China’s zinc smelters face fresh challenges from stricter environmental standards

The recent increase in Chinese zinc smelter utilisation is threatened by proposed environmental regulation. These will bring tough challenges on both energy usage and equipment design for many zinc smelters. This is especially acute for smelters employing small grate area roasters and Waelz kilns to process leach residues. Substitution to low energy-consuming hydrometallurgical techniques for residue processing is not possible due to the government's tough stance on residue dumping. We may also see the cost of replacing “small” roasters to be not affordable for a number of operators. We could therefore see the ultimate aim of the Chinese government being achieved, in that zinc metal production is no longer in the hands of a multitude of varying sized companies but in the hands of a few large companies. Typically, a mature zinc smelting industry moves forward by evolution, with smelters slowly adopting new techniques, but we may now be seeing a revolution in the offing.