Macroeconomics

Context (archaeology)

Engineering

Hydrometallurgy

Metallurgy

Materials science

Electrowinning

Economics

Geology

Physical chemistry

Paleontology

Waste management

Cobalt extraction techniques

Environmental science

Cobalt

Chemistry

Electrode

Natural resource economics

Electrolyte

Production (economics)

Copper

Minerals Engineering

The development of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries has increased the demand for cobalt from the African Copperbelt that traverses the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia. This increased demand has enabled the modernization of the process technology used across the region, resulting in the move from direct electrowinning of copper to solvent extraction-electrowinning. With this change has come a variety of technical challenges in the recovery of cobalt from these sources. The expansion markets for cobalt has resulted in a switch in the form of cobalt produced at the mine site, from metal cathode to cobalt hydroxide. In this paper, we provide an overview the processes currently used to produce cobalt from these copper-cobalt ores. The challenges for the technology in the context of the evolving markets for cobalt are highlighted.

Production of cobalt from copper-cobalt ores on the African Copperbelt – An overview