BHP and MIT spinout SiTration to trial copper recovery tech at historic Arizona mine

Published Aug 20, 07:03 PM UTC

BHP and MIT-spinout SiTration announced the launch of two pilot deployments at BHP's Copper Cities site in Arizona's Globe-Miami mining district. The initiative aims to recover copper from legacy mining water at the historic mine, which operated from the 1950s to the 1980s and produced nearly 400,000 tonnes of copper. An initial small-scale pilot begins in August 2026 to validate continuous copper production over one month, followed by a larger deployment later in the year targeting up to two tonnes of commercial-scale copper cathodes over two months. Bench-scale tests using real feedstock have already demonstrated LME Grade A copper production without chemicals or new waste, with energy consumption below 3-4 kWh/kg. The companies see potential to create new pathways for increasing domestic US copper supply amid projected 70% global demand growth by 2050.