Project Information
The Attero Elemetal pilot plant is a hydrometallurgical facility focused on the sustainable recovery of copper from bottom ash. Copper is extracted through ammonia leaching, producing a copper-rich Pregnant Leach Solution (PLS), which is processed via solvent extraction (SX) to selectively separate copper ions. The SX circuit features four mixer-settler units — one for extraction, two for washing, and one for stripping — with the wash stages preventing the transfer of ammonia and other impurities between extraction and stripping.
In the electrowinning (EW) section, purified copper is deposited onto stainless steel blanks, producing 135 kg per day of high-purity LME Grade A cathode copper. The pilot plant operated from 2014 to 2015 over a six-month period, generating essential performance data to support the future scale-up and commercialization of the technology.
Project Details
- Ammonia leaching
- Solvent extraction
- Electrowinning
- SX/EW process design and engineering
- SX/EW equipment specification and layout design
- SX/EW reagents selection
- SX/EW construction and mechanical assembly of equipment and piping
- SX/EW commissioning and performance testing
- SX/EW operator training and SOP development
- On site laboratory design and equipment set up
