Custom copper smelters, dependent on purchased concentrates, face increasing economic pressures amid falling treatment and refining fees. With declining availability of high-grade, low-impurity concentrates, copper demand is expected to surge to support the transition to renewable energy. This study, based on recent observations of Chinese custom smelters, examines their strategies to address the challenge of purchasing concentrates at record-low treatment and refining charges. By investing in slag flotation technology, smelters can enhance copper, gold and silver recoveries. Through blending of high-grade and low-grade concentrates they can capitalize on the gap between the recoverable and payable metals, which is often referred to as “free metals”, while also benefiting from by-products, mainly sulfuric acid. While this approach offers economic opportunities, it introduces operational complexities. To mitigate these, laboratory testing combined with advanced digital predictive tools based on thermodynamics is crucial. This study demonstrates the use of thermodynamic models supported by experimental work for analyzing furnace operations. FactSage® software and a custom database are employed to define the operating window of two common flowsheets: 1) Flash Smelting + Flash Converting and 2) Bottom-Blown Smelting + Bottom Blowing Converting.

This paper describes a novel concept of producing energy efficient ”Maroon enriched natural gas “ and then Pink hydrogen” from any hydrocarbon base. The key idea is the extraction of hydrogen from water in addition to that from the hydrocarbon in an optimal fashion. This has the benefit of higher water vapor to CO2 exhaust ratio than conventional carbonaceous fuels when generating energy via combustion, a prudent step in achieving Netzero goals in a shorter time, and creating energy independence in most places.. The process of production makes concentrated CO₂ available for use and or sequestration. The process also maximizes use of renewable electricity in hydrogen generation, and maximizes use of existing infrastructure, with a minimum capital cost by energy recycle in the process. The process design applies sound thermodynamic principles which evolved during the nineteenth century, and mimics the geochemical processes going on in some of the natural 'colorless hydrogen'.