666 investments, guiding public policy, and ensuring the availability of the resources required to sustain an increasingly electrified and efficient energy system. Figure 1 - Global Copper Supply and Demand Projection Toward 2050 Source: adapted from BloombergNEF (2023), Transition Metals Outlook 2023. 2. SCOPE This study evaluates the impact of implementing ore sorting technology on the optimization of reserves in a large-scale copper deposit. The scope includes the definition and modeling of the operating parameters of the sorting process, mass pull, upgrade factors, and recoveries, the determination of the economic cut-off grade associated with the process, and a direct comparison with current ore classification practices based on the Net Smelter Return, NSR, indicator. Based on these elements, the analysis extends the tonne–grade curve of the reserve model to quantify the additional tonne that can be incorporated into the Life of Mine, LOM, plan by reducing the NSR cut-off from 17 $/t to 10.5 $/t and increasing grades by 71% for Cu, 116% for Zn, 101% for Ag, and 6% for Mo. The study includes an evaluation of the sorting process mass balance, the estimation of metallurgical grades for preconcentrate and reject streams, and the quantification of additional fine tonnes of copper, zinc, silver, and molybdenum. It also determines the incremental economic value generated by incorporating these additional reserves, considering metallurgical recovery and metal prices from the Life of Mine ( LOM), plan. The scope does not include detailed engineering of the sorting plant or advanced geometallurgical modeling, but instead focuses on reserve quantification, economic impact, and changes in key operating parameters resulting from the adoption of the process. 3. STATE OF ART In contemporary mining practice, the estimation of resources and reserves is carried out under internationally standardized frameworks, such as the JORC Code, NI 43-101, CIM, and PERC, which establish technical, geological, and economic criteria for classifying the extractive potential of a mineral deposit. These well-established methodologies are based on a sequential process that begins with geological understanding and culminates in the estimation of economically mineable reserves. 3.1 Geological Resource Quantification The estimation of a deposit’s potential is carried out through the integration of exploration data, geological interpretation, and three-dimensional modeling, considering criteria such as lithology, alteration,
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