Serbia Zijin Copper has submitted a request to the Ministry of Environmental Protection to define the scope and content of an Environmental Impact Assessment Study for a phased construction project in Bor. The project includes a Plant for the production of precious metals and selenium, along with a Plant for copper sulfate production.
The initial phase involves constructing a facility for precious metals and selenium within the existing copper smelter, while the copper sulfate plant will follow as a separate project requiring its own environmental study.
The planned facility aims to process 800 tons of anode sludge annually, targeting the production of approximately 3.9 tons of gold, 70.9 tons of silver, 50.9 tons of selenium, 7.4 kilograms of platinum, and 66.7 kilograms of palladium each year, along with 19.34 tons of tellurium leaching residue. The estimated construction cost is around 1.84 billion dinars (approximately €15.7 million).
The expansion is driven by an increase in electrolytic copper refining capacity, which will lead to a greater supply of anode sludge, the primary raw material for precious metal production. The new facility is expected to employ advanced technology and modern equipment.
Project plans include various sections for different processes, such as baking selenium, hydrometallurgical treatment, and refining precious metals. Additionally, new infrastructure, including roads and an electrical substation, will be developed to support the facility.
The gross developed construction area for the new plant is 5,865.28 m². Currently, the project site has no operational facilities for producing precious metals and selenium; existing structures are mostly obsolete or scheduled for decommissioning. The project will require the removal of an old copper wire factory and two auxiliary buildings.
The preliminary project has been developed by Ludan Engineering, while the Institute for Technology of Nuclear and Other Mineral Resources (ITNMS) is handling the request.
