Page 111 from: May 2008

May 2008 111

By Lili Shi Z I N C

In sharp contrast to the steep increase in Chinese imports of cop-
per and aluminium scrap, and to the
development of secondary produc-
tion activities involving these two
base metals, zinc has failed to achieve
the same scale of performance. Over-
seas purchases of zinc scrap as well
as related recycling activities remain
at a comparatively low level.
In China, zinc is destined mainly for
use in galvanising applications, zinc
alloys and also zinc and manganese
batteries. The accompanying graph
‘Zinc consumption structure in China’

Zinc recycling yet to flourish
in China
Zinc recycling in China remains in a state of stagnation,
with statistics revealing that secondary metal accounts
for only 3.5% of total domestic zinc consumption com-
pared to around 30% in some developed countries.
In effect, the recycling industry remains small both in
terms of scale of operation and also of profitability.

provides more detail of the country’s
zinc consumption structure. Mean-
while, the raw material for China’s
secondary zinc production is derived
principally from domestic recycling
and imports. But while there are sev-
eral relatively large scrap operations
in China – processors such as Linyi of
Shandong, Changge of Henan and
Dashiqiao of Liaoning – recycling is
focused mainly on copper, aluminium
and steel rather than on zinc.
Imports do not arrive at Chinese
ports under the name of ‘zinc-con-
taining scrap’. Instead, most of the

incoming material is mixed with other
metals: for example, zinc castings
from vehicles, zinc plate from house
roofs and spare parts from household
appliances are often logged in as alu-
minium scrap. Large volumes of zinc
scrap are attached to yellow brass
and galvanised steel, and so the zinc
in these consignments does not show
up in the customs statistics.
Inside China, secondary zinc is
derived to a large extent from clip-
pings and other materials discarded
in the process of casting zinc alloys.
Zinc consumed in other industries is
seldom used in the secondary zinc
sector. Recovery of zinc mud and
slag from galvanising achieves recov-
ery rates as high as 70% but could
be collected more effi ciently.
The zinc contained in zinc and man-
ganese batteries is not recycled for
three reasons. First of all, centralised
treatment of these spent batteries is
not advocated in ‘Technology and
Policy on Environmental Pollution
by Used Batteries’ released by
China’s State Environmental Protec-
tion Administration. Secondly, collec-
tion of these used batteries is not

easy because of their wide distribu-
tion and consumption. And thirdly,
recycling of these batteries is deemed
not to offer any major economic ben-
efi t owing to the relatively low value
of zinc metal.
Oxidised zinc is used mainly as a fi ll-
ing agent with, for example, rubber,
paint and porcelain, and cannot be
reused in most instances.
The low recovery rates associated
with zinc scrap indicate the follow-
ing: that the systems in place for
recycling zinc are not as effi cient as
those for aluminium and copper
scrap, thus deterring potential pro-
cessors; that the relatively low value
of zinc has dissuaded entrepreneurs
from investing in this area of recy-
cling, as a result of which advanced
equipment and technologies have
not been introduced on a large scale
into China; and that few formal
enterprises in China are engaged in
zinc recycling. Indeed, most plants
are small in scale and are character-
ised by backward facilities as well as
high levels of environmental pollu-
tion as operators seek profi t at the
expense of social responsibility.

Battery zinc cake in the warehouse of the Golden Sunrise Chemicals Public Ltd. in Lu Xi in the Chinese Hunan
province. The company produces, among other things, millions of tonnes of electrolytic zinc, electrolytic metal
manganese and zinc batteries cake per annum.

In China, zinc is destined mainly for use in galvanising applications, zinc alloys and also zinc and manganese
batteries.

Zinc consumption structure in China

RI_011_ZINC China.indd 1 15-05-2008 08:58:04