Vancouver-based critical metals processing company pH7 Technologies announced Tuesday up to C$5 million ($3.5 million) in funding from Natural Resources Canada through the Mining Decarbonization Demonstration Call for Proposals to evaluate a first-of-its-kind copper production technology using samples from Trekor Metals’ Gibraltar mine in British Columbia, Canada’s second largest open-pit copper operation.
The project will validate pH7’s proprietary closed-loop copper extraction process, which converts low-grade sulfide ore directly into 99.9% pure copper cathodes on-site while generating green hydrogen as a by-product.
If successful, the project will generate the operational, environmental and economic data needed to support potential future scale-up and deployment across the Canadian mining sector, the company said.
“As demand for copper continues to grow due to electrification, renewable energy infrastructure, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, the industry faces the challenge of increasing supply while reducing environmental impacts,” pH7 Technologies CEO Mohammad Doostmohammadi said in a news release.
“The support from Natural Resources Canada validates the importance of developing innovative Canadian technologies that can strengthen critical mineral supply chains, improve resource efficiency and help decarbonize the mining industry,” he said.
“Canada has the resources, talent and innovative technologies needed to be a global leader in critical minerals,” Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson added.
“Projects like this help strengthen domestic supply chains, improve the competitiveness of our mining sector and support economic growth while advancing more efficient and sustainable resource development.”
The project will advance through engineering and technology development phases, generating the technical data required to evaluate future demonstration opportunities and de-risk future commercial deployment, Hodgson said.
