Delivering best-in-class energy use, water consumption and GHG emissions
Florence Copper will set a new standard for efficient and environmentally sound copper production in North America by utilizing an in-situ copper recovery (ISCR) extraction method and solvent extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW) processing to produce LME Grade A copper cathode on-site.
In the ISCR process, a low-pH solution is injected into a naturally fractured copper orebody via a series of injection wells, causing copper minerals to dissolve into solution prior to being pumped to surface through recovery wells. Hydraulic control of the solution is maintained through carefully managed pumping rates and verified with monitoring and compliance wells. At surface, the copper-bearing solution is processed through an SX/EW plant to produce copper cathode on site.
Operations at Florence Copper do not require blasting, loading, hauling, dumping, crushing or conveying of mineralized material, resulting in 75% fewer GHG emissions, 65% less energy use and 78% less water consumed per pound of copper produced compared to conventional open-pit copper mines in Arizona.
