2647 further recommendations. 4. CASE STUDY RESULTS In this section, only the first case study (copper concentrator) will be discussed in detail, since the other case studies follow the same methodology. However, the final results of the iron/lithium cases will be included. 4.1 Stage 1: Goal and scope definition The product system covers copper concentrate production within a gate-to-gate boundary, from comminution to copper concentrate output. The functional unit is one tonne of copper concentrate, with results also expressed per tonne of ore feed. Ecoinvent was used as the primary database for EFs. 4.2 Stage 2: Life cycle inventory (LCI) The copper plant (located in Chile) flowsheet comprises grinding (SAG and ball mills), beneficiation (rougher and cleaner flotation, regrinding), and the dewatering unit (thickening/filtration). Crushing was excluded due to data unavailability. Input streams include electricity, mill liners, grinding media, and reagents. Emissions (CO2e) from each plant unit will be calculated before combining to estimate the total impact (kg CO2e / t Cu concentrate). The inventory and details are shown in Figure 1 and Table 2. Data collection is discussed according to the associated emissions scope, i.e., Scope 1, 2, and 3. Figure 1 – Copper case study process flow sheet with elementary streams Grinding media Liner Reagents Electricity Electricity Electricity Wear Reagents Electricity CO2e emissions CO2e emissions CO2e emissions CO2e emissions Grounded mineral Crushed mineral Concentrate in pulp Tailings Concentrate ROM Crushing Grinding Beneficiation Dewatering
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