Integrated zinc-lead operations

Incorporated in 1906, Cominco Limited is an integrated natural resource company whose principal activities are mineral exploration, mining, and metal production. Cominco is the world s largest zinc concentrate producer and is also a major producer of refined zinc metal. Trail Operations is vertically integrated with Cominco s zinc-lead mining activities. Trail s zinc and lead production facilities are also closely integrated, and are in effect a single operation. 

Galena is often associated with zinc ores and the smelting operations of both lead and zinc industries are closely integrated. The ore is concentrated by froth flotation and the concentrate roasted then reduced,... 

The Skorpion zinc project is currently proceeding based on the application of the MZP. It is a very promising project with a low operating cost, given the integration of the refinery and the mine. This project will likely become an operating industrial plant in a couple of years. The authors hope to have another paper in the next Lead-Zinc conference to describe the first five years of operation of the Skorpion zinc plant. 

As well as removing zinc, fuming will also remove most of the lead content of the slag and if this is recycled by return of zinc smelter residues to the lead smelting stage, then almost complete lead recovery can be achieved in an integrated operation. This ability of lead to fume is illustrated by the vapour pressure of lead compounds at 1250°C ... 

Leclair, R, Hancock, P and Hickey, T, 1998. Lead smelting operations at Noranda s BeUedune plant From vertical integration to custom smelting, in Zinc and Lead Processing, pp 109-124 (Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM) Montreal). 

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