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Zinc

Zinc ores are fairly widespread in nature and abundantly distributed throughout the world, but seven countries account for nearly 75% of world production of zinc concentrates.
Zinc ores are commonly associated with copper, lead and gold ores and are often produced as a co or by product. The main ore mineral of zinc is sphalerite (Zn,FeS). Smithsonite (ZnCO3), willemite (Zn2SiO4) and hemimorphite (Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 H2O) may occur in the near-surface weathered or oxidised zone of an orebody.

Sphalerite, called also blende or "black Jack”, with a cubic structure is the most abundant zinc mineral. Together with marmatite (Zn, Fe)S, smithsonite and hemimorphite, blende accounts for practically the hole of world zinc reserves.
Zinc metal is a bluish-white lustrous metallic element that crystallizes in the hexagonal system. It is rather brittle at ordinary temperatures but malleable between 100 and 200°C.

Zinc is the third most used non-ferrous metal (after aluminium and copper). It is primarily used for coating iron and steel products in order to protect them against corrosion. This zinc coating is known as galvanising and represents about 40% of the end use for zinc. Zinc is also a major product in brass alloys, die casting alloys, chemicals and rolled zinc products.

The metallurgy of zinc depends upon the ore used. The sulfide ore is roasted to the oxide, then mixed with coal and heated to 1,200°C. The zinc vaporizes and is condensed outside the reaction chamber and cast into blocks called spelter. In another method the ore is processed by flotation, filtering, roasting, and leaching; the resulting solution is filtered and the zinc removed by electrolysis.


Links:
-World Bureau of Metal Statistics - Statistics 2002 - 2003
-IZA-The International Zinc Association,
-ILZSG-International Lead and Zinc Study Group




Zinc Production
Thousand Tonnes

 
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Europe        
Bosnia - Herzegovina
1.100
2.500
900
4.500
5.200
Bulgaria
11.000
11.956
6.000
3.000
12.819
Finland
37.200
40.803
35.700
38.900
27.800
Greece
0
4.000
16.000
21.300
23.000
Ireland
438.300
445.400
425.800
400.900
398.200
Italy
8.700
9.000
0
0
0
Macedonia
0
0
11.300
32.200
40.300
Poland
140.300
135.600
126.600
113.000
143.000
Portugal
0
0
7.505
24.380
22.566
Romania
23.600
13.784
8.052
849
8
Russia (Europe)
19.404
22.320
21.360
21.240
24.600
Serbi & Montenegro
1.300
900
2.100
1.200
600
Spain
0
0
0
0
0
Sweden
197.000
215.700
210.029
214.576
172.200
Turkey
39.000
56.000
59.000
71.000
73.000
Yugoslavia
0
0
0
0
0
total
915.804
955.463
930.346
947.045
943.293
Asia        
Armenia
1.900
3.196
2.271
2.511
3.900
Chile
27.635
28.841
36.238
36.453
40.519
China
2.391.200
2.547.800
2.884.200
2.950.000
3.186.000
DPR Korea
62.000
65.000
85.000
95.000
65.000
India
340.000
472.000
509.000
539.000
616.000
Iran
135.000
167.000
168.000
75.000
86.000
Japan
47.781
41.452
7.169
0
0
Kazakhstan
361.000
364.000
405.000
358.226
365.572
Korea, Rep. Of
0
80
0
0
0
Laos
1.000
1.500
4.000
3.000
2.200
Mongolia
0
11.400
54.950
77.350
71.800
Myanmar
400
281
27
34
199
Philippines
0
2.000
3.000
7.400
1.600
Russia (Asia)
142.296
163.680
156.640
155.760
180.400
Saudi Arabia
1.000
1.000
1.000
616
3.663
Thailand
40.000
40.762
42.000
42.000
35.000
Uzbekistan
0
0
0
0
0
total
3.551.212
3.909.992
4.358.495
4.342.350
4.657.853
America
Argentina
27.200
30.227
29.808
27.025
30.349
Azebaijan
0
0
0
0
0
Bolivia
147.430
159.502
172.747
214.053
383.600
Brazil
158.962
171.434
185.200
193.300
199.000
Canada
791.400
666.700
637.956
630.500
716.100
Georgia
800
760
0
0
0
Honduras
41.400
42.698
37.600
29.200
28.500
Mexico
374.400
427.100
432.300
426.500
442.200
Peru
1.209.000
1.201.671
1.203.364
1.444.354
1.602.597
United States
739.000
747.900
727.100
803.000
778.129
total
3.489.592
3.447.992
3.426.075
3.767.932
4.180.475
Africa
Algeria
124
2.400
309
0
0
Congo, D.R.
6.000
5.700
12.600
18.500
18.500
Morocco
87.000
128.000
95.000
75.000
80.747
Namibia
202.000
232.000
208.000
196.000
209.000
South Africa
32.001
32.112
34.400
31.100
29.400
Tunisia
31.000
19.000
3.000
3.000
2.000
total
358.125
419.212
353.309
323.600
339.647
   
Oceania
Australia
1.334.000
1.367.000
1.375.000
1.518.000
total
1.334.000
1.367.000
1.375.000
1.518.000
1.477.000
   
World Total
9.648.733
10.099.659
10.439.225
10.905.927
11.598.268