ProjectCuprom
LocationBaia Mare, Romania
Material Tonnage3 - 4 million tonnes
ProductsCopper Concentrate, Copper Matte (sulphide) , Dross

Project Description

The Cuprom Refinery and facility was recognised as a unique producer in Romania of electrolytically refined copper (99.99% Cu), having a production capacity of 40,000 tonnes/year and of fine gold and silver respectively (min. 99.96% Au/Ag), having a production capacity of 12 tonnes/year for gold, respectively 120 tonnes/year for silver. 

Our precious metals project involves the metallurgical processing of secondary material and byproducts produced by the now-defunct Cuprom industrial site for the production of copper, gold and silver.

Terra Resources’ ownership (via Bitmine SRL) spans an area of approximately 20ha which comprises secondary material and precious metal refinables primed metallurgical processing. Preliminary assays range as follows: 0.12 to 5.94% Copper; 0.146 to 50(kg/mt) Silver; and 0.005 to 10.2(kg/mt) Gold.

In this regard, this project proposes to obtain precious metal products with commercial value from the secondary material, one of the more important material generated during pyrometallurgical copper extraction. This secondary material and precious metal contains large amounts of compounds with important commercial value.

The company’s technical partners, are currently conducting their own studies and test work to determine the appropriate and economic process of recovery of contained precious metal from the site.

History

1907 – 1944

  • During 1907 – 1925 Cuprom functioned as a glass plant. 
  • In 1931 the lead sheet and pipe plant is completed.
  • In 1941 the Sulfuric acid plant is completed.

1948 – 1989

  • After the nationalization of the company there was a series of mechanization works. The main productive expansions from this period were:
  • Modernization of the bleaching earth plant
  • Producing pure selenium and copper powder

1960-1966

Construction and completion of:

  • Gold silver refinery plant
  • New lead oxide plant
  • Suspension smelting
  • Copper thermal and electrolitic refinement
  • New sulfur acid plant – for using the sulfurous gas from the concentrates smelting process

1967 – 1989

Construction and completion of:

  • Continuous casting of the copper
  • Increasing the capacity of the copper oxides plants, flotation reagents and silver nitrate

1990-1997

  • The major impact on the environment of the fabrication technologies imposed new rehabilitation, modernization retechnologization works, as follows:
  • Complete revision of the electrical filters from smelting
  • Assembling two new conversion reactors at Sulfuric Acid Plant
1999 – 2003
  • In 1999 the company was privatized. In June 2000, out of environment protection reasons the line of copper concentrated smelting was shut down.
  • In 2003, The Copper plant was taken over by Cuprom Bucharest

Present

  • Terra Resources subsidiary Bitmine SRL acquires 20ha parcel of land in Cuprom Refinery

 

Summary

The distribution of the total surfaces of 58 ha that SC Cuprom SA Bucharest Subsidiary Baia Mare and Bitmine SRL has in its patrimony:
Built area – 106417 m2
Surface of interior roads and concrete platforms – 164777 m2
Surface of transport routes – 103467 m2
Networks and platforms area – 36689 m2
Surfaces covered by dumps (landfills) – 47200 m2
Green areas – 168652 m2

Minerology

The minerals that can be found in the soils of Cuprom are the following:
Native elements: Cu, Ag, Au, As, S; Sulphide minerals: arsenopyrite, galena, pyrite, stibnite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite;
Tungstates: scheelite, wolframite; Sulphosalts: jamesonite,    pyrargyrite, tetrahedrite, semseyite; Gangue minerals: quartz, barite, adularia, clay minerals, rhodonite, carbonates
4 Million mt of slag