Project Information
The Bucim Copper Project is located near the village of Bucim, on the southern flank of the Plachkovica Mountain in the Republic of North Macedonia. Commissioned in January 2012 and achieving steady-state copper production by August 2012, Bucim became the first commercial operation to implement Iontech's proprietary hydrometallurgical process for the treatment of both low- and high-grade oxide copper ores, enabling the production of LME grade copper cathodes.
Iontech's integrated Leach–Ion Exchange–Solvent Extraction–Electrowinning (Ion/L-IX–SX–EW) process recovers copper from the pregnant leach solution through a two-stage concentration system combining ion exchange and solvent extraction, followed by electrowinning to produce high-purity copper cathodes that meet London Metal Exchange specifications.
Project Details
- Dump & heap leaching
- Ion exchange
- Solvent extraction
- Electrowinning
- Metallurgical testwork on low grade and higher-grade copper ore samples
- Process design and engineering
- Equipment specification and layout design
- Reagents selection
- Equipment supply
- Construction and mechanical assembly of equipment and piping
- Commissioning and performance testing
- Operator training and SOP development
- On site laboratory design and equipment set up
