The Moonlight-Superior Copper Project, operated by US Copper Corp in California, is a dual-process facility producing copper, silver, and gold. The project combines heap leaching for oxide/transitional ore and conventional flotation for sulfide ore, targeting an average annual production of 120M lbs copper (concentrate) and 18M lbs copper (cathodes).
- Processing Routes: Heap leach (oxide/transitional ore) + Flotation concentrator (sulfide ore).
- Heap Leach: 2.98M tonnes/year capacity, 75% Cu recovery (oxide), 60% (transitional), producing Grade A cathodes via SX/EW.
- Concentrator: 54,348 tpd throughput, 88-90% Cu recovery, producing 23-28% Cu concentrate with silver/gold credits.
- Key Equipment: Gyratory crusher, SAG/ball mills (26,000 hp), Jameson cells, tower mill regrind, plate-and-frame filters.
- Tailings: Dual options – conventional pond or dry stack filtration (disk filters).
- Metals Production: 1.61B lbs Cu, 13.2M oz Ag, 78,660 oz Au over 14-year life (sulfide); 259.9M lbs Cu over 10 years (heap leach).
Source: US Copper Corp
