Belgium | Nyrstar NV announced today that Australian Refined Alloys (ARA), its 50% joint venture, is planning a major capacity expansion of its battery recycling business. Following a recent feasibility study ARA plans to combine its two facilities into a single lead recycling facility utilising best available technology.
Australian Refined Alloys Pty Ltd (ARA) is a lead acid battery recycling joint venture with two secondary lead smelters in Australia, located at Alexandria in Sydney, and Laverton North in Melbourne. Nyrstar owns 50% of the joint venture and is the operating partner, whilst the Sims Group, a large Australian metal recycling company, owns the remaining 50%. The two sites produced 37 842 tonnes of lead alloys in 2007 and had 66 employees and 29 full-time contractors at the end of 2007.
Nyrstar NV is the world’s largest producer of zinc metal and alloys, and in addition, is one of the world’s largest primary lead smelting and refining companies. The company produces other valuable by-products including copper, gold and indium, along with significant quantities of refined silver. In 2007 Nyrstar produced more than one million tonnes of zinc. Incorporated in Belgium and with its corporate offices in the UK and Belgium, Nyrstar has wholly-owned operations in Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the USA and joint ventures in Australia, China and France.
Acknowledgement
www.nyrstar.com
