Mining and metals giant Kazakhmys has dispatched its first 100-tonne shipment of high-purity technical selenium, marking a significant milestone for Kazakhstan’s metals industry.
The technical selenium, graded ST-1, was produced at Kazakhmys Progress LLP’s selenium refining and slag processing plant in Balkhash. This represents the first industrial-scale production in Kazakhstan using a unique vacuum distillation method. The innovative technology has increased the added value of selenium from 30% to 97% of the global market price. The inaugural shipment contained selenium with a purity of at least 99.5%.
“The vacuum distillation method ensures a high degree of selenium purification without using reagents, making the process environmentally safe,” a company spokesperson explained. “This technology was developed by scientists at the Institute of Metallurgy and Ore Beneficiation of Satbayev University. It has enabled the operation of a unique facility that produces selenium meeting global non-ferrous metals market standards.”
The project’s origins trace back to the modernisation of the gas cleaning system at the precious metals shop of Kazakhmys Smelting LLP’s Balkhash Copper Smelter in 2017-2018. This upgrade increased crude selenium production from 60 to 100 tonnes annually, making refining economically viable.
“The implementation of the crude selenium refining project, produced as a by-product of precious metals production, began at the Balkhash industrial site in 2020. A new production unit was launched in 2022, with full-scale industrial operations commencing in 2023,” the spokesperson added.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov highlighted the significance of this unique technology at an extended government meeting. He noted that selenium is widely used in the production of solar panels, photocopiers, glass, ceramics, as well as in medicine and the chemical industry. The launch of this new production facility in Balkhash opens up prospects for strengthening Kazakhstan’s and Kazakhmys’ economic positions in the global non-ferrous metals market.
This development represents a major step forward in Kazakhstan’s metallurgical capabilities, combining environmental responsibility with economic advancement.
