Lead Blast Furnace Dust Recycling

Abstract

The recycling of lead (Pb), which has a limited reserve in the world, has great importance in terms of sustainable and efficient use of resources. Currently, more than half of the lead, which is the softest of base heavy metals, is recovered by recycling. In addition to the insulation of the cables and its use as a radiation shield, lead is mostly used in the manufacture of lead-acid batteries (LABs). Generally, lead smelting flue dust, also known as lead smelting fly ashes, formed during the smelting stage in secondary Pb production is fed back into the smelter. However, the impurities contained in this dust and the other required specifications for feeding into the furnace prevent dust from being fed back into the furnaces. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate these by-products with an effective process and to obtain valuable content from them. In this chapter, firstly the characterization of lead smelting flue dust has been investigated. Afterwards, the processes that can be applied to obtain contents such as Pb, Sb, Zn, and As from these materials were compiled from the literature and a comprehensive review study was presented.