6. Conventional lead production processes

6.1 Agglomerating mesh

• The fencing operation has several aims:

  • remove sulfur from concentrates before the reduction furnace to achieve a sinter sulfur content of between 1 and 3% S ;

  • condition the charge to obtain a partially molten product, hard enough to withstand the crushing of the charge in the reduction furnace, and porous enough for the reducing gases to circulate easily.

  To avoid damaging the agglomeration grid and facilitate pseudo-clinkerization, concentrates with a maximum Pb content of 50% are processed. It may therefore be necessary to dilute concentrates leaving the washery with limestone ground to the appropriate size. Moreover,...