Soluciones Ambientales Para la Minería

Transcription

1 Soluciones Ambientales Para la Minería VALUE RECOVERY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUITABLE PROCESS FOR TREATING RESIDUES FROM COPPER SMELTING AND REFINERY EcoMetales Limited Santiago, November 12 th 2015

2 INDEX I. Copper Mining Industry Overview. II. Arsenic in the Copper Mining Industry. III. Sustainability and Environmental Restrictions. IV. EcoMetales Limited, value from hazardous waste. Treating Arsenic and recovering copper Complex Concentrates Leaching Project EPAS Treatment Project V. Challenges, Business and Research opportunities.

3 Copper Mining Industry Overview Source: International Copper Study Group

4 Copper Mining Industry Overview Country Concentrate Balance by 2018 Source: International Copper Study Group

5 Arsenic grade (%) Copper grade (%) Arsenic in the Copper Mining Industry Sulfides Oxides Source: Codelco

6 Arsenic in the Copper Mining Industry As content in the worldwide Cucons productions will growth from actual ton/y to ton/y at Increasing transport restrictions reduce the trading options of this products. Difficult to trade. Today we could blend, but the arsenic limits (0,2%- 0,5%) in the blend, require huge amount of clean Cucons. Source: Wood Mackenzie Codelco VCO

7 Arsenic (t) Arsenic in the Copper Mining Industry The As processing capacity at smelters is limited. The 66% of arsenic that enter into the market, is in the complex concentrates, which may not be processed in a traditional way in foundries. Need to take care of the increasing proportion of complex concentrates and to recover the valuable elements that today are lost As content in the worldwide Cucons productions will growth from actual ton/y to ton/y at Arsenic content in concs Arsenic capacity in smelters Source: Wood Mackenzie Codelco VCO

8 Arsenic distribution Sulfuric Acid Plant Efluent Treatment Plant As Eflfuent: 35 % As in calcium arsenite Flotation Tailings 30 % As in Dust Gas 8% in Refinery Effluent 100 % As in Cucons Smelter Unit 24% As inslag Peirce Smith Converter Casting Wheel Anodes As Anodes: 8 % Refinery Cathodes

9 Sustainability and Environmental Restrictions Regulations: increasingly challenging for hazardous substances/mixtures/impurities REACH Directive: Authorization/Restriction. New and strict standards for Hazard assessment/communication to users. CLP: Classification Label Packing GHS: Globally Harmonized System The marine transport context IMO: International Maritime Organization MARPOL Annex V: Harmful to the marine environment (HME) substances and treatment of residual waters. International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC): New Materials hazardous only in bulk (MHB) hazard criteria. Some National policies < 0,5 % As content to China. <0,2% As content to Japan EU:??? & FUTURE:?? And Additional costs: insurance; treatment fees; shipping costs; obstacles to loading/unloading at some ports

10 Sustainability and Environmental Restrictions So far, we have: A lot copper concentrate with valuable elements With some Arsenic That create a tiny fence for exports just for environmental issues If we could not export and we know that the As content will increase We must process this Cucons with As A new trend : smelters and (maybe) refinery nearby to ores and now they must recover all the value at least everything And treat and dispose the residues Treated complex Cucons needs know how to treat arsenic and recover the valuable elements that are content in the Cucons

11 Arsenic distribution Sulfuric Acid Plant Efluent Treatment Plant As Eflfuent: 35 % As in calcium arsenite Flotation Tailings 30 % As in Dust Gas 8% in Refinery Effluent 100 % As in Cucons Smelter Unit 24% As inslag Peirce Smith Converter Casting Wheel Anodes As Anodes: 8 % Refinery Cathodes

12 Arsenic distribution Sulfuric Acid Plant Efluent Treatment Plant As Eflfuent: 35 % Flotation Tailings 30 % As in Dust Gas 8% in Refinery Effluent 100 % As in Cucons Smelter Unit 24% As inslag Peirce Smith Converter Casting Wheel Anodes As Anodes: 8 % Refinery Cathodes

13 EcoMetales Limited, value from hazardous waste EcoMetales is a 100% subsidiary of CODELCO, created for develop and implement environmental solutions and metal recovery processes in Codelco and mining industry. Our facilities are in a strategic location, 35 kms northeast of Calama. Since 2007, EcoMetales has processed more than tones of residues recovering tones of copper, and treat tones of Arsenic. We currently process residues from CODELCO s Divisions and are actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with other mining companies.

14 EcoMetales Limited, value from hazardous waste Arsenic Stabilization Plant Inaugurated in Leaching plant capacity: [ton/year] of copper smelter dust. EcoMetales has 164 permissions, of which 146 are environmentally related and the others are relative to the operation, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous residues. World s biggest arsenic stabilization plant

15 EcoMetales Limited, value from hazardous waste Arsenic Disposal Techniques Scorodite process: used for solutions with high copper and arsenic contents such as Pregnant Leach Solution (PLS) coming from previous leaching. The process generates a stable solid compound (TCLP 1, [As] < 2 ppm) which fulfils the requirements of the hazardous waste management regulations and a final PLS with a arsenic concentration below 800 ppm. Arsenic trisulfide process: used in the effluents treatment from sulphuric acid plants. The process consists in the arsenic precipitation by the addition of gaseous H 2 S or liquid NaHS. The precipitated compound must be stored under hermetically sealed encapsulation (TCLP [As] < 13 ppm). The final acid solution presents 1 ppm of arsenic. Calcium arsenate process: used in the effluents treatment from sulphuric acid plants. The process involves the addition of limewater in order to precipitate arsenic generating an unstable solid compound (TCLP [As] < 600 ppm) and a solution with 150 ppm of arsenic. 1 TCLP: Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure

16 EcoMetales Limited, value from hazardous waste Patented Arsenic Stabilization Process Refinery effluent H 2 SO 4 H 2 O Flue Dust Flue dust Treatment PLS Arsenic stabilization Clean PLS to SX-EW plant Leaching residue Scorodite

17 EcoMetales Flue dust Leaching Plant (FLP) Q= t/d [Cu]= 18-22% [As]= 9-18% Hum= 2% Q= m3/h [Cu]= g/l [As]= g/l [H2SO4]= 50 g/l Q= t/d [Cu]= 6-8% [As]= 1-3% Hum=18-25%

18 EcoMetales Arsenic Stabilization Plant (ASP) Q= m3/h [Cu]= g/l [As]= g/l [H2SO4]= 50 g/l Q=80-85 m3/h [Cu]=15-20 g/l [As]=0,5-1 g/l [H2SO4]=12-20 g/l Q= t/d [Cu]=0,5-0,8% [As]=10-12% Hum=20-25%

19 Arsénico en Escorodita

20 Complex Concentrates Leaching Project Client: DCH/DMH. Starting Feasibility Engineering ton CuCons/y capacity. Cu extraction of 98,5% at 2,5% As. 30 bar, 220 C. Flexible Operation: Processing Complex Concentrates, Dust, calcine. Leaching residue comply with TCLP-SPLP test. Zero emission As and SO 2.

21 EPAS Treatment Project Client: DET. Ending Feasibility Engineering. As treatment as trisulfide (2000 As ton/y). Treated effluent reuse. 4 times residues reduction. Residue dispose on site in maxibags. TCLP [As] < 13 ppm

22 Challenges, Business and Research opportunities EcoMetales Limited Legend Roaster dust storage División Ministro Hales División Chuquicamata Flue dust and refinery effluent treatment, subsecuent arsenic stabilization. Effluent Treatment from IX plant. Evaluation and operation support of CODELCO s acid treatment plant. Complex Concentrates Treatment Project Borras and roaster dust treatment Process Current Operations Projects Flue dust treatment (raw material) División Ventanas Flue dust treatment and arsenic stabilization División El Teniente Arsenical residues s safety disposal Arsenic stabilization from acid plant effluent

23 Challenges, Business and Research opportunities Environmental Solutions and value recovery Patented Arsenic Stabilization Process. Recovery of Minor Elements (Ge, Bi, Sb, Ag, Pb) from Solids Residues and Effluents. Cu and Mo Recovery from acid solutions (AMD/ARD). Tailings ReTreatment/Recycling Process. Hazardous Residues Safety Disposal.

24 We want to be a strategic partner of the mining industry in Chile and worldwide.