Lead Production (Litharge, Refined Lead, Red Lead & Grey Lead)

Description:

Lead Production (Litharge, Refined Lead, Red Lead & Grey Lead)

Lead is a soft and malleable metal belonging to the carbon group. It is the heaviest non-radioactive element which occurs naturally on earth in the form of four isotopes: lead-208, 207, 206, and 204. It is generally found in ores with copper, silver and zinc and is extracted together with these metals. Lead compounds exist in two main oxidation states: +4 and +2. It is widely used in construction activities, production of weights, lead-acid batteries, and as a radiation shield. Conventional lead-acid batteries have a significant history in providing energy storage for a wide range of end-use applications, in mobile as well as stationary applications.

Usually, lead is found in conjunction with other metals such as silver and zinc and is mined as a by-product. The ore is first mined post which it is concentrated, smelted and refined in a blast furnace with limestone and coke to remove and recover the other metals.

The lead metal is primarily extracted from sulphide ore i.e. galena, which has the 86.6% lead content. Two other minerals commercially mined for lead are cerussite and anglesite. Over 95% of all lead mined is derived from one of these three minerals.

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