COM + Copper 2019 Report
Brigitte Farah Metsoc
Our mission is to serve and connect the global #metallurgy and #materials community.
MetSoc Social Media Ambassador A. Deniz Bas, Ph.D. once again delivers a comprehensive report of our latest event in Vancouver, Canada. The well-attended 2019 Annual Conference of Metallurgists hosted the 10th edition of the International Copper Conference Series, and the event was co-organized by MetSoc and 7 other international societies which ensured an incredibly global presence. There was much to learn and many people to meet - check out Deniz's day-by-day account of the key takeaways and relive this extraordinary event!
Stay tuned for more about our upcoming events: COM 2020 will be held in Toronto in August 2020, and Uranium 2020 in Saskatoon in May 2020.
Sunday, August 18
Prior to the COM 2019 Hosting Copper 2019, short courses were held. These classes provide a great way for professionals to keep up with current trends and exchange ideas. The event offered five short courses centered mainly on copper processing and extraction: Copper Electrowinning & Electrorefining, Copper Hydrometallurgy, Copper Pyrometallurgy in China, Copper Smelter Gas Handling, and Modern Comminution were held on Sunday. I was one of the co-organizers (along with Georges Houlachi of IREQ and Michael Moats of Missouri University of Science and Technology) of the Copper Electrowinning and Refining short course, and as is tradition, a panel discussion took place at the end of the presentations. In total, the short courses attracted more than 110 people. Thanks to all organizers, instructors, attendees, and to the Short Course Chair Peter Lind of Newmont Goldcorp.
A view from the panel discussion at the Cu EW&ER short course (from left to right: Carl Brown of De Nora, Prof. Joshua Werner of University of Kentucky, Prof. Brent Hiskey of University of Arizona, Prof. Michael Moats of Missouri University of Science and Technology, Vicken Aprahamian of Royal Canadian Mint, and Andreas Siegmund of LanMetCon LLC)
On Sunday afternoon, COM 2019 Chair Prof. Edouard Asselin of UBC and Copper 2019 Chair Jo?l Kapusta of BBA officially kicked off the conference. Jo?l thanked Technical Program Chair Prof. Ahmad Ghahreman of Queen’s University and invited all symposia organizers to the podium. This was followed by three plenaries given by Dale Andres of Teck Resources, Stephen Higgins of Freeport McMoran, and by Glencore Technology. The latter featured something never-before-seen in a COM plenary: a live video visit to a Glencore copper refinery operation in Kazakhstan. Representatives over 9,000 km away gave attendees a guided tour with process samples. The video tour was timed so that each process could be viewed up close and in action! A session sure to be repeated in the future.
Following the plenaries, the Opening Reception took place in Ballroom C. Attendees soaked in a great environment while enjoying drinks and hors-d’oeuvres. It was great opportunity to catch up with old friends and do some networking.
Copper 2019 Chair Dr. Jo?l Kapusta of BBA invited all technical program organizers to the stage
Monday, August 19
After a morning coffee and muffin service (served during every morning of the Conference), the MetSoc Annual General Meeting took place. This featured the inauguration of MetSoc Incoming President Edouard Asselin. Janice Zinck of Natural Resources Canada was elected as the 3rd Vice-President of MetSoc.
Inauguration of MetSoc President and COM 2019 Chair Edouard Asselin
Monday's plenary session commenced with a Teck Safety Share and was followed by three presentations delivered by Steve Amos of Ivanhoe Mines, Adalbert Lossin of Aurubis, and Patricia Mohr of Scotiabank (retired).
A view from Patricia Mohr’s plenary talk
COM+Copper 2019 was home to several important recurring symposia that examined new developments in foundational metallurgy topics and techniques. It also offered new programming designed to bring forth the latest research and insights on emerging technologies and issues that are shaping the global metallurgy and materials industry. The symposia included: Downstream Fabrication & Applications; Electrowinning and Electrorefining; Health & Safety in Operations; Hydrometallurgy; Mineral Processing; Process Control; Optimization and Instrumentation; Pyrometallurgy – The Phillip Mackey Symposium; Sustainable Development; Environment and Recycling; and the 2nd China-Canada Forum on Non-Ferrous Metallurgy. Also on Monday, the 2019 Metals Trade Show opened for 3 days of networking with exhibitors.
The Hydrometallurgy Symposium featured four keynote presentations delivered by Prof. David Dreisinger of UBC, Dr. John Marsden of Metallurgium, Prof. Jochen Petersen of UCT, and Jan T. Smit of Sherritt International.
Sustainable Development, Environment and Recycling Symposium keynotes were given by Doris Hiam-Galvez of Hatch, Tracy Morris on behalf of Krishna Parameswaran of tfgMM Strategic Consulting, Markus Reuter of Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, and David Dreisinger of UBC.
The Downstream Fabrication & Applications keynote talk was given by Dong Liang of International Copper Association.
The Electrowinning & Electrorefining Symposium invited keynotes Michael Moats of Missouri University of Science and Technology and Brent Hiskey of University of Arizona.
Mineral Processing Symposium keynote talks featured Andrew Bamber of Bara Consulting Ltd., and Jan E. Nesset of NesseTech Consulting Services Inc.
Process Control, Optimization and Instrumentation Symposium talks were presented by Michel Ruel of BBA, Jani Jansson of Outotec (Finland), Alain Tshilombo of Sherritt International Corporation, Robert K. Jonas of Honeywell, and Isabel F. Barton of the University of Arizona.
Pyrometallurgy – The Phillip Mackey Symposium keynote talks were given by John B. See of SeeBruce Solutions, Phillip Mackey of P.J. Mackey Technology Inc., Shijie Wang of Rio Tinto, Jo?l Kapusta of BBA, Juan Carrasco of Glencore, Simon P. Hunt of Kansanshi Mining Plc., and Zhi Wang of Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals Co. All keynote talks drew big crowds.
The Pyrometallurgy keynote entitled "Around the Copper World in Eighty Days: A virtual tour of World Copper Operations and Technologies" was delivered by Phillip Mackey of P.J. Mackey Technology Inc. The room was full; indeed, lineups could be seen at the doors of the other symposia keynotes. Phillip Mackey pointed out that the scale of operations and type of technologies used around the world varies widely. There is a certain concentration of both mining and smelter-refinery production as a total of ten countries produce about 80% of smelted and refined copper. The presentation took the audience on a virtual tour of copper plants throughout the world with a focus on smelter facilities. This symposium was organised in honour of Phillip Mackey.
A lineup to view the keynote talk delivered by Phillip Mackey during the Pyrometallurgy symposium
The Hydrometallurgy keynote entitled "New Developments in Hydrometallurgical Copper Ore and Concentrate Leaching" was delivered by Prof. David Dreisinger of UBC. Dreisinger mentioned that hydrometallurgical treatment of copper ores and concentrates continues to be an active field of innovation. The direct extraction of copper from ores containing chalcopyrite is an important development to provide an alternative to flotation-smelting-and refining. David pointed out that Jetti Resources (with UBC) and JX Nippon Group have developed process options for chalcopyrite heap leaching. Biological heap leaching developments are also continuing in parallel. The GalvanoxTM Process is the focus of commercialization by InCoR Galvanox Holdings under exclusive licence by the UBC. David explained that the Ecometales PLCC project is designed to use high temperature total pressure oxidation for treatment of an arsenical copper concentrate with use of existing copper SX-EW facilities for copper cathode production.
New Developments in Hydrometallurgical Copper Ore and Concentrate Leaching by Prof. David Dreisinger of UBC (A packed room in the Copper Technology and Development session chaired by Dr. Ghazaleh Nazari of II-VI Incorporated)
Paul Voigt of Glencore Technology delivered the talk "First commercialisation of the Albion Process? for copper" in the Copper Technology and Development session chaired by Ghazaleh Nazari. Paul pointed out that the plant was on care and maintenance and Glencore Plc took the opportunity to convert the plant to an Albion Process? plant to treat local refractory concentrates unsuitable or uneconomic for smelting. The Albion Process? plant comprises an M100 IsaMill? operating in acidic conditions such that raffinate from the downstream process is recycled back to slurry the concentrate delivered to site, thus maximizing copper tenor in solution and reducing water consumption. The plant was commissioned and ramped-up in around six weeks producing LME Grade A copper with over 99% leach recovery.
First commercialisation of the Albion Process? for copper by Paul B. Voigt of Glencore Technology in the Copper Technology and Development session
Prof. Michael Moats delivered a keynote talk "Global Survey of Copper Electrorefining: 2019 World Tankhouse Operating Data" in the Electrorefining Operations I session chaired by Georges Houlachi of IREQ. Michael pointed out that this survey continues the long tradition of providing a snapshot of operating data from industrial electrorefineries. It is a supplement to previous surveys that were performed in 1987, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. Analyses of current data and historical trends were presented. Examples of innovations to reduce costs, improve productivity, and improve quality are provided. He mentioned in the presentation that in general, refineries continue to increase productivity while treating anodes with more impurities.
One of the busiest booths of the conference was LinkedIn Transformation Lab, where attendees could receive a personalized audit of their LinkedIn profile, ask questions, and snag some pro tips on gaining professional visibility. A first for MetSoc, I believe that attendees enjoyed this interactive exchange and benefited from many takeaways.
The Historical Metallurgy Luncheon featuring the Fathi Habashi Lecturer took place in Ballroom C and this year’s invited keynote speaker was Jennifer Protheroe-Jones of National Waterfront Museum. Jennifer talked about the Swansea (South Wales) copper smelting industry and how it went from leader to laggard. This section luncheon session was sponsored by FLSmidth Minerals.
COM-Cu 2019 offered poster sessions, chaired by Ahmet Deniz Bas of COREM, in the morning and in the afternoon throughout the three days. Each day around 20 posters were presented. Poster viewings were held in the Atrium Foyer just next to the exhibition hall. It was a great occasion for networking, making new friends, and chatting with old friends. A student poster contest was held on Monday and five panels judged the posters. Winners were announced at the Gala on the Tuesday.
Following the technical sessions was the Metals Trade Show Happy Hour held in the exhibit hall, sponsored by Sherritt. Attendees had the chance to visit booths covering almost all aspects of mineral processing, metallurgy, and materials. Plus, CIM and MetSoc had their booths which helped many of those still getting familiar with MetSoc of CIM and membership advantages. Although it was a free evening for delegates on Monday, the Pub Night in honour of Phillip J. Mackey at the Lions Pub sponsored by KPM and Worley attracted many delegates and students.
A view from the Metals Trade Show
Tuesday, August 20
Early in the morning, following the Teck Safety Share, four plenary presentations were delivered by Christian Dümmer of Codelco, Bing Li Sr. of China ENFI Engineering Corp., Carlos R. Risopatron of International Copper Study Group, and Elizabeth Bryce of UBC.
The Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc had their annual technical section luncheon where Section Awards were delivered. The Gordon M. Ritcey Ph.D. Award was presented to Yan Zeng of McGill University. Yan is a final year Ph.D. student and her thesis is on Li-ion battery materials. The Ernest Peters Masters Award went to Hiroki Fukuda of UBC. The Lucy Rosato Scholarship winner was Ellie McLeod of University of Victoria. Jungwoon Lee of Queen’s University, and Adrian Singer of McGill were the recipients of Hydrometallurgy Scholarships.
The Annual Conference of Metallurgists Banquet & Reception took place Tuesday evening inside Ballroom AB of the Vancouver Convention Centre East. MetSoc honoured their outstanding members by presenting them with awards. The Pyrometallurgy Symposium was named in honour of Phillip Mackey and a plaque was awarded to Phillip as one of the forefathers of copper. The MetSoc Airey Award (pictured above) was presented to Doug Boyd (right), Queen’s University (retired) by Dominic Fragomeni (left) of XPS, Expert Process Solutions. The MetSoc Innovation Award was awarded to “Hot Cure/Lime Boil Process" commercialized by Barrick Technology.
Nils Voermann of Hatch (second from left) presents the MetSoc Innovation Award
This year’s MetSoc Award for Research Excellence recipient, sponsored by Rio Tinto, is Hani Henein of Alberta University. Boyd Davis of KPM was the recipient of the MetSoc Silver Medal. The MetSoc Environment Award, sponsored by Teck, was presented to Gillian Holcroft of glh Strategic. The MetSoc Distinguished Materials Scientist Award winner is Frank Cheng of University of Calgary.
The CIM Distinguished Lecturer Award winner is Nathan Stubina of Sherritt International.
Roy Slack, CIM President, (left) presented CIM Distinguished Lecturer Award to Nathan Stubina (right)
The Pyrometallurgy Best Paper Award winner is “Thermodynamic Consideration of Copper Matte Smelting Conditions with Respect to Minor Element Removal and Slag Valorization Options” Authors: Eric Klaffenbach, Gerardo R. F. Alvear Flores, Muxing Guo, and Bart Blanpain. Published in Extraction 2018, B. Davis et al. (eds.), The Minerals, Metals & Materials Series, pp 491-504. The Light Metals Best Paper Award winner is “Effect of Alternate Drawing on the Ductility of Drawn Wires for Aluminum Wire Harness” Authors: Chihiro Takuma, Kazunari Yoshida, Tokai University, Published in the proceedings of Materials Science & Technology 2018.
Prof Mansoor Barati of U of T (middle) presented MetSoc Masters Scholarships to Farhad Rahimi of UBC (left) and to Justin Plante of Université Laval (right)
The MetSoc Doctoral Scholarship winner is Fei Wang of University of British Colombia. MetSoc Masters Scholarship winners are Farhad Rahimi of University of British Columbia, and Justin Plante of Université Laval.
A. Deniz Bas of COREM presented awards to the student poster contest winners Jonathan Alvarez of UDEC-Chile, Fei Wang of UBC, and Wendy Tian of UofT. A three-course meal with wine and a fabulous reception was included along with live music. The attendees had a great evening and spirits were high. Afterwards, COM-Cu2019 Conference chairs took the podium and closed the Conference Banquet.
A view from the 2019 MetSoc Awards Banquet
Wednesday, August 21
After a fantastic gala evening, technical sessions in nine parallel rooms kicked off the morning. Isabel Barton of University of Arizona (right) delivered a keynote talk “Hyperspectral remote sensing characterization of mine materials for process control" in the Online Sensing and Analysing session. Isabel pointed out that they tested a hyperspectral remote sensing system as a method of characterizing the mineralogy and material types at mine and metallurgical sites. It was tested in a small open-pit mine and leach copper operation in the southwestern U.S. The hyperspectral remote sensing system that they tested is capable of distinguishing the types and distribution of spectrally active minerals and other materials in diverse mining settings, including showing wet and dry areas of leach pads; clay and carbonate type and distribution on mine highwalls. On Wednesday, posters scheduled only for the China-Canada Forum were presented which was a great occasion for attendees to do some networking. One-on-one discussions took place until 5 PM.
Hiroki Fukuda of UBC (left) presented a research work on a topical subject in the China-Canada Nonferrous Metallurgy Forum chaired by Dr. Edouard Asselin. Hiroki pointed out that apart from conventional methods, this research study focused on ion exchange resins where more than twenty cation exchange resins from Dow, Lanxess, Mitsubishi, Purolite and Samyang were tested in both lithium chloride solution not containing any other metal cations and saline solution containing lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium chloride.
Nitrogen-based collectors for sulfate flotation Tecflote? talk was given by Peter Zhou of Nouryon in the Mineral Processing session. Peter mentioned that there has been an increased interest in finding different collectors in flotation research. Tecflote? is a new family of patented collectors based on nitrile chemistry which can supplement or replace thiol collectors, depending on the ore types. He presented some examples of laboratory flotation with Tecflote? collectors demonstrate the improved grade and recovery of metal sulphides in cleaning steps. Additional recovery increase has also been observed by the addition of scavenger step using Tecflote? collector in combination with current thiol-based collector. He also discussed TOF-SIMS analysis showing the collectors selective affinity to different mineral surfaces in flotation.
Dr. Mari Lundstr?m of Aalto University (right) delivered an interesting research work in the Impurities in Electrorefining III session chaired by Georges Houlachi of IREQ. Mari explained that this research presents an electrochemical method to recover precious metals via a combined electrodeposition-redox replacement (EDRR) process, where energy is used only to deposit copper during the ED-step, while the RR-step relies on the spontaneous replacement of copper by the precious metals (i.e. cementation). Investigations were performed both in synthetic and in real industrial electrolytes, and results have shown that EDRR could attain Ag recoveries of between 46-47% in an energy efficient, additive-free manner.
Thursday, August 22
One of the common features of conferences is the industrial tours. This year’s tours included one-day tours of KEMETCO & BC Research Tour, a R&D subsidiary of NORAM, and Britannia Museum-Horseshoe Bay. Due to an unfortunate incident, the Sea to Sky Gondola was closed to the public. This portion of the tour was replaced with a stop in beautiful Horseshoe Bay with a charming village lunch. Participants enjoyed the view on the patio overlooking the marina. A group of 50 people visited both informative and impressive tours. You can read about these research places in many publications, but the experience of visiting on-site, talking with engineers one-on-one is an incomparable experience.
Final Thoughts
COM + Copper 2019 attracted more than 1,000 attendees, featured 311 oral presentations within nine symposia, and 55 posters. COM 2019 hosted the 10th edition of Copper International Conference in Vancouver. It focused exclusively on copper extractive metallurgy topics, where issues around mineral processing, sustainability, recycling, electrowinning and electrorefining, downstream fabrication, process control, resources, environment, and human capital are all in play and make for an ever-changing landscape. This conference gave all of us a much-awaited opportunity to analyze and discuss the rapid advances in the extractive metallurgy sectors and operations. It helped bridge the gap between universities and the metallurgical industry, thereby enhancing their collaboration. Another benefit of attending was meeting with new colleagues and reconnecting with old friends, eventually doing some networking! I would appreciate to receive comments and contributions from the specialists who attended to COM-Cu 2019 to continue this discussion or perhaps highlight certain aspects of it that I didn’t mention. For those who could not make it this year, stay connected and we may meet at future MetSoc of CIM events.
A. Deniz Bas, Ph.D.; Researcher-Extractive Metallurgy, COREM; Poster Chair, COM-Cu 2019; Member of the Hydrometallurgy Section of CIM; Social Media Ambassador for MetSoc of CIM
Pt coated Titanium materials
4 年New type MMO anode and Lead Dioxide(PbO2) coated Titanium Anode for Electrowinning of Copper, Nickel, Cobalt; The electrode use titanium mesh as substrate, and coated with Mixed Metal Oxide(MMO, no Iridium) or Lead Dioxide(PbO2); Comparing with lead alloy anode, our anode have advantages as following： 1, High purity of cathode copper or other products. 2, Lower power consumption. 3, Endure high concentration of chloride, fluoride ions... 4, Longer service lifetime than lead anode. 5, No Anode sludge produced. 6, No secondary pollution to the cathode copper or other products. 7, Light weight, save labor cost.
Associate Professor，Mining Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB)
5 年thanks Deniz ????
Chercheure; Centre d'excellence sur les métaux stratégiques et CTRI - Centre technologique des résidus industriels
5 年Thank you Deniz.