3. Mineralogy and deposits
The lead content of the earth's crust is around 14 g/t. There are some 240 lead-bearing species, a third of which belong to the sulfide and sulfosalt group. The group of lead carbonates, sulfates, phosphates and arsenates is almost as large. Other species are represented by oxides, hydroxides, tellurates, chromates, wolframates, molybdates, etc.
Two species make up most of the merchant concentrates from which primary lead is recovered: galena (PbS) and cerussite (PbCO 3 ).
3.1 Major mineral species
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Galena
It is one of the most widespread sulfides. It crystallizes in the cubic system; its lattice...
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Bibliography
Websites
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Battery Council International
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CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) – Australia
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Statistical and economic data
World lead reserves and primary resources
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), lead reserves were in the region of 78.5 Mt in 2009 (table 1 ), and identified world resources are estimated at over 1.5 billion tonnes.
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