COPPER
Imagine a copper mine with zero environmental footprint, while producing “Green Hydrogen” to fuel its machinery and haul trucks.
Transition to net zero will not be possible if the world doesn’t find a way to meet the rapidly increasing demand for copper, crucial to the green revolution.
The construction of an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) requires the use of 10 to 15 kilograms of copper. Electric vehicles (EV) require 50 to 75 KG which is five times as much.
The grades of copper ore mined internationally have declined over time. From every tonne of mined copper ores, only half meet the minimum grade required to be economically processed. This causes a 50% reduction in the copper mines’ productivity. This has caused ever increasing mining and smelting operations to meet the required worldwide demand for copper. Both with inevitably high negative environmental footprints and a high degree of water usage.
We have 
developed a copper extraction process with near zero water consumption.
Our electrochemical-mechanical green solvent-based process can extract copper from low-grade sulphide ores to high-grade copper concentrates while producing green hydrogen and having zero environmental impact.