Maximize recovery. Then send it to the clients who matter.

The DEP mine model for one 100,000 tpd mine at 0.35% Cu. Illustrative; the ore body was made up for the image.

It's simple: recovery wins. You want to save the world; it's simple: go to Metso or FLSmidth, buy traditional flotation units, control grind size, and maximize recovery. Brownie points if you direct your metal to a green technology provider near you.

Want extra-extra brownie points? Drop the concentrate grade and really maximize your recovery; produce a lower-grade concentrate. Ship more metal, because no amount of extra freight or smelter carbon costs can offset the gains from more metal.

I spent some time on a new project, and the carbon savings from going the flotation route pay off almost the full carbon budget of the whole copper mining industry. 80mt/y in carbon savings requires ~10,000 tonnes per year of additional copper going to Solar or Wind Power. No, the infographic is not an existing project; I made up the ore body for the image.

So next time someone talks about how they are going to reduce the carbon footprint of copper, and they talk about coarse grind size or alternative processing technologies, ask them what metal they are leaving behind, and if it is over a 0.1% shift in absolute recovery, odds are it's a bad deal.

Don't get me wrong, some of these new technologies can result in higher recoveries.

If you want to read more, Google “Copper supply chain decarbonization for the energy transition must maximize copper recovery, Nature” and our open-access paper will show up.