Pumps lower costs for processing low-grade ore

Over 200 million pounds of copper are now extracted from huge piles of low grade ore, that used to just pile up, with the help of 90 all stainless steel 9100 series split case pumps from ITT

Split case pumps from ITT A-C pump are integral to this low cost solution.

The first recorded mineral discoveries in the Arizona Clifton-Morenci district were made in about 1865 by volunteer Union soldiers from California who passed through the area.

The first prospectors arrived in 1870 looking for gold.

They failed to find significant quantities of gold but were intrigued by the rich copper deposits they found on both sides of Chase Creek.

The development of the Morenci open pit began in 1937.

Since that time, more than 2.6 billion tons of ore and other rock material have been removed from the giant mine.

THE SX/EW PROCESS.

The solvent extraction/electro winnowing (SX/EW) plant at Morenci uses a relatively simple process to produce practically pure copper from slightly acidic water that has been percolated through huge stockpiles of copper-bearing rock.

In the past, mining at Morenci was conducted primarily to satisfy the ore requirements of the concentrators.

Rock that contained some copper, but too little to be recovered profitably in the normal concentrating-smelting-refining process, was sent to the low grade ore stockpiles where it is now available to provide feed to the new plant.

With the SX/EW process, over 200 million pounds per year of cathode copper will be produced and Phelps Dodge Morenci is now the largest SX/EW complex in the United States.

ITT A-C Pump recently delivered nine additional, all stainless steel 9100 series horizontally split case pumps to Phelps Dodge Morenci to assist in the SX/EW process.

These pumps handle an acid bearing leaching solution used to recover copper from the low grade ore.

With this sale, ITT A-C Pump now has 90 of these pumps at Phelps Dodge Morenci, and over 140 worldwide.

According to William Smeal, industry manager for mining and utility products at A-C Pump: "The process of hydro-metallurgy is fairly new, where chemicals, instead of heat, are used to extract minerals.

This process allows minute concentrations of the ore to be productive, where in the past, this material was thrown away".

The A-C pumps installed at Phelps Dodge Morenci are all stainless steel because of the corrosive nature of the solution.

Smeal commented: "These pumps are a less expensive option than the equipment used in the past.

The split case design has made the capital expenditure for this process less expensive for the customer".

AN ENVIRON MENTALLY-CLEAN PROCESS.

In the Morenci solvent extraction/electro-winning process, there are no discharges of any process liquids to the environment.

Surface water and ground water quality are protected by a USD9million flood control system that includes a USD2million dam that cuts off both surface and alluvial subsurface flows.

The process also bypasses the pollution prone smelting and refining steps of the pyrometallurgical process.

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