TEHRAN – The extraction of zinc and lead ores from Iran’s Angouran mining complex reached 88,720 tons in the Iranian calendar month of Shahrivar (August 22-September 21), registering a five-percent increases year on year.

As one of the country’s major zinc and lead mines, Angouran Complex had produced 84,095 tons of the mentioned minerals in the previous year’s same month, according to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).

Also, the amount of minerals sent to processing plants in the mentioned month was 83,328 tons, which shows a 66-percent increase compared to the same period last year in which the figure stood at 50,084 tons.

Angouran lead and zinc complex extracted about 473,325 tons of minerals in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 19-September 21), while the figure was 473,990 tons in the same period last year.

The amount of minerals sent from Angouran Complex to processing units in the first half of this year reached 477,662 tons, to register an increase of 74 percent, compared to the same period last year (274,298 tons).

Major Iranian lead and zinc producers extracted a total of 211,304 tons of ores during the first three months of the current Iranian year (March 20-June 20) registering a two percent rise compared with the corresponding period of last year.

According to IMIDRO, in the mentioned three months, Angouran Lead and Zinc Complex accounted for the highest share of the total output with 195,860 tons and with one percent growth year-on-year, while Nakhlak Lead and Zinc Plant accounted for 15,444 tons of the total output, indicating a seven percent increase.

Zinc is used in alloys such as brass, nickel, silver, and aluminum, and also in galvanizing steel structures. Furthermore, the metal is widely used in the manufacture of products such as paint, rubber, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastic, ink, soap, batteries, textile, and electrical equipment.

According to the United States Geological Survey, Iran holds the world's largest zinc, ninth largest copper, 10th largest iron ore, fifth largest gypsum and barite, and 10th largest uranium reserves.

EF/MA