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Zinc refiner needed in South Africa

ZINC APPLICATIONS Zinc-coated steel has found a niche in solar parks, where remote locations preclude almost any maintenance

SPREADING THE WORD The International Zinc Association is working with Harvest Plus to illustrate the efficacy of adding zinc to soils at the appropriate levels

18th August 2017

By: Tasneem Bulbulia

Senior Contributing Editor Online

     

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A local zinc refiner needs to be established to provide more intimate support for the South African galvanising industry to capitalise on the recovery of the South African economy, says International Zinc Association of South Africa regional director Rob White.

He notes that, with the local zinc market peaking at 100 000 t/y, and the right dynamics, South Africa could have a market large enough to support local zinc refining.

White says investment in zinc operations is bolstered by several international and local opportunities in the zinc industry, with many businesses already capitalising on these.

Mining Weekly reported in June that, locally, diversified mining company Vedanta planned to use revenue generated during its Gamsberg zinc project’s first phase to help fund its second phase, which would probably include a new 300 MW to 350 MW zinc refinery at a cost of between $500- million and $600-million.

The primary use of zinc is to protect steel from corrosion to ensure the longevity of structures, thereby negating the need for constant maintenance and reducing downtime, White explains.

Consequently, zinc-coated steel has a found a niche in solar parks, where remote locations preclude almost any maintenance and the life expectancy of the installation is at least 20 years. This is especially rele- vant in Africa, where many places have abundant solar radiation and poor electricity supply. White suggests that the solar power industry is becoming the largest market for galvanised steel globally.

This trend is further supported by steel companies’ engagement with global solar companies to ensure the use of galvanised steel becomes the norm. White says many large global steel companies have devel- oped in-house systems specifically for solar arrays and now offer the industry a one-stop engineering, procurement and construction shop.

In sub-Saharan Africa, a thicker zinc coating to mitigate against transport and installation damage is required in rural and remote areas, which can be provided only through the general galvanising route. Associations, key companies and various galvanisers have formed joint ventures, partnerships and consortiums to work together to achieve the required thickness, with White highlighting that, as part of a consortium, a South African galvaniser supplied product to large arrays in California, in the US.

He indicates that international developments of new galvanising alloys and die- casting alloys have created new opportunities that can be used in South Africa. “Research into new zinc uses is currently at an all-time high.”

He says cooperation between major automotive manufacturers and the largest steel corporations worldwide has resulted in the development of alloys, such as zinc aluminium magnesium, to be used as coating for thin-gauge, high-strength steels (third-generation, advanced high-strength steels). Consequently, this development has allowed for weight reduction in automotive bodies and these alloys are being used in construction framing applications to reduce production costs.

A new high-fluidity zinc die-casting alloy has also been developed for uses where a final net shape is required. White details that key applications of this alloy have been the Porsche shift lever and a Nespresso coffee maker, while mobile phone casings present a growing market. He also mentions zinc oxide, noting that it is being used in the electrodes of lithium- ion batteries.

Agricultural Opportunities

Zinc is also an essential element for sound plant and animal health. Locally, zinc has been added to fertilisers at a level of 0.5% by weight in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium products since the 1960s, notes White.

However, the rest of Africa has not followed suit. The International Zinc Association is working with philanthropic organisation Harvest Plus in running numerous demonstration projects to illustrate the efficacy of adding zinc to soils at the appropriate levels. This undertaking is funded through economic empowerment foundation the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“I am pleased to say that we completed a project in Malawi a few years ago which has essentially resulted in the adoption of zinc into the fertiliser subsidy system. We are [also] actively running a series of projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo with various stakeholders,” extolls White.

As a result of these projects, various companies have developed relatively high-technology products that dispatch zinc to where it is most needed in the soil. Although percentage growth in agricultural output in Africa is now the fastest in the world, this is not widely known – zinc should be used to capitalise on this, as its addition can improve crop yields by up to 35% under certain circumstances, White concludes.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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