Focused on harnessing copper resources considered economically unviable or complex to process, Chilean technology company Ceibo designed a sulfide leaching process with which it achieved its first cathode production last month at a pilot plant in Coquimbo region.
The plant is on the premises of Compañía Minera San Gerónimo (CMSG), as testing the faster and cleaner leaching process is ongoing.
With forecasts of a potential 30% copper supply shortfall by 2035 due to declining ore grades, rising capital costs and limited resource discoveries, Ceibo’s technology could be an answer to accelerate copper recovery, especially at a time when local mining is shifting from oxidized to sulfide ores.
BNamericas speaks with CEO Cristóbal Undurraga about this process, Ceibo’s participation in Glencore’s Lomas Bayas operation and the broader sector’s prospects.
BNamericas: What impact has the installation of a demonstration plant in northern Chile had on the development of Ceibo’s leaching technology?
Undurraga: The technology was introduced at the field level with the demonstration plant, and we have been able to test it and significantly expand the mineral library. This is very important for achieving a commercial approach, as it allows clients to see how the technology behaves in different mineralogical scenarios, with different compositions, different grades and different elements that are present in metallurgical processes.
This has allowed us to improve our understanding of the phenomena and refine our data model and prediction. Operationally, we moved from a small laboratory to a world-class prototype plant, where we’ve already produced our first copper cathode.
BNamericas: What is the importance of working in partnership with CMSG?
Undurraga: In addition to being a good partner, this alliance has allowed us to move beyond the laboratory level and work in mining at a commercial level.
In fact, we are already in several commercial discussions with mining companies. Building the plant at CMSG’s facilities allows us to carry out the entire closed-loop leaching process, which is necessary to validate the engineering, equipment, materials, process flow and solutions, and to analyze the entire electrification system down to a cathode.
BNamericas: Last year, MIT Technology Review recognized Ceibo as one of the 15 companies worldwide leading the fight against climate change. How did you achieve this recognition?
Undurraga: I think the recognition is due to the fact that our technology is highly applicable in the short to medium term to solve a truly significant problem.
At the same time, it contains sustainability elements relevant to the leaching and hydrometallurgy processes, as it consumes much less water and energy than the concentrator, and therefore its environmental impact is significantly lower. Furthermore, it is a rapid process, which is in line with the timescales required by the copper market.
BNamericas: How has the technology been tested at Lomas Bayas?
Undurraga: We have been working with the Glencore team for some time to understand the potential of Ceibo’s technology for the future Lomas Bayas resource. We are currently testing the technology on a larger scale, in a larger area. The process is still ongoing, so we can’t yet report the results.
BNamericas: A shortage of sulfuric acid is expected in the domestic market, considering that it is a widely used component in leaching. Do you see this as a risk?
Undurraga: Both bioleaching and chemical leaching to process oxide or sulfide minerals generally require sulfuric acid, a byproduct of smelters. Since smelters like [state miner Codelco’s] Ventanas and Hernán Videla Lira of Enami have been closing in Chile, we can only continue importing from the excess capacity of smelters from around the world.
BNamericas: Are you still experimenting with leaching processes using biotechnology?
Undurraga: Biotechnology is a virtuous field, since bacteria are present in nature and require certain conditions to do their job. However, controlling microorganisms in critical copper production processes is very challenging.
Bacteria are living organisms that need to be controlled by temperature, altitude, minerals, chemistry, growth rate and several other conditions. Therefore, they are difficult to control on large industrial scales like mining, although they are useful for areas like landfills.
While we decided to focus on chemical leaching, which is a process where we can control almost all reaction parameters and thus provide greater certainty to customers, we are constantly developing new things, including research into leaching biotechnologies.
BNamericas: Chile’s mining sector has prioritized producing copper concentrate. Do you think there should be a push to increase cathode production or add more value?
Undurraga: Chile could produce more cathodes, considering the leaching plants and installed capacity currently idle or operating at half load in the country. That’s what technologies like ours are for, allowing for cost-effective capacity completion.
Furthermore, Chile could expand its smelting industry for strategic and geopolitical reasons. However, given the current low [treatment and refining] charges due to the overcapacity of smelters worldwide, especially in Asia, it might be worth discussing the extent to which the country is willing to subsidize such charges.
Still, efficiently producing Chilean concentrate in the volumes currently being produced, given the low grades and complexities of our minerals, inherently means significant added value.
BNamericas: How do you see the progress of the Chilean copper industry in terms of sustainability?
Undurraga: Chile today produces almost the same amount of copper as it did 10 or 20 years ago, with ore grades that have fallen by half on average. In other words, to achieve the same production rate, the industry is moving twice as much ore, and the only way to do this is with operational discipline and compliance with environmental standards.
The mining industry has adopted significant sustainability measures, such as restricting water consumption to adopt operations using desalinated or non-desalinated seawater, and has made progress in decarbonizing its energy mix, especially in the north through solar energy.
Another interesting aspect is the trend toward smaller or medium-scale deposits that take fewer years to begin production, moving away from the habit of thinking only about megaprojects like Escondida, Chuquicamata or Los Pelambres.
In this new trend, technology can help to economically develop deposits that would have been overlooked in the past, or to unlock mining resources that are currently untapped.
As pending challenges, we as a society must still define the impacts we are willing to absorb in exchange for obtaining mineral resources, as well as continue advancing in incorporating lower-impact processes and technologies, such as process automation, autonomous trucks, etc.
BNamericas: Are you confident in the reactivation of Chilean copper mining, considering the increase in demand and the projected deficit?
Undurraga: Copper seems to be living a death foretold, as demand increases, while supply decreases. To achieve this adjustment, considering that the world needs more copper, and it’s more difficult to produce it, it is urgent to use technologies like Ceibo’s.