Overview
The Lumwana processing plant is a major copper concentrator that was originally designed for 20 Mtpa throughput but expanded to 27 Mtpa in 2020. The facility is undergoing a significant expansion project to double capacity to 54 Mtpa, featuring parallel processing plants with advanced crushing, grinding, and flotation circuits.
Key Process Stages
- Primary Crushing: Four gyratory crushers (existing + expansion) with variable-speed apron feeders and overland conveyors to coarse ore stockpiles
- Grinding: Two parallel SABC circuits (SAG mill + ball mill + pebble crusher) with cyclone classification to P80 300 µm
- Flotation: Three parallel rougher trains with forced-air mechanisms, followed by multi-stage cleaner circuits with high-intensity cells
- Concentrate Dewatering: Thickening followed by pressure filtration (two parallel filters) with automated cake handling
- Tailings Management: Cyclone-thickener combination systems with underflow pumping to TSF
Critical Data
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Design Throughput | 54 Mtpa (peak) |
| Power Demand | 107 MW (steady-state) |
| Water Consumption | 38.2 Mm³/yr (reclaim) + 10.4 Mm³/yr (raw) |
| Grinding Product Size | P80 300 µm |
| SAG Mill Power | 16 MW (each) |
| Ball Mill Power | 18 MW (each) |
Expansion Highlights
- New parallel processing plant with identical SABC grinding circuit
- Upgraded flotation with high-intensity cells and improved reagent systems
- Advanced process control with online particle size and metal grade analyzers
- Enhanced metallurgical accounting with automated sampling and analysis
- Doubled filtration capacity with new pressure filter installation
Based on filing data from 2024-2025.
Technical report and processing history
The following archived source profiles have been consolidated here to preserve the project’s processing history and study context.
Lumwana Mine — 2014 Technical Report
Lumwana Mine — 2014 Technical Report
| Company | Barrick Gold Corporation |
| Date | 2014-03-27 |
| Region | Zambia |
| Commodities | Copper, Cobalt |
Executive Summary
This technical report details the recovery methods for the Lumwana concentrator operated by Barrick Gold Corporation. The facility has a nominal design capacity of 25 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), treating ore from the Malundwe and Chimiwungo South mines. Operations commenced in 2008 at Malundwe and 2011 at Chimiwungo South, with the plant currently in an operating status. The ore is characterized by copper and cobalt mineralization, processed through a conventional flotation circuit designed to produce a final concentrate grade of approximately 31% copper.
The comminution circuit begins with primary gyratory crushers reducing ROM ore from 1,500mm to less than 200mm. The crushed ore is conveyed to a stockpile and fed into a 38ft SAG mill followed by a 26ft ball mill in a closed circuit with hydrocyclones. The grinding circuit achieves a particle size distribution of 80% passing 380µm before reporting to flotation. This setup ensures adequate liberation of copper minerals for the subsequent separation processes.
The flotation plant utilizes rougher, scavenger, cleaner, and re-cleaner circuits employing Dorr Oliver and Jameson cells to achieve a copper recovery of 94.7%. The final concentrate is dewatered using high-rate thickeners and Larox vertical pressure plate filters to reduce moisture content to approximately 10% for transport. Water management is integrated throughout the process, with recycled water from the tailings dam and thickener overflows supplying the majority of process water requirements.
Processing Profile
Website: https://www.barrick.com/English/operations/lumwana/default.aspx
Report Date: 2014-03-27
Region: Zambia
Project Status:
Commodity: Copper, Cobalt
Throughput:
Mine Life:
Mine Type:
Ore type:
Lumwana Mine — 2012 Technical Report
Lumwana Mine — 2012 Technical Report
| Company | Barrick Gold Corporation |
| Mine | Lumwana Mine |
| Date | 2012-03-16 |
| Region | Zambia |
| Commodities | Copper, Cobalt |
Executive Summary
The Lumwana concentrator flow sheet has a nominal design capacity of 25 Mtpa, based on metallurgical testing from the 2003 BFS and 2005 FEED phases. The process plant accepts ore from the Malundwe and Chimiwungo mines via trucks tipping into ROM dump hoppers. Primary gyratory crushers reduce the ROM ore from a nominal top size of 1,500 mm to less than 200 mm before conveying it to a crushed ore stockpile.
Comminution involves a 38 ft diameter by 18 ft SAG mill followed by a 26 ft diameter by 40 ft ball mill in closed circuit with hydrocyclones. The flotation plant consists of two parallel trains of rougher/scavenger cells, regrind circuits, and cleaner/recleaner circuits using Dorr Oliver flotation cells. Final concentrate grades of approximately 44% and 30% copper are expected from Malundwe and Chimiwungo respectively.
Concentrate dewatering utilizes high-rate thickening followed by pressure filtration to produce a filter cake suitable for transportation. The concentrate is stored in a seven-day capacity shed before being loaded onto trucks for smelting. Water management relies on recycled water from the tailings dam and raw water from the Lumwana River, with process control managed from three dedicated control rooms.
Website: https://www.barrick.com/English/operations/lumwana/default.aspx
Report Date: 2012-03-16
Region: Zambia
Project Status:
Commodity: Copper, Cobalt
Throughput:
Mine Life:
Mine Type:
Ore type:
