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Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory
Published on: March 7, 2018
Processing of Complex Materials in the Copper Industry: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Gerardo Alvear Flores1, Carlos Risopatron2, Joe Pease3
1Independent Consultant, Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract:
With the gradual decrease in the grade of copper ores being processed, copper concentrates have become more complex with higher impurity and gangue content. This trend has had a detrimental effect on smelters as they have to increase throughput to maintain copper metal production, while increasing operating costs due to processing the increased amounts of secondary products (slag, acid) and stabilizing waste streams. This paper discusses impacts from the increased complexity of resources from mine to smelters, highlighting the need for an integrated processing approach to achieve sustainable and competitive multi-metal recovery.
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