Tag Archives: copper

BASF and hydroGEOPHYSICS to pair solutions to optimise copper leach extraction

Base metals, Environmental, Mineral processing, , , , , ,

Global chemical company BASF and hydroGEOPHYSICS Inc (HGI) have announced an exclusive partnership aimed at combining expertise in mineral processing, hydrometallurgy and deep well injection.

The collaboration aims to optimise copper extraction in the mining industry by using HGI’s geophysical techniques to identify areas within the heap that currently offer poor recovery and will involve the design and implementation of a deep well injection program, incorporating BASF’s LixTRA leach aid to facilitate a significant uplift in copper extraction.

HGI employs state-of-the-art geophysical technologies to characterise the structural components of heap leach pads, enabling the design, operation and monitoring of targeted lixiviant injection wells, the companies explain. By adding BASF’s LixTRA leach aid, greater ore-lixiviant contact is made, which ultimately leads to higher copper dissolution and increased metal recovery. Initial results from a customer’s site have demonstrated a 20% increase in copper recovery during the trial period, prompting further testing on a larger scale to quantify the benefits, they added.

Caren Hoffman, Vice President Mining Solutions at BASF, said: “Technological advancements are essential if the industry is to meet the projected copper demand going forward. Using HGI’s expertise to identify areas of poor heap leach performance and then targeting these areas through deep well technology and BASF’s LixTRA reagent is a great example of how partnerships can drive sustainable process improvements in the mining industry.”

Brian Cubbage, Executive Vice President, Operations at HGI, added: “Enhancing copper recovery is a sustainable and safe manner is the main focus for most of the mines HGI works with. Leveraging HGI’s expertise in locating and enhancing copper recovery in underperforming areas in heap leach pads, with applying BASF’s LixTRA reagent through our injection programs, has provided a significant boost in the efficiency of copper recovery.”

Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corp backs new wind farm and battery project for BHP Olympic Dam

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

The Australian Government says it is making the BHP Olympic Dam mine, in South Australia, cleaner and creating jobs by supporting a wind farm and battery project.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is investing A$99 million ($64 million) to boost Neoen’s Goyder wind farm – which will provide electricity to BHP’s copper mine in the northern part of the state. This cleaner and cheaper renewable power will be backed up by Neoen’s Blyth Battery, which is located nearby.

Once completed, the wind farm will generate 203 MW of electricity, and the battery will store 477 MWh, enough to help meet half of Olympic Dam mine’s electricity needs with clean power.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, said the project is important for the South Australian clean energy and resources sectors.

“It’s great to see clean energy powering mining – bringing together key national industrial strengths in renewables and resources, while creating jobs,” he said. “The Albanese Government is excited to support a project that involves three vital things for Australia’s future – wind power, batteries, and strategic materials.”

Blyth Battery is the fifth big battery project financed by the CEFC, bringing their total investment in this technology to over A$390 million.

CEFC CEO, Ian Learmonth, said: “The challenge of reducing emissions across the economy starts with the energy sector. The offtake agreement with BHP demonstrates how reducing energy emissions accelerates decarbonisation across the economy. This innovative solution to provide firmed green energy at Olympic Dam enables a significant energy user to progress its net zero goals while producing a critical mineral like copper more sustainably.”

Neoen CEO, Louis de Sambucy, said: “We are delighted to announce the joint financing of the second tranche of Goyder South Stage 1 alongside Blyth Battery and we sincerely thank the lender group for their trust and commitment. We are looking forward to powering BHP’s Olympic Dam mine with baseload renewable energy.”

Aeris Resources looks to solve Stockman recovery challenges with Albion process

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , ,

Aeris Resources has provided an update on the feasibility study underway on its 100% owned Stockman project in Victoria, Australia, guiding for a development path that includes ultrafine grinding and the Albion Process from Glencore Technology.

Andre Labuschagne, Aeris’ Executive Chairman, said: “We are very excited with the potential of the Stockman project. Since acquiring Stockman as part of the Round Oak acquisition in July 2022, our technical teams have materially advanced the project.”

With a recent update to the mineral resource estimate for the Currawong deposit, the company now intends to mine only Currawong for the first 12 years of operations, at a rate of up to 850,000 t/y of ore, he added.

“Mining Currawong simplifies the operation compared to the previous plan of mining Currawong and Wilga concurrently, whilst also reducing up-front capital,” he said.

The processing strategy will involve two stages: the mine site processing plant will have a simplified flowsheet producing a high-grade copper concentrate and a bulk concentrate containing copper, zinc, gold and silver. The copper concentrate will be transported to market while the bulk concentrate will be trucked to a regional offsite processing facility. The offsite processing facility will use ultrafine grinding and the Albion Process to produce separate copper, zinc and precious metals saleable products.

Labuschagne said: “The addition of the Albion Process has potential to provide a step change in metal recoveries and materially improve project economics. An initial desktop study has been completed with the technology vendor, utilising the recent feasibility study and metallurgical test work results. A number of potential locations for the off-site processing facility have already been identified.

“The Albion Process technology is in operation at multiple locations globally, processing copper, zinc and precious metals. This is well established, oxidative leaching technology proven to treat a wide range of concentrates with high metal recoveries.”

The Albion Process uses a combination of ultrafine grinding and oxidative leaching at atmospheric pressure to work. It also tolerates a more variable feed and lower grade than other processes, according to Glencore Technology, meaning it can make some projects feasible and profitable where alternative technologies could not. The sulphides in the feed are oxidised and valuable metals liberated, with the economic metals recovered by conventional downstream processing. Test work requires only small sample masses with no pilot plant, Glencore Technology says.

The process has produced high recoveries in refractory gold and in base metal concentrates at the six Albion Process plants in operation across the globe, according to the company.

Labuschagne says opportunities to further improve other aspects of the operations, its ESG footprint and project economics have also been identified, which are progressing.

He added: “The feasibility study will now focus on verification of the metallurgical, flowsheet and economic assumptions associated with incorporating the Albion Process into the project. We are targeting to finalise the feasibility study in the second (June) half of 2024.”

The Stockman project was acquired by Round Oak Minerals Pty Ltd (ROM) from Independence Group NL (IGO) in December 2017. Aeris subsequently acquired the ROM businesses, including the Stockman project, in July 2022.

In 2019, ROM completed a Selection Phase Study (SPS), consolidating and advancing earlier studies undertaken by previous owners of the project, IGO and Jabiru Metals Limited. The ROM SPS comprised the development of two underground mines (Wilga and Currawong), mining approximately 1 Mt/y, and an on-site flotation processing plant producing copper and zinc concentrates with precious metal by-products. Results from the SPS provided the basis for ROM to commence a Definition Phase Study.

Kamoa-Kakula-Ivanhoe

Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in DRC to install MECS sulphuric acid plant

Base metals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

The Kamoa-Kakula copper complex, a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining Group and the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has partnered with Elessent Clean Technologies to install a new 2,500 t/d smelter off-gas MECS® sulphuric acid plant.

In conjunction with global EPC partner, China Nerin Engineering Co. Ltd, the new acid plant will be part of a new 500,000 t/y direct-to-blister flash copper smelter that is under construction at Kamoa-Kakula, as part of its Phase 3 expansion. Upon completion of the Phase 3 expansion, Kamoa-Kakula is projected to be the fourth largest copper operation globally.

The MECS sulphuric acid process incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, such as the MECS pre-conversion technology and the MECS DynaWave® gas cleaning technology. DynaWave scrubbers, the gold standard in gas cleaning applications, according to Elessent, clean and condition the upstream off gas of the smelting furnace at the sulphuric acid plant. The MECS pre-conversion technology is a novel approach for processing off-gas streams with elevated sulphur dioxide concentrations while consuming significantly less power, according to the company.

The MECS sulphuric acid technology has been in use for nearly a century in the phosphate fertiliser, non-ferrous metals (leaching & smelting), oil refining and general chemical industries. MECS technologies feature breakthrough solutions, many of which have revolutionised the performance, quality and cost-effectiveness of customer operations, according to Elessent. They include MECS heat recovery systems (HRS™), MECS SolvR® regenerative SO2 scrubbing and MECS MAX3™ sulphuric acid production technology. Integrated into these MECS technologies are specialty products such as catalysts, Brink® mist eliminators, DynaWave scrubbers, ZeCor® corrosion resistant alloy products and acid coolers, all of which are specifically designed for the most demanding operating environments. The MECS technology has more than 1,000 sulphuric acid plant licenses and projects.

David Mitchell, Kamoa-Kakula’s Senior Project Manager for the smelter project, said: “At Kamoa-Kakula we aim to set a new industry standard by being the greenest major copper mine in the world. It helps that DRC not only has an incredible mineral endowment, but also has an abundance of clean hydroelectricity to power its mining industry. However, we also need the right technology to extract the copper in a sustainable way. By using the MECS acid plant design and its incorporated technologies, our new plant helps achieve our path to net zero.”

Eli Ben-Shoshan, CEO, Elessent Clean Technologies, said: “Kamoa-Kakula is one of the world’s fastest-growing major copper operations. Partnering with NERIN on the mine’s greenfield smelter complex is very exciting. It is a great honour to work with the owners of what is anticipated to be one of the greenest major copper operations on the planet.”

The Kamoa-Kakula copper complex has been in commercial operations since July 2021. The operation is currently undergoing its Phase 3 expansion, which will increase copper production to over 600,000 t/y copper from the September quarter of 2024.

FLSmidth to deliver ball mills, HPGRs to South America copper miner

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Following a long-standing relationship with the customer, FLSmidth says it has received an order to supply comminution technologies to a leading copper miner in South America for its new greenfield concentrator.

The order is valued at approximately DKK380 million ($56 million) and was booked in the March quarter of 2024. The equipment is due to be delivered during 2025.

The order includes the delivery of two ball mills and three high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs). The latter is among the most energy-efficient comminution technologies, as it lowers power consumption, while providing a more stable grinding operation and eliminating the need for grinding media, according to the OEM.

This new order builds on a long-standing relationship with the customer, where FLSmidth has supplied most of the equipment for its original concentrator as well as provided maintenance, spare parts and process support services over the years.

Mikko Keto, CEO at FLSmidth, said: “Receiving new orders from existing customers is always confirmation of a healthy and strong customer relationship. And it is particularly satisfying in this case as the customer is purchasing their first HPGRs and have selected our market leading technology. We look forward to supplying this best-in-class comminution package to positively contribute to both the output and operation of this new copper concentrator.

“This order not only supports our MissionZero ambition, it also clearly underpins FLSmidth’s market leading position within large grinding mills and HPGR.”

South32 eyes teleremote loading, dry stacking, ore sorting for Hermosa

Base metals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

South32’s Hermosa project in Arizona, USA, continues to make progress, and recently provided updates on the latest developments in construction, efforts to support local workforce development and benchmarking community health metrics to support future sustainability and safety initiatives.

The feasibility study and an independent peer review for Hermosa’s Taylor deposit is on track for completion by the end of the month, with a final investment decision in the March 2024 quarter.

In May, the Hermosa team began initial excavation for the main exploration shaft and the ventilation shaft to provide underground access to the zinc resource.

Pre-sink activities for both shafts remain on track, with 50 ft (15 m) excavated for the main exploration shaft and 115 ft excavated for a ventilation shaft. This construction will allow the creation of infrastructure needed for safe passage of people and vehicles underground, while total depth of the shafts will be approximately 2,900 ft (884 m).

Taylor will use tele-remote semi-autonomous mucking for production stopes, including for development prior to production mining, South32 says. This will enable operation from the remote operating centre and would ‘engineer out’ vehicle and pedestrian interactions in the production mining area.

The project is also looking to make use of other advanced mining methods such as dry stack tailings, advanced process control, and the use of ore sensing and ore sorting, the company added.

Hermosa Vice President Project Delivery, Andy Thompson, said: “This advanced, underground mining method enables reduced surface impact and the amount of tailings resulting in a more sustainable mine.”

The South32 Hermosa Workforce Development Taskforce has been formed to identify the skills needed and local facilities available to help train, develop and expand the region’s workforce. The taskforce enables the Hermosa team to work with local education experts to develop a clear pathway for training local residents to fill skilled jobs at Hermosa, South32 says.

Skylie Estep, Human Resources Director North America, said “The first step in helping transform the local economy is partnering with community members whose expertise and understanding of our region’s educational needs can help create opportunities, so that the next generation can stay in Santa Cruz County.”

South32 says the Hermosa team has engaged Ramboll, a global consulting firm, to guide a baseline community health assessment and outreach to local public health institutions.

“Protecting the health of our workforce and the local community is our priority, and partnering with third-party public health organisations to regularly monitor and report findings ensures transparency and accountability on this critical metric,” the company said.

A baseline assessment will help Hermosa team to understand what levels of manganese and other minerals already exist in the community and environment, it said. By conducting this assessment before operations begin, the company says it can make sure health and safety controls are in place, better understand any changes over time, and ensure controls remain effective throughout the life of the project.

Caterpillar, Borusan make historic underground equipment delivery to Anglo Asian Mining in Azerbaijan

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Anglo Asian Mining says the Caterpillar mining fleet for its new Gilar mine has now been delivered to the Gedabek mine site, marking the first time Caterpillar underground equipment will be deployed in Azerbaijan.

The equipment will be substantially vendor-financed, and this is the first time Caterpillar will provide this to a customer in Azerbaijan or the wider Caucasus region.

The underground mining fleet comprises three 15-t-payload R1700 underground loaders and two 980UMA wheel loaders with 5.6 cu.m buckets.

Borusan, the authorised regional dealer of Caterpillar equipment, will maintain a stock of spare parts and consumables within Azerbaijan and major parts will be held at Borusan regional centres in Türkiye and Kazakhstan, Anglo Asian says. This will enable efficient aftersales servicing of the machines over their lifetime, which was a major factor in the machine selection process.

The company says: “The underground mining fleet are ‘state-of-the-art’, next-generation machines constructed with safety at their core. They are more powerful and contain many new features compared to their predecessors. The operator environment has been improved and is more comfortable. Many new safety features have been added, including better access points, multiple fire suppression systems and improved visibility and lighting.”

The underground equipment will be used in the company’s new Gilar mine, which is currently under construction and development. On December 11, a maiden JORC (2012) mineral resource estimate was published for the Gilar deposit. This confirmed 6.1 Mt of mineralisation with an average copper grade of 0.88% and 1.30 g/t Au. The in-situ mineral resource is 54,000 t of copper, 255,000 oz of gold and 46,000 t of zinc, according to the company.

The Gilar mine is scheduled to begin production around the middle of 2024 and will be an important source of production, bridging the gap between declining grades at Gedabek’s existing mines and production starting from its much bigger Xarxar and Garadag contract areas.

The total cost of the equipment is $4.6 million. The $3.7 million balance due for the purchase of the equipment will be paid by the end of December 2023 from the group’s existing liquidity resources. It is anticipated that $3.7 million will be refinanced by a vendor financing loan from Caterpillar. Negotiations are continuing with Caterpillar Finance to finalise execution of the loan which is expected to close in the March quarter of 2024.

A ceremony was held on the afternoon of December 11, 2023, to mark the arrival of the equipment at Gedabek. This was attended by the group’s leadership team, Azeri and Turkish representatives from Caterpillar and Borusan, along with representatives from both the central and regional Governments of Azerbaijan. A demonstration was also given of operating one of the machines by remote control.

Lycopodium engaged by Barrick for Lumwana copper expansion study

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , ,

Lycopodium has been awarded a contract from Barrick for the feasibility study and basic engineering for the expansion of its Lumwana copper mine in Zambia.

The study and basic engineering contract is valued at approximately A$19 million ($12.5 million), with the project having a capital cost investment of almost $2 billion. Work has commenced, with the accelerated development program targeting completion of the feasibility study by the end of 2024 and expanded process plant production anticipated in 2028.

The expansion of the mine will increase Lumwana’s annual production from 150,000 t of copper at a 26-28 Mt/y process plant production rate, to an estimated 240,000 t of copper at a 50 Mt/y process plant production rate, with an estimated 36-year mine life.

Lumwana is a conventional open-pit (truck and shovel) operation, about 100 km west of Solwezi in Zambia’s Copperbelt. Lumwana ore, which is predominantly sulphide, is treated through a conventional sulphide flotation plant, producing copper concentrate.

Lycopodium Limited’s Managing Director, Peter De Leo, said: “The expansion of Lumwana within Zambia’s world-class copper region supports the country’s commitment to its copper industry, and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to continue our partnership with Barrick and be part of this significant development that will have a material impact on the Zambian economy.”

This engagement follows the award earlier this year of the feasibility study and basic engineering contract for Barrick’s Reko Diq copper-gold project in Pakistan.

Metso-Arizona

Metso expands Arizona service centre on copper mining demand

Base metals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , ,

Metso is expanding its service centre in Mesa, Arizona, to, it says, support the growing needs of mining customers, primarily in the copper segment, which plays a crucial role in supporting a responsible energy transition.

In addition to expanding its service and repair capabilities, a cutting-edge training centre will be built to continue to improve competence development in the region, it says.

Giuseppe Campanelli, President, North and Central America, Metso, said: “We are proud to be able to further demonstrate our dedication to customer success, supporting the production of critical minerals. This investment will provide great benefit to the southwest USA and beyond, with comprehensive and reliable services. Our expanded facilities in Mesa will allow access to unmatched OEM-quality repairs and refurbishments, and the new advanced Metso Training Center will help ensure that the next generation of miners are well-equipped.”

The total investment value is approximately €14 million ($15 million), with expansions expected to be ready during the first half of 2025.

With further investments in the Mesa Service Center, Metso will optimise safety, sustainability and broaden its service capabilities. The expansion will increase the repair shop area by nearly 60% and add new high-capacity cranes, CNC machines, welding and assembly stations. This will increase the capacity and capability to perform heavy equipment repairs and service a wider range of equipment, spanning process steps such as crushing, screening, grinding, HPGRs, filtration, flotation and pumps, among others.

Annami Toukoniitty, Senior Vice President, Professional Services, Metso, said: “Metso is proud to invest and support this sustainable journey as increased repair capabilities have a direct positive impact on the circular economy. Skilled people are a core asset as well, and the new Metso Training Center at Mesa will add value to the industry.”

Aligned with customer demand, this is the second expansion of the Mesa Service Center since its opening in 2015. Numerous upgrades to the facility to improve energy efficiency are also being implemented. In addition to the service centre, since 2021, the Phoenix region is also home to one of Metso’s largest warehouse operations globally.

Within the same property, an advanced and fully-equipped training centre will also be built, to bridge the knowledge gap between people, equipment and operational goals, Metso says. The centre will support multiple ways of learning, outfitted with state-of-the-art simulators and digital training assets, in addition to classroom and hands-on learning areas. Comprehensive and tailored training programs will be designed and offered to support mining professionals’ technical knowledge, at the part, equipment and plant level.

Metso says it has an extensive service centre network with over 3,000 field services professionals, technical support and more than 40 service centres on six continents.

Sakatti-FutureSmart Mining

Anglo American highlights next FutureSmart Mining advances at Woodsmith, Sakatti

Automation, Base metals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Anglo American has provided its latest sustainability performance update, highlighting a number of technological advancements the company is looking to take at its in-development Woodsmith polyhalite mine in the UK and its exploration asset, Sakatti, in Finland.

Anglo American says it has an integrated approach to sustainability in project development, helping secure its ability to deliver responsible long-term growth in future-enabling metals and minerals.

The company is moving towards its goal of carbon neutral operations by 2040, evolving its pathways as it progresses, learns and as technologies develop.

At the end of 2022, its Scope 1 and 2 emissions were 21% below the peak levels of 2019 – a significant reduction that, Anglo American says, reflects its transition to 100% renewable electricity supply across its South America operations, with Australia to follow in 2025.

In southern Africa, it is working in partnership with EDF Renewables to build a 3-5 GW renewable energy ecosystem of wind and solar generation capacity, designed to tackle its largest remaining source of Scope 2 emissions and support energy reliability and grid resilience while catalysing broad socio-economic opportunities.

While Scope 3 emissions reduction is largely dependent on the decarbonisation of Anglo American’s value chains and the steel industry, in particular, it is progressing towards its ambition to halve these emissions by 2040.

Tom McCulley, CEO of Anglo American’s Crop Nutrients business, provided several references to Quellaveco, Anglo American’s most technologically-advanced mine that uses automation, a remote operations centre and high levels of digitalisation, when looking at its FutureSmart Mining™ plans at Woodsmith, a 5 Mt/y operation that could ramp up to 13 Mt/y.

McCulley, who also led development of Quellaveco, said Woodsmith will be developed as a benchmark for sustainable mining. This includes plans for the mine to be a low carbon, low water and low waste operation, with no tailings generation and with a minimum impact design.

“We hope this can show a way of how mining can be done in the future,” McCulley said of this approach at Woodsmith.

When it comes to Sakatti, Alison Atkinson, Projects & Development Director, said the development could end up being “our next greenfield project”.

The project is a rich multi-metal deposit with not only copper, nickel and cobalt resources, but also platinum, palladium, gold and silver.

“High concentrations of metal combined with consistency of the mineralisation between the boreholes make Sakatti a unique deposit,” Anglo American says of the project. Its resources are estimated to be sufficient for mining operations to last more than 20 years.

Atkinson said Sakatti is being designed as the next generation of FutureSmart Mining, building on what it has learned from Quellaveco and Woodsmith, particularly when it comes to ensuring there is minimal surface footprint and “using technology and innovations to deliver even better sustainability outcomes”.

She added: “Sakatti is set to be a remotely operated, low carbon-underground mine with an electric mining fleet using technology and mining methods that will create zero waste and enable high degrees of water recycling, contributing to a sustainable supply of critical minerals.”

The company also sees the potential to use sorting technologies for coarse particle rejection and material recovery opportunities.