Cradle to Gate
Identity ID
649373cd-3514-42a4-abd4-ff66db819075
Materials
Associated ID
ba0ed449-077e-4b28-88c1-0a6bd8dff81c
Included activities starts
Included activities ends
Description
The product represented by this dataset is zinc calcine, an intermediate product converted from zinc concentrate through a high-temperature roasting process, with clear core characteristics: the zinc content reaches 57.41%, and the main chemical components are zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄). The calcine retains a small amount of sulfur, present in the form of sulfate, precisely matching the requirements of the subsequent leaching reaction, and it is the core raw material of the hydrometallurgical zinc process. Its upstream and downstream industry chains are closely connected: the upstream core raw material is zinc concentrate, and the roasting process consumes fuel to ensure high-temperature reaction conditions; downstream, it is directly applied in the hydrometallurgical zinc process as the core material for the leaching process, extracting high-purity zinc metal through acid leaching, purification, and electrolysis, which is then used to produce zinc-based alloys, galvanized materials, zinc battery electrodes, chemical zinc salts, and other terminal products. It broadly supports the development of metallurgy, electronics, new energy, construction, and other industrial fields, and is a key intermediate carrier in the zinc metallurgy industry chain connecting zinc concentrate with the hydrometallurgical zinc process. The entire production process focuses on the roasting stage, covering the full conversion process from the input of zinc concentrate to the output of finished zinc calcine. The dataset includes the main raw and auxiliary materials, energy, and waste in the production process; infrastructure such as the manufacturing of production equipment and the construction of plants is not included within the dataset boundary. The data inventory is formed by merging data from multiple sources.
Activity Description
The entire production process includes the zinc concentrate roasting process, covering the entire process from zinc concentrate to zinc roasted ore.
Process Description
Zinc roasted ore is a product obtained by roasting zinc concentrate. The zinc content is 57.41% and the main components are ZnO and ZnSO4. A small amount of sulfur is retained in the roasted ore in the form of SO42- to ensure subsequent leaching reactions and is the main raw material for hydrometallurgical zinc smelting.
Time period
2021
2026
Geography
China
Geography comment
Generated by merging multiple data sets in this geographical location.
Macroeconomic value
Business-as-Usual
Data validation
Yes
Technology
Current Technology
Technology comment
Zinc concentrate roasting is an important process in hydrometallurgical zinc production. Zinc sulfide concentrate is mixed with an appropriate amount of flux and roasted in air or under oxygen-rich and high-temperature conditions to oxidize ZnS to generate ZnO and ZnSO4 while removing As, Sb, Cd and other impurities. The calcine and dust produced by roasting are collectively called roasted ore, and are all used as feed for leaching. The SO2 concentration of the generated flue gas is about 8.5% to 9.0%, which is sent to the acid plant to produce sulfuric acid. The roasting process in hydrometallurgical zinc production requires the preservation of 1% to 2% of sulfur in the form of SO42- to supplement the insufficient sulfuric acid during leaching. The desulfurization rate of this process is generally 90% to 93%, and the zinc recovery rate is greater than 99%.