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COPPER PRODUCTION PROCESS

Cerro Colorado Mining

Guillermo Cruz Nuñez

Ricardo Escobar Pizarro
Steven Villagrán Cruz
Luis Cárcamo Rivera

Professor: Ricardo Ulloa Pinto

Antofagasta, July, 2019
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Index

1.-Summary 3

2.-Introduction 4

3.-Objectives 5

3.1.- General objectives

3.2.- Specific objectives

4.- Unit operations 6

4.1.- Drilling

4.2.- Blasting 7
4.3.- Loading and transportation 8

4.4.- Crushing 9

5.- Main equipment 10

6.- Main processes 11

6.1.- Aggregate

6.2.- Bioleaching

6.3.- Leaching 12

6.4.- Solvent Extraction

6.4.1.- Extraction stage

6.4.2.- PLS Circuit 13

6.4.3.- Organic circuit

6.4.4.- Re-extraction stage

6.4.5.- Electrolytic circuit 14

6.5.- Electro extraction

7.- General flowchart of the process 15

8.- Products obtained 16

9.- Conclusion 17

10.- Technical Glossary 18

11.- Bibliography 19
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1.-Summary

Chile is the largest copper producer in the world, this mineral is obtained from the
mining through metallurgical processes. Metallurgy is divided into processes
pyrometallurgical (used in primary sulfide copper ores), which consists of three
main stages (flotation, smelting, and electro-refining) to obtain the mineral in
copper anode shape; and in hydrometallurgical processes (mainly used in
oxidized minerals and secondary copper sulfides) for its extraction, in the form of
cathode in a continuous process through the stages of belt curing, stacking,
leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning.
Copper mining is carried out in Chile by private companies and one state-owned company: the
National Copper Corporation, Codelco.
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2.-Introduction

In Chile, when talking about development related to the mining industry, it inevitably means
refers to the development of copper mining by the production volumes of it. The
Copper hydrometallurgy in Chile is based on leaching and extraction technologies.
by solvents and electro-extraction (LX-SX-EO). These techniques, although developed in
different eras and have been adopted separately and in various periods of history of the
copper metallurgy has reached an advanced stage of development and maturity.
In the following report, we will explain the processes that the Cerro mining company encompasses.
Colorado, where Hydrometallurgy takes place, and 117,000 Ton/Cu are produced per year.

We will look in depth at the unit operations that are carried out, the product that is
you will obtain after completing all the main processes (Lix, Sx, Ew). And we will observe everything
the process that is carried out to obtain the product thanks to a flowsheet that is
explained in detail.
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3.- Objectives

3.1.- General objectives:

Develop and understand the hydrometallurgical process of the Cerro Colorado mine.

3.2.- Objetivos específicos:

Explain unit processes of the mine.

Demonstrate and explain main teams with their objectives.

Describe the main processes of the plant,

Explain the products obtained.

Draw conclusions about the process.

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4.- Unit operations

4.1.-Drilling

This activity is carried out by drilling cylindrical holes in the rock to insert and
detonate explosive material with the purpose of fragmenting and separating minerals
from the Earth's crust. To create a hole in a solid, it is necessary to apply
energy. In the context of mining exploitation, currently, used are
exclusively drilling systems based on the application of energy
through mechanical methods. The application of mechanical energy to penetrate the
Rock can basically be worked through two actions; percussion and rotation.

Percussion: The tool penetrates the rock by the effect of successive impacts of
high frequency and great energy.

Rotation: The tool drills the rock through the combined action of a torque of
rotation and a great thrust force applied to the rocky surface.

The drillings in the bank must be made at regular distances from each other.
generally between 8 and 12 m and in such a way that they cross the entire height of the bank
so that, when the explosives are inserted, the detonation allows the rock to be fragmented.
Therefore, each well is defined by its length, its diameter, and its inclination.
These characteristics depend on the specific specifications of each task.
which are related to the characteristics of the rock, the infrastructure of the
mine and the available teams.
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4.2.-Blasting

The first comminution process applied to the material is blasting, so

that its success will allow for good management of this material by
subsequent processes. The blasting process involves loading with explosives the
holes generated during drilling, with the aim of fragmenting the rock to sizes
manageable by mining teams. The fragmentation of rocks requires
energy application, which is obtained, in almost all cases, from a
chemical reaction resulting from detonating explosive charges inserted in the mass
rocky. The blasted material must comply with a granulometry and an arrangement
suitable space for the subsequent associated processes. The particle size will depend on
of the characteristics of the rock and the energy applied to it, so if
If we want a fine grain size, we must use a greater amount of resources.
(explosives) or increase their power.

Fundamentally, what is done is to introduce the explosive into the wells of

drilling, with its respective accessories and perform the tie to give the sequence
from the output of each explosive column, whose design depends on the characteristics
From the rock, the capacity of the explosives and the desired grain size and type of wells.
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4.3.-Loading and transportation

The stages of loading and transportation involve the joint execution of loading with
large equipment, the material in the transportation system of the operation and
transport it to the corresponding destination. Depending on the quality of the
mineral, the following stages can be: crushing (in the case of the mineral over
cut-off law), leachate dumps (in the case of low-grade sulfides) or to dumps
(in case it is considered sterile material).

Among the most costly production processes is the loading and

transport of material, as it is the process with the largest number of equipment
involved (fleet), high degree of mechanization, lower productive yield due to
team and constitutes a practically continuous operation process. On average
the costs of these operations represent between 45% and 65% of the cost of the mine,
so it is of great importance to ensure a suitable operating environment for
achieve the best performance of the involved teams.

The objective of the process is to remove the blasted material from the work front and transport it.
adequately to its destination, which can be outlined in the following way:

Preparación de la zona de trabajo

Equipment positioning
Remove the blasted material from the work front (Loading)
Transfer of the material to the transport team arranged for the transfer
Transport of the material to its destination (Plant, storage, dumpsites, etc.)
Download of the material
Return of the transport team to the loading point (if its presence is required)
return).
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4.4.-Crushing

In the general outline of the process, all ore derived from open-pit mining
it must be reduced in a crushing plant to achieve a
suitable granulation that allows for the release and concentration of copper in form
efficient. Like all comminution processes, crushing requires a high
energy consumption, which has a significant economic impact on the development of a project
of mining exploitation.

The selection of the type and size of the crusher equipment mainly depends on the
physical and geological characteristics of the broken material (volume and tonnage, sizes of
feeding and output, hardness, toughness, abrasiveness, moisture of the rock, etc.) and of the
granulometric needs of the following productive operation.

Cerro Colorado Mining Company has two primary crushers, which are
fed by trucks with 48,000 tons per day of ore. These crushers
(Fuller and Svedala) have an open side setting between 6" and 8". The crushed mineral is
carried by conveyor belts to the coarse mineral sector to a stock with a
live capacity of 10,000 tons. The material is then transported to plants 1 and 2.
by conveyor belts. All the material goes through a primary screen and then after a
classification, by the secondary crushers, reaching five tertiary screens, which
allows for the classification of the material under a 100 Tyler mesh.
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5.- Main equipment

5.1.-Drilling:

The drilling rigs are owned by Cerro Colorado mining, four machines are used.
percussion drill rigs with boreholes of different diameters.

5.2.-Loading:

The loading includes two shovels (121 and 122) of 43 and 56 yd³ respectively, 9 loaders.
17 m3 fronts, 6 for mine extraction and 3 for the movement of the debris.

5.3.-Transport:

There are two transport fleets, the CAT 789 trucks of 190 tons and the 793 of 250.
tons, with a total of 42 trucks.

5.4.-Support equipment:

In the support equipment we find 8 Bulldozers, 3 Wheeldozers, 4 Water Trucks and 4

Motor graders.

5.5.- Crushing and milling:

The Fuller primary crusher of 42" x 65" reduces the ore from 1m to a size
less than 200mm, unloading it into a compensating hopper beneath which a belt
The feeder extracts the mineral at a rate of 954 t/h.

5.6.-Leaching:

They adopt mobile stackers of the stacker type with a horizontal angle discharge belt.
variable. These teams are loaded from trucks and reach heights in the range of 6 - 8
subways.

5.7.-Electro-extraction:

2 cathode stripping machines serving two circuits each and 4 overhead cranes.
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6.- Main processes

6.1.-Agglomerate:

The agglomeration takes place in two silos and a dome. These feed into four drums.
aggregates of 2.7 meters in diameter and two drums of 2.9 meters in diameter,
where the material is mixed with water and sulfuric acid.

The agglomerated mineral is transported by mobile conveyor belts to the piles of

leaching

6.2.- Bioleaching:

Bioleaching is a hydrometallurgical process in which microorganisms are used.

to dissolve the minerals, releasing a valuable metal present in an ore or in a
concentrated, which would be very difficult to extract with conventional methods. It is the process
conventional leaching, biologically catalyzed, but applied to minerals
sulfurized, in response to the need to increase the kinetics of its dissolution.
The bacteria involved in the leaching processes are:

Autrótofas12

Aerobics13

Chemosynthetic14

This last characteristic makes them capable of oxidizing minerals to convert ferrous ion.
in ferric ion and sulfuric acid, necessary for biolixiviation reactions.
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6.3.-Leaching:

Heap leaching is a process by which the metal of interest is extracted by

percolation of a solution, in the case of copper sulfuric acid, ILS and/or refining is used
through the bottom of the pile.
Using this method, a solution called PLS is obtained, which is composed of several
aqueous species, in addition to the metal of interest, which will be recovered in the processes
posteriors of SX and EW.
The choice of the appropriate particle size for a heap leaching process varies
depending on the mineral to be processed. The presence of fines and slimes in the formation of the bed
produces deficiencies in the dynamic fluid when there is vertical migration of fines during the
operation, preventing a uniform flow of the solution. The segregation of fines, originated
in the assembly of the stack or during operation, define blind areas between sizes
thickening decreases percolation and guides the flow of solution through easily accessible areas
access or channeling. To address the permeability issue caused by the fines,
the agglomeration is used.

6.4.- Solvent extraction

Solvent extraction is a process that involves the passage of copper, dissolved in form
from ions within an aqueous phase to another liquid phase, immiscible with it, known
as an organic phase.

The impure aqueous solution known as PLS, coming from the leaching system in
batteries, enters the SX area with a concentration of Cu2+ of 3.4 g/L and delivers it to the area of
Tank Farm for its conditioning. This solution with a high copper content of 50 g/L,
called Rich Electrolyte, is sent to the electro-extraction area.

The solvent extraction plant of Cerro Colorado consists of 5 trains ABCDE: three
old trains and two new trains, in which the aqueous solutions are contacted
PLS and stripping harvest, with an organic solution to perform copper transfer.
flujo total de PLS que ingresa a los trenes A-B-C del sistema de extracción por solventes es
approximately 2340 m3/h and for trains D-E it is 1560 m3/h.

6.4.1.-Extraction Stage

In the trains, the operation is carried out in 2 extraction cells (E1-E2) connected in series.
In the extraction stages, there are two solution flows that will be described
through two circuits; the PLS circuit and the organic circuit.
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6.4.2.-PLS Circuit

The solution coming from the leaching circuit (PLS) contains 3.4 g/L of Cu2+.
stored in the PLS feed pond for the SX plant (SX Plant Feed Pond) 230-
EW-22 with a capacity of 5000 m3. From this pool, there are two lines of PLS, one for the train.
ABC and another for trains D and E, both flows are regulated by two butterfly valves.
The PLS flows by gravity into the mixing-decanting tank of the first stage of
extraction E1, gives a large percentage of copper to the organic and continues its cycle entering
to the second stage of extraction to finish yielding its copper content in the
E2 mixer-decantor. The copper-depleted PLS (Refining) is sent to the pool of
refining to complete its 4th cycle in the leaching circuit as a lixiviant solution.

6.4.3.-Organic Circuit

The organic phase is a solution composed of an extractant and a diluent capable of capturing
Cu2+ ions from the PLS. The organic cycle begins in the ponds of the loaded organic 040-
TK01 and 240-TK.25. This solution with a concentration of 3.0 to 4.0 g/L Cu2+ is pumped.
for 6 horizontal centrifugal pumps (Loaed organic pumps horizontal centrifugal, 240-
PP- 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, and 76) distributed by manifold to lines for the 5 trains ABC and DE. The
Organic load enters the primary mixer to the re-extraction stage S, where it
mix with a poor electrolyte that comes from the recirculation tank poor electrolyte side
through heat exchangers. This electrolyte is an aqueous solution with high
concentration of sulfuric acid which allows the release of Cu2+ ions from the phase
organic. The organic material now unloaded enters the second extraction stage E-2 to
contact the PLS by capturing the remaining copper from the PLS and then moving on to stage E-
To finish loading again, until it completes its cycle.

6.4.4.-Re-extraction Stage

To understand this stage, we will describe the electrolyte cycle.

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6.4.5.-Electrolyte circuit

The electrolytic solution depleted in copper ions coming from the cells of electro-
getting with a concentration of 35 g/L of copper and a high concentration of acid
sulfuric 180 g/L is transferred to the recirculation tank 040-TK-04 (electrolyte side
poor) to then be pumped by three horizontal centrifugal electrolyte pumps
poor (Lean Electrolyte Pumps Horizontal Centrifugal, 240-PP-60/61/62) as a solution
stripped to the re-extraction stage S passing through the heat exchangers to increase
the temperature of the electrolyte rich by heat transfer. The stripping enters the mixer
primary of the re-extraction stage S to extract Cu2+ from the loaded organic
increasing its concentration to 50 g/L becoming a rich electrolyte. The electrolyte
rich flows by gravity to the tank area, for its purification and conditioning,
then the filtered and heated electrolyte enters the recirculation tank (side of
electrolyte at EO) where it mixes with the poor electrolyte (communicating vessels). The mixture
The electrolyte is called EO. The electrolyte to EO is pumped by 5 recirculation pumps of
to electro-extraction cells (240-PP67/68/69/70/77) with a concentration of 38 g/L;
After the electrolysis process, this electrolytic solution comes out of the cells as electrolyte.
poor returning to the recirculation tank 6 (Poor electrolyte side) to restart the
cycle.

6.5.- Electro-extraction

Electrowinning is the final process in the production of high-purity cathode copper.

purity basically consists of the electrochemical transformation of copper
dissolved in an electrolyte in metallic copper deposited on an electrode, by means of
the use of electrical energy from an external source. Ionic copper
the electrolyte is selectively deposited onto the surface of the electrode
negative (cathode), and at the same time water decomposes into oxygen, forming acid
sulfuric on the surface of the insoluble positive lead electrode (anode). The anode
and the cathode form what are called electrodes, which are metal plates that
They are used to pass electric current through the electrolyte. The cathode (charge
negative), it is a 316L stainless steel plate and the anode (positive charge), is
a hot-rolled sheet of lead-calcium-tin. To carry out the
decomposition of the copper sulfate solution, direct electric current
CC closes a circuit; it enters through the anode, passes through the electrolyte solution, and exits.
through the cathode.
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7.- General flowsheet of the process

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8.- Products that are obtained

In the Cerro Colorado mine, the products extracted from the oxide part are The
Chrysocolla (Cu,Al)4H4(OH)8Si4O10·nH2O), which is the copper oxide mineral.
dominant. Malachite Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂, Cuprite Cu2O and the
Tenorite CuO. On the sulfide side, there is Chalcosine Cu2S, Covellite CuS, Chalcopyrite.
CuFeS2 and Brochantite Cu4SO4(OH)6. Likewise, at the Cerro Colorado mine it is present.
a mixed mineralization of sulfide oxides, these are defined as a material whose
the ratio of soluble copper to total copper is between 0.3 and 0.5. The minerals in this area are
mainly a combination of chrysocolla and chalcopyrite, which may be present in
veins and veinlets or scattered in the rocky mass.
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9.- Conclusion

Although hydrometallurgy is a cleaner and cheaper process than pyrometallurgy,

its contribution within national production is a smaller contribution from pyrometallurgy and
continues to decrease due to the depletion of oxide and sulfide reserves
copper by-products of the country. If a method for leaching cannot be developed
Primary sulfides, this process will become obsolete in Chile, leading to the closure.
of these plants and million-dollar financial losses.

In conclusion, the metallurgical process of the Cerro Colorado mine is the

Hydrometallurgy, this mining company encompasses the unit operations of
drilling, blasting, loading and transportation, crushing. The main processes of
this mining includes agglomeration, leaching, and Bioleaching (this represents a
great step to reduce the costs associated with copper production, and also
to continue advancing in the protection of our natural resources), then
solvent extraction is coming, and finally with electro-winning, which is the
final step to form Cu cathodes with 99.99% purity.

Investigamos sobre los principales equipos utilizados en cada proceso, conociendo

its importance, the high costs they entail and the capacity in these
metallurgical operations to achieve a quality product obtaining a
efficiency in production and energy, thus reducing production costs.
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Technical glossary

Tank Farm: An alternative name for an oil terminal or oil depot.

installation for the storage of liquid petroleum products or products
petrochemicals
Fines segregation: Separation between coarse and fine aggregates. Whether it is because of the...

they pile up or because they go to the bottom of the elements due to the action of gravity, this

they produce what are called crab nets, usually they appear because the mixtures are
very dry.
Open side setting: The open side setting is measured when the crusher is in
rest. The configuration is measured from top to top or from bottom to top, depending on the profile of

jaws teeth
Veins: Elongated layer of a mineral that fills the crack of a rock formation and is
It differs from it by its color or constitution; it can be subject to mining exploitation.
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9.- Bibliography

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