EWC Code
Wastes from cooling-water treatment containing oil
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume (EU)
1.8 million tonnes/year EU lead recycling
Valorisation Range
€290M secondary lead market
Primary Route
Slag fuming and metal recovery
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Get contacts for EWC 10 04 09EWC 10 04 09 is a specific sub-code under EWC 10 04 — Wastes from lead thermal metallurgy. The classification guidance below applies to this waste stream.
Lead thermal metallurgy generates slag, flue dust and refractory waste with high lead and occasionally arsenic and antimony content. Secondary lead production from spent automotive batteries dominates the European lead smelting sector, with over 65% of lead demand met from recycled sources. Slag and flue dust arise from blast or rotary furnace processing of battery plates and grids.
Lead slags typically contain 1–5% residual lead with significant antimony, arsenic and bismuth impurities. Flue dust (10 04 04*) concentrates volatile metals and is classified hazardous due to lead content above 0.1%. Slag from primary smelting of lead-silver concentrates may be further processed by fuming to recover zinc oxide before final disposal.
Battery Directive 2006/66/EC mandates 65% collection rate for automotive batteries, ensuring consistent feedstock for secondary smelters. Processing under BREF for non-ferrous metals requires secondary containment for all slag handling to prevent lead runoff.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 10 04 09, ranked by economic value and market depth.
Lead slags are processed in fuming furnaces to volatilise residual zinc as zinc oxide fume, simultaneously reducing lead content to below 0.5%. Resulting slag is used as road sub-base or aggregate after leachate testing. Zinc oxide fume is sold to zinc refinery.
Spent refractory bricks from blast furnace linings are crushed and assessed for residual lead content. Low-lead fractions are recycled as aggregate; high-lead fractions are processed as hazardous waste through stabilisation before landfill or metal recovery.
Flue dust and contaminated refractory containing lead above threshold concentrations are disposed to hazardous landfill under 1999/31/EC. Stabilisation with Portland cement reduces lead leachability to meet WAC limits (<5 mg/L Pb, <2 mg/L As) before landfill acceptance.
These are the established routes for EWC 10 04 09. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Reprocess lead slags via fuming to recover residual lead and zinc values
Use litharge (lead oxide) recovered from flue dust in glass and ceramics production
Sort and process lead-bearing waste streams for metal recovery
Use inert slag fraction as aggregate substitute after leachate compliance verification
Sectors that valorise EWC 10 04 09 as an input material or secondary raw material.
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