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ZINC AND LEAD PRODUCTION THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

1 PATRONOV Georgi
Institution:
1 University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, Department of Chemical Technology, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, EU, patron@uni-plovdiv.bg
Conference:
34th International Conference on Metallurgy and Materials, Orea Congress Hotel Brno, Czech Republic, EU, May 21 - 23, 2025
Proceedings:
Proceedings 34th International Conference on Metallurgy and Materials
ISBN:
978-80-88365-27-3
ISSN:
2694-9296
Licence:
CC BY 4.0
Metrics:
19 views / 29 downloads
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Abstract

Metallurgy is one of the industrial sectors that very well express the basic principles of the circular economy. This study presents the production of two main metals - zinc and lead - through the lens of the circular economy. The object of analysis is KCM – AD, Plovdiv, Bulgaria - a major producer of these metals for Southeast Europe. The plant uniquely combines two modern technologies for the production of zinc and lead and the mutual recycling of waste and secondary raw materials. Exergy and environmental assessment have been made, using the exergy method of thermodynamic analysis. The resources - primary and secondary raw materials, products and emissions - gas emissions, waste water and solid waste, and the methods used to minimize technogenic emissions have been assessed.

Keywords: Zinc production, lead production, circular economy, exergy analysis, environmental impact

© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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