Visiting The World’s Deepest Open Pit Mine - Kennecott Copper Mine

Summary

This video takes viewers behind the scenes at the Bingham Canyon mine, one of the largest mining operations in the world, operated by Rio Tinto. The process of copper mining is explored from start to finish, beginning with drilling and blasting, followed by loading and crushing copper ore. The ore is then concentrated, and the valuable metals like copper, gold, and silver are separated using chemicals and flotation. Finally, the copper is smelted, refined, and transformed into pure copper through electrolysis. The video highlights the scale and complexity of copper production and offers insights into the mining industry.

Takeaways

• 😀 Riotinto operates one of the world's largest mining operations at Bingham Canyon, producing copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum.
• 😀 The Bingham Canyon mine has been operational for over 120 years and is considered the largest excavation on Earth, covering 27,000 acres and reaching 2.5 miles wide and half a mile deep.
• 😀 The mining process begins with drilling and blasting, where 200 holes are filled with explosive emulsion to break the ore loose.
• 😀 After blasting, 12 shovels are used to load ore into massive haul trucks, each carrying over 300 tons of material to crushers.
• 😀 The crushers are capable of processing over 10,000 tons of ore per hour, breaking it down before sending it to the concentrator.
• 😀 The concentrator extracts valuable copper ore from the material, removing waste and sending it for further refinement.
• 😀 The copper ore is mixed with water and steel balls in large mills to reduce it to a fine sand, which is then processed further to separate valuable materials.
• 😀 Chemical agents are added to the crushed ore to bond with valuable metals like copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver, allowing them to float in foam for extraction.
• 😀 After separating the valuable materials from the waste, the concentrate is then smelted in gas furnaces to produce liquid copper.
• 😀 Riotinto is the only integrated copper mining operation in North America, meaning they both mine and refine copper on-site to 99.9% purity.
• 😀 The final step of refining involves using electrical currents in a T-house to purify the copper, with copper sticking to cathodes and impurities like lead, silver, and gold being removed.
• 😀 Visitors can explore the Bingham Canyon mine via a visitor center open from April to October, offering a great view of the massive pit.

Q & A

What is the Bingham Canyon Mine known for?

The Bingham Canyon Mine is known for being one of the largest excavation sites on Earth, covering 27,000 acres and reaching 2.5 miles wide and half a mile deep. It has been operational for 120 years and produces copper, gold, silver, and other minerals.

What is the first step in the copper mining process at Bingham Canyon?

The first step is drilling and blasting. Enormous drills create 10-inch holes, which are then filled with explosives, such as emulsion, to blast the ore loose from the rock.

How are materials transported after the drilling and blasting step?

After blasting, the mined material is loaded into massive trucks. These trucks transport over 300 tons of material per trip to crushers or waste dumps.

What is the role of the crushers in the mining process?

The crushers break down the copper ore into smaller pieces. They can process over 10,000 tons of ore per hour, reducing the material size before it is transported to the concentrator.

What happens at the concentrator stage of the copper mining process?

At the concentrator, the copper ore is mixed with water and ground down by steel balls in SAG and ball mills. The goal is to turn the ore into a fine sand, which is then separated from the waste materials.

How does the process of separating copper from other materials work in the concentrator?

Chemicals are added to the crushed and ground ore, causing the copper, gold, and other valuable materials to bond with the chemicals. This mixture is agitated in tanks, creating foam, where the valuable materials float to the surface and are collected.

What safety measures are taken during the mining and smelting process?

Workers are required to wear protective gear including coveralls, gloves, boots, full face respirators, hard hats, and earplugs to ensure their safety during the mining and smelting operations.

What happens during the smelting process at Bingham Canyon?

In the smelting process, the wet concentrate is dried and then heated in gas furnaces to separate the copper from other metals. The liquid copper is poured into anodes, which contain about 98% copper.

How is the copper further purified after smelting?

The anodes from the smelter are placed in a tank where an electrical current is passed through them. This causes the copper to move and stick to blanks, leaving other metals like lead and gold at the bottom. After about 14 days, the result is 99.9% pure copper.

Can the public visit the Bingham Canyon Mine?

Yes, Rio Tinto operates a visitor center at the Bingham Canyon Mine, typically open from April to October. It offers a scenic view of the mine pit.