To evaluate the environmental impact of copper-slag as raw material of copper-concentration using life cycle assessment method
- Received Date: 03/06/2008
- Accepted Date: 05/04/2008
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Key words:
- copper-slag /
- copper-ore /
- concentration process /
- environmental impact /
- life cycle assessment (LCA)
Abstract: The life cycle assessment (LCA) has been applied to investigate the environmental impact of concentration process of recovering copper from copper-slag and copper-ore individually. Related environmental load data of copper production have been obtained. The result indicates that the damage levels of human health, ecosystem quality and resources are 0.20783、0.00764 and 0.01919 in the copper-slag concentration; and 0.08165、0.0075 and 0.08857 in the copperore concentration, respectively. The damage level of resources for copper-slag process is lower than that of copper-ore process; the damage level of human health, ecosystem quality for copper-slag process is higher than that of copper-ore process. Environmental impact of producing 1 kg copper-slag concentrate is 1.32 times higher than that of producing 1 kg copper-ore concentrate. With the insufficiency supply of domestic copper concentrate increased, to recover copper from slag will improve the utilization of resource significantly and development of circulation economics.