| Abstract Scope |
More renewable energy and electrification will drive the global copper demand in 2050 to 60 Mt. The current mine production of copper is just over 21Mt. It will be extremely difficult to meet the metal demand without a breakthrough technology. Primary copper sulfide is one of the most abundant resources available, particularly low grade sulfides. The metal extractions from these primary sulfides range between 10 and 15% throughout the mine life. It is mainly because of the passivation that hinders the dissolution of copper from the sulfide minerals.
To avoid the passivation, chemical and microbial treatments have been investigated but no industrial scale process was successfully demonstrated. Passivation can be avoided when conditions are optimized resulting in increased extraction efficiency from the primary sulfides. Chemical leaching with various lixiviants, oxidants, and increased temperature showed a positive impact on the overall extraction, but industrial application would be limited. Bioleaching using thermophiles showed promising results, but it also has a limited application in low grade ores under heap or dump leaching. A new hydrometallurgical system using activated carbon showed a potential processing method that can be applied in industrial heap or dump leaching conditions. |