Zinc Chloride (Pharmaceutical Grade)

German zinc and chemical company (HQ Duisburg, family-owned); founded in 1842 by Wilhelm Grillo — making Grillo-Werke older than the telephone (1876), the light bulb (1879), and the automobile (1885). Produces battery-grade zinc powder under the BatteryZinc® brand for alkaline battery anodes; claims to be the only full-range European battery zinc powder supplier with particle sizes from 20-600 μm and guaranteed purity >99.995%. Also produces zinc oxide (for tires, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals), sulfuric acid, and specialty chemicals. The same German family company that made zinc before electricity was discovered makes the zinc powder in every Duracell and Varta battery sold in Europe today.

Korea Zinc Co., Ltd. (Seoul; KRX: 010130; ~$9B revenue) is the world's largest single-site zinc, lead, and silver smelter operator and the world's largest non-Chinese indium refiner. Indium is recovered as a byproduct at its Onsan smelter in Ulsan, South Korea — the only facility in Korea with an indium processing line. Korea Zinc produces ~150 tonnes of indium annually at 99.999% purity (vacuum-packed 5-kg bars), meeting roughly 11% of global demand outside China. About 90% of Korea Zinc's indium output is exported to the US, Japan, and Taiwan — making it the primary indium supplier for US and Taiwanese display/semiconductor manufacturers seeking non-Chinese supply. The Onsan smelter also produces gallium and antimony; Korea Zinc has invested heavily to diversify into critical minerals as a strategic counterweight to Chinese dominance.

Nyrstar NV (Balen, Belgium; subsidiary of Trafigura since 2019) is one of the world's largest zinc smelting groups, operating multiple European zinc smelters that collectively produce indium as a byproduct. Nyrstar's Critical Minerals Recovery program recovers indium across three European smelters: Balen/Pelt (Belgium), Budel (Netherlands), and Auby (France). Nyrstar's Budel zinc smelter — the largest zinc smelter in the Netherlands — was placed on care and maintenance in January 2024 due to high European energy costs, then restarted at reduced capacity in May 2024. Balen (Belgium) is the largest-capacity single Nyrstar site. Nyrstar's combined indium output is modest relative to Asian producers; however, it represents critical European indium supply for domestic ITO manufacturers.