Life Cycle Assessment of Lead Production in China

Abstract

This study analyzed the environmental impacts due to lead production in China, which is the largest producer and consumer of lead in the world, by the method of life cycle assessment (LCA). Based on the Chinese refined lead smelting process, a process-based life cycle assessment model was established to assess the environmental load of lead production system which includes the processes of mining, beneficiation, smelting, electrorefining and transportation. The result shows that the cumulative consumption of electricity and the cumulative emission of green house gases for the production of 1t of refined lead are 1111.93kWh and 2.06E+03kg CO2 eq, respectively. Smelting process is the largest contributor to the environmental impact load, accounting for 51.16% of the total environmental impact. The environmental category of human toxicity potential(HTP), accounting for 35.26% of the total environmental impact, is the largest contributor between different environmental categories to the total environmental impact, followed by metal depletion potential(MDP) and fossil depletion potential(FDP), accounting for 27.94% and 11.80% of the total environmental impact, respectively. Improving the resource efficiencies of the processes of smelting and beneficiation, and using cleaner energy to generate electricity are the key approaches to reduce the overall environmental impact of lead production in China.