PROJECT SUMMARY:

The P705C project was designed to address the key technology improvement needs of the copper, zinc and nickel electro-winning operations around the globe and to deliver outcomes that should improve operations using a collaborative multinational research team. The project contains four modules; Anode Processes; Cathode Processes; Current Distribution; and Technology Transfer. P705C involves four research providers from four countries on three continents. This will help ensure local expertise is maintained and train future engineers and technologists in electro-winning technology. The project is a highly focused three-year project with the goals of reducing energy consumption, improving capital utilization, reducing acid mist and troubleshooting assistance. These goals will be achieved through the delivery of fundamental knowledge, prototypes, an empirical energy consumption model and operator training. Four of the biggest challenges facing electrowinning operations are:

• increasing energy costs
• increasing material costs
• acid mist and
• less experienced engineers and operators.

HIGHLIGHTS / DELIVERABLES / VALUE ADDITIONS:

AMIRA’s P705C project was specifically designed to help address each of these concerns while providing additional benefits. These include an online troubleshooting guide, guidance on operational changes to reduce acid mist, a method to perform a trade-off study between cobalt concentration and electrical energy consumption, data on the effect of specific impurities on anode corrosion and cathode deposits, and onsite training of over 100 personnel on four continents. In fact, one sponsor reported that improvements made based on the P705 project resulted in US$3.3 million annual savings.

The major accomplishments achieved during the AMIRA P705C Project are:

Back