meta data for this page
2.C.6 - Zinc Production
Short description
Within this NFR subcategory, SO2, PM2.5, PM10, TSP, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn, PCDD/F, and PCB emissions from the production of zinc are reported.
| Category Code | Method | AD | EF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.C.6 | T2 | AS | D,CS |
|
|
|||
| NOx | NMVOC | SO2 | NH3 | PM2.5 | PM10 | TSP | BC | CO | Pb | Cd | Hg | As | Cu | Cr | Ni | Se | Zn | PCDD/F | PAHs | HCB | PCBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | NA | -/- | NA | -/- | -/- | -/- | NE | NA | -/- | -/- | -/- | -/- | NA | NA | NA | NE | L/- | -/- | NA | NA | L/T |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Method
Activity data
The yearly production figures were taken from the annual statistical report of the German association for non-ferrous metals 1).
In 2023, primary and secondary zinc production fell to a total of 0.76 kt due to reduced production outputs or even production stops:
Table 1: zinc production 1990-2023, in metric tonnes [t]
| 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL production | 390,000 | 356,000 | 357,000 | 335,000 | 165,300 | 170,754 | 168,787 | 175,876 | 177,493 | 176,964 | 165,291 | 168,118 | 134,894 | 755 |
Emission factors
The emission factor for SOx is a tier 1 default value according to the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2023 2) and is supposed to be constant.
All other emission factors are tier 2 level factors, have a decreasing trend and were determined in research projects. The EF for the heavy metals (HM) are taken from a research project 3).
Table 2: emission factors applied for primary and secondary zinc production
| EF (primary) | EF (secondary) | Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SO2 | 1.35 | kg/t | |
| PM2.5 | 38.5 | g/t | |
| PM10 | 61.3 | g/t | |
| TSP | 100 | g/t | |
| As | 123.882 | 30 | mg/t |
| Cd | 1085 | 230 | mg/t |
| Hg | 500 | 1.5 | mg/t |
| Pb | 19.605 | 0.95 | g/t |
| Zn | 51.968 | 9 | g/t |
| PCB | 1 | mg/t | |
| PCDD/F | 0.15 | µg/t | |
Uncertainties
The uncertainties for the production amounts are 5% and for the emission factors not more than 300%. Only for dioxines the upper bond uncertainty is about 900%.
Recalculations
With activity data and emission factors remaining unrevised, no recalculations were carried out compared to the previous submission.
Planned improvements
No category specific improvements are planned.