Fire hits acid plant at S. Korean zinc smelter, report says
Market Trends · Kitco ·
A fire broke out in the sulphuric acid unit of Young Poong's Seokpo zinc smelter in South Korea's North Gyeongsang province and was extinguished within about an hour, with no casualties or toxic gas leaks reported. The plant, which can produce 400,000 tonnes of zinc ingots a year, helped drive LME zinc up as much as 3.4% to $3,638 a tonne — its highest since June 19 and within striking distance of a four-year peak. Sulphuric acid, a smelting byproduct used to refine copper and nickel and make fertilizer, has grown scarce as conflict in the Middle East crimps supplies.