1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

(Facility) Palabora Copper Smelter

Plant in South Africa with commodities Copper, Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Nearby scientific data
  7. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  8. Ownership information
  9. Production statistics
  10. Links to other databases
  11. Bibliographic references
  12. General comments
  13. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10215600
MAS/MILS ID 7910201003
Record type Site
Current site name (Facility) Palabora Copper Smelter
Alternate or previous names Palabora

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Plant
Geographic coordinates: 31.11809, -23.97998 (WGS84)
Elevation 406
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Sulfur, Sulfuric Acid Secondary

Nearby scientific data

Plant (1) 31.11809, -23.97998
ListMap

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Processing Plant
Development status Plant
Commodity type Both
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1966
Plant type Smelter
Plant subcategory Smelter-Pyrometallurgy

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Rio Tinto Zinc
    Interest 39
    Home office South Africa
  • Type Owner
    Owner De Beers Holdings Ltd.
    Interest 28.6
    Year 1989
  • Type Owner
    Owner Union Corp.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Palabora Mining Co. Ltd
    Home office South Africa

Production statistics

  • Year 1980
    Description Copper Anode 131000 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 131000mt
  • Year 1981
    Description Copper Anode 128000 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 128000mt
  • Year 1982
    Description Copper Anode 132000 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 132000mt
  • Year 1983
    Description Copper Anode 135000 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 135000mt
  • Year 1984
    Description Copper Anode 138000 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 138000mt
  • Year 1985
    Description Copper Concentrate 366825 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 366825mt
  • Year 1985
    Description Copper Anode 131574 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 131574mt
  • Year 1986
    Description Copper Concentrate 366479 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 366479mt
  • Year 1986
    Description Copper Anode 131253 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 131253mt
  • Year 1987
    Description Copper Concentrate 360985 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 360985mt
  • Year 1987
    Description Copper Anode 128692 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 128692mt
  • Year 1988
    Description Copper Concentrate 324485 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 324485mt
  • Year 1988
    Description Copper Anode 119923 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 119923mt
  • Year 1989
    Description Copper Concentrate 359160 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 359160mt
  • Year 1989
    Description Copper Anode 119507 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 119507mt
  • Year 1989
    Description Copper Anode 125794 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 125794mt
  • Year 1990
    Description Copper Concentrate 331785 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 331785mt
  • Year 1991
    Description Copper Concentrate 333245 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 333245mt
  • Year 1991
    Description Copper Anode 121774 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 121774mt
  • Year 1992
    Description Copper Concentrate 308060 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 308060mt
  • Year 1992
    Description Copper Anode 104950 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 104950mt

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION WAS DOWN IN 1988, 1989, 1990, SO THE DAVY MCKEE CONSULTING FIRM WAS CALLED IN TO IMPROVE SMELTER THROUGHPUT, RATES AND SULPHER CAPTURE. AT THE END OF 1990 A REPORT WAS SUBMITTED AND A PROJECT WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 1991 THAT INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY SLIGHTLY.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ASSOCIATED WITH MINE AND REFINERY. CONTOP CYCLONE ADDED TO REVERB 8/88 TO INCREASE CAPACITY (100 MTPD CONC.), REPORTEDLY FAILED AND REMOVED LATE 90. SC 400 MTPD ACID PLANT. REVERB GAS SCRUBBING PLANT.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    CHARLES RIVER ASSOCIATES SMELTER PROFILE, PALABORA SMELTER,

  • Production

    JULY 25, 1986, P. 2.

  • Production

    PALABORA MINING COMPANY LIMITED, 1986 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 14.

  • Production

    PALABORA MINING COMPANY LIMITED, 1987 ANNUAL REPORT, P.15.

  • Production

    PALABORA MINING COMPANY LIMITED, 1988 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 16.

  • Production

    PALABORA MINING COMPANY LIMITED, 1989 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 20.

  • Production

    PALABORA MINING COMPANY LIMITED, 1990 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 6.

  • Production

    PALABORA MINING COMPANY LIMITED, 1991 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 7.

  • Production

    PALABORA MINING COMPANY LIMITED, 1992 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 7.

  • Deposit

    PINCOCK, ALLEN & HOLT, INC.; THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGINEERING,

  • Deposit

    OPERATING AND ENVIRONMENTAL COST DATA FOR INTERNATIONAL

  • Deposit

    COPPER SMELTING AND REFINING OPERATIONS - PALABORA,

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICA. BUMINES CONTRACT J0290007; FOR INF.,

  • Deposit

    CONTACT S.W. TOWLE, TPO, BUMINES-MAFO, DENVER, CO.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE PALABORA SMELTER CONSISTS OF A ROTARY KILN DRYER, REVERB- ERATORY FURNACE WITH CONTOP SMELTING CYCLONE, THREE PIERCE- SMITH CONVERTERS, TWO ROTARY ANODE FURNACES, ANODE CASTING WHEEL, CONVENTIONAL SINGLE CONTACT ACID PLANT, AND A GAS SCRUBBING PLANT. SMELTER CAPACITY IS 140,250 MTPA ANODE COPPER, AND DESIGN CAPACITY OF THE ACID PLANT IS 150,000 MTPA 100% H2SO4.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 27-DEC-94 Towle, Stewart W. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site