Lead, production, Mexico/Peru

As of 2008, the largest producers of bismuth in the world were China, Mexico, Peru, and Canada. Bismuth is produced in the United States as a by-product of lead refining. 

Mexico and Peru are the most important Latin American producers of lead (CRM 1988). From 1972 to 1976, lead production in Mexico was equivalent to 40% of the total world processed lead (Molina et al. 1979). In 1978, the production of refined lead reached a high of 225,472 metric tons and in recent years, production has kept a level of more than 180,000 metric tons per year (Fig. 2). From 1983 to 1987, Mexico was the sixth world producer of the metal there are no official data available for 1988 (CRM 1988). Lead production in the major producing countries is presented in Table 2 (WBMS 1989). 

The most important ores are bismuthinite or bismuth glance and bismite. Peru, Japan, Mexico, Bolivia, and Canada are major bismuth producers. Much of the bismuth produced in the U.S. is obtained as a by-product in refining lead, copper, tin, silver, and gold ores. 

Primary and secondary sources of lead exist in the United States and throughout the world [29], U.S. mine production of lead in concentrate is approximately 450,000-500,000 metric tons per year, which represents approximately 15% of the world production. Other countries with significant mine production of lead include Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, and Peru. Refining of secondary lead is dominated by the U.S. production, although other major sources include Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Peru, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, approximately 79% of the current lead refinery production is derived from secondary sources. Worldwide, secondary sources... 

Bismuth — (Ger. Weisse Masse, white mass later Wisuth and Bisemutum), Bi at. wt. 208.98040(1) at. no. 83 m.p. 271.4°C b.p. 1564°C sp. gr. 9.79 (20°C) valence 3 or 5. In early times bismuth was confused with tin and lead. Claude Geoffroy the Younger showed it to be distinct fromlead in 1753. It is a white crystalline, brittle metal with a pinkish tinge. It occurs native. The most important ores are bismuthinite or bismuth glance (BijSj,) and bismite (Bi O, ). Peru, Japan, Mexico, Bolivia, and Canada are major bismuth producers. Much of the bismuth produced in the U.S. is obtained as a by-product in refining... 

World lead mine production currently averages 3 million metric tons per year (361-363). Major lead producing countries in 2000 included Australia (630,000 metric tons), China (560,000 metric tons), the United States (480,000 metric tons), Peru (270,000 metric tons), Canada (140,000 metric tons), and Mexico (140,000 metric tons) (362). Perhaps even more impressive is that in the United States in 2000, an additional 1.1 million metric tons of lead, or... 

The industrial production of these elements and their compounds also lies in approximately the same order (Tables 2.2 and 2.3). Leading mine producers in 2000 were China (As), China (Sb), Mexico and Peru (Bi). 

Arsenopyrite FeAsS is the most important arsenic mineral. As a rule the arsenic-containing ores are mined mainly for their contents of the more attractive metals, gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc. On treatment of the complex ores, arsenic oxide As O is obtained. Reduction with charcoal gives metallic arsenic. The most important commodity is however the oxide. The world production of As Oj was 35000 tonnes in 2001, with China as the largest producer country (16000 tonnes), followed by Chile (8000 tonnes), Mexico and Peru (2500 tonnes each), Kazakhstan and Russia (1500 tonnes each), Belgium and France (1000 tonnes each). 

In 1965, the world mine production of lead was 2.6 million Mg, with production increasing to 3.6 million Mg in 1975. The most important lead mining countries in 1975 were the United States (16.0% total world output), the Soviet Union (14.5%), Australia (10.0%), Canada (9.6%), Peru (5.5%), Mexico (4.5%), China (3.8%), Yugoslavia (3.5%), and Bulgaria (3.0%). In addition, Ireland, Japan, the Democratic People s Republic of Korea, Morocco, Poland, Spain, and Sweden each had over 2% of the total world production of lead. The estimated proven lead reserves of the world are 93 million Mg by metal content. 

The world production of arsenic trioxide was about 50,000 tons in 1977. The US comsumes about half the total world production, and produces about 50% of what it consumes [11]. According to the National Academy of Sciences, exporters of arsenic include Mexico, Sweden, France, the Republic of South Africa, Peru, and the Phillipines [10]. The amounts of arsenic in the various copper, lead, and zinc concentrates range from parts per million (ppm) up to 15.5%. 

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