General Information about the Institute
State Affiliate of ‘The National Centre for Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan’ of the Committee for Industrial Development and Industrial Safety of the Ministry for Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan – ‘The Eastern Mining and Metallurgical Research Institute for Non-Ferrous Metals’ (Affiliate of RSE ‘NE CPMRM RK’ – ‘VNIItsvetmet’) is a multifunctional scientific body carrying out researches, semi-commercial and commercial tests, performs design works and renders scientific and technical assistance in implementation of the developed technologies and equipment in the field of mining, ore dressing, metallurgy of heavy non-ferrous and rare metals, applied and analytical chemistry, industrial ecology, standardization and metrology, economics.
The Institute carries out the main volume of research works on the basis of the contracts with enterprises and bodies from the Republic of Kazakhstan, near and far abroad.
The Institute has 12 laboratories (including 1 mining, 2 beneficiating, 6 metallurgical and chemical-and-analytical, 3 environmental protection), RD department, department for designing and ore deposits exploration, industrial safety department, business departments and engineering support services. The total staff is about 270 employees.
59 young scientists and specialists under the age of 39 years work in the laboratories, scientific and scientific-production departments of the institute (18 young specialists and 41 young scientists).
The basic scientific direction of VNIItsvetmet activity is scientific-and-technical support of steady operation of the mining-and-metallurgical branch of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the basis of development, modernization and realization of the technologies and equipment which raise scientific-technical level of lead, zinc and associated metals production. It stipulates resolving of the following issues:
- Development and strengthening of raw-material base;
- Multipurpose use of mineral resources, saving of material and fuel-energy resources;
- Quality improvement and extension of the range of marketable products;
- Environmental protection and industrial safety.
According to the governmental licenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Affiliate of RSE ‘NE CPMRM RK’ ‘VNIItsvetmet’ performs technological engineering of industrial facilities for the enterprises acting in the field of mining, dressing and metallurgy, designs equipment, produces reference samples to control production quality, also is engaged in environmental monitoring, design and regulation.
There are the following bodies within VNIItsvetmet:
- Interstate Technical Committee for standardization (ITC 504 ‘Lead, zinc’), which is engaged in development of interstate and national standards, organizations standards, technical conditions, measuring procedures;
- Specialized Organization of the State Services for Reference Materials for composition and properties of materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which develops and manufacture state, interstate (CIS) and regional (COOMET) reference samples, reference samples of enterprises;
- Test Center accomplishing arbitration, certification, control and accreditation analysis of mineral raw materials, non-ferrous products, and environmental units;
- Specialized Center of the State Services for Reference Data, concerning physical constants and properties of materials, which is developing reference data for the values of specific electrical resistivity of chemically clean zinc, silicon and iron oxide powders, and also recommended reference data for consumption of reagents for neutralization of acid and etc.
The whole complex of researches is performed with the application of advanced experimental, chemical and analytical, computer equipment and software.
Autogenic technology for copper and various lead-bearing raw materials processing, including low grade lead-bearing raw materials – KIVCET process – was developed at VNIItsvetmet. This process is the most progressive and environmentally friendly technology in the world.
Under VNIItsvetmet license there were built large KIVCET units at the plants of the following companies: ‘Portovesme’ (Italy), ‘Tech Cominco’ (Canada), ‘Comibol’ (Bolivia).
In Kazakhstan, KIVCET plants were initially built in urban settlement of Glubokoe for copper raw materials and then at Ust-Kamenogorsk lead-zinc plant (now – Kazzinc Ltd.) for lead raw materials.
Within the framework of the concluded license agreements with the largest companies of China, two lead factories were constructed and successfully brought into industrial operation according to KIVCET technology:
- In 2012, by ‘Jiangxi Copper Corporation’; the capacity of 100 thousand tons of lead annually;
- In 2013, by ‘Zhuzhou Smelter Group Co.’; the capacity of 120 thousand tons of lead annually.
Almost all the design parameters of KIVCET units were achieved, and some of them were exceeded.
VNIItsvetmet has received more than 500 Kazakhstan and Russian patents, and 140 patents of other countries. More than 40 license agreements with organizations and enterprises form Kazakhstan and far abroad have been signed.
VNIItsvetmet library contains reports of all the works carried out in the Institute. Scientific-technical achievements for the last 65 years are accumulated in these reports; this allows Institute scientists to orientate in complicated problems of the mining-and-metallurgical complex easily. Moreover, Proceedings of the Scientific Papers is issued by the Institute annually. Articles of the Proceedings represent the selection of the most valuable scientific achievements of the Institute specialists as well as specialists from other enterprises and organizations.
Technologies and equipment developed by VNIItsvetmet are applied at the enterprises of mining-and-metallurgical branch in Kazakhstan, CIS countries and far abroad.
The main customers of the Institute in the Republic of Kazakhstan are Kazzinc Ltd., Kazakhmys Corporation Ltd, FIC ‘Alel’ JCS, NOVA-Zinc Ltd, Shalkiya Zinc Ltd, Irtysh Rare-earth Company Ltd, Sary Kazna Ltd, etc. Major customers from near and far abroad are ‘Uralmechanobr’ JSC, Ural Mining Company, ‘Alrosa’ CJSC, ‘Electrozinc’ JSC, ‘Buryatzoloto’ JSC (Russia), Altynken (Kirgizia), Jiangxi Copper Corporation (China), Zhuzhou Smelter Co (China), Portovesme S.r.l. (Italy), Mongolrostsvetmet (Mongolia), and others.
Implementation of VNIItsvetmet’ scientific and technical developments in production process is performed in cooperation with leading research and design organizations from Kazakhstan and Russia.
Annually since 1998, VNIItsvetmet research activities have been marked with prestigious international awards for outstanding quality and high standards of activity and innovations.
In December 2015, by the decree No.125 of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, three specialists of VNIItsvetmet were awarded the State prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of science and technology named after al-Farabi for a series of work ‘Industrial implementation of developments in the field of lead and gold metallurgy, which made a significant contribution to innovative development of the country and raised the prestige of Kazakhstan in the global technology market’. Mr. Igor Startsev, Director of the Affiliate of ‘RSE NE CPMRM RK’ ‘VNIItsvetmet’, Mr. Nikolay Ushakov, chief researcher, candidate of technical sciences, academician of International Academy of Mineral Resources, and Mr. Viktor Shumskiy, Deputy Director, candidate of technical sciences, became laureates of the State prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
VNIItsvetmet is ready to cooperate with all the companies and enterprises!
Our address:
Republic of Kazakhstan, 070002, Ust-Kamenogorsk,
1 Promyshlennaya str., VNIItsvetmet
Tel.: (7232) 503460
Fax: (7232) 753771
E-mail: vcmnauka2008@mail.ru