The China Patent Office has granted a patent for Fast Cooper's electro-mining technology.

The technology extracts copper directly from crushed raw material using an electrical and chemical process.

This will allow the copper to diffuse through the raw material and attach to a steel plate submerged in a chemical solution.

The patented process is significantly faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than traditional copper extraction, according to Casablanca's subsidiary Santa Teresa, which owns a 60% share in Fast Cooper.

Casablanca Mining president Zirk Engelbrecht said that the firm seeks to improve the efficiency of its mining operations through technological and industrial innovation.

"We intend to form copper processing joint ventures and license the processing technologies to other copper mining companies," added Engelbrecht.

Source:mining-technology