Codelco - Las Ventanas

Acid Plant Database June 1, 2023

Owner	Codelco
Location	Las Ventanas Chile
Background	Formerly - Empresa Nacional de Mineria - ENAMI
Website	www.codelco.cl
Plant	Las Ventanas
Coordinates	32º 45' 42" S, 71º 28' 49" W
Type of Plant	Metallugical
Gas Source	Copper
Plant Capacity	1637 MTPD
SA/DA	3/1 DA
Status	Shutdown June 2023
Year Built	1989
Technology	Hugo Petersen
Contractor	MAN Ferrostaal AG, Essen
Remarks	Approximate Cost: US$45 million
Pictures
	New Final Absorber Tower - March 2016 (EPC Coppex)
General	The initiative of transferring the property of the Ventanas smelter from Enami to Codelco was agreed upon by Government authorities with both companies and its unions, requiring the enactment of Law 19.993 allowing the transfer. The Ventanas division is located in Ventanas, Puchuncaví district, 164 kilometers from Santiago and 50 kilometers from Viña del Mar, in the northern sector of the Valparaíso province. Ventanas’ 2006 production reached 376,005 metric tons of electrolytic copper. At the same time, due to the processing of anodic sludge in the metals plant refinery, 150,952 kilograms of silver and 5,649 kilograms of gold were obtained, while the acid plant produced 351,537 tons of sulfuric acid. Ventanas’ concentrate production capacity averaged 445 thousand dry metric tons for the year 2006.
References	-
News	June 1, 2023 - Chile's state-owned copper mining giant Codelco has shut down its Ventanas copper smelter after decades of polluting Quintero Bay with toxic gases and turning it, along with 15 other companies, into an environmental “sacrifice zone.” Eight years ago, the Chilean government declared that the three municipalities surrounding the bay — Quintero, Puchuncaví, and Concón, located 160 kilometers northwest of the Chilean capital — were saturated with fine particulate matter, inhalation of which is associated with discomfort and respiratory ailments. During a formal ceremony held on Wednesday in Puchuncaví, images of flames from the smelter’s furnace were shown gradually diminishing until they were fully extinguished, marking the closure of the copper smelter 59 years after its founding. A Codelco refinery will continue to operate at the site. The latest mass intoxication by pollution in the region took place only a week ago and affected nearly 100 students who suffered intoxication due to the poor air quality. An environmental alert is still in effect. The more than 50,000 inhabitants of the bay regularly breathe in sulfur dioxide, a toxic and corrosive gas that, when inhaled, causes irritation to the nose, eyes, and throat. More than 60% of the total sulfur dioxide emissions in the area came from the state-owned smelter, President Gabriel Boric said last year when he announced its closure. Matías Asún, director of Greenpeace Chile, said that while the closure of Ventanas “is a very important step,” he added that “we still need to see what we'll do with the entire industrial belt that was generated around the smelter.” The oldest company in the region is an oil terminal belonging to the state-owned National Petroleum Company, established in 1954. That was followed a decade later by the Codelco smelter and refinery and several steam and coal-fired power plants. David Boyd, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Environment, said during a recent visit to the region that he “smelled the toxic fumes” and “felt them in my throat.” Pollution incidents in the area notably began to decrease in 2019 when emissions from the industrial belt began to be regulated. June 17, 2022 - Chile President Gabriel Boric Friday said the state-owned copper producer would begin the closure of the troubled Ventanas smelter after dozens fell ill due to an environmental emergency in the vicinity of the plant. Codelco decided to close the facility after a peak in sulfur dioxide emissions in the area affected hundreds of high school students and teachers in the region in recent weeks. “Codelco’s board of directors has decided to move toward the closure of operations at the Ventanas Smelter,” the president said. He said a thorough study and talks with stakeholders preceded the decision to shut down the facility. The president announced the decision from the Palace of La Moneda in Santiago after a group of workers protested against the anticipated measure. He said the closure would be gradual. “We have said it very clearly, we do not want more sacrifice zones. Thousands live exposed to the environmental deterioration that we have caused and allowed and that as a Chilean embarrasses me.” The Quintero-Puchuncaví Bay, 160 km northwest of Santiago on the Chilean coast, was declared an “environmental sacrifice zone,” in 1993. It meant a territory abandoned to industrial deterioration and pollution, permanently affecting human health and biodiversity. The president assured the affected plant workers and their families that the government would not leave them alone. “Our government is taking all the necessary steps so that this decision does not negatively affect the workers of the company,” he said. “I can affirm that no worker will be left jobless. No Codelco worker will be left unprotected, their positions are secured.” Andrea Cruces, the president of Ventanas union, labeled Codelco board chairman Máximo Pacheco a “traitor.” Cruces said Pacheco would “be remembered in history as the one who betrayed Chilean mining.” “You sold us and told the government that you were going to close the windows without a confrontation.” Multiple cases of poisoning were reported with up to more than 100 students taking ill in the region. Dozens of students from an educational institute in Quintero developed symptoms like dizziness and headaches on Friday morning. June 8, 2022 - Chilean state-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Wednesday that it stopped its Ventanas smelter and refinery to carry out maintenance after authorities declared an environmental emergency in the region earlier in the week. Chile's environmental regulator ordered provisional measures for the mining company and AES Chile, a power company, on Tuesday after dozens of people in the towns of Quintero and Puchuncavi in central Chile showed signs of poisoning from sulfur dioxide emissions. The measures for Codelco include installing a new temperature sensor to determine thermal inversion and others regarding the quality of ventilation. "To ensure the correct implementation of the measures, this industrial operation will maintain the voluntary suspension of work, which have been stopped since Monday, advancing scheduled maintenance," Codelco said in a statement. "The company hopes that there will be clarity on responsibility after the intoxications that have affected the inhabitants of the area in recent days." Codelco explained that on June 6, when the incident occurred, its air quality stations recorded normal parameters of sulfur dioxide concentrations and smelter has subsequently remained stopped. AES Chile said it would also abide by the regulator's measures and denied responsibility for the environmental incident. Environmental activists have long called Quintero and its surroundings a "sacrifice zone" for successive episodes of pollution that have caused public health. The town is home to lots of industrial activities that also include the state oil company ENAP and chemical industries. emergencies. December 5, 2019 - To calm around 8,000 workers linked to Chile's Ventanas smelter, mining minister Baldo Prokurica told the senate’s mining and energy commission on Wednesday that goods from a state company cannot be disposed of via board decision. His remarks are a response to the board of state miner Codelco, which two months ago said it was considering closing the smelter in Valparaíso region because of falling profitability due to “growing environmental and economic requirements." Ventanas smelter and refinery processes copper concentrates to produce anodes and cathodes. Half the concentrates come from small and medium-scale miners and the other half come from Anglo American and Codelco’s El Teniente and Andina mines. Annual production is set at 420,000t for the smelter and 400,000t for the refinery. The facilities also produce 360,000t of sulfuric acid. Codelco assumed control of Ventanas in 2005 and over the last five years has invested US$160mn to reduce sulfur, arsenic and particulate matter emissions. The smelter achieved 95% of emissions capture, making it number one in the country. In 2017, Ventanas reduced sulfur emissions by 32%, arsenic by 43% and particulate matter by 82% compared to 2010, according to Codelco. But to achieve the global standard of 99% capture a US$500mn investment is needed. By 2022, Codelco would have to invest US$30mn to fulfill requirements of a decontamination plan, but Ventanas registers losses of US$50mn every year. And if Codelco shuts it down, the company must pay US$150mn to guarantee the surrounding communities’ safety. Sonami mining association president Diego Hernández mentioned numbers from state copper commission Cochilco, saying that Ventanas is only number 52 on a list of the 57 most efficient smelters in the world. And three other Codelco smelters also rank badly. “Chuquicamata is number 56, Potrerillos is number 53 and Caletones is 42,” he said. And Codelco operates four of the most expensive smelters globally. “If Codelco closes Ventanas, the whole community will be affected. In the last eight years, 4bn pesos [US$5.11mn] were invested in surrounding communities,” Andrea Cruces from Codelco union No. 1 told the senate commission. Cruces added that if the smelter closes, the refinery won’t have the amount of mineral needed to operate. Senators from Metropolitan and O’Higgins regions, Guido Girardi and Alejandro García Huidobro, have proposed Codelco invest the required US$30mn by 2022 and unite scientists, miners and government to propose ideas on how Chile could get 21st century smelters. Minister Prokurica, meanwhile, called on Codelco’s board to tell the senate commission more details about Ventanas’ operations. September 3, 2018 - Chilean state miner Codelco halted the operations of three out of four furnaces at its Ventanas copper foundry on Monday morning after high levels of sulphur dioxide were detected, it said in a statement.Codelco said levels of the gas went 20 percent over the accepted limit for five minutes, prompting it to shut down the furnaces as a "voluntary and preventative measure" in the industrial area of Ventanas, 90 miles (145 kilometers) northeast of Santiago. Amid protests by local residents, the government claimed state-run energy firm ENAP was to blame but the company has denied the claim. Codelco was cleared of any involvement in that leak at another facility.The state-owned copper miner, the largest in the world, has paid fines for previous excess emissions in area.It said in its statement that on this occasion there had been no infringement of environmental regulations, while the government confirmed separately that no injury or illness had been reported.A company spokesman confirmed to Reuters that there would be a "minor impact" on production. March 28, 2011 - Bnamericas reported that Chilean state copper producer Codelco resumed operations at its Ventanas division smelter plant after a sulfur dioxide leak forced the company to suspend activities on March 23rd 2011. Mr Diego Hernández CEO of Codelco said that "The incident is already solved. Everything is under control and the plant has resumed normal operations. As soon as management found out about the emissions, we decided to stop the furnace at the plant and worked on making sure the problem was solved before starting operations again." Students and teachers from the adjacent La Greda school suffered respiratory problems and headaches following the release of the smelter gas and were taken to a nearby health center for observation. A recent report by health authorities said La Greda is the most contaminated school in Chile. Significant amounts of arsenic and cadmium among others were found in the soil at the institution. Located in central region V, the school is in the same district as the Ventanas smelting and refinery complex, two thermoelectric power plants owned by local generator AES Gener and several other industrial facilities. As a result of the high levels of contamination detected and in the aftermath of the most recent emergency, the government has decided to move the school and has asked the companies operating in the zone to help with the relocation. Mr Hernández said that Codelco is more than willing to help with mitigation measures such as the relocation of the school. The CEO and representatives from region V's industrial association Asiver were scheduled to meet with environment minister María Ignacia Benítez to discuss and coordinate a plan of action. He also announced plans to improve environmental conditions at the Ventanas complex which will be developed within the next 12 to 18 months. These include the construction of new, sealed conveyor belts and stockpiling facilities for copper concentrates to avoid dust contamination. The release of sulfur dioxide was a one-time incident. The main environmental problem is related to dust contamination which happens when copper concentrates are blown around by the wind. Mr Hernández also highlighted advances made over the last 16 years to reduce contamination in the zone. Current SO2 and PM10 emissions at the plant are 13% and 12% of the levels registered in 1994. Meanwhile, a group of environmental activists has submitted a legal action before region V's appeals court requesting the closure of the plant until authorities can confirm that the company has taken all the necessary measures to prevent a new sulfur dioxide leak. Former plant workers also filed a lawsuit on Friday claiming that 28 of their colleagues died due to exposure to smelter gas emissions while working at the facility. www.bnamericas.com GEA Bischoff received the order for 2 wet gas electrostatic precipitators (WESP) from CODELCO in Chile. CODELCO is the biggest producer of copper in the world. In the last 30 years GEA Bischoff has supplied different kind of gas cleaning equipment to CODELCO, among others 40 WESPs. The new precipitators will be installed in CODELCO’s sulphuric acid plant in Las Ventanas.

MTPD - Metric Tonne per Day STPD - Short Ton per Day
MTPA - Metric Tonne per Annum STPA - Short Ton per Annum
SA - Single Absorption
DA - Double Absorption

* Coordinates can be used to locate plant on Google Earth


Sulphuric Acid on the Web^TM	Technical Manual	DKL Engineering, Inc.