Demonstrating efficient copper recovery

Tag : copper silver

NIPPON MINING & METALS says it will demonstrate its newchlorine ion water solution process that enables the efficientrecovery of copper, gold, and silver from low-grade concentrates.

The company says it will spend 2.8b yen ($0.026b) building a pilotplant in Australia that will recover valuable elements from a localmine operated by Newcrest Mining. It will demonstrate thetechnology for a year beginning in April 2009.

The company says its process, dubbed the Nikko Chloride Process, ismore efficient than conventional recovery techniques usingsulphuric acid. Sulphuric acid recovers elements less efficientlywhen they are low in concentration or if impurities are present.The company provides no more details other than that the technologyemploys a chlorine ion water solution.