The Doe Run Co has unveiled a revolutionary new technology for producing lead that company officials estimate will reduce all air, land and water releases by nearly 99%. The new process replaces traditional, high-temperature lead smelting with a wet chemical process that is safer, cleaner and more efficient. Doe Run expects its application “to transform the global lead industry.”
“This new proprietary technology is a game changer for our industry,” said Bruce Neil, Doe Run’s President and CEO. “This new technology delivers on shared goals for cleaner communities, energy independence and lead products that will power our world into the future.”
Working with its technology partner, Engitec, an Italian-based company, Doe Run’s proprietary new hydrometallurgical technology uses a wet chemical process to selectively dissolve lead concentrates into solution, then extracts lead from the solution using an electric current. The EW process is similar to the technology used to extract zinc from concentrates, but has never been used in primary lead production. As a self-contained process, the activating solution is recycled back into the process indefinitely.
“We are committed to operating a sustainable business that meets the needs of our customers and is responsible to our communities,” said Neil. “We’ve been looking for a breakthrough technology for decades and have invested more than 200,000 man hours to get us this far. By year’s end, we will have invested more than $30 million in research and development. We still have a way to go, but we’re convinced this technology has tremendous potential to produce a strategic metal in a manner that is environmentally sound in every respect.””Given the recycling rate of more than 97%, lead is already an environmental success story,” said Bob Flicker, COO and Executive VP for battery manufacturer, East Penn Manufacturing. “When Doe Run began testing the new technology, we recognized its huge potential. At its very core, lead keeps the world moving through batteries that deliver dependable energy storage. Advanced lead-acid batteries, such as the UltraBattery, will broaden the use of lead for hybrid electric vehicles, as well as renewable energy storage and frequency regulation for smart grid technology.
“Having a secure domestic supply for lead better ensures that our U.S.-based manufacturing facilities are cost competitive and support new and existing jobs in the United States,” Flicker added. “We’re eager to support Doe Run’s dramatic progress toward cleaner lead processing technology.”
In addition to improved environmental performance, Doe Run’s new technology provides several economic benefits to both state and federal economies. The technology is expected to extend the economic life of US lead mines by providing a higher rate of metal recovery. Further, because Missouri is home to a world-class mining district, the new technology helps the domestic lead industry continue to flourish and reduces dependence on foreign sources.
“Doe Run intends to keep the US at the centre of the global lead industry,” said Neil. “We believe this technology will set a new standard for sustainable lead production around the world, even as we face increased competition from China, India and other emerging economies. The new technology was developed with an eye toward our common goals of efficiency, environmental stewardship and cleaner communities. We’re ready to take a leadership role in transforming the lead industry.”
Doe Run is currently running a demonstration plant in southeast Missouri, completing a detailed feasibility study on the new technology and evaluating possible locations for a commercial-scale plant. To take the project from a demonstration plant to a commercial-sized operation, the new technology is expected to require investments of more than $150 million. Doe Run is actively pursuing funding and loan guarantees to help bring the new technology to fruition.