NONFERROUS METALS IN THE POLISH SIX-YEAR PLAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060483-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 30, 2011
• Sequence Number: 483
• Publication Date: May 26, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060483-8
CLASSIFICATION RPSTRICTED
CENTRAL SINNTELI GENNCCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
COUNTRY Poland
SUBJECT Economic - Nonferrous metals
HOW
PUBLISHED Monthly periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Katowice
DATE
PUBLISHED Nov - Dec 1950
LANGUAGE
INFORMATION 1950
CD NO.
DATE OF
DATE DIST..4 May 1952
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
TNI/ IOCIIINT CONTAIN{ INIOIYATAI AIIIRIN. TII IATOIAL DIIIIIN
OI VNI YIITIO RATI NTIIN TII AnN10 OI IITO.NI ACT II
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Yu TS. IT IAN. IIROOYMOY OV TIIN VAIN a IIOAIIITIG.
Rutnik, Vol XVII, No 11, Nov - Dec 1950.
NONFERR0US MEDALS IN THE POLISH SIC-YEAR PLAN
Boleslaw Chudzio
The Six-year plan set very important tasks for the nonferrous metal in-
dustry; the most important is to reduce imports of nonferrous ores and metals
to a minimum. This requires a development of Poland's natural resources for
economic self-sufficiency. The present nonferrous ore mines in Poland are con-
fined to zinc and lead area.
Before the war, domestic ore extraction covered nearly 40 percent of the
requirements of zinc metallurgy. Now that the Three-Year Plan has been real-
ized, this figure is considerably higher.
The Six-Year. Plan provides for the expansion of zinc and lead ore produc-
tion, and for the development of other metallic resources, such as copper and nicke
required
the Six-
Year
an sur tak nlin Poland DrillingsOre deposits are tested orlboth qualityyyaandd previously of or-
and prospecting is conducted wherever deposits are known to exist orivberevere'
they are likely to be found. Simultaneously, the technology of converting ores
is being developed for both high-grade and low-grade ores.
Investment sums allotted to the development of nonferrous metal resources
reflect the importance of the problem. Domestic requirements for nonferrous
metals will be covered more and more by the Polish nonferrous metallurgical in-
dustry using indigenous ores. There will be constant progress toward self-suf-
ficiency despite increasing domestic consumption. I
Because domestic ores are predominantly low-grade, they first must be con-
centrated. Of the many methods of concentrating ores, flotation is most widely
used for sulfide ores, and sintering for oxide ores. Both methods require a
large financial outlay and such equipment, but both result in concentrates with
maximum metallic content. Expenditures for the development of e 1
concentrating ores by sintering e for
ing constitute an important Item in investments for
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mining. Sintering of calamine will increase nearly fourfold, Expenditures
for flotation equipment are also quite large. Investments are being made to
expand the capacity of existing plants,
ern equipment and layout. and to construct new plants with mod-
.
In both expansion and new plant construction, the available structural
parts are adapted to changed conditions. Simultaneously, efforts are made to
standardize all auxiliary elements in similar plants to reduce the work of en-
gineers, and to promote efficient interplant management? Shafts are being
sunk with identical drilling machines; transportation is being standardized.
Identical. batteries of furnaces for sintering zinc and lead ores are being
built, and flotation installations are being standardized.
Constant attention is given to the use of new reagents to recover more
metal from ores, and efforts are being made to understand completely all vari-
ables in technological processes.
From ore to final product, the Six-Year Fiar. aim; at better balance be-
tween output and input requirements In all installations, automatic equipment
is being introduced on a wide scale to save labor and assure the desired ex-
traction or production. Great attention is also being paid to assure workers
of the best working conditions and maximum safety in the new plants.
For the present, the development of zinc and lead mining -iil be concen-
trated in three centers. The main emphasis will br greater utili"ation of cal-
amine, concentrated by sintering. The two new Centers will be more or less
equal as to the production of concentrates, but they will differ in the capac-
ity for converting concentrates into metals. One will be a self-sufficient
plant which will aico convert scrap from other areas.
sulfidCopperoncore mining
entrates; the will
second will centers. ~ oxide ores. first
Both center
have supply
centers will
possibilities not yet fully explored; intensive drilling will be conducted int
them.
Nickel ores found in Dolny Slask are concentrated by eiutering into ferro-
nickel. The concentrate, processed by various methods, is ^cnverted into val-
uable intermediates and nickel-base products
Nonferrous metallurgy in the Six-year Flan vill be developed along two
lines, (1) modernization of old equipment, and !2 development of new branches
of production which up to now did not exist in Poland
Much of the equipment of the zinc metallurgical industry is antiquated,
for example. manually operated roasting furnaces, demanding great effort and
producing a product of little value This type of equipment will be replaced
with modern, fully mechanized furnaces, which will have high productivity and
will guarantee higher recovery of metals from ores, and more profitable opera-
tion. These modern furnaces will include mechanical multiple-hearth furnaces,
Dwight-Lloyd belt conveyer furnaces, and efficient furnaces for the production
qualities suitable for electrolytic zinc caller for in the Six-Tear Plan.
Up to now, nonferrous metallurgy in Fo,and has been coat inei to the pro-
duction of zinc, lead, and small amounts of accompanying metals -- cadmium and
silver. There was little recovery of by-product arsenic and antimony, Now,
all metals contained in the ore and required by Polish industries viii be re-
covered, and entirely new branches of metallurgical conversion of copper,
senic, nickel, and other concentrates will be developed. The activation of new
branches of metallurgy is difficult., and requires large financial outlays and
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RFSTRIC '
wide experience, However, Poland has benefited from the experience of friendly
neighbors, particularly the USSR, it comes during a Soviet aid is especially significant because
period when the pesters governm to Po-
land even for hard currency. ents have refused aid
Both sintering and smelting processes will be modernized. The present
lead metallurgical pleat is one of the oldest installations of this t
world. The new metallurgical plant will be one of the most an
this type- Machines will replace harmful manual work, Cases and plantstoYthe
up to now have been Polluting the area, w be utilized, past prooductshwill
be utilized, and new products, such as arsenic salts and metallic antimony,
will be produced.
With increased extraction of domestic lead ore and modern production
methods, lead production will cover almost all of Polal-A's requirements, de-
spite increased consumption,
Zinc production will almost double. Prewar Poland was fourth in Europe's
production of zinc, but after the completion of the Six-year Plan, Poland will
be the leading producer of zinc in Europe? Thus far, the production ratio of
smelted zinc to ele-trolyoic zinc has been 4:1, Froduction of refined zinc of
99.99 purity for alloys will be tripled. New methods of producing metal
powders will be introduc d in Poland
of c
oTherdeveloptenttofncopper metallurg and refining ie a logical consequence
the conservation of tin from mill ends of ti -platedssheetseandoused tin cans, wiIj a- be . tin production will be increased,
Copper production will increase to 6o percent. of the domestic require-
Rents, and nickel production will cover approximately 50 percent of the re-
quirements.
For the first time in process will be converted, thus sincreasing there esen pr from the refining
many times. Selenium and tellurium, present xroduct y, of silver
ob-
tained from by-product metalloids, greatly desired ty industry, will be Other important by-products of nonferrous metal production are sulfuric
acid and sulfur, Sulfuric acid production has increased notably, though not
proportionately to the development of zinc metallurgy since the latter uses
nonsulfur-bearing ores to a larger degree than heretofore. In line with an in-
crease in zinc production, zinc white production -- an important export prod-
uct -- will increase by more than half The production of zinc alloys, used as
substitutes for brass, vill also increase.
The assortment of nonferrous metals would not be complete if lightweight
metalsp chaluminum and magnesium were not produced This problem too
are will solved d by Por phdletMurry. Poland's requirements for these metals
here, too, will be toward hovrve:, Poland's tendency
ord. self-sufficiency
New modern plants, located near raw material sources, wi_; be built. Some
of these plants vii: be using entirely new technological processes which wi]a
assure more metals and greater productivity, Here, too, ecti_pment and tech-
nological processes will be standardized,. Instead of +m&il pian`s with spe-
cialized functions, there will be large establishmentti with a complete produc.
tion cycle from are to finished product, resulting in economies in traoaporta_
tion and production costs.
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Higher labor productivity will be an important contribution to the develop-
ment of industry. Under the Six-Year Plan, labor productivity will increase
25 percent. This is the equivalent of 25 percent added to payrolls, thereby
increasing the value of investments and the value of manufactured products.
There will be an expansion of plants converting nonferrous scrap metal,
and expansion of the production of alloys such as brass, bronze, bearing metals,
and various substitute alloys, in-luding zinc alloys. Numerous aluminum al-
loys, such as aluminum bronze, aluminum silicon, duralumin, and many others,
will be produced.
Recovery of metals from ashes and other waste resulting'from the various
stages of smelting and refining processes will be increased many times. Dust
collectors of all types will also be used to recover every bit of metal.
Separate men4on must be made of the development of rolling mills under
the Six-Year Plan. While expenditures for this purpose are the lowest, each
item is higher than her,tofore. Rolled nonferrous metals must cover a con-
stantly greater variety of domestic and export demands. Most of Poland's roll-
ing mills are obsolete, and those that are modern cannot cover the constantly
increasing requirements.
The production of nonferrous sheet and strip will increase. Production
of these products will cover domestic requirements to a large degree, Modern
machines, sheet and strip rolling mills, and high-pressure presses will be ac-
tivated. Modern electric furnaces for smelting and annealing will also be
built. Consumption of electric power, per ton produced, will increase in 1955
by nearly 50 percent. This means that old smelting and annealing furnaces
heated with coal or gas will be replaced with new electrical installations.
Old factories that cannot be expanded will disappear. In their place will be
new ones, with a streamlined production cycle adapted to Poland's requirements
which will not waste a gram of metal. The aid of the People's Democracies and
the USSR will play an important role..
With Poland's finances assured, great undertakings will be attempted in
which the human element plays an important ro:e. There is no unemployment
problem in Poland, but Poland does nct have too many technicians, particularly
in new fields. To train technical pereonnei, Fc_and is expanding schools cover-
ing a broad range of sciences.
At present, Poland has vocational schools and secondary schools in which
students are taught metallurgy, chemistry, metalworking, electrotechnology, and
mining. Both vocational and. secondary schools will be transformed into a
single type with emphasis on vocational training. In addition, there are four
advanced specialized t chnical institutions two metallurgical, one c:emical,
and one mining -- to prepare supervisory technical personnel. The number of
students in the specialized technical schools is increasing each year-
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