Balen-Wezel zinc plant site, Balen, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgiumi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Balen-Wezel zinc plant site | Industrial Area |
| Balen | Municipality |
| Antwerp | Province |
| Flanders | Region |
| Belgium | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
51° 12' 1'' North , 5° 13' 59'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Balen | 19,978 (2011) | 5.7km |
| Lommel | 31,993 (2012) | 6.5km |
| Mol | 32,659 (2011) | 8.2km |
| Dessel | 8,707 (2011) | 9.3km |
| Leopoldsburg | 14,149 (2012) | 9.4km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Baelen-Wezel, Balen Werkplaatsen
The zinc factory at Balen-Wezel
At the end of the 19th century, Vieille Montagne decided to set up a roasting plant for calamine and the desulphurisation of zinc blende (zinc sulphide ores). Balen was particularly well located for this purpose: a relatively isolated and sparsely populated area along a railroad and canal, connected to the Port of Antwerp.
The construction of this plant in 1889 was necessary to increase the roasting capacity of the Vieille-Montagne group, which at the time was divided between the plants of Flône in Belgium, Oberhausen in Germany and Ammeberg in Sweden.
The plant was built by Gustave Ross, an engineer from the VM roasting plant in Oberhausen, Germany. Initially, the furnaces were mainly manual roasting ovens. Gas purification was not foreseen at first, but later when sulphuric acid became a commercial product, lead chambers were built that converted the flue gases into sulphuric acid. In 1891, Joseph Bellefroid started as an engineer in Balen. He came from the VM-site Bray-Lû and became director from 1894 onwards.
In 1909-1910, a lead factory was built to process the lead and silver waste ashes from the zinc furnaces in Liège.
A zinc electrolysis plant was built in 1935. From then on, zinc metal was actually produced in Balen. Previously, this had mainly taken place in the zinc smelters near Liège. The Balen factory became a world player. New techniques were developed and implemented all over the world.
In 1990, the Vieille Montagne group came to an end and Balen was taken over by Union Minière. However, the Balen site is still a profitable production unit producing approximately 280,000 tonnes of electrolytic zinc, but no longer as VM, but now part of the Nyrstar group.
List of minerals for each chemical element
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Balen-Wezel zinc plant site, Balen, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium