Ausmelt has signed a contract with Korea Zinc for the construction of the seventh Ausmelt technology furnace at Onsan in Korea.

Korea Zinc is the worlds largest producer of zinc metal and is widely recognised as a low-cost zinc producer with a reputation for successfully adopting leading-edge technologies. A new single furnace will be built to treat copper secondary materials, including copper dross material emanating from existing operations at the Onsan complex. This represents the first application of Ausmelt technology to the recovery of valuable metals from this combination of copper by-products and represents a new market for the technology in processing copper dross from lead refineries at lead smelters around the world.

Korea Zinc currently operates six Ausmelt technology furnaces treating a range of zinc slags and residues as well as secondary lead materials. It also plans to install Ausmelt technology for treatment of zinc residues at its Sun Metals plant in Townsville.