Zinc is an essential functional raw material for the national economy, closely linked to foundational industries such as automotive, construction, urban development, and transportation. Ensuring the positive development of the zinc industry chain and effectively utilising resources to strengthen the industrial base are key tasks for promoting the healthy and rapid growth of the zinc sector in the new era.
Basic Concepts and Uses of Zinc
Zinc is a metallic element with the chemical symbol Zn. Its surface is silver-grey in appearance, with a density of 7.14 g/cm³, a melting point of 419.5 °C, and relatively soft texture. It exhibits good abrasion resistance and ductility, develops a protective oxide film that provides corrosion resistance, and has good thermal and electrical conductivity within certain temperature ranges. Zinc is relatively abundant in nature, possesses unique properties, and is easy to process, making it widely used in metallurgy, chemicals, construction, electronics, transportation, and other fields.
Zinc Industry Chain Structure
Upstream: Mining and Beneficiation of Zinc Resources
Zinc ores are numerous and varied. Due to its relatively active chemical nature, zinc occurs predominantly in compound forms, such as sphalerite and smithsonite. Sphalerite is commonly found in association with lead ores, and most natural zinc deposits are lead-zinc polymetallic deposits. Mining methods include open-pit and underground operations. Open-pit mining involves stripping overburden and rock to access exposed ore bodies, offering higher safety and lower costs. Underground mining requires excavating tunnels and chambers to reach ore bodies, achieving higher recovery rates but demanding greater technical expertise.
Midstream: Smelting and Processing of Zinc
Zinc smelting primarily employs pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods. In pyrometallurgical refining, zinc is obtained as refined zinc by reducing zinc oxides or sulphides with a reducing agent at high temperatures. This method is still used in some smaller or older facilities, but its high energy consumption and pollution levels mean it is gradually being phased out. Hydrometallurgical refining produces electrolytic zinc by dissolving zinc oxides or sulphides in acid or alkaline solutions to convert zinc into ionic form, followed by electrolytic reduction to metallic zinc. Although the process is more complex, it offers lower energy consumption, higher recovery rates, and reduced environmental impact.
Primary processing of zinc yields products such as zinc-based alloys, brass, galvanised materials, zinc wrought products, and zinc oxide. Further deep processing of these zinc products produces copper-zinc alloys, die-casting alloys, and zinc powders of various particle sizes, including atomised zinc powder (>10 μm), distilled zinc powder (<10 μm), and ultrafine zinc powder (approx. <44 μm).
Downstream: Production and Application of Zinc Products
Zinc has a wide range of downstream applications, including household appliances, building construction, automotive, and other industries. Zinc-based alloys are widely used in machinery, automotive manufacturing, military, light industry, and transportation. Alloys of zinc with aluminium, copper, and other metals are extensively used in die-cast components. Galvanised sheet serves as a protective coating for steel and steel products, providing corrosion protection for structural components in automotive, construction, marine, and light industrial applications. Zinc oxide is widely used in rubber, plastics, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and fibres, as well as in photocopiers, electrostatic printing, and spacecraft coatings. In the electronics sector, zinc oxide is used in high-tech products such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and varistors.
Post time: Jun-22-2026
