Novel technology

"Zero-emission and
zero-waste" for the
processing of copper
concentrate.

January 2023
 CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY TRANSITION AND THE ROLE OF METALS

ELECTRIFICATION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

ELECTROMOBILITY

Key metals and minerals

Copper, Lithium, Iron, Cobalt, Aluminium, Nickel

MINING
+SUSTAINABILITY/ TRACEABILITY
Todos los derechos reservados – Universidad de Concepción - 2021
 Problem and opportunity

75%
• The conventional smelting / converting process
still has significant environmental impacts: SO2
and arsenic gas emissions and the production
Al 2030
of a large amount of slag.
25%
• The most modern technologies achieve better
efficiencies and higher SO2 capture but they still
generate 0.8 to 1.2 tons of slag per ton of
blister copper produced.

European Copper Institute, 2016.

 Problem and opportunity

• Global demand for “low-emission” copper will grow by

additional 2-3 million tons per year by 2040 (CESCO,
CRU Group). Recently, Goldman Sachs projects demand
scenarios associated to the green transition in the range
of 5,4 - 8,7 Mt by 2030.

• Copper Smelters and refineries are facing increasing

environmental constraints worldwide.

• Mining companies that export copper concentrates for

abroad processing are also facing:
➢ Commercial threats from penalties due to
impurities such as arsenic or other harmful
elements,
➢ Increasing environmental demands for maritime
transport
➢ Pressure from markets and society for the carbon
footprint.
Copper is the new oil, Goldman Sach, April 2021.
 The "zero-emission and zero-waste" oxidation - reduction technology

• The new process is a disruptive oxidation-

reduction technology that operates in solid / gas
systems at 800-850ºC in closed reactors with zero
emissions.

• The process valorizes all the constituents of the

concentrate, generating commercial products
such as magnetite of metallic iron, molybdenum
salt and silica concentrate, generating zero slags.

• It consumes 50% less energy and uses green

hydrogen in the reduction stage, with a zero
carbon footprint and a surplus of clean energy
(1,3xconsumpion).

• The process integrates confirmed unit

operations minimizing technological risk.
Extensive laboratory work and semi-pilot
campaigns support the scientific hypotheses of
the main stages.
Adapted from European Copper Institute, 2016.
Patent application N°201903246, INAPI (13/11/2019) – awarded March 2022
PCT application PCT/CL2020/050139 (21/10/2020) – national phase started in 10 countries
 The "zero-emission and zero-waste" oxidation - reduction technology
• The first stage is an oxidative roasting of the concentrate. Fe forms
Water Acid
Fe3O4, Cu forms CuO, and S is removed as SO2(g) which can be
H 2 SO4
Oxidation
reactor
WHB
ESP
Cooling
plant
processed in a conventional way to produce sulfuric acid, liquid
fw.
850 ºC
dioxide, or elemental sulfur; the arsenic is volatilized in the roaster
Copper
concentrate
To arsenic precip.
and then recovered for further fixation. The molybdenum is
Calcine coder
ESP dust
To molybdenum recovery recovered from the roasting flue dust.
Calcine
stockpile
Air

Oxidized calcine Condenser • This stage is higly exothermic. It generates high pressure steam, so
H2 can recover over 70% of the process energy.
Reduction WHB
reactor ESP
650 ºC
Water
• The oxidized calcine is then reduced in a second reactor with a
controlled atmosphere of H2(g) and could produce magnetite as pellet
feed or metallic iron.
Metallized calcine Recycled water
✓ In the case of magnetite production, the reduced calcine is
Steam processed to magnetically concentrate the Fe3O4, float the
Induction Gravity gangue to produce a silica concentrate, and recover the metallic
furnace concentration

Liquid Grinding
Cu and noble metals, which melts at 1200 ° to produce copper
copper Quenching
Solid crust
Grinding
anodes that are electrorefined in a conventional way.
Magnetic
separation ✓ In the case of the total reduction option to produce metallic
iron, the calcine is processed by magnetic, gravitational and / or
Reverse silica float.
reverse flotation separation, to produce DRI-type metallic iron
Thickener
Silica
concentrate
Magnetite
or iron
Thickener
and silica concentrate. Metallic copper is melted at 1200 ° to
product
Filtratión
Recycled water
Filtratión
Thickener
Filtration produce copper anodes with noble metals, which are
conventionally electrorefined.
 Competitive advantage of the solution

✓ Captures over 99% of SO2 and As.

✓ Recovers over 98,5% of copper and over 80% of
molybdenum.
✓ Generates commercial products of iron and silica.
✓ Zero slag.
✓ Produces energy surplus (1,3 x consumption).
✓ Zero carbon footprint and carbon credits.
✓ Almost zero water consumption.
✓ Minimizes safety risk for workers.
✓ Allows integration mine-concentration plant-
TECHNICAL AND processing, providing full carbon footprint traceability
ENVIRONMENTAL ✓ Production of sulphuric acid in situ allows valorization
ADVANTAGES of secondary resources
 Competitive advantage of the solution
• 3 plant sizes have been evaluated: 500 kTon / year, 1MMTon / year and 1.5MTon / year -
in all cases, UdeC technology is competitive in capex and opex.

ECONOMIC • Opex calculation in the figure does not include the income of iron, molybdenum and silica
ADVANTAGES concentrate; if included, opex will be les than 10 c/lb Cu. In the fisrt quartile of cost of
the industry.

7,0
0 Residuos Emsiones 0 80
ICSG under 700 kTPY Cu Conc.
6,0 OUTOTEC 700-900 kTPY Cu Conc.
70
Proyeccion Tecnologia e Ing. China 900-1200 kTPY Cu Conc.
1250-1500 kTPY Cu Conc.
1500-1700 kTPY Cu Conc.
CAPEX, kUSD/t Conc/y

5,0 60
Over 1700 kTPY Cu Conc.
0 Residuos Emsiones 0
50
4,0

40
3,0

30

Total ¢/lb Cu
2,0
20

1,0
10

0,0 0
0 500.000 1.000.000 1.500.000 2.000.000 UdeC Technology 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Ton Conc/y kTon Conc/y
 Upstream implications

Standard: Concentrate with 25-30% Cu

This technology could treat a 15% Cu rougher concentrate

Concentrate Zero-emission
Mineral
zero-waste
processing
process

Benefits:
Tailings Copper and co-products
• Increased copper recovery in the mill
• Decrease in energy and water consumption
• Decrease (although low) in the amount of tailings
• Less risk of acid drainage because less FeS2 in tailings
 Circular economy approach: towards an eco-industrial complex

Direct reduction plant

O2 For other industries

Fe

Magnetite

H2 verde Fe

Green Hydrogen production plant

Cu

Zero emission
UDEC Copper concentrate process plant

Zero residues H2

For other uses

 Market Outlook

Market:

• Replacement or expansion of processing capacity.

• New plants – for mining operations who look for a cleaner

process, close to the site, with a low carbon footprint.

4-5 plants in LatAm (Chile, Peru, Ecuador,

México) by 2030-2032
FIRST
PLANTS 30-40% of the new world production of
World Smelting Capacity 2017 concentrates for low emission markets by
Cochilco 2018, based on Wood Mackenzie 2040.

Before 2020
• Validation of
oxidation roasting at
semi-pilot scale.
• Reduction with H2(g)
at laboratory scale.
(MMUSD 5)
TRL 5
TRL: Technology Readiness Level
Milestones for the Technology Scale Up Strategy
2020-2022 2023-2025 2026 - 2028
Validation:
• Oxidation residence
times.
• H2(g) reduction
• Magnetic separation
Semi-pilot scale test with the Commercial Demonstration Plant in
integration of all unit continuous operation
operations 50 or 100 ton / day
(at UdeC Pilot Plant) (at mining site)
(MMUSD 12) (MMUSD 100-120)
TRL 6 TRL 8

Principal researchers of the Chemical Metallurgy Group
Igor Wilkomirsky F.
Chemical Engineer, M.Sc.
Metallurgy Eng., Colorado
School of Mines, USA.
Ph.D. Metallurgy, U. of British
Columbia, Canada
Areas of expertise:
• Extractive Metallurgy
• Process design
• Metallurgical reactor design
• Lithium Technologies
3 patents granted in the last 5
years, 1 pending. Professor
Wilkowirsky is the Chilean
researcher with the highest
number of patents granted (+25).
Check here
4 patents granted in the last 5 years,
Patents granted
Dept. Metallurgical Engineering
Roberto Parra
Metallurgical Engineer UdeC,
Dr. in Engineering and Materials
Science, Institut National
Polytechnique de Grenoble,
France
Areas of expertise:
• New processes, fugitive emissions
and, control of harmful minor
elements, in particular As.
• Treatment of complex materials for
their valorization.
• Physical chemistry of High-
Temperature Processes (Cu
pyrometallurgy)
• Advanced instrumentation in
metallurgical processes
1 pending.
Project Team
Eduardo Balladares V.
Metallurgical Engineer and
Dr. in Metallugical
Engineering, Universidad de
Concepción.
Areas of expertise:
• Pyrometallurgy
• Chemical Metallurgy
• Geometallurgy
• Advanced process
instrumentation
4 patents granted in the last 5
years, 1 pending.
+ Technology Management specialists
Fernando Parada L.
Metallurgical Engineer Marcela Angulo G.
Universidad de Concepción Civil Engineer, Dr. in Environmental Sciences
Universidad de Concepción
Areas of expertise:
• Environmental sustainability, water, and energy efficiency,
mitigation of emissions in mining.
Areas of expertise: • Technological and market intelligence.
• Leaching • Management of innovation projects and scaling of science-
• Control of arsenic and technology-based ventures
sulfur from mineral
processing
• Recovery of metals in
aqueous solutions
• Roasting of minerals.
3 patents granted in the last 5
years, 3 pending
 Technological Infrastructure and Capabilities

Panoramic view of the pilot plant

Metallurgical Processes Pilot Plant

Dr. Igor Wilkomirsky, UdeC Faculty of Reduction Pilot Rotary Kiln Fluidized Bed Pilot Roasting Fluidized Bed Pilot H2
Engineering, inaugurated in March 2019. Reactor Reduction Reactor
 TECH TRANSFER AND FINANCING STRATEGY

UdeC

• Creation of Spin off (patents and Relationship UdeC-Spin off

know how) - R&D contract
(100% owned by UdeC at t 0) - Back office contract (admin, accounting, legal)

Mining
companies Kofiln SpA* PE/VC Funds
/Intnl mining • Provide funds for technology • Provide capital for scale up
• Term sheet shareholders
corporations delevopment
• Access to preferent licence of the agreement
technology (free up front payment,
discounted royalty, priority in order)
- Joint development agreement

Options for commercial stage

Licencing to a thrird
Direct
party for
commercialization
technology
* Incorporated in August 2022
exploitation
 CONTACTS

Dr. Marcela Angulo G.

Project Manager
marcelaangulo@udec.cl
+56 9 63109367

Dr. Igor Wilkomirsky F.

Scientific Director
iwilkomi@udec.cl

Dr. Roberto Parra F.

Technical Director
rparra@udec.cl