Estimating an upper limit for primary copper supply using empirically derived mineral resource-to-production rate relationships

Sustain China's copper resources with domestic mining, trading, and recycling

Prediction, evaluation and optimization of China's copper resource supply system under carbon constraints

Measuring environmental impacts from primary and secondary copper production under the upgraded technologies in key Chinese enterprises

Copper and iron are critical to the economic growth of modern society. Nations depend on these metals for the development of infrastructure, transportation, and other industries. However, concerns regarding future availability of “peak minerals” with a “limit to growth” have been extensively debated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the amount of potential resources and the recycling rate from secondary metal scrap recycling for the sustainable development of mineral resources. The long-term mineral supply and demand balance with respect to recycling for copper and iron were developed for the next 50 years at the regional and global levels. The results indicate that the supply of copper would increase four-fold by 2070 compared to 1991, with primary copper remaining the main contributing source. For iron, the total supply would increase by nine times from 2000 to 2070, with secondary recycling surpassing the primary iron supply by 2033 and becoming the main contributor by 2070. Even though there is no future resource constraint, further promotion of scrap recycling, especially for copper, is necessary to address environmental concerns through reduction in material extraction. Emphasizing the importance of metals in society is essential for stock accountability through resource efficiency and resource conservation.

The behaviour of two types of copper ion-selective electrodes in different copper(II)-ligand systems

Sustainable recovery and recycling of scrap copper and alloy resources: A review

Evaluation of econometric models of secondary refined copper supply

Analysis of China's non-ferrous metals industry's path to peak carbon: A whole life cycle industry chain based on copper

Copper is a critical metal required for green energy technologies such as wind turbines and solar cells. However, copper supply is limited by copper recovery from primary copper sulphides (e.g., chalcopyrite-CuFeS2) due to passivating reaction products. Therefore, this study examined surface ‘passivation’ of primary copper sulphide minerals undergoing coupled dissolution with reprecipitation (CDR) reactions and the associated mineral surface changes in acidic and chloride-rich lixiviants (FeCl3-only, AlCl3-rich, NaCl-rich, and CaCl2-rich lixiviants). Acidic FeCl3-only, NaCl-rich, and CaCl2-rich lixiviants resulted in only bornite dissolution and the formation of a residual Cu-S phase and Fe-SO4 phase on the chalcopyrite surface. In contrast, leaching with the AlCl3-rich lixiviant resulted in both chalcopyrite and bornite dissolution with limited hydrolysis of Fe3+ to Fe-hydroxy sulphates and minimal Fe3+ flux inhibition to the copper sulphide minerals surface due to the ion exchange mechanism between Al3+ and Fe3+. Further, there was preferential formation of an Al-SO4 phase at consistently high Eh and acidity, thereby a high availability of Fe3+ in solution for enhanced copper dissolution from both bornite and chalcopyrite. These findings could serve as a reference for coupled dissolution with reprecipitation reactions during copper sulphide leaching, offering a pathway to more efficient and sustainable copper extraction from low-grade ores.

R. A. Kerr's News Focus story “The coming copper peak” (14 February, p. [722][1]) draws conclusions based on analyses that equate the exploitation of copper to forecasts for other commodities. The concept of peak copper is not valid because copper is used but not consumed (as is oil). As such, the quantity of copper on Earth remains constant throughout civilization. The peak copper theory is not valid because of the physical and economic effects of recycling. Were copper to become scarcer, its price would rise, but only to some upper limit because more recycled copper would become available. Because of rising global economic per capita income by the end of this century ([ 1 ][2], [ 2 ][3]), the global rate of economic growth will become slower, and with it the use of copper and of other metals. Reduced growth in copper use implies that the availability of secondary recycled copper will increase, and therefore its competition with primary copper will strengthen. 1. [↵][4] 1. N. Nakicenovic, 2. R. Swart IPCC, Emissions Scenarios, N. Nakicenovic, R. Swart, Eds. (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 2000). 2. [↵][5] 1. A. Calzadilla , “Global income distribution and poverty: Implications from the IPCC SRES scenarios” (Kiel Institute for the World Economy, working paper no. 1664, Germany, 2010). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.343.6172.722 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [5]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text

Resource efficiency in the German copper cycle: Analysis of stock and flow dynamics resulting from different efficiency measures

Trends toward the widespread use of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources all point to continued growth in copper demand. This demand will be met mainly by new primary copper production, with recycling expected to contribute significantly to copper supply. Significant quantities of copper ore are presently mined from porphyry deposits in which typically, near-surface copper oxides are recovered hydrometallurgically by leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning, whereas the deeper copper sulphides are only amenable to milling followed by pyrometallurgical processing and electrolytic refining. The Chilean copper porphyries together are the largest group of operating copper mines and are likely to remain so into the future. However, several of these deposits are forecast to show increasing levels of arsenic-bearing minerals, such as enargite. As mature copper mining districts exhaust the near-surface oxides and higher-grade sulphides, individual mines will need to adjust their operations accordingly. However, it is considered that due to such changes, re-engineering efforts might be more economically coordinated across several mines, to collectively handle the evolving ore feeds. The present paper adapts a discrete event simulation (DES) approach to support mine-to-smelter integration within porphyry copper districts. Sample computations are presented that are loosely based on the Chilean context.

Towards resilient and sustainable supply of critical elements from the copper supply chain: A review

Exploring future copper demand, recycling and associated greenhouse gas emissions in the EU-28