How one startup is recovering copper from old mines that were left for dead in the 1980s
In central Arizona, about 90 miles east of Phoenix, an old open-pit copper mine sits full of water. The mine closed in the 1980s, left to accumulate rain and groundwater. These “pit lakes,” as they’re called, are monitored so that they don’t contaminate the environment, but otherwise they just sit there, a new part of the landscape. That water, though, is full of critical minerals like copper,…
In central Arizona, approximately 90 miles east of Phoenix, an old open-pit copper mine has become a water-filled "pit lake" since its closure in the 1980s. While these lakes are monitored to prevent environmental contamination, they remain an untapped source of valuable minerals. A startup called SiTration, which originated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is set to embark on a pilot project to extract copper from this mine's pit water.
SiTration's CEO, Brendan Smith, anticipates the two-month pilot to yield two tonnes of copper. Although this quantity is modest compared to traditional copper mines, it offers a viable method to harness previously inaccessible resources. Copper demand has been on the rise due to its crucial role in batteries, electric vehicles, drones, computer chips, and data centers.
By 2040, the global demand for copper may even surge by 50%. However, copper supplies are dwindling, with experts estimating a 10 million metric ton shortfall by 2040. One of the main reasons for this shortage is the decline in copper grade, which has dropped nearly 50% since 1990. Traditional copper mine openings can take up to 23 years, primarily due to lengthy permitting processes.
Additionally, copper refining predominantly occurs in China, leaving North America with limited refining capabilities. SiTration's technology, which uses electricity instead of chemicals or heat, promises to extract copper from water with significantly reduced energy consumption, making it a more sustainable and efficient solution.
SiTration's two-part pilot project in Arizona partners with BHP Copper, a leading mining company, to validate the technology and eventually produce two tonnes of commercial-scale copper cathodes. While this initial output is a small fraction of traditional mining output, it opens the door to unlocking a vast potential of trapped critical minerals, worth over $100 billion globally, including $40 billion in the U.S. Southwest alone.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
