Extract metals and process slags.
Environmental Aspect
The lead waste recycling plant of LLP “Standard Steel KZ” focuses on extracting metals from slags. Modern technologies enable the processing of deposits and dumps of technogenic tailings, which contain non-ferrous and ferrous metals, thereby clearing the surrounding landscape of man-made "Babels." In Shymkent, these have developed over decades, lying exposed to the elements and releasing toxic dust into the city during windy weather. No one even thought to cover them with a layer of clay.
At one time, the Chimkent Lead Plant (ChLP) laid the foundation for the metallurgical industry in the southern part of the republic. The enterprise was established in 1934 on the outskirts of the city and did not create significant ecological problems at that time. Its capacity, allowing for the production of 30,000 tons of refined lead per year, was minimal.
Over several decades, production volumes gradually increased, allowing for a fivefold increase in the output of marketable products. However, until the 1970s, no one thought about ecology. Reports on the issuance of another 150,000 tons of lead conveniently omitted the fact that up to 97 tons of metal are released into the atmosphere here annually. This metal settled on the leaves of trees, rooftops, playgrounds, and the yards of new homeowners.
The thing is, as the plant developed, the industrial zone also expanded. Authorities issued permits for the construction of housing and social facilities in close proximity to it, without considering the consequences. As a result, the kilometer-long sanitary protection zone, which is an indispensable condition for the operation of a metallurgical plant, became completely built up.
Residential buildings, schools, kindergartens, catering establishments, and healthcare facilities surrounded the metallurgical workshops, coexisting with production waste. Meanwhile, ecologists assert that the sanitary protection zone for a facility like a lead plant, operating for seven decades, should have been three kilometers, as heavy metals have permeated the soil over this time. However, this did not prevent local executive bodies from deciding to construct the residential area "Kazyghurt" just across the road from the largest dump and directly under the pipes of the metallurgical plant.
In fact, even after the 180-meter main stack of the plant stopped emitting smoke, the ecological situation in the area remains complex. Tens of thousands of citizens are forced to live in an area where the soil's lead content exceeds the permissible limit.
In 2009, at the request of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, within the framework of the project "Comprehensive Assessment of Environmental Pollution by Lead and Development of Rehabilitation Technology and Reduction of Ecological Risks," specialists from LLP "Center for Health Protection and Ecoengineering" (CHPE) examined soil and vegetation samples taken from three zones: within 500 meters from the plant, from 500 to 1,000 meters, and from 1,000 to 1,500 meters.
Multiple exceedances of the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of heavy metals were found in all soil samples. Moreover, as the distance from the plant increased, the concentration of lead in the soil decreased: in the first zone, its content exceeded the MPC by 17.28 to 163 times, in the second zone by 1.16 to 26.47 times, and in the third zone by 3.28 to 9.06 times.
Ecologists established that soil contamination in Shymkent with lead leads to the entry of heavy metals into vegetables and feed crops. Exceedances of the MPC for lead content were found in the milk of cows that grazed in these areas. In all samples, the exceedance ranged from 1.83 to 8.13 times.
In 2012, according to research conducted by the National Center for Labor Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, elevated lead levels were found in the blood of 34% of children and 20% of adults. Meanwhile, this metal and its compounds are hazardous agents in the environment, as they negatively affect health. Lead increases the risk of diseases of the nervous system, affects the hematopoietic system, and the gastrointestinal tract.
Given this situation, it is not surprising that when making the decision to close the lead plant, the environmental aspect was prioritized. However, the dumps of slag, ominously looming over the city, were not addressed. In just one of these storage sites, located on the banks of the Badam River, more than 2 million tons of solid technogenic waste have accumulated. Undoubtedly, they have contributed and continue to contribute to the ecological pollution of the area.
Business Interested in Deep Processing
"It should be noted that the republic has inherited a heavy legacy," commented the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Yerlan Nysanbayev, who participated in the opening ceremony of LLP “Standard Steel KZ.” "Perhaps at the time when the Chimkent Lead Plant was built, it was considered high-tech, but now it's clear: many industrial facilities in Kazakhstan do not meet current environmental standards and requirements. The future lies with such high-tech enterprises as 'Standard Steel KZ.' The plants we are now opening exist only in the USA and China. It is encouraging to see that domestic business is interested in production waste that requires deeper processing."
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Yerlan Nysanbayev also noted that the processing of slags will rid the landscape of historical pollution, which will positively impact the state of the environment and, of course, affect the quality of life for people living in the area adjacent to the plant.
The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources welcomes the emergence of such modern plants, where secondary raw materials serve as feedstock for deeper processing, allowing for the production of highly demanded products. Thus, literally turning waste into profit.
The new plant was built from scratch on the territory of the former lead plant, which ceased operations 12 years ago. The capacities of LLP “Standard Steel KZ” allow for the production of about 21,000 tons of zinc oxide annually, processing 300,000 tons of metallurgical waste. The exact volume accumulated over decades is yet to be determined.
The total area of the former lead plant is 160 hectares, of which approximately 40% is covered by slag. This does not include the slag mountain that extends beyond the plant's perimeter.
"According to official estimates, the slag reserves in Shymkent reach 4.5 million tons," says Serikzhan Seitzhanov, founder of the company "South Oil," which includes LLP “Standard Steel KZ.” "This is only the visible part, which is piled on the surface. However, it is already clear that part of the waste has been buried, and they also need to be disposed of, extracting valuable metals through the fuming process. This is a unique innovative project. The implementation of scientific and technical developments has created hundreds of additional jobs and reduced the ecological consequences of the lead plant's operations."
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Modern technologies are highly effective, as evidenced by LLP “Standard Steel KZ,” which began processing slags on an industrial scale in 2023. From these, the plant produces up to 4,600 tons of copper-silver concentrate annually.
The demand for the concentrate is very high. The entire volume of production is supplied to countries in Europe and China, where pure zinc is then obtained. The new metallurgical complex, which has two furnaces, is designed to produce up to 21,000 tons of zinc oxide annually.
"We borrowed the slag processing technology from China, which has excelled in this area," says the chief technologist of the plant, Sergey Syromyatnikov. "The waste from our lead plant contains a group of non-ferrous metals. Mainly, this is zinc, with a content ranging from 5.6 to 17%, ensuring high production profitability. Lead accounts for 0.45%, and copper ranges from 0.6 to 1%. The concentration of copper after the smelting process reaches 0.9% and becomes suitable for further enrichment at the hydrometallurgy factory. The silver content ranges from 7.2 to 12 grams per ton."
"Previously, ecological norms did not allow for complete purification and processing of waste," adds Akzhan Toybaev, executive director of LLP “Standard Steel KZ.” "At that time, the lead plant was working well on lead extraction, but it failed with zinc. In 1974, a special furnace was designed for zinc extraction, but it turned out to be very energy-intensive, which automatically made the processing of sludges unprofitable. Now, an effective technology has emerged. It was developed in China, which has very high requirements for the degree of slag purification."
The technology allows for the processing of both waste and ore containing metal. To reorient production to new raw materials, it is enough to adjust the equipment. Thus, the workforce, which consists of nearly 600 people, will certainly not be out of work.
"I have been here since the very beginning of the plant's construction," says senior master Konstantin Chestovich. "I witnessed the installation and connection of equipment, its adjustment, and the launch of the technological chain. I learned all the details directly in the workshop, studying from Chinese specialists, and now I can control the process."
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