# Macquarie University start-up launches clean copper tech

Canonical Atlas analysis: https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/macquarie-university-start-up-launches-clean-copper-tech--75ab1aba-f10c-450a-a284-7a70ed8ac45c

Original source: https://miningbeacon.com/industry/macquarie-university-start-up-launches-clean-copper-tech

Publisher: miningbeacon

Original announcement: 2026-03-20T00:00:00.000Z

Analysis by Minestarters Atlas

Atlas analysis published: Unknown date

Atlas analysis updated: Unknown date

- Company: Loop Hydrometallurgy

- Ticker: Unavailable

- Exchange: Unavailable

- Region: Unavailable

- Primary commodity: Copper

- Secondary commodities: Nickel, Cobalt, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold

- Document categories: Metallurgy

- Extracted: 2026-08-21 00:55:35 UTC

Narrative sentiment: 0.60 · Bullish

## Minestarters Atlas summary

Australian start-up Loop Hydrometallurgy has unveiled a new 'Halion Loop' technology capable of extracting copper and other metals using halide liquors at low temperatures. The process claims to reduce power consumption by up to 70% and operating costs by 30-40%, with commercial production targeted for early 2028.

Reasoning: The announcement describes a novel hydrometallurgical process \(Halion Loop\) that promises significant ESG and cost advantages for copper and other metals, though it is still in the pilot stage.

- Positive factor: significant reduction in power consumption

- Positive factor: potential for 30-40% reduction in operating costs

- Positive factor: low temperature and atmospheric pressure operation

- Positive factor: no noxious gas emissions or liquid effluents

- Negative factor: technology is currently at pilot scale \(20kg/day\)

- Negative factor: commercial production is not expected until 2028

Facts used in scoring: 1

## Classification and evidence

**Mill Route**

Polarity: neutral

Definition: Processing via mill or concentrator \(CIL, CIP, tank leach, flotation\).

Why it applies: The technology involves leaching, purifying, and recovering metals, which is a hydrometallurgical mill-style process.

Evidence · text

> Loop Hydrometallurgy’s technology leached, purified and recovered copper directly

**Bench Scale Only**

Polarity: negative

Definition: Only preliminary bench tests completed — no locked-cycle or pilot work.

Why it applies: The technology is currently at a pilot scale producing 20kg per day, which is not yet commercial scale.

Evidence · text

> produce about 20kg of copper per day via its current PEW20 pilot electrowinning cell prototype

## Extracted facts

Stored fact records: 1. Some facts used in scoring do not have a stored record.

## Metallurgical Results (1)

### electrowinning

[Link to this fact](https://atlas-staging.minestarters.com/news/macquarie-university-start-up-launches-clean-copper-tech--75ab1aba-f10c-450a-a284-7a70ed8ac45c#fact-metallurgical-facts-0)

copper

#### Identity

- Commodity: copper

#### Test Work

- Program Status: preliminary
- Test Type: electrowinning
- Processing Route: leached, purified and recovered copper directly using halide liquors at atmospheric pressure and less than 100C
- Sample: PEW20 pilot electrowinning cell prototype

#### Reagents

- Reagent Notes: uses simple salt water; operates at atmospheric pressure and less than 100C; no noxious gas emissions and no liquid effluents

#### Review

- Needs Review: No
- Historical: No

#### Dates

- Event date: 2026-03-20T00:00:00.000Z

Reasoning: Pilot scale production of 20kg/day demonstrated using a prototype cell.

- Positive factor: low temperature operation

- Positive factor: low power requirement

- Negative factor: pilot scale only

Evidence · text

> can produce about 20kg of copper per day via its current PEW20 pilot electrowinning cell prototype

## How Atlas produces this analysis

Minestarters Atlas uses automated extraction to summarize mining announcements, identify reported measurements, and classify supporting evidence. Sentiment reflects the extracted narrative and classification rules; it is an interpretation, not a reported measurement. Evidence quotes and context are provided where available. Missing data, low-confidence results, and review flags indicate limitations. Check the original publisher announcement before relying on an interpretation.