Mine Production of Zinc

Zinc mining is very important. In world trade, counted as toruiage, zinc is number 4 among the metals. It comes after iron, aluminum and copper. More than 90% of the zinc comes from zinc blende ores. A typical zinc ore may contain 10% zinc, 4% lead and 80 g of silver per tonne. 

Ore dressing separates the different minerals present and produces concentrates for metal production. China and Austraha are the greatest producers of zinc concentrates in the world. Other large producers are Canada, Peru and the United States. In the USA the leading zinc mining state is Alaska. The Red-Dog Mine there was opened in 1989 and since then mine production in the United States has exceeded the smelter capacity for zinc in that country. 

In Table 33.1 the mine production by country in the year 2000 is shown [33.4]. 

---

World mine production of zinc is 9 Mt, with almost all of it derived from sphalerite [(Zn,Fe)S], which is also the principal primary source of cadmium and several other metals, such as germanium and indium. China and Australia are the largest producers, but several other countries mine significant amounts. About half of the annual consumption is for the manufacture of galvanized products to resist corrosion, primarily in the automotive and construction industries. 

---