The International Lead Trade Vincent Rich ISBN 1-88573-103-7 US$95.00 320 Pages Order This Book

This book provides a comprehensive, yet accessible, guide to the international lead industry, dealing with all aspects from its historical development, mineralogy and physical characteristics, to its processing and usage.

While evidence of the smelting and fabrication of lead dates back some 7 to 8,000 years, its emergence as an important industrial metal occurred in the mid-19th century with its use in battery technology and it is the battery industry that now dominates demand for the metal.

Lead is highly toxic and can be extremely harmful to human health and the environment. However, it can also lay claim, through the highly-developed recycling network in place in the industry, to be one of the 'greenest' metals in terms of resource and energy conservation.

The future of the lead industry is an uncertain one, with environmental concerns, together with political and economic changes in the Eastern Bloc, likely to dominate the outlook into the next century. The way the international lead trade faces up to the challenges ahead, and its ability to view the changes as opportunities rather than threats, will be crucial for the continued health and indeed existence of the industry in its current form.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Origins and History Discovery and early use in ancient world Lead - the Roman metal The rebirth of the lead industry in Europe The Industrial Revolution and the Machine Age The development of the market Chapter 2: The Lead Industry in Profile Evolution and significance The world lead balance Industry statistics The treatment of the Eastern Bloc countries Chapter 3: Mineralogy and Reserves Occurrence Mineral types and metallurgy Geology and classification of deposits Lead reserves and resources Prospecting and exploration Chapter 4: Mining and Concentration Mining methods Concentration Concentrate grades and specifications Chapter 5: Primary Lead Smelting and Refining The technology of primary lead production The Imperial Smelting Process New lead smelting processes Lead refining methods The impact of environmental regulations Chapter 6: The Processing of Scrap The importance of secondary production Sources and availability of scrap The scrap collection chain Battery collection and recycling schemes Lead scrap remelting Secondary lead processing technology New processing techniques Environmental regulations and the secondary lead industry Chapter 7: Costs of Production Introduction Mine costs Smelting and refining costs Chapter 8: Production Patterns and Trends Introduction Long Term trends in production Influences on mine supply Distribution of mine production Developments in refined metal production The international structure of smelter output Chapter 9: Properties and Toxicology The properties of lead Lead toxicology and sources of exposure Lead exposure regulations Techniques of price forecasting Occupational health Protection of the general population Chapter 10: Commercial Specifications Standard grades Standard shapes Chapter 11: Applications and End Uses Forms and intermediate products of lead Lead metal and dilute alloys Uses of lead alloys Uses of lead compounds Lead batteries Principal uses and users of lead

Chapter 12: Influences on the Demand for Lead Introduction Economic growth and the demand for lead The changing intensity of lead use The demand for batteries Developments in battery design Substitution and economisation Technical changes in lead products and markets The marketing of lead Chapter 13: Consumption Patterns and Trends Consumption statistics Long-term trends in lead consumption The spread of consumption Trends in products and end-uses Eastern Bloc Consumption Chapter 14: Trading Patterns The importance of trade Trade in lead concentrates Trade in lead bullion Trade in refined lead Trade in lead scrap Trade in batteries Barriers to trade East-West trade Chapter 15: Market Structure and Market Power Industry organization Ownership and control in lead mining and refining The extent of vertical integration Attempts at market regulation The role of merchants and traders Consolidation in the lead-acid battery industry Chapter 16: Trading Arrangements Major trading centers The London Metal Exchange (LME) The LME lead contract Risk management and speculation on the LME Other deferred delivery contracts The lead concentrates market The scrap market Chapter 17: Prices and Price Behavior Long-term price trends The structure of prices Major influences on lead prices Recent lead price behavior Co-product and by-product prices Forecasting prices Stocks and stockholding behavior Chapter 18: New Uses and New Markets Introduction New developments in SLI battery technology New battery applications Nuclear waste disposal and environmental protection Other new developments Emerging economies, expanding markets? Chapter 19: The Outlook for Production The prospect for lead mining Developments in primary lead smelting The growing importance of the secondary sector Chapter 20: Lead and the Environment Introduction The environmental debate Evolving environmental policies Environmental control measures Waste disposal and recycling Emerging lead exposure reduction strategies A review of US environmental legislation Chapter 21: Future Issues Introduction Industry statistics The future of the LME Industry and environment: some corporate issues Market structure and company strategies

About the Author

Vincent Rich has been a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Westminster since 1988, with teaching and research interests in business economics, mineral and commodity market economics, and environmental economics. He is a member of the Center for Environmental Studies at the University. Between 1980 and 1988 he worked as a Senior Consultant in the lead/zinc team at CRU International in London, for whom he has since worked as a freelance consultant. He has contributed entries on lead and zinc to the Economist Intelligence Unit's bi-monthly World Commodity Forecasts since 1990 and has assisted with longer term reports produced by the Unit on the lead and zinc industries.