ZINC OXIDE

Industrial quality
Zinc oxide is a fluffy white powder used for a wide range of technical applications such as rubber and ceramics, in foods, paints, and in chemical applications. Current global production is more than 1 million tonnes per year. For more information on the zinc industry click here for the International Zinc Association, www.iza.com

Traditional processes for the production of zinc oxide are the French (“indirect”) and American (“direct”) processes. The French process is based on new ingots or secondary zinc metal, while the American process uses secondary oxidised zinc as raw material. A third way to produce zinc oxide is the wet process which involves several chemical reactions leading to a pure zinc oxide.

The ZnO market
The zinc oxide industry is a fragmented industry with over 300 companies around the world producing in excess of 1.2 million tonnes of ZnO per year. ZnO accounts for about 9% of total zinc consumption.  For more information about the zinc oxide market and recent developments see International Zinc Association (IZA), zinc Oxide branch: www.znoxide.org.
 
Uses
The properties of zinc oxide are used in many different types of applications across a range of industries from tyres to pharmaceuticals and to animal feed.  Rubber and tyres have been traditionally the largest end-use sectors but the glass and ceramics industries also use zinc oxide in numerous applications.

Zinc oxide is also found in a wide range of chemicals and pharmaceuticals used for medical and cosmetic purposes. Zinc oxide is used in exterior house paints and in many other sectors including fertilisers, animal feed, engine lubricants and as a fire retardant in plastics. 

Rubber Tyres

 

 

 

 

 
Price
Zinc oxide is not a commodity but is linked to the LME for the value of its zinc content. The pricing varies according to different factors:
 

·  zinc price on the LME

·  purity

·  sector of use

·  geographic region

 

The general well accepted formula for zinc oxide pricing is based on:

·  value of the zinc content

·  premium to reflect the cost of the raw material and processing

·  cost of transport.

Ceramic Tiles