Copper demand
is expected to increase by 1 million metric tonnes per year until 2035, in part due to the expected increase in copper
use resulting from the electrification
efforts as well as an increase development of data centers (Farrell and Whitton in BHP insights: how copper will shape our future, 2024, [
4]). Despite the current
situation of smelter
over-capacity, eventually new smelters
will be required to meet the increased demand
. New smelters
may also be built to support national and/or corporate strategies aimed at securing copper
supplies
. Various technologies
and process flowsheet
variations are commercially proven for smelting
and converting copper concentrate
into blister copper
, which are subsequently fire refined into anode
copper
and then electrolytically refined into copper
cathodes
. This paper covers an overview of the criteria that should be considered in the selection of smelting technologies
and the overall smelter
process configuration
. No single smelter
technology
or process flowsheet
may suit all situations. The selection of suitable copper smelting
technology
and flowsheet configuration
is critical to the success of a new smelter
development project and, eventually, to the operation
of the smelter
. A high-level overview of currently practiced copper smelting
and converting technologies
is presented. Commentary is provided on recent developments and trends in the field (e.g., new smelting technologies
, modernization
of the converting process). The differences and similarities in technical parameters (e.g., matte
grade
, feed grade
, slag chemistry
) for different copper smelting
pathways are highlighted. Important high-level process design
decisions are also discussed (e.g., slag
treatment, wet granulation
vs. dry granulation
, dust treatment options).
