Outokumpu flash technology meeting the environmental and business challenger of the next century

Future trends in copper smelting business are first summarized for the background. Important factors are: more strict environmental demands, ever lasting strive for cost effectiveness, changes in mine and smelter business ownership, integration and optimization of production chains from mines to refineries, changes in concentrate grades and ways to realize smelter projects. If is believed that new copper and nickel smelting capacity is needed also in the foreseen future. Today Flash Smelting is the most competitive smelting technology and based on technical and economic reasoning if is concluded that it is the correct technology base also in the future. The technical vision of the Future Flash Smelting process is sketched out to meet the environmental and business challenges of the next century. Extensive R&D efforts are needed from the licensor and from the users to reach the vision. Outokumpu is committed to this and the work still continues. Next step parallel to FSF+FCF will be direct blister production in one unit using concentrate exceeding 35 % Cu. This enables the optimization of the smelter route by offering several options far smelting. Business environment will change in the future, Flash Smelting will also change remaining still the dominant technology for the new smelters and for capacity expansions. In the future it will also have an essential role in the new thinking emerging in copper production: optimization from mines to refineries.