Sustainable Copper

Energy

Freeport-McMoRan Slashes Carbon Emissions by 21 Percent

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Copper mining firms worldwide are committed to reducing their carbon emissions. Freeport-McMoRan, one of the world’s largest copper miners, lowered its carbon emissions by more than 21 percent from 2015 to 2019. This puts the company on track to meet the COP21 framework to limit global warming to below 2°C from pre-industrial levels by 2050.

Freeport achieved this dramatic reduction through a unique blend of advances in energy-efficient technologies, equipment recycling and clean-energy deployments at its operations in the Americas.

TACKLING A GLOBAL CRISIS: THE CARBON CHALLENGE

Challenges facing Freeport’s Americas division are particularly relevant. This division produces 70 percent of Freeport’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Between 2012 and 2016, operations in the Americas division experienced a decrease in ore grades, a common issue in the copper mining industry. As a result, the company needed to extract and process larger volumes of ore from greater distances to maintain production levels. Freeport-McMoRan has worked to strategically address this challenge through technological innovation to reduce carbon emissions.

CUTTING EMISSIONS WITH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

High Pressure Grinding Rolls

The company introduced new high pressure grinding roll technology at its mines in Cerro Verde in Peru—the largest copper concentrating facility in the industry—and Morenci in Arizona between 2014 and 2016.

The grinding rolls work by meshing rocks together at a high force, making them smaller than those produced by conventional mills that use steel balls to break down rock. These high-pressure grinding mills are 20 percent less energy intensive than traditional mills, and they substantially reduced GHG emissions while increasing production at both mines.

On-Site Efficiency with Electrowinning

Freeport also established a new technique that applies electrowinning to sulfide concentrates. This technique involves a concentrate leach process and replaces the conventional smelting and refining of copper. This new process allows several operations essential to copper processing to be done on-site rather than requiring additional transportation and energy expenditure.

Unlike traditional operations, Freeport’s electrowinning technique allows the company to convert molybdenum concentrates into molybdenum oxide—an intermediate molybdenum product—on-site instead of sending it to roasting facilities for processing. Moreover, the technology enables an on-site supply of sulfuric acid for oxide leaching operations, which further eliminates shipping costs. These critical changes have produced major reductions in energy requirements and carbon emissions.

Miles that Matter

Equipment efficiency and longevity is key to reducing carbon emissions, and Freeport is re-examining the foundations of its operations. Freeport is reconstructing its haul trucks to operate for an average of 100,000 hours, more than 20,000 hours over the standard life cycle of trucks in the industry. The company has partnered with Caterpillar dealer Empire Cat to rebuild 465 trucks in total since 2008. Technicians restructure engines, frames and truck beds, allowing Freeport to reuse approximately 70 percent of its fleet. This strategy enabled Freeport to conserve over $1 billion in capital. In 2019, for example, the reuse of 12 haul trucks saved an estimated $60 million.

For each reconstructed truck, Freeport decreases carbon emissions by 325 metric tons. The program has achieved a total reduction of more than 150,000 metric tons over a 10-year period.

Freeport has implemented an innovative program using the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable supervisors in remote control rooms to track and analyze, in real time, environmental conditions and truck and driver performance. This program helps technicians make preemptive changes to increase productivity. According to McKinsey, it allows the trucks to run for 15 percent more time per day than is standard in the industry. This increase in capacity has allowed Freeport to maintain a smaller fleet, reducing carbon emissions from an additional 50 trucks.

In addition to the technical advances to the vehicles themselves, Freeport has initiated several recycling initiatives for its vehicle tires. At Minera El Albra in Chile, a pilot program in 2018 allowed the company to reuse 31 mining equipment tires, reducing the need for 26 new tires. This cut led to a 35 percent decrease in CO2 emissions, or 53 tonnes.

A CLEANER WORLD

A Shift Toward Renewables

In partnership with ENGIE Chile, renewable energy will power 100 percent of Freeport’s Chilean El Abra mine’s on-site electrical requirements by the end of 2021. This gradual replacement of coal-fired power accomplishes the goals spelled out in the country’s COP21 agreement and is enshrined in its nationwide energy priorities.

In 2018, Freeport raised the amount of purchased power from renewable and low carbon sources to 83 percent, a 3 percent increase from the previous year. That year, renewables provided 36 percent of purchased power. Meanwhile, between 2014 and 2019, grid decarbonization led to an additional decrease in GHG emissions from electricity use in Arizona and Peru.

Heat and Solar Power

In Arizona, creative solutions, such as using surplus heat from the sulfur burner at Freeport’s Safford project, makes operations even more sustainable. By using surplus heat, the Safford project generates as much as 15 Megawatts (Mw) of energy for constant use at its processing operations.

At the Miami complex in Arizona, officials have also engaged with a utility partner to introduce a 100 Mw solar plant in 2021 that will supply 5 percent of the yearly electrical requirements.

Wind Power

Following a 2018 agreement, Freeport’s Morenci operations in Arizona will receive 14 Mw of wind power from Wyoming for electricity.

Freeport’s technological solutions to common mining challenges will pave the way for mining practices not only in the Americas but across the world.

Reducing emissions and improving our energy efficiency provides us with cost savings and environmental benefits within and beyond our operating boundaries.” – Richard Adkerson, CEO Freeport-McMoRan

ADVANCING WITH DATA

Freeport has prioritized a data-driven approach to become more energy efficient. To calculate its emissions more precisely, Freeport has contributed numerous scientific studies on its operations and the wider industry. By implementing this knowledge, Freeport has become a top performer in the industry’s reduction of GHGs.

Progress from Precision

Prior to 2018, Freeport relied on estimates based on grid factors from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to measure its delivered electricity. Moving forward, the company has broadened its analysis by incorporating data from its suppliers and utility providers. This strategy enabled Freeport to calculate its electrical GHG intensity more accurately by reporting actual emissions as opposed to estimates solely based on regulatory reports.

In 2019, company officials conducted a comprehensive study of GHG emissions across the Americas. This study gathered data from active copper mines, smelters and refineries in the Americas over the previous seven years, and researchers found these entities represented 60 percent of total GHG emissions.

Making a Difference

This 2019 study prompted Freeport to make technological improvements to reduce GHG emissions, resulting in a 17 percent reduction since 2015. The new data from suppliers and providers reflected a further 4 percent reduction, delivering a 21 percent improvement in emissions. Moreover, the 2019 GHG emissions per tonne of copper cathode were a full 30 percent lower than the Business as Usual (BaU) projections.

By 2030, Freeport forecasts the company will achieve an additional 15 percent reduction in carbon emissions for each metric tonne of copper produced in the Americas relative to 2018 levels.

Whether through its sustainable strategies like reusing trucks, developing new mining techniques, implementing advanced grinding technology or employing creative project-based clean energy initiatives, Freeport McMoRan believes in doing its part to bring about a more green and sustainable mining industry.

About Freeport-McMoRan Inc.

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Freeport-McMoRan operates large, long-term, geographically diverse assets of copper, gold and molybdenum and is the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer. Its mines include the Grasberg district in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest copper-gold deposits, and major operations in North and South America, encompassing the large-scale Bagdad and Morenci minerals districts in Arizona, the Cerro Verde operation in Peru and El Abra in Chile.

About the Copper Alliance®

The Copper Alliance is a network of regional copper centers and their industry-leading members. It is responsible for guiding policy and strategy and for funding international initiatives and promotional activities. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization has offices in three primary regions: Europe, Asia and North America. The Copper Alliance has partnerships and programs in more than 100 countries.

Futuresmart Mining™ at Anglo American’s Quellaveco Mine: Smart, Safe and Sustainable

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At Quellaveco, Anglo American is building a larger mine with a smaller footprint. Quellaveco, translated as “Ash Mountain,” is a new, world-class mine near the town of Moquegua in Peru. With a confirmed mine life of 30 years and containing an estimated 7.5 million tonnes of copper, Quellaveco is a significant find. Anglo American is using this unique opportunity to demonstrate FutureSmart Mining™, a technology-driven sustainable mining blueprint leading the way for responsible mining of the future.

FutureSmart Mining is a groundbreaking approach to technology, digitalization and sustainability for mining operations. By limiting the use of water, energy and capital spending and increasing support to communities, the initiative will make Anglo American’s Quellaveco project one of the most efficient and responsible in the world, without sacrificing productivity. When the mine begins operations in 2022, Quellaveco will have the capacity to deliver enough copper to supply 90 million electric vehicles or 80 million homes.

This $5.3 billion project, owned in part by the Mitsubishi Corporation, will increase the company’s copper production by 20 percent in 2023, generating 330,000 tonnes of copper annually. With the addition of Quellaveco, Anglo American will become the world’s fifth-largest producer of the red metal.

MINING WITH MOTHER NATURE: FUTURESMART MINING IN ACTION

FutureSmart Mining™, at its absolute essence, is about footprint; how do you change the footprint of mining? How do you have a mine that draws no fresh water? Mines without tailings dams?”- Tonney O’Neill, Technical Director, Anglo America

The Challenge Facing Sustainable Mining

Because drought is a constant consideration in Peru, Quellaveco’s open pit mine faces special challenges. The Asana River, where the ore is located, supplies water to Moquegua and nearby regions. However, the mine will require 22 million cubic meters (m3) of water annually to operate when production begins in 2022—at an estimated rate of 0.41m3 of water for each tonne of ore.

Quellaveco’s Innovative Water Solution

To reduce its environmental and societal footprint, Anglo American has invested $20 million to reroute the Asana River to preserve its function as a freshwater source for the surrounding area. Technicians constructed a dam and a 7.5-kilometer (4.6-mile) tunnel through a mountain to rejoin the river with its original course on the other side of the mine, ensuring the river’s continued protection and access for surrounding communities.

In addition, Anglo American established two new water sources for future operations, requiring no water from the Asana River once operations begin. First, Anglo American will use approximately 18 million m3 of water from the Titire River in Peru’s High Mountain region, which contains natural arsenic and boron due to its volcanic origins, making the water unsafe for agriculture and human consumption.

Second, Anglo American will provide additional water to local communities by building a dam and reservoir in Vizcachas to collect excess rainwater. This reservoir will hold 60 million m3 of water and distribute 28 million m3 of water annually. Anglo American plans to use only 4 million m3 of water from this source and contribute 24 million m3 of water to the surrounding region.

SMARTER TECH FOR A SMARTER WORLD

Moving Mountains with Electricity

The Asana River has already done much of the heavy lifting by removing a substantial amount of waste, rock and soil in the riverbed, reducing the barrier to extraction. The resulting low strip ratio reduces Anglo American’s environmental footprint and increases its production efficiency.

To further increase sustainability, Quellaveco will use energy-efficient electric vehicles to power its process. Technicians will deploy automation-ready equipment, including blast drills and 30 specialized electric mining trucks, the largest Anglo American fleet to date. Cat® dealer Ferreyros’ Caterpillar 291t 794AC mining trucks utilize an electric-drive powertrain to deliver a 327-tonne payload.

High-capacity electric rope shovels and hydraulic mining shovels will load the trucks, further increasing production rates and lowering energy costs. Anglo American selected the Cat 7495 Electric Rope Shovels, the largest mining equipment in Peru. These rope shovels weigh a staggering 1,390 tonnes, the equivalent of 630 light trucks, and can transport up to 127,000 tonnes per day. Quellaveco will also utilize the first Cat 6060 Hydraulic Mining Shovel in Peru, which features a 67-tonne bucket payload.

Innovation is a central tenet of Anglo American’s work. Anglo American is exploring whether Quellaveco could utilize Coarse Particle Recovery (CPR) technology. The technology’s benefits are twofold: 1) CPR allows the mine to float coarser ore particles (2.5 times larger in size), reducing the energy needed to grind the ore to extract the copper, and 2) it drains and reuses the water from the process, allowing waste to be extracted as dry, stackable tailings. This energy-saving technique deployed at Anglo American’s El Soldado mine in Chile achieves an 85 percent water recovery, a 30 percent boost in savings, a 30 percent reduction in energy use and a 20 percent increase in production rates.

A Future for Quellaveco

Whether through its applications in wind turbines, solar panels or electric vehicles, copper is essential to renewable energy. Quellaveco embodies Anglo American’s FutureSmart Mining blueprint by providing a model for responsible mining that will continue sustainable practices, respect the local environment and increase productivity for generations to come.

About Anglo American

Anglo American plc is a diversified multinational mining firm based in London, the United Kingdom and Johannesburg, South Africa, and is a major copper producer with four copper mines in Chile.

About Anglo American Quellaveco S.A.

Quellaveco, which lies in Peru’s southern Moquegua region 3,500 miles above sea level, is a 60-40 percent Joint Venture (JV) between Anglo American and Japan-based Mitsubishi Corp. The Anglo-operated project in the Andes Mountains of southern Peru will utilize open pit mining and flotation processing to produce copper concentrate, along with molybdenum and silver by-products. The operation will yield 300,000 tonnes of copper annually with first copper pending 2022.

About Mitsubishi Corp.

Mitsubishi Corp. is a global conglomerate which develops and operates across industries including energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods, finance and environmental business. Headquartered in Tokyo, Mitsubishi’s activities range from resource development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products, and manufacturing of industrial goods.

About the Copper Alliance®

The Copper Alliance is a network of regional copper centers and their industry-leading members. It is responsible for guiding policy and strategy and for funding international initiatives and promotional activities. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization has offices in three primary regions: Europe, Asia, and North America. The Copper Alliance has partnerships and programs in more than 100 countries.

Advancing Automation

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Teck Pilots Autonomous Haul Trucks at its Highland Valley Copper Mine

International Copper Association member, Teck Resources, serves as leader in combining innovation and sustainable development in the mining industry.

To assess one new breakthrough technology and whether it could extend the lifespan of mining operations, in 2018 officials at Teck launched a six-vehicle, autonomous haul truck pilot project at Highland Valley Copper (HVC), their British Columbia asset. The trucks are made by Caterpillar Inc., which further partnered with a self-driving vehicle startup, Virginia-based Torc Robotics, to develop the machinery.

No Fleeting Experiment

At HVC, a low-grade copper and molybdenum deposit and one of the world’s largest, most efficient mines, Teck is transforming 6 of its 50-strong, Caterpillar truck fleet into autonomous vehicles. The deployment represents the first such autonomous fleet in the world to operate in a deep pit complex, according to Teck officials. This development is critical for the mining industry as the new technology greatly facilitates extraction of new ore deposits while reducing the asset’s environmental footprint.

In total, over 100 of the Caterpillar units were operational at mines worldwide at the end of 2018, according to Caterpillar company officials. Its autonomous fleet of 56 Cat 793F trucks have achieved an overall 20 percent greater production relative to cost than manned trucks in the mining complexes.

In nearly five years of operation, according to company officials, Caterpillar’s autonomous trucks have hauled 400-plus million metric tonnes of material with greater than 99.95 percent system availability. Without injuries to personnel, shift changes, or work breaks, the trucks clock an average of 2.5 hours more operating time per day than manned vehicles.

We want to do all we can to help customers get the most out of their existing equipment assets— modernizing machines with new technology is a proven way to do that.”

– Sean McGinnis, Product Manager, Caterpillar Mining Technology

In addition to better safety, automation decreases the need for training and retraining of new operators amid worker turnover. Moreover, according to Caterpillar representatives, the machines get “smarter”—more accurate and faster—over time, allowing them to continually improve the execution of tasks. The trucks’ design, Caterpillar officials note, accommodates the multiple challenges inherent in the mining business.

Against this backdrop, HVC production fell to 93,000 tonnes in 2017, down from 119,000 tonnes in 2016, according to Teck. A potential extension project, HVC 2040, is pending to enhance operational mine life to the year 2040 and supports jobs and economic activity in the region. New technology will crucial to this expansion.

HVC 2040 is mining approximately 20 percent lower grade ore than the current operation, so finding new, more efficient ways of operating is critical to making that project possible.”

– Chris Stannell, Teck Senior Communications Specialist

 

Resources and reserves at HVC are currently forecast to support mining production rates through 2028, and new technology will extend operations beyond this timeline. Teck, meanwhile, is conducting exploration around HVC to locate copper deposits near the shuttered, Bethlehem mines that previously operated in the 1960s and 1970s.

Sense and Sensibility

The haul trucks are building on other innovative technologies that Teck has advanced at HVC throughout 2018. In particular, its shovel-mounted sensors, developed by MineSense, deploy x-rays to analyze shovel bucket contents to distill waste rock from valuable ore, enhancing productivity while conserving energy.

Through these advances, Teck officials are forecasting $15 million in annual savings for the HVC project and potential for $75 million annual savings spanning its operations. By rolling out this new innovation, however, Teck is doing more than just saving money—it is becoming a trailblazer in automation and, ultimately, sustainability. 

About Teck Resources Ltd.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Teck is Canada’s largest diversified resource firm. Dedicated to responsible mining and mineral development across jurisdictions, it has a major focus on copper, in addition to steelmaking coal, zinc and energy. Teck has four operating copper mines in Canada, Chile and Peru, and copper development projects in North and South America.

About Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar designs, develops, engineers, markets and sells machinery, engines, financial products and insurance via a global dealer network. Headquartered in Deerfield, Ill., it has become the world’s largest construction equipment manufacturer since it was first established in 1925 and is a top builder of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.

About Highland Valley Copper

The Highland Valley Copper (HVC) project lies 17 km west of Logan Lake and approximately 50 km southwest of Kamloops in British Columbia. Teck has a 100 percent stake in HVC, a large, low-grade copper and molybdenum deposit with production through autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding and flotation.

About The Copper Alliance®

The Copper Alliance is a network of regional copper centers and their industry-leading members. It is responsible for guiding policy and strategy and for funding international initiatives and promotional activities. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization has offices in four primary regions: Europe and Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. Copper Alliance programs and initiatives are executed in more than 60 countries through its regional offices and country-level copper promotion centers.

Definitions of Sustainability

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Teck Named to 2018 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index as Quebrada Blanca 2 Advances

For the ninth year running, Teck Resources has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI), which ranks its sustainability practices among the top 10 percent of the 2,500 largest firms in the S&P Global Broad Market Index (BMI).

DJSI evaluated Teck through an in-depth study of its economic, social and environmental policies. Meanwhile, Teck scored highest within the mining industry in talent attraction and retention, materiality and supply chains as well as environmental policy and management.

Our commitment to responsible resource development is core to who we are as a company and is central to everything we do.”

– Don Lindsay, President and CEO, Teck

Teck’s sustainable mining approach is comprehensive and follows its focus on “Community, Our People, Water, Energy, Climate Change, Air and Biodiversity.” With these objectives, Teck is in unison with the mandates of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and many other members of the International Copper Association.

Building on this momentum, Teck has received regulatory approval for its Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) project near Pica in the Tarapacá region of northern Chile. This project extends the work of its Quebrada Blanca Phase 1 (QB1) and is a major asset with low sustaining costs and an initially permitted life of 25 years, with significant growth potential.

Shining Success
Teck has committed to increasing its renewable energy use to 100 megawatts (MW) by 2030 to reduce its carbon footprint, and QB2—by using QB1’s solar plant—will be instrumental to this goal. In phase one, Teck partnered with AES Gener S.A., a top Chilean electricity producer, to develop a power plant with a unique design to utilize solar, wind, hydro and biomass and a 21 MW capacity delivering a full 55-gigawatt hours (GWh) per year.

The QB1 plant, which covers 800,000 square meters, meets one-third of all QB’s energy needs and QB2 will witness its continued use accordingly. Further project features encompass proven technologies including a new 140,000-tonne-per-day concentrator, a tailings storage facility, pipelines for water and concentrate as well as a shipping port.

Sourcing Quebrada Blanca’s power through solar electricity has positioned the operation to be a leader in Chile for the production of clean and renewable energy.”

– Marcos Cid, Senior Electrical Engineer, Teck.

Heights of Prosperity
Teck has begun training and hiring for construction and operations at QB2. The company coordinates its planning closely with government agencies and local communities. As with QB1, QB2  will provide major economic and social benefits to the country and region through employment and taxes. In all, 11,000 jobs will be created during construction, and over 2,000 ongoing direct and indirect jobs will be added during operation.

Teck is focused on helping empower indigenous peoples in the areas where we operate so they can fully share the economic benefits created by responsible resource development.”

– Don Lindsay, President and CEO, Teck

Free and Informed
Teck accomplished the planning for QB2 through extensive consultation with local communities. The process began in 2013 when project planners began outreach to surrounding Altiplano and La Pampa populations encompassing some 1,500 people.

Local organizations collected social and environmental data related to the operation and design of community projects. Based on an analysis of this data, Teck established a funding program for four trade unions of regional fishermen and seaweed collectors.

Collaboration with these unions enabled the collection and analysis of marine and environmental data, guiding Teck’s long-term planning process. Consultations with the community contributed to the design of the diffusion system for a new desalination plant—which will be the first of its kind in the Tarapacá region—and the decision to construct a new access road to the coastal border.

About Teck Resources Ltd.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Teck is Canada’s largest diversified resource firm. Dedicated to responsible mining and mineral development across jurisdictions, it has a major focus on copper, in addition to steelmaking, coal, zinc and energy. Teck has four operating copper mines in Canada, Chile and Peru, and copper-development projects in North and South America.

About Quebrada Blanca 2

The Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) Project represents one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper projects. Teck holds a 60 percent interest in Compañía Minera Teck Quebrada Blanca SA, which owns QB2. Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Corp. together have a collective 30 percent interest in QBSA. ENAMI, a Chilean state agency, has a 10 percent non-funding interest in QBSA. First copper production is pending mid-2021.

About the Dow Jones Sustainability Index

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) tracks the performance of global sustainability leaders, through an annual assessment of the world’s 2,500 largest public companies. Among many factors, it measures management practices on economic, environmental and social criteria. Dow Jones contracts RobecoSAM, an investment specialist focused on sustainability investing, to compile the DJSI.

About the Copper Alliance®

The Copper Alliance is a network of regional copper centers and their industry-leading members. It is responsible for guiding policy and strategy and for funding international initiatives and promotional activities. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization has offices in four primary regions: Europe and Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. Copper Alliance programs and initiatives are executed in more than 60 countries through its regional offices and country-level copper promotion centers.

Closing the Loop for the Circular Economy

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Top Miners Work Toward a Sustainable Future by Recycling Copper

The Cycle of Life

Recycling metals in an age defined by growth is integral to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and vital to sustaining the planet as we know it. Moreover, an exploding global middle class, coupled with new electrification for one-billion people worldwide and the proliferation of consumer electronics, are driving the necessary transition to a low-carbon future.

Indeed, growing consumption—fueled by shorter life cycles for an increasing number of electronic goods—and production mean the availability of raw materials needs to expand at a quicker rate. Fortunately, copper proves an ideal raw material for recycling as it is infinitely reusable without any loss of properties.

While recycling intricate electronic devices and other increasingly complex technologies poses distinct challenges, the world’s leading copper miners and pioneering members of the International Copper Association are more than up to the task.

Kennecott: In with the Old

Take Rio Tinto Kennecott and its flagship Bingham Canyon Mine, by far one of the world’s largest and most prolific projects. The mine, which first began operations in the early 1900s, now satisfies nearly 15 percent of all U.S. copper demands.

In 2012, to enhance efficiencies and advance the circular economy, Rio Tinto Kennecott and its assets began introducing recycled scrap metals—such as old copper wiring—from companies across the U.S into the smelting process.

Recycling copper is a win-win for us and for the community. It allows us to meet an element of copper demand in a sustainable way and to continue contributing to our local and national economy.” – Marc Cameron, Rio Tinto Kennecott Managing Director

Processed at the same smelter and refinery as the copper extracted from the Bingham Canyon Mine, the metrics are impressive. The process subjects 750-pound copper anode plates to an electric current for ten days to yield two 300-pound copper cathodes that are 99.99 percent pure copper.

In all, Kennecott processed 2.8 million pounds of copper from recycled scrap in 2017, a quantity equal to all electrical copper wiring in 6,400 newly constructed homes.

Photos provided by Aurubis

Boliden and the European Equation

ICA members with European assets are faced with the prospect that, while the continent has high copper demands, it also has limited mineral resources. In Northern Sweden, nearly 5,000 miles away from Utah, Boliden has been steadily recycling waste at its Rönnskär smelter since the 1960s.

The refinery, outside Skellefteå, has an annual capacity for recycling electrical material of 120,000 tonnes—including circuit boards from computers and mobile phones sourced principally from Europe—making it one of the world’s largest recyclers of metal from electronic material.

Increased recycling brings us closer to the circular economy, where a high degree of the material that is consumed can be reused or recycled, and that which is waste for one company is a raw material for another.” – Peter Burman, Program Manager, Mine Automation

After the removal of materials including plastic, iron and aluminum, the copper goes into a Kaldo furnace, which contains a rotational cylinder to guarantee even heat distribution during smelting. The result—called “black copper”—is then reintroduced for further refining to extract copper and precious metals.

Minimization of environmental impacts is essential, and since 2015, emissions and water discharge have been reduced by over 50 percent. The smelter is equipped with advanced systems to clean process gases and discharge water. Wet gas purification uses water to wash out dust particles; a subsequent refining process, meanwhile, further includes a mercury-specific purification.

Plastic in the electronic material melts during smelting, which acts as a source of energy and generates steam that is converted into electricity or heating. The heat is partially reused as district heating in the plant area, and the remaining heat supplies the local municipal heating system.

Aurubis: The Pinnacle of Copper Recycling

As the world’s largest recycler of copper and one of its largest metal recyclers overall, Germany’s Aurubis is expanding its own arsenal of cutting-edge technologies while making products from recycled materials at several of its sites. In addition to copper-alloy scrap, the firm also recycles copper-bearing residues from foundries and semis fabricators, shredder materials, galvanic slimes, slags, ashes and filter dust.

Central to operations is the largest plant at Aurubis’ recycling center in Lünen, Germany, where it develops cathodes from secondary raw materials. Meanwhile, Aurubis’ facilities in Hamburg process a mix of copper concentrates and recycling materials in the primary smelting process, whereas its plants in Belgium and Bulgaria primarily draw on scrap.

The end results generate copper tube, electronic scrap and casting slags, among others. Aurubis procures copper and copper-alloy scrap as well as copper-bearing residues. It utilizes scrap as input in the convertors and anode furnaces of its primary and secondary smelting processes and alloy scrap and residues in its Kayser Recycling System (KRS).

A Centrifugal Force in Germany

The KRS encompasses a submerged furnace almost 13 meters high, featuring a submerged combustion lance that is, in turn, immersed into the furnace from above. The charging times for this furnace are shorter because heating oil and oxygen are supplied, ensuring the iron silicate sand extracted contains a minimal amount of copper residue.

Byproducts—lead, bismuth, antimony and tellurium—are separated in the connected lead refinery and sold as concentrates. Precious metals, meanwhile, are fortified in a rich lead, with a precious metal content of approximately 70 percent.

About Rio Tinto Kennecott

Rio Tinto Kennecott is a fully integrated mining operation just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., and a fully-owned unit of Rio Tinto. For more than 110 years, Kennecott has been mining and processing minerals from the rich ore body of the Bingham Canyon Mine. In addition to Bingham Canyon, the subsidiary possesses other facilities at South Jordan in the Salt Lake Valley.

About Boliden AB

Boliden mines and processes base metals and precious metals, principally zinc, copper, lead, nickel, gold and silver. Headquartered in Stockholm, Boliden is also a leading global operator in the recycling of electronics and lead from batteries.

About Aurubis AG

Aurubis is one of Europe’s largest copper producers, a service provider for the automotive supply, chemical and waste-management industries, and the largest global copper recycler. With corporate offices in Hamburg, Germany, Aurubis produces over one million tonnes of copper cathodes annually along with various other copper products.

About the Copper Alliance®

The Copper Alliance® is a network of regional copper centers and their industry-leading members. It is responsible for guiding policy and strategy and for funding international initiatives and promotional activities. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization has offices in four primary regions: Europe and Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. Copper Alliance programs and initiatives are executed in more than 60 countries through regional offices and country-level copper promotion centers.

Smart Wired to Move Mountains

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Caterpillar, Boliden and ABB Pilot Electric Trucking Network in Sweden’s Arctic

Challenge
The Aitik copper project in Sweden’s northernmost, usually frigid, Arctic region poses complex, logistical challenges. Two are increasingly common across operations throughout the industry: expensive, irregularly priced fuel supplies and—with advances in clean technology—cumbersome battery storage systems.

Currently, the Boliden-owned mine deploys a fleet of 10 Caterpillar 795F diesel-electric hybrid trucks which haul up to 310-tons of rock from 400 meters (1,500 feet) beneath the surface, day in and in day out, at one of Europe’s biggest mines.

Yet personnel at the Gällivare mine, 100 km north of the outermost reach Arctic Circle, are one step ahead of the game, knowing the stakes are high. Efficiencies are a priority to balance budgets, and worker safety cannot be compromised. Carbon emissions, meanwhile, loom large on a warming planet.

Solution
Together, Boliden, Caterpillar, ABB and Eitech are thus piloting a clean tech initiative to unearth simultaneous scalability for electric-vehicle efficiency while systematically reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs). It is proving to be are markable ecosystem to nurture the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The trucks traffic 70 million tonnes of rock per year and, in 2017, enabled the shipment of 400,000 tonnes of concentrate, encompassing 97,500 tonnes of copper, 2.9 tonnes of gold and 62 silver tonnes. Though outfitted with hybrid diesel-electric batteries, each unit still engulfs 400 liters of fuel hourly, a consumption rate detrimental to the environment.

To address this challenge, Caterpillar, with ABB and Eitech, are pioneering a wire-based electrical conversion system that has the potential to disrupt the industry. Battery packs prove cumbersome among the extreme depths, trajectories and other equipment typical at mines around the world.

Result
Initial testing of the truck’s overhead wiring will involve transporting non-ore rocks to elevations of 60 meters before expanding to greater heights. Careful and rigorous testing, followed by a gradual implementation of the devices, will be crucial given the often-relentless temperatures in one of Western Europe’s most remote spots.

“This project has potential to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from mining. Reduced emissions from mining processes (are) important to produce future vehicles in a sustainable manner.” 

– Erik Brandsma, Director General, Swedish Energy Agency

Engineering firms ABB and Eitech, renowned for their expertise in electrified railway development, will also gradually integrate contact wire and transformer technologies into the mix.

Each truck will handle nearly 4.75 Mw (Megawatts) of power and allow speeds of up to 30 km hourly, double the 15 km hourly speed of the current diesel-electric units. After the trucks become operational, electricity will further accelerate GHG reductions up to 80 percent.

Caterpillar previously tested the truck wiring in the Arizona Desert, where it proved successful and used less power. The company also piloted related technology on smaller trucks in Africa.

Collectively, these deployments will further cement the Nordic nation’s expansive green footprint. Sweden is not only a global leader in fossil fuel divestment and clean tech—targeting net zero GHG emissions by 2045—but also soon will host one of Europe’s largest vehicle battery manufacturing plants in Skellefteå, 360 km south from Gällivare.

About Boliden AB
Boliden mines and processes base metals and precious metals, principally zinc, copper, lead, nickel, gold and silver. Headquartered in Stockholm, Boliden is also a leading global operator in the recycling of electronics and lead from batteries.

About Caterpillar and ABB
Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s largest construction equipment manufacturer and an American Fortune 100 giant that designs, develops, engineers, manufactures, markets and sells machinery, engines, financial products and insurance via a worldwide network. The firm is based on Deerfield, Illinois.

ABB is a top Swedish-Swiss multinational specializing in robotics, power, heavy electrical equipment and automation technology.

About the Copper Alliance®
The Copper Alliance® is a network of regional copper centers and their industry-leading members. It is responsible for guiding policy and strategy and for funding international initiatives and promotional activities. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization has offices in four primary regions: Europe and Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. Copper Alliance programs and initiatives are executed in more than 60 countries through its regional offices and country-level copper promotion centers.