Europe primary lead plants

Nevertheless, the last-generation plants designed for the production of primary lead are able to treat sulphur-bearing lead from spent batteries. These are direct-smelting plants which are suitable to treat lead sulphates, which, after the addition of lead concentrates, are directly reduced to metallic lead without problems. In Europe, there are three plants of this kind. Although based on different technologies, a feedmg mix... 

Refined lead is produced in a great many countries, but only in 30 or so on any scale. Important dififerences exist in the structure of production between tbe primary and secondary sectors. In the Western World there are about 50 primary lead smelters with a combined capacity of little over 3.1 million tpy however, the ten largest (three each in Europe and North America, and two apiece in Australia and Latin America) account for almost 50 per cent of this. The remainder of refined lead output is produced by 170 or so secondary plants, with a total capacity of approximately 2.75 million tpy. Despite their smaller average scale, the ten largest secondary plants (all of which are in the USA or Europe) still contribute about one-quarter of this total. ... 

Municipal incinerators are often targeted as a primary cause of acid rain. In fact, power plants burning fossil fuels, which produce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, are actually the leading cause of acid rain, along with automotive exhaust (176,177). In Europe and Japan, studies show that only about 0.02% of all acid rain can be traced to incineration of PVC (178). 

A number of companies in Europe (Metallgeseiischafc, Metaleurop, Nuova Samim, for example) have important secondary interests in addition to primary smelting activities, and have been actively developing these. So too has MIM, through ownership links with Britannia Refined Metals in the UK. In North America, while several primary smelters use lead scrap feed. Doe Run s Buick secondary plant (opened in 1991) was the first example of direct primary producer involvement in recycling facilities. Emissions from this plant are apparently 60 per cent less than at traditional secondary lead facilities. 

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