KZ Insight
Korea Zinc shares the brand values and future vision of the company
Metal that protects the world, ZINC
2022-03-14Metal that protects the world, ZINC
Brand
STORY
Element 30 with atomic number zinc is a soft, lustrous, bluish-white metallic element. When it comes into contact with moisture, it creates a thin layer on the surface to protect the inside, so it is used for plating to prevent oxidation of iron plates or steel, or for alloys such as silver and brass.
Atomic number 30, the origin of zinc
Zinc was discovered by an alchemist in 1526, considerably later than copper, iron, tin, and lead. Paracelsus, a German-Swiss alchemist, named it zinc after the Old German word zinke, meaning sharp branch, after seeing the zinc joints deposited in the furnace. The current name zinc means that it resembles lead.
The zinc extracting method was first discovered in India in the 13th century, and the British chemist William Champion began mass production of zinc in1738. In 1746, the German chemistry Marg´graf was successful in separating pure zinc for the first time in zinc ore. In the past, brass, a zinc alloy, was used in Korea, and zinc is also contained in Sangpyeong Tongbo, a representative currency used until the end of the 19th century.
Zinc to prevent corrosion
A large amount of zinc production is used to prevent corrosion of iron plate plating Since zinc oxidizes more easily than iron, plating zinc on the steel surface prevents the iron from corroding as zinc oxidizes first. Therefore, zinc is used as an important basic material to prevent corrosion in various industries, and is most often used as a plating raw material for exterior materials for automobiles and home appliances and steel materials for construction.
Moreover, when zinc is oxidized, it becomes white-gray, so it is hard to visually confirm that it is corroded. Therefore, it is used for repair and welding of iron bridges and large ships, as well as for construction iron materials. In addition, Zinc, a blue-gray metal, is coated on a steel plate to make tin, and is used to manufacture various household items such as buckets and basins.
Zinc is also used in alloys such as brass (an alloy of zinc and copper) that everyone knows well. Brass is stronger than copper or zinc and has a lower melting point, making it much easier to cast, so it is used in musical instruments, zippers and fasteners.
In the end, zinc prevents corrosion of other metals to make it last longer, and it does not change color even when oxidized, making it look good, that is, it is a metal that plays a sacrificial role.
Zinc, an essential nutrient for modern people
Many people know and love the fact that the element contained in oysters, which is called the milk of the sea, is ‘zinc’. Zinc is the second most essential element in our body after iron and is essential for the metabolism of nucleic acids and amino acids. . It is also involved in the action of growth hormone, sex hormone, digestion and respiratory insulin, and plays an important role in the human body, such as improving immunity.
Showing off its high presence as a next-generation battery material
Zinc, a metal that is prone to oxidation, is also used in the cathode of batteries because it has a greater tendency to ionize than hydrogen. Zinc has been used to make the negative pole of many batteries, from the first voltaic cells to mercury cells, fuel cells and alkaline cells.
Zinc is also an essential material for zinc-air batteries which are receiving the most attention among next-generation secondary batteries to replace lithium-ion batteries. There are some disadvantages of zinc-air batteries that still need to solve such as the generation of zinc sludge. However, active investment and research are already being actively carried out to commercialize zinc-air batteries. Accordingly, zinc is becoming increasingly important as a next-generation battery material for eco-friendly future projects.
Korea Zinc and Zinc,
Unchanging Value
Korea is a high-purity zinc producer, and zinc is almost the only metal in Korea that can be self-sufficient. It is regarded as an important metal along with iron, aluminum, and copper, and is contributing greatly to Korea’s industry and economy.
Korea Zinc started producing zinc in 1974. Korea Zinc is the world’s largest zinc producer. It is processed into various forms such as lead, brass, and copper pipes, which are raw materials for industrial storage batteries and wire coating materials and is supplied to Korea as well as to the world. It is also reproduced from copper, which is an essential metal for national key industries, gold and silver, which are increasingly used in industries such as semiconductors and photovoltaic power generation, and indium, which is used as a core material for high-tech devices such as solar cells and LEDs.
Zinc has the advantage of preventing corrosion. When combined with other industrial materials by plating or alloying, it serves to safely protect the internal industrial materials and deliver the original functions and values of the industrial materials until the zinc plated on the outside is completely corroded. Such unique characteristics of zinc seem to express the unchanging value of Korea Zinc.
Zinc has the advantage of preventing corrosion. When combined with other industrial materials by plating or alloying, it serves to safely protect the internal industrial materials and deliver the original functions and values of the industrial materials until the zinc plated on the outside is completely corroded. Such unique characteristics of zinc seem to express the unchanging value of Korea Zinc.