Overview
Status | Closing / Closed |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Processing |
- Gravity separation
- Dewatering
- Centrifugal concentrator
- Flotation
|
Mine Life | 2019 |
PT-FI began open-pit mining of the Grasberg ore body in 1990. The final phase of the Grasberg open pit was mined during 2019, including the removal of the open pit ramps. In aggregate, the Grasberg open pit produced over 27 billion pounds of copper and 46 million ounces of gold in the 30-year period from 1990 through 2019. |
Source:
p. 4
PT-FI is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the Republic of Indonesia. Freeport-McMoRan have a 48.76 percent share ownership in PT-FI and the remaining 51.24 percent share ownership is held by PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (an Indonesian state-owned enterprise).
Deposit Type
- Vein / narrow vein
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
Summary:
The igneous-hosted ore bodies (the Grasberg open pit and block cave, and portions of the DOZ block cave) occur as vein stockworks and disseminations of copper sulfides, dominated by chalcopyrite and, to a lesser extent, bornite.
Summary:
PT-FI began open-pit mining of the Grasberg ore body in 1990. The final phase of the Grasberg open pit was mined during 2019, including the removal of the open pit ramps. In aggregate, the Grasberg open pit produced over 27 billion pounds of copper and 46 million ounces of gold in the 30-year period from 1990 through 2019.
Processing
- Gravity separation
- Dewatering
- Centrifugal concentrator
- Flotation
Source:
Summary:
The mill produces copper and gold concentrate from mined ore through a process to separate valuable minerals from the impurities covering them. The main steps in the process are crushing, grinding, flotation, and dewatering. Crushing and grinding transform ore size into fine sand in order to release particles containing copper and gold.
Flotation is a separation process to produce copper-gold concentrate. Concentrate slurry consisting of finely ground ore and water mixed with reagents is introduced into a series of mixing tanks called flotation cells, where air is pumped into the slurry.
The reagents used are lime, frothers and collectors. Frothers form stable bubbles that float to the surface of the flotation cell as froth. Collectors react with valuable metal sulfide mineral particle surfaces. rendering these surfaces hydrophobic. The hydrophobic sulfide mineral particles adhere to the air bubbles rising from the slurry zone into the froth floating on the surfac ........

Combined production numbers are reported under
Grasberg Complex
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Daily milling rate
| ......  | 60,100 t | 133,300 t | 101,800 t | 119,700 t | 115,900 t |
Ore tonnes mined
| ......  | | 49 Mt | 37 Mt | 44 Mt | 42 Mt |
Daily mining capacity
| ......  | | 275,000 t | | | |
Daily mining rate
| ......  | | | | 180,500 t | 250,400 t |
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Reserves at December 31, 2018:
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Recoverable Metal |
Proven
|
Sulphide
|
1 Mt
|
Copper
|
2.65 %
|
|
Proven
|
Sulphide
|
1 Mt
|
Gold
|
5.7 g/t
|
|
Proven
|
Sulphide
|
1 Mt
|
Silver
|
7.97 g/t
|
|
Probable
|
Sulphide
|
4 Mt
|
Copper
|
1.08 %
|
|
Probable
|
Sulphide
|
4 Mt
|
Gold
|
1.51 g/t
|
|
Probable
|
Sulphide
|
4 Mt
|
Silver
|
3.12 g/t
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
5 Mt
|
Copper
|
1.26 %
|
0.1 B lbs
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
5 Mt
|
Gold
|
1.98 g/t
|
0.3 M oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
5 Mt
|
Silver
|
3.66 g/t
|
0.3 M oz
|
Heavy Mobile Equipment as of December 31, 2018:
HME Type | Size | Quantity |
Shovel
|
17 cu. m
|
.......................
|
Truck (haul)
|
200 t
|
.......................
|
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Aerial view:
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