GUYANA GOLDSTRIKE INC. Guyana Goldstrike Inc. announced that the Company has collected initial samples from the Jupiter Copper Project for metallurgical testing of the previously announced Clean Copper Refining Process. Material from Jupiter will be shipped to a US based metallurgy laboratory shortly for commencement of proof-of-concept testing of a single step, environmentally benign refining process from run-of-mine material to copper plate. Metallurgy: This approach uses molten salts as a medium for metal extraction instead of the conventional pyro, hydro or pyrohydro-extraction processes.
The molten salt process for metallic copper production uses unreactive, non-toxic neutral chloride salts as the processing fluid, so it virtually eliminates the chance of toxic emissions during the processing of copper ore to copper metal. The processing salt is a specific eutectic molten salt. This particular reaction fluid is environmentally benign, recyclable and therefore low in cost, as well as having a low melting (melting point 204°), high boiling point (800°) and is chemically, thermally and physically stable, which are properties of the molten salt making it a practical extracting fluid (lixiviant) and the plating electrolyte for the electrodeposition of copper metals.
Since the salt is made of non-toxic elements, it emits no toxic vapors and is environmentally benign. The emission of noxious vapors and risk of contamination to ground water in the traditional copper thermal and electro-winning refining processes is a significant environmental problem. As well, due to the environmental issues traditional refining is severely limited in location, particularly in regard to new plants, forcing copper miners to ship copper concentrate great distances inclusive of generally two-thirds waste product using vast of amounts of marine diesel fuel in the maritime shipping and significantly increasing the carbon footprint of the overall refining process, in addition to the return or export freight for the refined copper product.
For example, Chile, the world's largest copper producer, exports approximately half of its copper concentrate production (approx. 28% Cu) for refining elsewhere due to these limitations. Clean copper refining could largely eliminate this wholly inefficient process.
This process is done in one-pot using a eutectic molten chloride salt, as both the copper extracting fluid (lixiviant) and the electrolyte for electrodeposition of copper metal. The salt is environmentally benign since it is made of non-toxic elements and emits no toxic vapors. The copper completely dissolves when added to the aerobic eutectic molten chloride salt contained in a pot.
After the copper ore is digested, a graphite rod is inserted in the molten salt mixture to serve as an anode. A power supply is connected to the graphite rod and the container, which serves as the cathode, and then the copper ions in the molten salt are reduced and deposited as copper metal, which sinks to the bottom of the pot, since copper is much denser than the salt. On a large scale, opening a valve at the bottom of the pot allows for the harvesting of the copper metal product by simply draining (tapping) the copper out of pot.
