Mitsui Mining & Smelting Expands Precious Metal Recycle

Mitsui Mining & Smelting strengthens precious metal recycling business at Takehara Smelting in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The firm tripled capacity of a metal recycling furnace at Takahara in 2007 to increase collection of scrap containing precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium.Mitsui Mining & Smelting equipped a metal recycling furnace at Takehara Smelting in 2003 and started electrolytic lead smelting with dross generated at the group’s zinc smelters such as Hachinohe Smelting in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The firm invested for capacity expansion of the furnace’s pretreatment process in May 2007 to treat more precious metal scraps in both variety and volume. Such scraps are treated as printed circuit boards, sheet and films inside electronic appliances, and sludge generated in plants.Takehara Smelting currently produces electrolytic gold at 1 tonnes per month and electrolytic silver at 16 tonnes per month. About 90% of electrolytic gold is refined to 99.99% purity before shipment. Mitsui Mining & Smelting aims to increase precious metal output at Takehara with more various materials.Takehara Smelting recycles base metals, including tin, antimony, indium, bismuth, selenium and copper, and rare metals as well as precious metals. Takehara will reinforce its recycling business in cooperation with the group’s domestic sites such as Kushikino Mine in Kagoshima, Miike Smelting in Fukuoka, Hikoshima Smelting in Yamaguchi, Kamioka Mining & Smelting in Gifu and Hachinohe Smelting.