Mineral compounds containing sulphur, called sulphides, are present in most metal ore bodies. Smelting and refining these metals separate sulphides from the metals, resulting in the creation of sulphuric acid as a by product.
At Kennecott Utah Copper, copper ore from the mine is upgraded using a flotation process to produce a copper concentrate, which is about one third copper, one third iron and one third sulphur. The smelting process breaks the elements apart and the sulphur is released as sulphur dioxide gas. The smelter captures the sulphur dioxide emissions and cleans them before piping the gas to the acid plant, where it is converted to sulphuric acid.
The extraction of sulphur dioxide and processing into sulphuric acid is an important pollution control device that also produces a high-quality commercial product.
As sulphuric acid is highly corrosive, our operations ensure that all employees who work in its production follow very strict safety and health guidelines.
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