Chilean startup produced its first copper by leaching from low-grade ore

Chilean startup Ceibo, backed by BHP Group, has delivered the first cathode copper from a demonstration plant at a mine in the northern part of the country. The project's work is aimed at increasing the recovery of metal from lower-grade ore.

Ceibo obtained the metal from sulfide ores at the mine owned by Cia Minera San Geronimo, or CMSG, using a patented leaching process. The companies announced this in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Ceibo and other projects, including Jetti Resources LLC and Rio Tinto Group's Nuton venture, are seeking to use catalysts to extract copper from low-grade ore. Previously, its processing was considered too difficult and expensive. However, with the dwindling number of high-grade deposits and the expected increase in demand for copper, new technologies, including leaching, are making it possible to increase and expand production at existing mines.

Ceibo's technology allows copper to be extracted from sulphide ores using existing facilities, while electrochemical reactions enable higher recovery rates in a shorter time. The company is also working with Glencore Plc on the leaching process at the Lomas Bayas mine in Chile.