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Britannia
Zinc Limited (BZL), is wholly owned by MIM Holdings, an Australian-based
international mining and metals company. Theproduction of marketable
grades of zinc, lead and silver through
a number of operations worldwide represents a major business
stream.
In
the UK, Britannia Zinc operates the country's only primary
zinc smelter at Avonmouth. Britannia Zinc is able to supply
the zinc market with a range of grades and qualities.
Customers in the galvanising, brass-making, diecasting,dust
and oxide industries transform the zinc into products for
the construction,automative and consumer durable markets.
MIM
acquired the business from Pasminco in 1993 and has stepped
up the pace of investment at Britannia Zinc - this is good
news for our employees, customers and suppliers.
BZL
is located in Avonmouth, north west of the city of Bristol,
near the Severn Estuary and the port of Avonmouth. Smelting
operations began at Avonmouth in the late 1920’s. Technology
used on site has progressed from the early Horizontal Retort
(HR) and Vertical Retort (VR) processes to
the development of the ‘Imperial Smelting Process’
(ISP). Following its operation at pilot scale, the ISP was
licensed worldwide and is now a major contributor to world
zinc and lead production. The plant in current use was built
at Avonmouth in 1967/68, and has been progressively upgraded
and improved, in many cases to enhance environmental performance.
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