- Project: Santa Cruz Copper Project in Arizona, owned by Ivanhoe Electric Inc. (Feasibility Study effective June 2025).
- Process Flow: Crushing (Primary → Secondary → Tertiary) → Agglomeration → Heap Leaching → Solvent Extraction (SX) → Electrowinning (EW) → LME Grade A Copper Cathode.
- Key Metrics: 136 Mt life-of-mine ore, 22,000 t/d stacking rate, 92.2% total copper recovery, 76,000 t/y copper production.
- Heap Leach Design: 7-cell on/off pad (130m x 640m each), 6m lift height, 36-day stacking cycles, 265-day total cell cycle.
- Crushing Circuit: C160 Jaw (Primary), MP1000 Cone (Secondary/Tertiary), 9.5mm target P80.
- SX/EW Plant: Two parallel SX trains (extraction + wash + strip), 124 EW cells producing high-purity cathode.
- Reagents: 6 kg/t sulfuric acid, 1 kg/t sodium chloride, with cobalt sulfate and guar for EW optimization.
- Sustainability: Zero-discharge water management, 50% spent ore repurposed for paste backfill, lined ponds with leak detection.
- Technology: Proven heap leach/SX/EW methods, mobile agglomeration modules, radial stacker for pad efficiency.
Santa Cruz Copper Project: Heap Leach & SX/EW Processing Circuit Overview
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/ July 17, 2025 