Electrowinning de cobre

ELECTROLYTIC COPPER ELECTROWINNING
World 2001 Tank House Operating Data

CTI ANCOR & University of Arizona

INTRODUCTION
• Results of the 2001 Survey of World Copper Electrowinning Cellhouse Practice. • Third in a series of surveys (1995, 1999). • The Survey includes 33 EW Plants
• • • • • Chile: 9 plants (27%) USA: 9 plants (27%) Australia: 6 plants Zambia: 3 plants Peru, Mexico, SouthAfrica, Cyprus, and Finland

• New plants include OMG Kokkola Copper, Morenci Stargo, and Nifty Copper. • Mount ISA Mines has shutdown since 95 survey.

USA Cu EW Plants Surveyed
• • • • • • • • • Phelps Dodge Miami Mining: 91,000 tpy Phelps Dodge Sierrita: 23,000 tpy Burro Chief Copper (Tyrone): 76,000 tpy Burro Chief Copper (Chino): 68,000 tpy Phelps Dodge Morenci: 290,000 tpy Silver BellMining: 23,000 tpy BHP San Manuel: 59,000 tpy BHP Pinto Valley: 10,000 tpy BHP Copper Miami: 12,000 tpy

Chile Cu EW Plants Surveyed
• • • • • • • • • Phelps Dodge El Abra: 225,000 tpy Cerro Colorado: 110,000 tpy Codelco Radomiro Tomic:* 256,000 tpy Codelco El Teniente: 5,000 tpy Carmen de Andocallo: 20,000 tpy Mantos Blancos: 45,000 tpy Mantoverde: 42,000 tpy Quebrada Blanca: 83,000 tpyZaldivar: 125,000 tpy

Australian Cu EW Plants Surveyed
• • • • • • Straits Resources Nifty: 13,000 tpy Straits Resources Girilambone: 18,000 tpy Nullabor Cloncurry: 6,000 tpy Pasminco BHAS: 5,000 tpy Matrix Metals Mt. Cuthbert: 6,000 tpy Mount Isa Mines (shut down): 4,000 tpy

Other Cu EW Plants Surveyed
• • • • • • • • • Impala Platinum, South Africa: 10,000 tpy Konkola Chingola, Zambia:110,000 tpy Mopani Nkana, Zambia: 13,000 tpy Avmin Chambishi, Zambia: 15,000 tpy PD Cerro Verde, Peru: 60,000 tpy Southern Peru Cu, Peru:* 45,000 tpy Mexicana De Cobre, Mexico: 22,000 tpy Hellenic Copper, Cyprus: 8,000 tpy OMG Kokkola, Finland: 20,000 tpy

Straits Resources Girilambone

Straits Resources Girilambone

Nullabor Mining Cloncurry

Nullabor Mining Cloncurry

WORLD Cu EWPLANT CAPACITY (Based on the Survey)
CONTINENT EUROPE ASIA PACIFIC NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA AFRICA TOTAL Electrowinning Capacity (tpy Cu) 28,000 52,000 674,000 1,016,000 148,000 1,918,000

ELECTROWINNING SUMMARY
• • • • • • • • • • Polymer Concrete Cell Technology Permanent Cathode / Starter Sheet Technology Anodes Electrolyte Inlet Manifolds Capping Boards Edge Strips Cathode StrippingMachines Current Density/Current Efficiency Acid Mist Suppression New Copper Electrowinning Plants

Polymer Concrete Cells
• The majority of the Cu EW operations utilize monolithic polymer concrete cells, mostly CTI ANCOR UNICELL technology. • Polymer Concrete features monolithic and corrosion resistant construction which withstands both exposure to the electrolyte acid and resists the mechanicalabuse involved in the material handling aspect of Cu elctrowinning. • There are approximately 41,000 polymer concrete cells in operation around the world (over 38,000 supplied by CTI ANCOR since 1974).

Polymer Concrete Cells
• EW plants built before 1990 mostly utilize lead or plastic lined concrete cells. • The average cell length is 6 meters, however, it ranges from 3.4 meters (Girilambone)to 8 meters (OMG). • Cells are generally elevated 1.3 meters from the basement floor. • Polymer concrete cells eliminate leakage, hence allowing for low cost EW plants where the cells rest on the basement floor (Girilambone, Australia, and Andacollo, Chile).

Electrolyte Flow Manifolds
• Electrolyte flow manifolds have become standard practice in Cu EW. • The manifold is normally attached tothe cell wall. • One improvement to this was to embed the vertical inlet pipe in the polymer concrete cell wall and for the manifold to continue horizontally (as with Southern Peru Copper and OMG). • The next step may be to completely embed the manifold in the polymer concrete by embedding all piping along the length of the side wall (as with Atlantic Copper, Boliden, & Noranda liberators)....