Characteristics and threats of particulate matter from zinc electrolysis manufacturing facilities

Abstract Electrolysis process in hydrometallurgy could generate particulate matter (PM) that contains hazardous inorganic acids and heavy metals. This PM generally poses more health risks than conventional atmospheric PM. Here, we investigated the PM characteristics in two representative zinc hydrometallurgy manufacturing facilities in China. The concentrations of the total suspended particles (TSP), PM  103). The results suggest that effective cleaner production technologies should be developed in hydrometallurgical industries and stringent regulations on PM, heavy metals, and sulfuric acid mist should be imposed to reduce the health risk in metal electrolysis workplaces.