Two deposits in Kazakhstan will produce almost 200 thousand tons of copper concentrate

The Ministry of Industry and Construction reports that approximately 190,000 tons of copper concentrate are planned to be produced annually at new processing plants at the Besshoky deposit in the Karaganda region and the Kyzyltu deposit in the Akmola region.

"Approximately 190,000 tons of copper concentrate are planned to be produced annually at the new processing plants at the Besshoky and Kyzyltu deposits. Technological solutions for their design were developed by specialists from the Eastern Research Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, a branch of the National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The combined processing capacity of the two plants will be 10.5 million tons of ore per year," the statement reads.

Specialists from VNIITsvetmet have developed flotation beneficiation technologies for copper-porphyry ores at the Besshoky deposit and copper-molybdenum ores at the Kyzyltu deposit. Technological solutions have been incorporated into the design procedures for new processing plants at the deposits.

Specifically, a plant with a capacity of 7.5 million tons of ore per year is planned for Besshoky, producing approximately 142,000 tons of copper concentrate with a copper grade of 25%. (Previously, Besshoky's resources were estimated at 2.6 million tons of copper, and the deposit also contained gold).

For Kyzyltu, a procedure has been developed and submitted for implementation in the design process, envisaging the processing of 3 million tons of ore per year and the production of approximately 48,000 tons of copper concentrate with a copper grade of 21%. Previously, the deposit's resources were estimated at 132.2 million tons of copper ore, which also contains gold and silver.

In 2026, specialists will also adjust the process procedures for the Bozshakol and Karchiga copper processing plants, taking into account the mineral composition of the ores being processed and production conditions.

"Using laboratory flotation machines, specialists are studying the effect of ore grinding fineness, selecting and refining optimal flotation modes. The results obtained will increase copper recovery and will be used to improve the operation of these processing plants," noted Larisa Kushakova, Deputy Director for Applied Research and Testing at VNIITsvetmet, a branch of the RSE "NC CPMRM RK".

The institute's developments create the technological basis for the construction of new processing plants and increased efficiency in Kazakhstan's copper industry.

Source: kz.kursiv.media