BHP and SiTration Unleash Hidden Copper Potential

The global copper supply chain is facing a pressing challenge as demand accelerates faster than new mine capacity can be permitted, built, and brought online. The International Energy Agency projects that copper demand could nearly double by 2040, driven by electrification, grid infrastructure, and EV manufacturing.

BHP and SiTration's collaboration on copper recovery technology in Arizona represents a structural shift in how the industry thinks about legacy assets, not as closed liabilities, but as potential production sources hiding in plain sight. The Globe-Miami District in Arizona is a prime example of this opportunity.

The district has a century-long history of copper mining, with continuous activity stretching back to the early twentieth century. However, what remains after operations cease is not simply inert rock. Legacy heap leach pads, pit walls, and waste material continue to interact with rainfall and groundwater through secondary leaching, where residual copper minerals slowly dissolve into percolating water over years and decades.

SiTration's electro-extraction and advanced filtration system is specifically designed for these difficult feedstocks. It applies an electrochemical driving force directly to the dilute solution, using specialised filtration membranes to isolate and recover copper ions with high selectivity.