Zijin to expand copper processing capacity in Bor – Reconstruction of foundry and construction of new electrolysis and sulfuric acid facilities

The company Serbia Zijin Bor Copper d.o.o. has published a preliminary design for the reconstruction and extension of processes and facilities to the end of increasing the capacity of the copper foundry. After the privatization, Zijin Mining plans to increase the capacity of the production of cathode copper from the current 80,000 to 150,000 tons a year, with the possibility of further expansion of the capacities to 200,000 tons a year.

Parts of the facility will be designed to immediately meet the capacity of 200,000 tons a year, whereas, in other parts of the facility, enough room will be left for an expansion of the capacity in the future. In addition to increasing the capacity of the production of the foundry, the reconstruction will also involve the upgrade of the obsolete equipment and the degree of environmental protection.

As said, the plan is to reconstruct all the production and side facilities, from the transport of the copper concentrate to the processing facility to the production of cathode copper.

According to the general project plan, the project is split into the system of preparation of raw materials, foundry system, electrolysis system, system of production of acid from waste gases, slag flotation, service systems and transport and information systems.

The plan also includes the reconstruction of the facility for batch preparation, the construction of a new system for steam drying of a capacity of 82 tons per hour, which will be located to the south of the current one, the reconstruction of the main foundry facility, the replacement of two out-of-order converters with two new ones of a larger capacity with a system for the cooling of gases using the waste-heat boiler-utilizer and de-dusting in an electrostatic filter.

Also, the plan is for two new furnaces with an adequate system for gases to be built in the anode refinery, for a new water-cooled casting device to replace the current ones, the reconstruction of the area for the slow cooling of the slag and the construction of a new system for the filtering of converter waste gases.

As said, a new system for the removal of fugitive gases and a de-sulfuring device will be built, as will be a sulfuric acid plant, a waste water treatment facility and a new electrolysis facility. The preliminary design also envisages the construction of a new slag flotation facility, a lab and a new substation.

The most recent substantial reconstruction was carried out in 2015 by SNC Lavalin and Outotec. The reconstruction included the demolition of a furnace, the installation of a new flash smelting furnace (FSF), the construction of a new system steam drying system, waste-heat boiler-utilizer (WHB) and an electrostatic filter (ESP), as well as the construction of a new sulfuric acid plant.

As said in the document, a facility for the slow cooling of slag was installed within this reconstruction and a system for the preparation of batches was reconstructed. Also, the slag flotation facility and the Pierce-Smith (PS) converter gas treatment system were reconstructed as well. A new facility for the production of oxygen by Messer, a supplier of technical gases, was built. The anode and electrolytic refinery were kept during the reconstruction.

The preliminary design was prepared by the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade and it is published on the official website of the City of Bor.

I. M.

Serbia Zijin Copper doo Bor

Grad Bor

Tehnološko metalurški fakultet Beograd

SNC-Lavalin Montréal, QC Canada

Messer Tehnogas ad Beograd

Serbia Zijin Bor Copper doo

SNC Lavalin

Outotec

RTB Bor

Messer

City of Bor

Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade

foundry

copper processing

electrolysis

sulfuric acid plant

cathode copper production capacity

copper concentrate transport

production of cathode copper

raw materials preparation system

smelting system

electrolysis system

system of production of acid from waste gases

slag flotation

service systems

facility for preparation of batches

steam drying system

reconstruction of main foundry facility

replacement of two existing converters

gas cooling system

anode refinery

construction of a furnace

water cooled casting device

reconstruction of area for slow cooling of slag

construction of new system for filtering converter waste gases

fugitive gas removal system

desulfuring device

waste water treatment facility

electrolysis facility

slag flotation facility

construction of new substation