Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions Scenario Analysis of Pyrometallurgical Copper Based on LCA

In this paper,the pyrometallurgical copper production on different smelting processes is studied by life cycle assessment(LCA) method,to make a quantitative evaluation on energy consumption and carbon emissions in the whole life cycle of copper production.Moreover,the energy consumption and carbon emissions scenario are designed on the possible process structures of different smelting technology in 2020,aiming at providing policy support to the structural adjustment and optimization of China's copper production.The results showed that the energy consumption of pyrometallurgical copper production on ISF smelting,flash smelting,and bath smelting processes respectively are 147.80,96.68,and 104.20×103MJ,and the carbon emission intensity are 15.32,8.99,10.01×103kg CO2 eq;the energy consumption of four scenarios are 111.60,103.37,101.19,and 99.69×103 MJ,respectively,and the carbon emission intensity are 10.87,9.87,9.60,and 9.40×103kg CO2 eq.As a result,traditional ISF smelting has the highest energy consumption and carbon emissions comparing with the other two.Therefore,it is urgent to eliminate outdate smelting technology,and promote advanced technology to reduce the environmental burden of pyrometallurgical copper production.