Zinc
Zinc is a metal widely used for galvanising iron and steel to protect against corrosion, as well as a wide range of other applications.
South32 produces Zinc at our Cannington operation in Australia. The process for extracting zinc from the ore involves grinding, flotation and leaching techniques that produces high-grade, marketable zinc.
Learn more
Learn more
Because of its special properties zinc has long been used in construction, particularly to galvanize other metals. For example, steel street light poles coated in zinc to protect against corrosion.
Zinc compounds are also used in a wide range of other applications. For example, zinc oxide coatings help solar panels achieve higher energy conversion. Zinc oxide is also used in paints and inks, cosmetics, plastics, pharmaceuticals and as a semiconductor.
Zinc is also used as an alloy with copper to create brass.
South32 produces zinc at our Cannington mine in North West Queensland, Australia. The mine also produces silver and lead.
Cannington consists of an underground hard rock mine and surface processing facility, a road-to-rail transfer facility and a concentrate handling and ship loading facility at the Port of Townsville. In Q4 FY22 we transitioned to 100 per cent truck haulage to bring product to the surface.
Silver, lead and zinc are extracted from the ore using grinding, sequential flotation and leaching techniques that produce high-grade, marketable lead and zinc concentrates with a high silver content.
