Nippon Mining & Metals Starts Lead & Zinc Recovery from Fly Ash

Nippon Mining & Metals announced on Monday the firm developed wet process technology to treat melting fly ash. The firm started the facility with 150 tonnes of monthly treating capacity at the subsidiary, Nikko Environmental Service in Hitachi, Ibaraki. The subsidiary recovers 80 tonnes of lead slag and 50 tonnes of zinc slag from fly ash for sale to third party after the incineration and melting treatment. Nippon Mining & Metals plans to recover rare metals at Hitachi area from intermediate produced at smelting process at Saganoseki smelter and refinery as a part of step for expanding recycling business. The firm developed the wet process as a part of material recycle technology development program sponsored by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Nippon Mining & Metals established technology to separate lead and zinc from zinc rich fly ash made after incineration and melting treatment of automobile shredder residue (ASR). The commissioning wet process facility, which is converted from the technical development machine, can treat other melting fly ash than ASR. Nippon Mining & Metals has 4 incineration and melting treatment facilities for waste electric substrate and other materials in Hokkaido, Toyama and Fukui. The firm recovers precious metals from the treated materials at Saganoseki smelter. The firm recovers lead and zinc by the new facility from the melting fly ash though the firm sold that as lead and zinc rich slag before.