Speakers & Presenters

#1 – Phillip Mackey & Elmira Moosavi

 

THE WORLD COPPER SMELTING AND REFINING INDUSTRY: A REVIEW WITH REFERENCE TO MODERN GLOBAL PLANTS

Summary

Throughout the centuries, copper produced by smelting has always played an important part in society. This significance is particularly evident today, as approximately three-quarters of world copper is used in a wide range of modern – and continuously expanding – electrical applications. These applications range from wiring in renewable energy installations and telecommunications to essential components in electronic products and electric vehicles. Reflecting the escalating demand, annual global copper consumption is projected to increase from 23 million tonnes in 2023 to over 26 million tonnes by 2030. Presently, about 80% of primary mined copper is produced through sulfide smelting, with the remaining portion extracted through hydrometallurgical processing of oxide ores. This presentation aims to provide an overview of the global copper smelting and refining industry, including a brief historical overview and presenting world production data for mining and smelting categorized by country. Published information on several global benchmark plants is given to exemplify modern facilities utilized worldwide. Additionally, a discussion on potential future directions for the world copper industry is included.

 

#2 – Serge Perreault

THE METALLOGENIC GEODIVERSITY OF COPPER RESOURCES AT THE HEART OF QUEBEC’S ENERGY TRANSITION.

Summary

This workshop aims to present the metallogenic diversity of Québec’s copper resources. After a brief presentation of the main copper metallogenic environments on a global scale, we will focus our attention on the various copper metallogenic environments of Quebec. Finally, we’ll look at the co-products, by-products, and deleterious elements associated with copper in the various metallogenic environments in Quebec and around the world.

 

#3 – Patrick Laflamme & JF Boulanger

 

INTRODUCTION TO COPPER ORE PROCESSING – PRINCIPLES, LIMITATIONS AND AVENUES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Summary

Copper-bearing minerals have often been divided into two groups: oxide minerals and sulfide minerals. While the copper in oxidized minerals can be extracted directly from the ore, sulfide-bearing minerals must be separated before being subjected to pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical extraction processes. After liberation by grinding, sulfides are generally separated by flotation, which may be complemented by other approaches. Several aspects need to be reconciled in the design of a copper flotation circuit, including the recovery and content of Cu in the concentrate, the presence of precious metals, penalized elements (As, Bi, Sb, Hg, Cd) or other recoverable metals (Zn, Ni, Pb). This presentation will first present some basic concepts underlying mineral separation and flotation, before discussing aspects specific to copper ore processing, based in particular on industrial circuits from Canadian and international plants.

 

#4 – Joel Kapusta

INTRODUCTION TO COPPER PYROMETALLURGY

Summary

The presentation entitled “Introduction to Copper Pyrometallurgy” will describe the processes and technologies involved in the pyrometallurgical production of copper. In particular, the processes of smelting copper concentrate, converting copper matte, and refining semi-finished copper to produce copper anodes ready for shipment to the electrolytic refinery will be presented. Definitions of important pyrometallurgical jargon will be explained, and the various equipment used in the production chain will be described and illustrated with professional sketches and photographs taken in operation. Technologies for capturing and treating process gases and dust will also be presented and described. This presentation aims to demystify primary copper smelter operations and to understand the operational issues and challenges, as well as the technological solutions to address these challenges.

 

#5 – Martin Désilets & Etienne Yvenou

COPPER ELECTRO-REFINING: THE END OF THE STORY?

Summary

From the 1860s onwards, the use of electrorefining for copper purification became simply unavoidable. Without this process, many applications requiring excellent electrical or thermal conductivity would be at the cost of mediocre efficiency. The electrorefining process can also be used to extract certain precious metals (Au, Ag, Pt, etc.) that previous pyrometallurgical stages were unable to separate.
This presentation aims to set out the general principles of the process itself, and what distinguishes it from electrochemical extraction, which also exists for copper. Based on these principles, the architecture and industrial-scale operation of an electrorefining unit will be described.
By the very nature of the process, impurities released into the system must be rigorously controlled and regularly removed so as not to affect the purity of the final copper. The presentation will attempt to show the influence of impurities and the solutions found by the industry to mitigate their effects and increase process efficiency despite copper sources with ever higher and more varied levels of impurities. Recent trends and research avenues for further enhancing electrorefining efficiency will also be presented.
The need for copper to decarbonize human activities (i.e. electrification) means that the electrorefining process (as well as electrowinning) will have to continue innovating and adapting to produce and recycle this metal for many years to come.

 

#6 – Isabelle Demers and Abdelkabir Maqsoud

 

MINING ENVIRONMENT: TAILINGS MANAGEMENT AND SITE RESTORATION

Summary

The presentation will focus on the problems associated with the management of solid residues generated during the production of copper concentrate and anodes. First, the main types of solid tailings will be presented, followed by a discussion of the main environmental problem, acid mine drainage (AMD).
Various tailings management approaches have been developed to reduce the geotechnical risks associated with storage areas. In recent years, densification of concentrator tailings has become increasingly popular due to the geotechnical advantages it offers. This method will be discussed and case examples presented.
As for the geochemical risks posed by the instability of sulphurous mine tailings, various techniques have been developed to prevent the oxidation and generation of DMA. An overview of these techniques will be given, followed by a presentation of the various research projects carried out on the Quémont 2 site (one of the parks used by the Horne smelter). This work concerns the amendment of clay materials for use in mining works, the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical assessment of materials resulting from metallurgical treatment for use in mine site restoration, and the reclamation of slag for cement production. Finally, this presentation will conclude with an outline of future work on assessing the extent of the transfer of air emissions from tailings facilities and the mitigation techniques that can be used.