With the foundation of General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration in 1935, lead-zinc searches became more scientific. The first concentration facility is Etibank Keban Concentration Facility.

 After year 1960, private enterprises founded less capacity concentration and calcinations facilities and their products have been more towards exporting.

 Everywhere in our country we can find patterns, formations and deposits of lead and zinc in sedimentary, volcanic or metaphormic forms. Cu-Pb-Zn ore beds in Turkey:

 North Turkey copper, lead, zinc track,

 Southeast Turkey ofiolite track,

 Northwest Turkey lead-zinc track,

South Turkey carbonate-type lead-zinc track. 

3.1 Reserves in Turkey

 The reserves of lead-zinc ore and concentrations in Turkey are found as oxide and sulfuric, parallel to the formation of the ore beds. Total zinc reserve of Turkey is 5.4x10⁶ tons of metal zinc. 1.3x10⁶ tons of this is the seen reserve. All of the oxide ores in the country has been processed by Çinkur to produce electrolytic zinc ingots. As there is no chance to liquidify the sulfuric ores in Turkey, enriched lead-zinc ores and concentrations are sold to foreign countries. Zinc is also exported as tuvenane, selected concentrate and calcinated product.

 As designated by the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration, the unoperated zinc formations are 70x10⁶ tons with 2.9% of zinc. The main reserve is Rize – Çayeli – Madenköy with its 35% part. 

Turkish lead-zinc reserves in World Totals

x10³ tons

 3.2 Metal Zinc Consumption Areas

 Oxide ores mined in Turkey are liquidified by Çinkur to produce lead and cadmium metals. There are no facilities to refine sulphuric concentrations.

 In 1999, 600x10³ tons of sulphuric tuvenane ore has been refined to produce 102x10³ tons of selected zinc concentration and bulk concentration. The metal demand shortage is 20 to 30x10³ tons/year, and this is compensated by imports.

 Zinc is used in these areas: 55 to 60% in galvanization of pipes and transfer lines, 15 to 20% in brass production, 3% in zinc plate production, 8 to 10% in zinc oxide and tire sector, 3% in battery production, 6 to 7% in press moulding industry, textile, ceramics, chemistry.

 Cadmium produced in our country is used in Ni-Cd batteries, electrolytic coating, dyes and pigments. 

3.3 Exporting

 There are two kinds of exporting in lead-zinc mining, definite and temporary. Temporary exporting is executed as notified in 14.02.1992 and number 21142 in Resmi Gazete published as 92/4 Temporary Exportation Notification and 24.01.1996 number 22533 in Resmi Gazete published Exportation number 96/13 Refining Abroad Notification.

 Definite and temporary exportation is to Italy, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Bulgaria. As a result of the stagnation of World economics and low prices, our 1.6x10⁶ $ export of 1992 has increased ten folds in 1996. 50 to 91% of exportation is to European Union countries. Ore and concentration, that Çinkur needed, was imported from Iran.

Tuvenane and concentration ores produced in Turkey are temporarily exported to be liquidified and then taken back as Zn, Pb, Ag, and other metal products.

Turkey’s zinc ore export increased rapidly after the foundation of Çayeli Copper Facilities and reached to 16x10⁶ $ in 1996.

 Demand shortage increasing parallel to the increase in production sector in our country, 20 to 25x10³ tons/year of metal zinc and other alloys are imported.

 3.4 Projections

 Demands of zinc in years

* estimated.  

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