Recovery of copper ore from Venado Sur dumps

Description: The present Project will be developed within the Venado Sur mine site, an area previously intervened for the mining operations that occurred in the past, and whose purpose is the processing of the materials contained in 4 waste dumps and in a stock of existing law, and whose total amount is 6.1 million tons of material. In this way, through the removal and processing of these materials, it is expected to recover remaining copper ore of approximately 5.3 million tons. For the development of the Project, three operational areas are considered, namely: Extraction Area: The extraction area includes the dumps 1, 2, 3, 4 and a low-grade stock of the former South Venado site, from where will make the exploitation of the mineral. In addition, it is considered to fill with rejection material the two existing ravines (north and south), with reject material from the separation or mineral classification plants. Processes Area: The process area, meanwhile, will consist of two mobile crushing plants that will generate four mineral collections each, and in which the material will be segregated in different granulometries (eight mineral aggregations in total, considering both plants). In this area, ore selection plants will be enabled and operated, therefore, it will have two screens, two plants for the separation or classification of ore, two mineral stores produced by the separation, and a system of conveyor belts for the Conducting the material through the different facilities. The separation or classification of the mineral will be carried out in two Sorter Plants, which use an optical device to detect materials of similar granulometry, containing mineral, separating them from the rest of the materials through pulses of air at high speed. Support Facilities Area: The support facilities area includes offices, access control booth, dining room, warehouses for storage of spare parts, office supplies and cleaning, maintenance workshop, and yard for temporary storage of hazardous and non-hazardous waste. , for the development of the Project. In this context, the exploitation method of the four waste dumps and the low grade Stock of South Venado, will be by banqueos or operating platforms, with a maximum height of 3 meters. For the movement of the material, loading and transport equipment (excavator, front loader and truck) will be used, at an average annual exploitation rate of 165,000 tons / month (annual average of 5,500 tons / day). The project considers exploiting the first year at average rates of 82,500 ton / month, the second and third years at average rates of 165,000 tons / month and the fourth year at average rates of 165,000 tons / month (only for 3 months due to the exhaustion of the resources). It is estimated that the rate of recovery of copper ore with the Sorting system will be an annual average of 30,000 tons / month (1,000 tons / day), which will be transported daily by truck to the Biocobre plant. On the other hand, the rejects (sterile without mineral) derived from this process, will be arranged as a filling of two existing ravines in the northern and southern sectors of the former Venado Sur site, without involving the intervention of new areas for the disposal of ballast. Objective The objective of the Project consists of the recovery of copper ore from the 4 waste dumps and the low grade Stock, from the former Venado Sur mine site, currently in a closed condition, using Sorter technology and at a rate of average annual processing of 165,000 ton / month.