EXPLORATION ’93 — Mitsubishi to market smelting process

Mitsubishi Materials is granting Japanese parent Mitsubishi the exclusive right to market the company’s continuous copper-smelting and converting process and related equipment.

Patented in the mid-1970s, the smelting process is unique and virtually pollution-free. It employs four furnaces connected through launders and, being continuous, requires fewer workers and less energy than the conventional “batch” system. In addition, the equipment requires less space. In 1981, the process was exported to Falconbridge’s Kidd Creek smelter in Timmins, Ont. (then owned by Texasgulf Canada).