Fluorine F Levels -Penalties and Marketability of Copper Concentrate

Fluorine F Levels -Penalties and Marketability of Copper Concentrate

F Penalties often start at 300 – 500 ppm​ which is to say 300 ppm in Japan / Korea​ and perhaps​ ~ 500 ppm into China.

  • Penalty scales of US $1- 2/dmt per 100 ppm.
  • Some cases Fluorine (F): US $1.00 per dmt for each 100 ppm over 300 ppm
  • Others F: US $2.00 per dmt for each 100 ppm over 300 ppm

​Problem is that there is a ​hard limit of 1,000 ppm into China for Copper concentrate ​as mandated by the central government.

​If quality is not less than say <500 ppm F we will be disadvantaged in the marketplace in terms of placing our material and above <700 ppm F you will really have trouble. This is not to say a market could not found or a way to place it but it might be expensive.

Vale’s Salobo concentrates out of Brazil are >1,000 ppm and may be as high as 1,500 – 2,000 ppm range. The main long term offtake for Salobo is Aurubis in to their Hamburg smelter where they installed a fluorine removal circuit specifically to handle Salobo material long term. They also deliver to KGHM Glogow 1 in Poland, Boliden/Ronnskar in Sweden and Vedanta Sterlite treats some at Tuticorin.

​It is very rare to have so much Fluorine in a concentrate.