pH7 Technologies’ closed-loop PGM and chalcopyrite leaching: key notes for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Canadian processor pH7 Technologies is expanding its Vancouver facility, backed by up to C$4 million from NRC IRAP, to scale its organo-electrochemical platform that recovers platinum, palladium and rhodium from secondary materials without toxic reagents or tailings wastewater. The commercial plant already processes spent catalytic converters, producing 30,000–40,000 oz of platinum-equivalent PGMs per year under a tolling and offtake model involving partners such as Mitsubishi. pH7 is now piloting electrochemically generated oxidants to heap leach chalcopyrite and other sulphide ores without cyanide, targeting on-site mine deployment within 1–2 years across South America, Africa and Australia.
Technical Brief
- Organo-electrochemical platform runs as a closed loop, with process chemistry continually recycled rather than discharged.
- Tailings-related wastewater is eliminated from the flowsheet, removing the need for conventional tailings ponds or effluent treatment.
- Electrochemically generated oxidants are tailored to attack sulphide minerals like chalcopyrite in heap leach conditions.
- Same oxidant system is configured to dissolve both copper and gold from low-grade, complex sulphide ores.
- Vancouver lab is actively testing ore samples from South America, Africa and Australia to quantify recovery uplifts.
- Commercial recycling plant output of 30,000–40,000 oz platinum-equivalent PGMs underpins proof-of-capacity for the organo-electrochemical circuit.
- Flexible commercial model combines toll treatment of third-party materials with direct metal sales via partners such as Mitsubishi.
Our Take
In our Mining coverage, palladium and platinum usually appear in the context of mature PGM operations in South Africa and Russia, so a Vancouver-based processor like pH7 Technologies targeting complex PGM and chalcopyrite feeds signals a shift in where value-add processing for these metals may occur.
The planned on-site deployment of pH7’s closed-loop system within the next year or two aligns with several sustainability-tagged copper and gold items in our database where miners are trialling in-situ or low-footprint processing, suggesting operators are increasingly willing to host third-party process technology at the mine gate rather than only at central smelters or refineries.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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