Mitsui Mining & Smelting to Expand Treatment of Melting Fly Ash

Mitsui Mining & Smelting expands treatment business of melting fly ash. The wholly owned subsidiary, Miike Smelting in Fukuoka target 60,000 tonnes of treatment in 2008 compared with planned less than 40,000 tonnes in the year to March 2007. The firm started the business with Taiheiyo Pacific Metals in Hachinohe of Aomori starting commercial operation in August after the ongoing test running. The firm tries to expand the business in Fukuoka and Aomori. The fly ash is produced dust containing heavy metals including zinc and lead when gasification melting furnace and ash melting furnace treat wastes. Miike Smelting started the business since 2002 and treated near 30,000 tonnes in fiscal 2005 ended March 2006. The business is to wash melting fly ash collected and supplied by local government and to melt it to remove salt. Miike Smelting treats the residue without salt through the original MF furnace. The firm tries to increase the utilization of annual 60,000 tonnes of treatment capacity to full capacity in 2008. Material zinc oxide, which is produced at the melting process, is shipped to Hachinohe Zinc Refinery to make zinc ingot through the imperial smelting process. The material lead is shipped to Takehara Refinery in Hiroshima to make lead ingot while the copper matte is used as material of copper ingot at Hibi Kyodo Smelting in Okayama. The firm started the business in northern Japan as joint venture with Pacific Metals in May 2005. They built desalination facility of melting fly ash in Hachinohe Zinc Refinery to melting and remove salt shipping the treated product to Pacific Metals.