Copper ore must undergo a complicated refining process to convert it into saleable high-purity copper products, as mined ore typically contains less than 1 percent copper.

We Need Copper, and These New Methods Could Make Refining It a Lot Cleaner Element 29 is one of the critical metals for our energy transition.

GLOBAL PRODUCTION China dominates global copper refining, but most of the ore that feeds into its smelters is mined elsewhere, in particular in Latin America.