News

The ReAK research consortium successfully participated in the Copper Conference in Santiago de Chile. From 13th to 17th November 2022, three partners presented the ReAK project and its research results and engaged in fruitful discussions about the copper value chain and the possibilities to reduce arsenic in copper concentrates.

As the world's largest copper exporter, Chile is encountering a growing number of sulfur-based ore layers containing toxic arsenic in its copper mines. Conventional strategies for separating and landfilling arsenic are proving limited in this area. The German-Chilean project team, led on the German side by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS, is working towards optimizing and advancing copper production processes so that Chile is able to tackle the problem of arsenic in the most effective, cost-efficient and environmentally friendly way going forward.

After 2 ½ years in which the ReAK project has been running successfully, the German consortium was finally able to travel to Santiago de Chile for the first time this year in April for a joint project meeting.

Did you know that Chile is the largest copper producer in the world? Copper mining is a very important industry in Chile. However, it also has downsides: During the processing of the mostly sulphidic ores in Chile, large quantities of arsenic, antimony and bismuth are produced. Arsenic in particular is a highly toxic inorganic pollutant that poses a threat not only to human health but to the entire ecosystem. Anna-Lisa from our deparment Biogenic Systems is coordinator of the international research project "ReAK - Reduction of Arsenic in Copper Concentrates". In this video, she explains how the project is going to achieve economic as well as ecologic improvements.

German-Chilean consortium works on the improvement of copper mining processes – economically as well as ecologically With 27 % of the global production, Chile is the largest producer and the world´s largest exporter of copper. This makes copper mining one of the country’s most important ex-port revenues. However, it also brings significant economical as well as ecological challenges.