Prioritising objectives for waste reprocessing: a case study in secondary lead refining

摘要

Secondary lead refining produces a sulphidic slag that also contains varying quantities of lead. Initially, the objectives of this project were to treat the slag in order to recover the valuable lead as well as to render the slag environmentally benign. However, in keeping with the principles of clean technology and, specifically, the approach of clean production, the project was redefined with the following priorities: waste minimization through process improvement; waste modification; identification of slag treatment methods. Characterization of the waste facilitated an overall process understanding and aided in identifying pro- cess deficiencies.