Published: June 9, 2021 |

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A team of international researchers has produced a proof of concept of a new method to extract metals using a targeted electric field for in situ recovery.

The study that was recently published in Science Advances demonstrates the application of an electric field to control the movement of an acid within a low permeability copper-bearing ore deposit to selectively dissolve and recover the metal in situ.

The team, that includes Dr. Rich Crane from the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, believes the new technique has the potential to transform the mining industry, because it has the capability to dissolve metals from a wide range of ore deposits that were previously considered inaccessible.

Furthermore, due to the non-invasive nature of the extraction, the research team are hopeful that the study will help usher in a more sustainable future for the industry.

“This new approach, analogous to “key-hole surgery,” has the potential to provide a more sustainable future for the mining industry, by enabling the recovery of metals, such as copper, which are urgently needed for our global transition to a new Green Economy, whilst avoiding unwanted environmental disturbance and energy consumption,” said Dr. Rich Crane.

The central principle behind most modern mining techniques has not fundamentally changed since their original conception, which marked the beginning of the Bronze Age.

In this new publication, experts from the University of Western Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Exeter, have demonstrated that a targeted electric field can be used to dissolve and then recover copper in situ from the ore — avoiding any requirement to physically excavate the material.

This new technology comprises the construction (drilling) of electrodes directly into an ore body. An electric current is then applied which can result in the transport of electrically charged metal ions, such as copper, through the rock via a process called electromigration.

The research team have now provided a Proof of Concept for this new technology at laboratory scale, which has also been verified using computer modeling. They are confident that the idea will work beyond the laboratory-scale.

Source: Mining Engineering Journal

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