Copper Smelting and Refining at Sumitomo Toyo Smelter

• Published in: Shigen-to-Sozai Vol. 109; no. 12; pp. 964 - 970
• Main Authors: KIMURA, Takayoshi, KUROKAWA, Harumasa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan 25.12.1993
• ISSN: 0916-1740; 1880-6244
• DOI: 10.2473/shigentosozai.109.964

The Sumitomo Toyo Smelter has been in operation since its commencement in 1971 with a pollution-free and clean smelter policy. In recent ten years, copper production business has been suffering from the Japanese Yen having appreciated and the copper price repreciated, and when this was added to environmental pollution regulations having become progressively stricter, Toyo smelter has been obliged to make the further research and development efforts in order to survive in a copper production business, as follows. 1) Increasing the production rate with the same number of furnaces. 2) Achieving cost savings through a reduction of energy consumption, fuel conversion and personnel cuts. 3) Satisfactorily meeting the environmental protection regulations by introducing antipollution equipments and developing pollution prevention techniques. These continued efforts make it possible to maintain and uphold the status of Toyo Smelter's position as one of the cleanest and most efficient operator in the world.