Recent Trends and Current Practices for Secondary Processing of Zinc and Lead. Part I: Lead Recovery from Secondary Sources

Abstract

Implementation of stricter environmental laws and economic reasons has forced all the metallurgical industries to go for eco-friendly technologies to produce metal and other related products. However, generation of wastes is an integral part of metallurgical industries. If the wastes/residues are hazardous in nature, they generally have to be treated or/and disposed of in safe and designated dumping sites. If these wastes/residues are non-hazardous in nature, then they may be suitable for use as secondary raw material to recover metals such as lead, copper etc., which are in growing demand all over the world. The processing of lead secondaries is important because of their relative high metal content, as well as the low energy and cost involved in recovering the metal. This paper mainly focuses on the current practices and recent trends in the secondary processing of lead. Various processes, particularly hydrometallurgical ones, already developed or in the development stages, are discussed. Attempts made by various Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Laboratories including the National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML) and industries such as Binani Zinc to develop eco-friendly processes for the recovery of lead from secondary raw materials are also described.

Keywords

Solid wastes lead secondaries ecofriendly processes wmr 660-4a

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bratt, G.C. & Pickring, R.W. (1970): Production of lead via ammoniacal ammonium sulphate leaching . Metallurgical Transactions, 1, 2141-2149 .

Bhatter, S.(2001): http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/12881/newsDate/19-Oct-2001/story.htm

Cole, E.R. , Lee, A.Y. & Paulson, D.L. (1981): Electrowinning of lead from H2SiF6 solution. US Patent No. 4272340, June 9, 1981.

Díaz, G. , Martín, D. , Frías, C. & Sánchez, F. (2001): Emerging applications of ZINCEX and PLACID technologies . Journal of Metals, 53, 30-31 .

Frías, C. , García, M.A. & Díaz, G. (2000): New clean technologies to improve lead-acid batteries recycling . In: Proceedings of the Lead-Zinc’2000 Symposium, pp. 791-800 , TMS, Pittsburgh.

Ginatta, M.V.(1984): US Patent No. 4451340, May 29 1984.

Manhan, S.E. (1994): Environmental Chemistry, 6th Edition, p. 546. Lewis Publishers, Tokyo .

Mackey, T.S. & Prengaman, R.D. (1990): Lead-Zinc’90 , Proceedings of a World Symposium on Metallurgy and Environmental Control, 119th TMS Annual Meeting, Feb. 18-21, Anaheim, CA. The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, PA, pp. 13-38, 543-548 .

Moure, W.B. & Etsell, T.H. (1993): US Patent No. 5211818, May 18, 1993.

10.

Nihalani, R. (2002): Further cutbacks will improve lead prices . Minerals and Metal Reviews, 4, 124-125 .

11.

Olper, M. (1991): CX-EW Process—A comprehensive recovery system for lead acid battery . International Pb-Zn Study Group, Rome 11-13 June, pp 79-90 .

12.

Prengaman, R.D. (1995): Recovering lead from batteries . Journal of Metals, 47, 31-33 .

13.

Prengaman, R.D. & McDonald, H.D. (1980): US Patent No. 4229271.

14.

Premchand & R. Kumar (1998): National Conference on Lead & Zinc Recycling—Technology & Environment, Dec. 98, India Lead Zinc Association, New Delhi.

15.

Queneau, P.E. & Siehmund, A. (1996): Industrial scale Lead making with the QSL continuous oxygen converter . Journal of Metals, 48, 38-44 .

16.

Raghavan, M. (2001): Secondary recovery of lead and zinc . Minerals & Metals Review, 27, 28-34 .

17.

Reynolds, R.M. , Hudson, E.K. & Olper, M. (1990): In: Mackey, T.S. & Perngaman, R.D. (eds) Lead-Zinc 90, pp. 1001-1022. TMS, Warreldale, PA .

18.

Sahu, K.K. , Agrawal, A. , Pandey, B.D. & Premchand (2000): Lead industries and environmental pollution in India . In: Gupta, R.C. (ed.) Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental Management in Metallurgical Industries, 14-16 December, pp. 125-132 . Institute of technology BHU, Varanasi.

19.

Spijkerman, J.B. & Groenen, R.J. (1991): UK Patent application, 91029942.

20.

San Lorenzo, D. & Nogeuira, G.D. (1991): Hydrometallurgical treatment of lead secondaries: The Placid process . International Lead Zinc Study Group, Rome (11-13 June), pp. 315-336 .

21.

Viswanathan, S. & Thamhane, A.R. (1991): National Seminar on Lead and Environment, p. 69. Indian Lead Zinc Information Centre, 69 .

22.

Zunkel, A. D. (1997) Review of arc for nace dust treatment processes and environmental regulations , R’97, Int. Congress Proc., February 4-7, pp. vi29-vi37 , Geneva, Switzerland. EMPA, Lerchenfeldshasse 5, Switzerland.