Gunnison Copper Corp Chief Operating Officer Robert Winton joined Steve Darling from Proactive to announce a major milestone at the Johnson Camp mine in Arizona, where Rio Tinto has successfully produced its first copper using the company’s proprietary Nuton® bioleaching technology. The achievement marks a pivotal step forward in the commercial development and validation of this next-generation copper processing method. Winton told Proactive that after more than three decades of research and development, the first copper cathode produced with Nuton’s bioleaching process was successfully generated last month at the Johnson Camp mine. The technology deployment includes the design and delivery of a full heap leach technology package that is expected to target production of approximately 30,000 tonnes of refined copper over a four-year demonstration period. Rio Tinto is also actively engaging with several potential customers across the United States as part of its efforts to support and strengthen the domestic copper supply chain. Nuton technology uses naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulphide materials, which are traditionally among the most difficult ores to process using conventional methods. These microbes accelerate the oxidation of the mineralized material, generating heat and enabling copper to dissolve into a leach solution, which is then recovered and processed into 99.99% pure copper cathode. One of the most significant advantages of the Nuton process is that it eliminates the need for traditional concentration, smelting, and refining. This shortens supply chains and allows refined copper cathode to be produced directly at the mine gate. The technology can achieve copper recovery rates of up to 85% from primary sulphides, which represent the most abundant copper-bearing materials globally. In addition to improving recoveries, Nuton has the potential to extend mine life and maximize overall resource utilization by extracting economic value from mineralized material that would otherwise be classified as waste. This capability can increase both yield and revenue at new developments as well as at existing mining operations. From an environmental standpoint, Nuton is expected to significantly outperform conventional copper processing routes, with up to 80% less water usage and as much as 60% lower carbon emissions compared to the traditional concentrator-smelter pathway. While the first copper production confirms the engineering design and operational viability of the Nuton system, Winton noted that the next phase of the project will focus on validating the long-term technical performance of the technology under sustained operating conditions. #proactiveinvestors #gunnisoncoppercorp #tsx #gcu #otcqb #gcumf r #CopperMining #USMining #CopperProject #MiningInvestment #CommodityMarkets #CopperProduction #ArizonaMining #ResourceDevelopment #MiningStocks #CopperDemand #MetalsAndMining
