New book: Extractive Metallurgy of Copper

The drive towards electric vehicles and wind turbines has had a marked effect on the demand for that most essential of metals, copper. The copper price has more than doubled since April last year and many analysts forecast a doubling of copper demand in the next 30 years, but there is much uncertainty as to where the supply will come from.

5-year copper prices

Mined ore grades are falling and ore-bodies have become more complex, with higher levels of impurities, for which mines may be penalised at the smelting stage if left unchecked. In an excellent article in Engineering & Mining Journal, European Editor Carly Leonida asked where do the greatest optimisation opportunities lie and what will future flowsheets look like? Advances in copper processing technologies from the past 30 years nearly all fall into the category of “the bigger, the better” - higher volume flotation cells, massive high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs), super-sized concentrators. For some time now, we have been chasing economies of scale, which will soon cease to exist.

So the publication last month of the 6th edition of Extractive Metallurgy of Copper, comes at an opportune time.  Authored by Mark Schlesinger, Kathryn Sole, William Davenport and Gerardo Alvear the book expands on previous editions, including sections on ore-genesis and copper mineralogy and new processes for efficiently recovering copper from ever-declining Cu-grade mineral deposits. 

The book evaluates processes for maintaining concentrate Cu grades from lower grade ores. Sections cover the recovery of critical byproducts (e.g., cesium), worker health and safety, automation as a safety tool, and the geopolitical forces that have moved copper metal production to Asia (especially China) and new smelting and refining processes. Indigenous Asian smelting processes are evaluated, along with energy and water requirements, environmental performance, copper electrorefining processes, and sulfur dioxide capture processes. The book puts special emphasis on the benefits of recycling copper scrap in terms of energy and water requirements. Comparisons of ore-to-product and scrap-to-product carbon emissions are also made to illustrate the concepts included.

The book is aimed at university students, working engineers and management graduates. Two–year college science and engineering graduates should also be able to handle most of the material. It will also be welcomed by management consultants, legal experts, and those in similar professions who require an industry overview for particular assignments.

@barrywills