I thought your summary of mining advancements over the centuries, in the Jan. 3 issue, was excellent. However, I would like to point out an error.
You state that solvent extraction-electrowinning of copper was pioneered in the African copper belt. In fact, SX-EW was pioneered by Ranchers Exploration & Development at the Bluebird mine in Miami, Ariz., in March 1968 under the leadership of Maxie Anderson, president of Ranchers.
Other key players were: Hazen Research, which ran the metallurgical test programs; A.H. Ross & Associates of Toronto, which developed the plant design criteria and acted as consulting metallurgists; Betchel, which engineered and constructed the plant; the chemical division of General Mills (now Henkel), which developed the copper-specific reagent, LIX-64; and, of course, the people at Ranchers, who made it work.
At the time Ranchers developed SX-EW, the process was widely dismissed and ridiculed by the copper industry. However, time has proved the foresight of Maxie Anderson, Al Ross and a few other lone voices of the 1960s. The moral of the story is that most mining companies rush to be second with regards to metallurgical innovations, except for those eagles that dare.
Be the first to comment on "Arizona birthplace of SX-EW process"