The contemporary Latin America and the Caribbean zinc cycle: One year stocks and flows

Contemporary 1994 zinc cycles for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) were characterized by material flow analysis and were completed on regional and country levels. The countries important for the analysis were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. Zinc was analyzed within the framework of four life stages in which an anthropogenically utilized material participates – Production, Fabrication and Manufacturing, Use, and Waste Management. Flows among, trade associated with, and changes in stock (where appropriate) corresponding to each life stage were evaluated. Zinc is mined in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, with Peru conducting the majority of the mining activity. The LAC region is a net exporter of mined zinc concentrate (465 Gg Zn) and refined zinc slab (57 Gg Zn), with Peru as the sole exporter of zinc concentrate and the largest exporter of zinc slab. Most countries import zinc in semi-finished and finished products, with the exceptions being Peru exporting zinc in semi-finished products and Brazil exporting zinc in finished products. In all cases, there is a net addition of zinc to stock in Use, with 190 Gg Zn added to stock in the LAC region. On a regional level, the largest flow of zinc entering Waste Management is from Use (95 Gg Zn), with the key contributors being municipal solid waste (including construction & demolition debris) (45 Gg Zn) and end-of-life vehicles (49 Gg Zn). Zinc entering landfills was estimated at 62 Gg Zn for the LAC region, with the largest contributors being Brazil (35 Gg Zn), Peru (9 Gg Zn) and Argentina (8 Gg Zn).