VELOX pilot project

VELOX is a pilot project to upgrade our converters for the purpose of testing a new technology that does not yet exist in the copper industry. This technology has the potential to significantly reduce our air emissions and revolutionize the way we process copper while raising our smelter to a new level.

If we can show the technical and economic feasibility of deploying the VELOX technology on a large scale, we may be able to implement the PHENIX project. This project would reduce the percentage of arsenic emissions at the statutory station by 10% to 15%. It would also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our process and increase our capacity to process recycled materials by about 15%.

Over time, thanks to the expertise and skills of our workers, our process has been modernized and improved to fully realize our vision and mission in accordance with our values, while promoting the integration of a circular metals economy through recycling.

Several innovations have emerged at Horne Smelter, making us a leader in copper processing.

VELOX: the team behind the project

It took many years of research and work to successfully develop the VELOX technology. In the past five years, more than 100 employees, contractors, and consultants have come together with a single goal in mind: to create a process that optimizes operations while improving the smelter’s environmental performance. Mission accomplished! Their efforts have paid off and VELOX technology can now be tested.