362
A. Abadías Llamas et al.
Fig. 8 Normalized value CO 2 emissions respect to the minimum emission value, which happens
in the base case. The closer to 100%, the lower CO 2 emission of the alternative, red represents the
base case, green the pyrometallurgical treatment of the jarosite, and yellow the DZS with high zinc
fuming rates
can be performed in one reactor, e.g. top submerged lance technology. Additionally, larger operational costs are expected since the larger resource consumption is
required, whose normalized value with respect to the minimum has been depicted
in Fig. 7 and discussed previously. Therefore, these economic requirements for the
operation of the CE action imply that a compromise between cost/benefit must be
achieved to guarantee its economic sustainability.
The economic benefits of the pyrometallurgical treatment of jarosite include that
the products of the RLE plant would increase, e.g. germanium and indium-rich dust
or a potentially marketable slag if it is cleaned enough. Furthermore, the problems
related to the jarosite landfilling and its cost would be avoided, which can also imply
an economic saving and a more circular and environmentally friendly image for the
smelter. This is very important for RLE plants located in countries where the restrictions on residue landfilling are strict or the space available for residue deposition
is small, since they could keep operating if the legislation for residue production
or landfilling becomes more restrictive, e.g. the Directive 2018/851 on waste of the
European Union, which suggest the state members restrictions or economic penalties for the landfill of waste [19]. This must be confirmed through a CAPEX/OPEX
analysis so that all the factors affecting the economics of the solution are considered,
e.g. metal prices, downstream refining costs or avoided landfilled costs. However, a
CAPEX/OPEX analysis is outside the objective of this study.
Conclusions
Having a more circular society implies that the residue generation must be reduced.
In case of the zinc production, several pyrometallurgical alternatives to avoid or treat
the iron-rich precipitates generated during the RLE process have been studied over
the years. The integration of pyrometallurgical flowsheets within the RLE reduces
or even eliminates the jarosite generation. However, the metal recoveries change,
A. Abadías Llamas et al.
Fig. 8 Normalized value CO 2 emissions respect to the minimum emission value, which happens
in the base case. The closer to 100%, the lower CO 2 emission of the alternative, red represents the
base case, green the pyrometallurgical treatment of the jarosite, and yellow the DZS with high zinc
fuming rates
can be performed in one reactor, e.g. top submerged lance technology. Additionally, larger operational costs are expected since the larger resource consumption is
required, whose normalized value with respect to the minimum has been depicted
in Fig. 7 and discussed previously. Therefore, these economic requirements for the
operation of the CE action imply that a compromise between cost/benefit must be
achieved to guarantee its economic sustainability.
The economic benefits of the pyrometallurgical treatment of jarosite include that
the products of the RLE plant would increase, e.g. germanium and indium-rich dust
or a potentially marketable slag if it is cleaned enough. Furthermore, the problems
related to the jarosite landfilling and its cost would be avoided, which can also imply
an economic saving and a more circular and environmentally friendly image for the
smelter. This is very important for RLE plants located in countries where the restrictions on residue landfilling are strict or the space available for residue deposition
is small, since they could keep operating if the legislation for residue production
or landfilling becomes more restrictive, e.g. the Directive 2018/851 on waste of the
European Union, which suggest the state members restrictions or economic penalties for the landfill of waste [19]. This must be confirmed through a CAPEX/OPEX
analysis so that all the factors affecting the economics of the solution are considered,
e.g. metal prices, downstream refining costs or avoided landfilled costs. However, a
CAPEX/OPEX analysis is outside the objective of this study.
Conclusions
Having a more circular society implies that the residue generation must be reduced.
In case of the zinc production, several pyrometallurgical alternatives to avoid or treat
the iron-rich precipitates generated during the RLE process have been studied over
the years. The integration of pyrometallurgical flowsheets within the RLE reduces
or even eliminates the jarosite generation. However, the metal recoveries change,