News Release

JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation (President: Seiichi Murayama; “the Company”) is pleased to announce our participation with the United Nations agency World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in its WIPO GREEN initiative, a global platform for exchanging environmentally friendly technologies. In launching this participation, the Company has registered intellectual property relating to the JX-iodine process, our original copper extraction technology to the WIPO GREEN database.

 

WIPO GREEN is an online platform established by WIPO, an agency of the United Nations serving as a global forum for protection and use of intellectual property and the development of the intellectual property system. The chief objective is to support global efforts to address climate change by connecting providers and seekers of environmentally friendly technologies. Registering patents to public database of WIPO GREEN enables us to match with individuals and organizations who seek the technology for sustainable development.

 

The JX-iodine process registered by the Company to the WIPO GREEN database is a relatively simple process that uses iodine in the conventional heap leach-SX/EW system for the oxidative leaching of copper from low-grade primary copper sulfide ore. As the grade of copper ores has been declining worldwide in recent years, the focus is on efficient ways of extracting copper from them. Recovery of copper from low-grade primary copper sulfide ore has been considered particularly difficult, so this ore is currently not mineral resource. By making this ore effective copper resources the JX-iodine process can help extend the life of existing copper mines. The process also has the potential for leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions. We hope that registration of this technology to the database will promote its transfer, gaining wider use not limited to inside the Company. We are further considering additional registrations of other technologies in the future.

 

The Company will continue working toward the achievement of the SDGs, through development of sustainable and low environmental load technologies, from resource development to smelting and refining, recycling, and advanced materials.

 

*Notes

• Heap leaching: A process of piling up crushed ores in a heap and pouring dilute sulfuric acid on them to extract (leach out) the copper
• SX/EW: Solvent Extraction/Electrowinning. In solvent extraction, a solvent is added to the copper leachate obtained by heap leaching, and copper ions are selectively extracted into the solvent. After the copper ions have been back-extracted from the solvent using sulfuric acid, refined copper is deposited by electrolysis (electrowinning)

 

 

 

 

 

JX-iodine process heap-leaching experiment (Chile)

 

　

Refined copper extracted in the JX-iodine process heap-leaching experiment

 

　

Recovering copper by the JX-iodine process