies of bacteria, and
normal hosing between runs is insufficient to sanitize them.
This system treats the water used to wash the vehicles, which
not only protects the truck from germs but also protects
operators and drivers who may inhale water droplets infected
with maladies such as Legionnaires Disease.
Currently, T.P. Technology supplies systems to sanitize
garbage trucks at two sites in Birmingham where trucks are
washed out after dumping their loads. In the UK, wash water
must be conserved for reuse, so the collected water is run
through a cyclonic separator to remove solids and a carbon
filter to remove organic material, then into a storage tank.
Normally untreated, tests of such stored rinse water reveal
high levels of bacteria.
T.P. Technology’s silver-copper ion generating systems are
inserted in the line to the storage tank thus providing
immediate antibacterial action which continues into the
storage tank and into the wash water, which then sanitizes
newly-emptied garbage trucks. Because antibacterial metal
ions do not evaporate under even the hottest conditions, the
recycling silver and copper ions exert almost permanent
sanitation in the water until the bacteria have exhausted them;
thus the system is continuously prevented from becoming
saturated with bacteria.
Silver/copper ion sanitation systems have found wide
use in sanitizing water within the United Kingdom. In
Northern Ireland, a large supplier of packaged lettuce and
leafy vegetables to major grocery store chains uses a spray of
silver/copper ions to sanitize produce without using chlorine.
Tests by UK’s Leatherhead Food Research Association to meet
European Union health standards have shown that not only is
the lettuce free of bacteria following washing with silvercopper
ions, but that the shelf life is extended by about two
days.
7th China International Conference Draws
Over 300 Attendees
More than 300 people attended The 7th China
International Silver Conference (CISC) in the City of
Haikou, in Hainan Province, on November 6 - 8, 2008.
Attendees enjoyed the Welcome Dinner on the first day,
followed by a full day of conference speakers and then
dinner. There was a half-day session on the last day.
The Silver Institute worked with conference organizers,
the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, on the
speakers program and agenda. Presentations on various
aspects of silver were made by representatives from Barclays
Capital, GFMS, International Assets, China Nonferrous
Metals Industry Association, China General Chamber of
Commerce, the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals
Minerals & Chemicals Importers and Exporters (CCCMC),
Academy Corporation, ScotiaMocatta, the CPM group, and
other Chinese and Asian silver market participants.
SI Gala Celebrates Sterling Silver’s
Renaissance Among Trend-Setting Designers
The Silver Institute hosted a campaign rollout in New York City
designed to target the growing interest in sterling silver as a hip
and affordable jewelry choice among fashion trendsetters.
The December 3rd event attracted more than 100 people from the
consumer and trade media as well as cutting-edge designers and
representatives from LAGOS, Robert Lee Morris, Scott Kay, Slane &
Slane, Robin Rotenier, Thistle & Bee, ELLE, Zina, Leslie Greene, and
Paz Collective. The event was hosted by the Silver Marketing Initiative
(SMI), the jewelry marketing arm of The Silver Institute.
The star-studded fete was timed to dovetail with an increased use
among jewelry designers – some of whom have never worked in
silver – to take advantage of the white metal’s emerging cachet among
fashion-conscious consumers, especially those who are turning away
from gold. “Many style-conscious
consumers are increasingly
adding fine silver jewelry to their
wardrobes with the same ferocity as designer shoes, handbags, and other accessories,”
said Michael Barlerin, Director of the Silver Institute’s SMI. He added: “Sterling silver
allows you to keep up with your favorite fashion trends by offering the wearer a range of
looks from clean and sleek to antiqued or edgy. Although silver jewelry is often thought of
as classic and everyday casual wear, sterling silver pieces embellished with diamonds,
gemstones, and interesting finishes lend themselves to a more glamorous evening look.”
The Silver Institute is planning to bolster its marketing initiative with a website
www.savorsilver.com where visitors can learn about designers’ unique points-of-view and
link to their websites to see a more complete gallery of their work. During 2009, the
website is expected to include a Press Room with “As Seen On” images of silver jewelry
choices of celebrities and widely-known fashion influencers. The major jewelry trade
shows, the jewelry equivalent of “Fashion Week,” also will be covered along with the latest
fashion trends. An editorial review board will vet designers, looking for those who exhibit
inventive, unique and distinctive design direction. These selected designers will be named
“Designers of Distinction” and join the original ten designers in the Designer Gallery
section of the website.
(L-R) Michael Barlerin from the Silver
Market Initiative, Roberta Seiler and
Landon Slane of Slane & Slane jewelry
and Michael DiRienzo, Executive
Director of the Silver Institute ring in
the holidays at the Savor Silver event to
celebrate the launch of their new
consumer website.
S M I
Jewelry designers Slane
& Slane, who offer their
sterling silver Feather
Collection, will be
featured on the new
www.SavorSilver.com
website.
S L A N E & S L A N E
Silver-Coated Ducts
Significantly Reduce
Airborne Microbes
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC) ducts
that employ silver-based coatings reduced micro-organisms
from 99 percent-100 percent on the duct surfaces and also reduced
bacteria in the air by as much as 5 times than from ducts without the
silver, according to research conducted by the Italian Ministry of
Health and the University of Genova.
The results of the study “Silver Zeolite Antimicrobial Activity In
Aluminum Heat Ventilation Air Condition Ducts,” published in the
Journal of Preventative Medicine and Hygiene, used Agion-treated
ALPactive HVAC tubing ducts from ALP of Bergamo, Italy.
(www.alp.it/default.aspx?lingua=ing) It was conducted over a fivemonth
period.
Tests were carried out on samples of particulate collected from
the Agion ALPactive ducts and the untreated ducts for different
microorganisms including L. pneumophila, E. coli, and
Staphylococcus aureus moulds and yeasts.
Scientific studies indicate there are many sources of pollution
inside buildings and these pollutants may remain in recycled air,
thereby exposing people to air containing fine dusts, moulds and
bacteria. The growing use of air-conditioning systems in public and
private buildings aggravates this risk, especially when these systems
are not correctly installed or regularly serviced. The ALPactive system
has already been installed in many food processing facilities,
hospitals and public buildings in Europe and the Middle East and is
available for sale worldwide, according to company officials.
Updated Silver Institute Website On Line
The newly revamped Silver Institute website is now on-line at
www.silverinstitute.org.
The site features
a new, detailed section
on silver’s uses,
including the latest
energy, biocide and
electronics applications,
as well as
historical and scientific
information about
silver. Also included
is an information-rich section on investing in silver featuring
investment options and financial planning.
The website includes a large ‘Resources’ section that points
users to websites of government organizations, mints, associations,
exchanges, news media and companies involved in silver refining,
recycling and mining. Silver Institute members and their websites
are also listed.
The website also features an extensive glossary of silverrelated
terms.
For those interested in data and statistics on silver, the website
offers supply and demand information, historical prices and sources
for current silver prices. Also featured are publications – many of
them free to download - including Silver News (current and
archived), World Silver Survey Summary, Silver Jewelry Report
and more.
For Future Reference
Silver Prices 1979-2008
2008 High Low Average
Nov 10.46 8.80 9.78
Oct 12.72 8.79 10.39
Sep 13.46 10.46 12.22
Aug 17.48 12.80 14.48
July 19.18 17.25 18.07
June 17.62 16.46 17.01
May 18.24 16.12 17.01
Apr 18.31 16.50 17.48
Mar 20.69 16.81 19.16
Feb 19.81 16.30 17.66
Jan 16.95 15.17 16.05
2007 High Low Average
Dec 14.8 13.83 14.37
Nov 15.5 13.96 14.66
Oct 14.38 13.25 13.57
Sep 13.79 12.19 12.91
Aug 13.12 11.47 12.28
July 13.36 12.47 12.93
June 13.76 12.21 13.09
May 13.53 12.81 13.15
Apr 14.06 13.29 13.74
Mar 13.53 12.64 13.11
Feb 14.69 13.33 13.95
Jan 13.51 12.13 12.83
Year High Low Average
2006 14.85 8.82 11.62
2005 9.00 6.43 7.32
2004 8.21 5.51 6.67
2003 5.98 4.35 4.89
2002 5.11 4.22 4.60
2001 4.81 4.03 4.36
2000 5.55 4.56 4.97
1999 5.76 4.87 5.22
1998 7.26 4.62 5.51
1997 6.34 4.16 4.88
1996 5.82 4.68 5.18
1995 6.10 4.38 5.19
1994 5.78 4.57 5.28
1993 5.44 3.52 4.30
1992 4.32 3.63 3.94
1991 4.55 3.51 4.03
1990 5.35 3.94 4.82
1989 6.20 5.02 5.47
1988 8.06 6.01 6.53
1987 11.25 5.35 6.99
1986 6.32 4.85 5.49
1985 6.89 5.48 6.14
1984 10.17 6.25 8.15
1983 14.74 8.38 11.46
1982 11.30 4.81 7.93
1981 16.53 7.97 10.53
1980 50.35 10.20 20.66
1979 35.00 5.93 11.20
(COMEX settle)
The Silver Institute
El Instituto de la Plata
INCORPORATED 1971
A WORLDWIDE ASSOCIATION OF SILVER MINERS,
REFINERS, FABRICATORS AND MANUFACTURERS
888 16th Street, NW, Suite 303, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone (202) 835-0185; Fax (202) 835-0155
www.silverinstitute.org
Editor, Larry Kahaner
