Mitsui Mining & Smelting to Double Zinc Recycling by 2010

Mitsui Mining & Smelting doubles output of crude zinc oxide, which is recycling material for zinc smelting, by 2010. The wholly owned subsidiary, Miike Smelting in Fukuoka adds a melting furnace for 4 billion yen to process steel making dust expanding the crude zinc oxide recovery to 50,000 tonnes from current 25,000 tonnes. The firm tries to increase the recycling material weight from current 30% to 50%. Miike Smelting operates a Mitsui Mining & Smelting’s original furnace, Mitsui Half Shaft Blast Furnace. The firm processes annual 120,000 tonnes of steel making dust and zinc slag to recover crude zinc oxide with 60% zinc. With the new furnace, the processing capacity will double to 240,000 tonnes of treatment and 50,000 tonnes of crude zinc oxide recovery. The crude zinc oxide is used for zinc smelting at Hachinohe Smelting in Aomori and Hikoshima Smelting in Yamaguchi. The firm tries to use more recycling materials for better cost structure. The firm will increase the recycling material weight for zinc smelting at Kamioka Mining & Smelting and Hikoshima by adding treatment facility to remove impurities while Hachinohe’s recycling material rate is already 40% due to the flexible smelting facility. Mitsui Mining & Smelting plans to produce 245,000 tonnes of zinc ingot for fiscal 2008 started April compared with 231,000 tonnes in fiscal 2007. The firm increases the electrolytic zinc output from 65,000 tonnes to 68,000 tonnes at Kamioka, from 75,000 tonnes to 79,000 tonnes at Hikoshima and from 91,000 tonnes in Mitsui’s share to 98,000 tonnes at Hachinohe.