Table 10. Opportunities for Basic Metallurgical Research Related to Sustainable Copper Production, with Potentially High Leverage on Improved Sustainability.

Process- and mechanism-related research on sustainable copper production

Primary synthesis: Use of efficient combined reducing plasma and smelting methods, where contaminated scrap can be processed; synthesis methods with reduced energy consumption and increase in the efficiency of energy usage in copper production; use of less poisonous mineral resources in copper production; use of less water in copper production; responsible mine tailings management including measures to safely manage and dispose of waste materials generated during the mining process to reduce environmental impact, particularly of arsenide contaminated waste; new methods for the processing and extraction of copper from (oxidic and sulfidic) low-grade ores; reducing the need for high-impact mining of rich copper deposits; responsible water management such as reduced water usage and minimized impact of waste water from copper production on local ecosystems

Secondary synthesis and alloy design measures: All methods to increase the amount of recycled copper used in production; better scrap collection and sorting; alloy-specific scrap sorting; sustainable recycling of copper from electronic waste (nanoscrap recycling).