Brunswick Smelter

 metallurgy, mining, lead production / processing, smelter

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The Brunswick Smelter is owned by Xstrata Zinc, and has an annual capacity of 110,000 tonnes of refined lead per year. About half the raw material comes from recycled batteries, the other half from lead-silver mineral concentrates from nearby mines. The smelter also produces 100,000 tonnes per year of sulphuric acid that is obtained from the waste gases from mineral processing.

Brunswick smelter employs traditional sinter and blast furnace technology to process lead-silver concentrates and a wide range of recycled materials. The facility also operates a lead-acid battery recycle plant and the bulk-handling port terminal for importing and exporting concentrates and other materials...

The smelter first opened in 1966 as a lead and zinc facility and was later modified to a lead-only facility with capability to treat lead-silver concentrates and a range of recycled materials. The bulk-handling and battery-breaker facilities were commissioned in 1996. The growth in custom smelting prompted the addition of a new blast furnace in 1999 and a silver refinery in 2000.

The future of the smelter is in doubt as its main supplier, the Brunswick lead-zinc mine, will be depleted by the end of 2010.