XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings Page 1224 (1248 of 3836)

1270 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
Understanding and quantifying the occurrence and deport-
ment of critical minerals challenges many existing analyti-
cal technologies. Although essential for many national and
global needs, critical minerals are trace elements that occur
at levels below detection limits for many analytical tech-
niques. This situation poses a significant challenge to the
scientific, technical, and mining community to provide
accurate and precise quantitative measures of critical mineral
occurrence in ore bodies. The analytical challenge lessens as
ore is processed through the mining value chain and critical
minerals begin to concentrate. However, process chemistry
can afford mineralogical and chemical changes that necessi-
tate further analyses to understand impacts on deportment
throughout the value chain. Only in understanding and
quantifying the occurrence and deportment of critical min-
erals across the entire value chain can recovery processes be
Figure 1. Full-value mining is a key to securing the domestic supply chain
Figure 2. Innovation across the copper value chain is enabling Rio Tinto to unlock new critical mineral resources

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1270 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
Understanding and quantifying the occurrence and deport-
ment of critical minerals challenges many existing analyti-
cal technologies. Although essential for many national and
global needs, critical minerals are trace elements that occur
at levels below detection limits for many analytical tech-
niques. This situation poses a significant challenge to the
scientific, technical, and mining community to provide
accurate and precise quantitative measures of critical mineral
occurrence in ore bodies. The analytical challenge lessens as
ore is processed through the mining value chain and critical
minerals begin to concentrate. However, process chemistry
can afford mineralogical and chemical changes that necessi-
tate further analyses to understand impacts on deportment
throughout the value chain. Only in understanding and
quantifying the occurrence and deportment of critical min-
erals across the entire value chain can recovery processes be
Figure 1. Full-value mining is a key to securing the domestic supply chain
Figure 2. Innovation across the copper value chain is enabling Rio Tinto to unlock new critical mineral resources

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1269
Full-Value Copper Mining: A Gateway to
Critical Mineral Resources
Dawn Wellman, Saskia Duyvesteyn, Kaci Jenkins, Cory Smith, Lukas Fahle, and Carlos Eyzaguirre
Rio Tinto
ABSTRACT: Innovation and a new look at traditional mine resources are opening advancements necessary
to secure the critical mineral domestic supply chain. What was once viewed as waste or by-product streams
are now becoming key national resources. Through partnerships and technological advancement, Rio Tinto is
turning the copper value chain into a gateway to critical minerals and unlocking new socially-responsible and
economically-viable gateways to critical minerals such as tellurium, rhenium, bismuth, indium, germanium,
gallium, and others. Herein we present an overview of work in the development of these value streams, from
technological innovation to implementation.
CRITICAL MINERALS AND FULL VALUE
MINING
Many critical minerals are only produced as secondary
products. Once primary minerals such as copper, lead, and
zinc are concentrated and smelted, it becomes feasible to
separate and extract trace secondary minerals such as anti-
mony, arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, selenium, tellurium,
and others. For example, approximately 90% of the world’s
tellurium resource is contained in copper ore and no viable
primary mines exist for tellurium. To meet the growing
demand (~5.5% increase per annum) for tellurium, devel-
opment of co-product recovery methods is essential.
Full-value mining design (Figure 1) is transform-
ing what was once viewed as waste or by-product streams
into key national resources. Innovation across the copper
value chain (Figure 2) is enabling Rio Tinto to unlock new
resources of key critical minerals, as well as enhance pro-
duction of strategically important minerals. Additionally,
by partnering with government, universities, and industry,
we are creating an ecosystem to reduce production risk and
unlock new, socially responsible, and economically-viable
gateways to critical minerals.
UNDERSTANDING OCCURRENCE AND
DEPORTMENT OF CRITICAL MINERALS
Key to production of critical mineral resources is under-
standing end-to-end occurrence and deportment. Until
recently, in the processing and recovery of primary base
metals such as aluminum, copper, and zinc, critical min-
eral resources were historically considered gangue—deport-
ing to various waste streams throughout the value chain.
Additionally, critical minerals are generally of such exceed-
ingly low concentration and spatiotemporal variability in
ore body resources that they are generally viewed from a
technoeconomic perspective as untenable to recover. As
noted above, many critical minerals are only recoverable
as co-products via the production of primary metals. The
need for the United States and others to increase produc-
tion of critical minerals necessitates a new paradigm that
re-envisions how mineral resources are valued and charac-
terized to promote recovery of critical co-products.

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XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 1271
developed and technoeconomic evaluations conducted to
inform decisions for development and implementation of
possible critical mineral production processes.
To address these challenges, Rio Tinto partnering with
key universities (e.g., Missouri University of Science &
Technology, University of Arizona, Arizona State University,
and University of Nevada—Reno, Colorado School of
Mines), national laboratories (e.g., Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and
Sandia National Laboratories), industry entities (e.g.,
Arcadis, SGS, and ALS), and federal partners and consor-
tiums (e.g., U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department
of Defense, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the DOE
Critical Mineral Innovation Hub) to demonstrate and
implement analytical techniques to precisely and accurately
quantify and understand the occurrence and deportment of
critical minerals across Rio Tinto’s North American Copper
assets, namely Kennecott Utah Copper and Resolution
Copper, located in Utah and Arizona, respectively. In doing
so, Rio Tinto is developing a blueprint for full-value cop-
per mining, providing not only copper but also key critical
minerals for energy, defense, and economic security of the
United States as further discussed below.
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW CRITICAL
MINERAL RECOVERY PROCESSES
Detailed characterization of occurrence and deportment of
critical minerals have provided new insights into the poten-
tial opportunity for production of key co-products that
are necessary for enabling U.S. national energy, security,
and economic missions. Figure 3 summarizes numerous
potential opportunities and general timeline for develop-
ment of new processes for recovery and production of criti-
cal and strategic minerals. Through current and emerging
partnerships, we are working to establish an ecosystem of
technology developers, technology providers, and industry
partners that can work with us to expeditiously support the
technoeconomic decision process and development of new
production circuits to transform current waste streams into
new materials the nation needs.
As discussed in the following sections, Rio Tinto has
successfully used this approach to become one of only two
domestic producers of tellurium and has developed a circuit
for rhenium production. Additionally, through extensive
testing several new technologies and evaluation of potential
partners, Rio Tinto is aggressively pursuing the develop-
ment of processes for production of platinum group met-
als, bismuth, indium, germanium, gallium, nickel, cobalt,
arsenic, and the rare earth elements.
Tellurium
Copper smelting creates an anode-slime waste material that
is rich in other metals like silver, gold, selenium, and tel-
lurium (Te). Globally, more than 90% of Te is produced as
a by-product of copper smelting and refining. Kennecott
Utah Copper is one of two primary copper smelters
remaining in the United States, providing a key national
asset to the recovery and production of critical minerals.
As early as 1990, our team tested the idea of extracting
these metals and minerals from the slimes generated by
Figure 3. Rio Tinto development of critical minerals

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