Domestic production and use

1. Lead is a moderately soft metal with bluish-white lusture but on exposure to air, it becomes roofed by a dull, gray layer of basic carbonate that adheres closely and protects it from further oxidation or corrosion. It has a low tensile strength and a relatively poor conductor of electricity. It has a face-centered cubic crystalline structure.
2. Native Lead rarely occurs in nature. It is usually linked with ore with Zn, Ag and Cu, and is extracted together with these metals. The Lead metal is primarily extracted from sulphide ore i.e galena (PbS), which has the 86.6% Lead content. two other minerals commercially mined for Lead are cerussite (PbCO3) and anglesite (PbSO4).
3. Over 95% of all Lead mined is derived from one of these three minerals. The largest source of Lead, however, is from recycling, & the automobile battery takes the lion’s share.

Recycling

1. Lead is a material which is very easy to recycle. It can be re-melted many times, and provided sufficient processes to remove impurities.
2. The final product (termed as Secondary Lead) is identical in any way from primary Lead produced from the ore.
3. The amount of Lead recycled as a proportion of total production is already fairly high worldwide. Over 50% of Lead consumed is derived from recycled or re-used material.Recycling rates of Lead are estimated to be much higher than for other materials.

Substitutes

1. Battery The principal use of Lead is for the Lead-Acid storage battery in which grid or plate is made of Lead or Lead with other metal more commonly with antimony.
2. Pigments Used widely in paints, although newly the use of Lead in paints has been drastically curtailed to eliminate or reduce health hazards. White Lead, 2PbCO3 • Pb(OH)2, is the most extensively used Lead pigment. Other Lead pigments of importance are basic Lead sulfate and Lead chromates.
3. Cable Sheathing Because of its high ductility, good extrusion ability, relatively low temperature & excellent proven corrosion resistance when in contact with a wide range of industrial and marine environments, soils and chemicals, Lead Alloys are used extensively as sheathing materials for high voltage power cables.