Abstract:The rules on industrial flow of lead were studied for theoretical foundation of nonrenewable resource conservation and environmental improvement. A model of lead flow in lead product life cycle was developed through lead flow analysis and was used to analyze the relationship between lead product system and its environment, thus the rules on industrial flow of lead were obtained. The results show that increasing eco-efficiency will favor both resource conservation and environmental improvement. Several indices were proposed to evaluate the lead flow. As for application, the lead-flow for China in 1999 was analyzed and the reasons for low eco-efficiency were identified. In the end, some countermeasures were proposed to improve eco-efficiency, and the future lead ore consumption and environment quality were forecasted.

Key words: lead-flow analysis; optimization of lead consumption; eco-efficiency; lead recycling rate; lead emission rate; evaluation index