Five plants:
- Zinc Refinery,
- Lead Plant,
- Copper Plant,
- Precious Metals Refinery,
- Sulfuric Acid Plant.
All these operations share a common infrastructure. The plants sharing the same site form a unique process flowsheet with maximum possible integrated recovery of valuable components from the feed into the value-added products.
Zinc Refinery
The feedstock is zinc sulfide concentrates from Maleyevsky Mine and third party suppliers.
Lead Plant
In 2012 the Lead Plant was upgraded through the introduction of an innovative environmentally friendly ISASMELT process to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.
ISASMELT enables efficient processing of the off-gases and converting them into a commercial product - sulfuric acid. The acid enjoys a good market demand
The smelting ISASMELT equipment is completely sealed and generates a small amount of concentrated gases that may be fully recycled. As a result, 53 brand-new process stages are in place and fully operational.
The Lead Plant upgrade contributed to labor safety and efficiency, improved the work environment, energy efficiency and environmental indicators, and enabled the large-scale recycling of returns.
Copper Plant
Production capacity – 70 tpa of copper.
The youngest operation in Kazzinc was commissioned in 2011. The construction of the Copper Plant lasted for 4 years. More than five thousand people from seventy domestic companies and the oversea companies from ten countries participated in designing, engineering, construction, equipment installation and commissioning of the new operation.
The process flowsheets and equipment running at the plant are used in Australia, Germany, Finland and Sweden.
The use of the innovative technologies during construction yielded the impressive results. Not a single ton of solid wastes has been produced following the Copper Plant commissioning. The water recycling system ensures zero effluent discharge.
Precious Metals Refinery
A proprietary process developed at Kazzinc is used for refined gold production. 99.99% gold and silver bullions are produced.
The production capacity of the Precious Metal Refinery is 52 tpa of refined gold and 990 tpa of refined silver. Both metals are under Good Delivery Brands on the London Bullion Market ("Deer" brand).
Sulphuric Acid Plant
Until 2012 Kazzinc used two methods of sour gas recovery, which is itself a unique approach versus a common practice to use a single gas recovery method. In 2012 a Sulphuric Acid Plant designed by SNC Lavalin (Canada) based on the double contact - double absorption process developed by Mecs (Belgium) was built to process the Copper Plant gases.
A third sulfuric acid plant based on the best practices for producing suphuric acid from gases was opened. Three integrated sulfuric acid plants ensured maximum possible purification of sour gases.
A special simulator imitating the control panel was used to train the Sulfuric Acid Plant control room operators. Over a dozen of operating scenarios are simulated, including the normal operation, start-up, planned shutdown and several options for emergencies. Having completed their simulator training, the operators are well-practiced in the algorithm of actions for various cases.
