The Company

COMPANY FOCUS

To develop and implement advanced, efficient and sustainable technological solutions that are necessary for the mining and metallurgical industries of the 21st century and having an impact on progress and social welfare.

RioTinto Proyectos y Desarrollos, S.L. (RTP) is a company dedicated to consulting and advising companies, basically in the mining-metallurgical sector, and to the development of advanced technological solutions that are necessary to improve and optimise production processes that must achieve the standards of quality, sustainability and social progress required of industries in the 21st century.

RTP has been founded by high-level experts in Hydrometallurgy (including Bio-hydrometallurgy and Electrometallurgy), Mineral Processing, and in the Recycling and Reuse of secondary materials (Circular Economy), who have an extensive and fruitful professional career in the research, development and implementation of new technologies, and with a long and solid experience in the production and operation of industrial plants, as well as, in the management of companies, projects, and work teams since the 80´s of the last century.

RTP's primary objectives are to cooperate with industrial companies and institutions, mainly mining and metallurgical companies, to develop the most advanced, efficient and sustainable technological solutions in their new projects and to improve and optimize their production processes and their existing industrial plants, offering: (i) smart and efficient technologies, (ii) assistance in the planning and execution of metallurgical tests from the laboratory to the pilot plant,  (iii) the design and engineering of the new processes and their subsequent industrial implementation, as well as, (iv) the execution of feasibility studies and techno-economic evaluation of the projects developed.

Another noteworthy aspect, where RTP can offer the most suitable solutions to industries, is the development of projects based on the concept of Circular Economy, focused on the Recycling and Reuse of mining and industrial waste, e.g. spent batteries.

RTP's ambition is to become a reliable and trustworthy partner at the service of the industry, particularly in the mining-metallurgical sector.

GOALS

To cooperate with the mining-metallurgical industry to develop and apply smart, low-risk solutions for specific needs or problems.

The RTP team has the knowledge and professional experience necessary to design and develop technologies based on Mineral processing and Hydrometallurgy (including Bio-hydrometallurgy and Electrometallurgy) that are efficiently adapted and integrated into each specific project or application, covering the value chain that usually includes: (i) geometallurgical analysis, (ii) flotation and concentration, (iii) leaching,  (iv) purification and extraction with solvents, (v) obtaining metals using physical-chemical and electrolytic techniques, (vi) refining, and (vii) marketing, as well as, (viii) recycling secondary materials, exhausted batteries, etc. To the extent reasonable, the proposed technological solutions will be based on existing and proven processes, and where emerging and innovative technologies are needed, the RTP team will propose smart and low-risk solutions, in order to facilitate the industrial implementation of the new projects under reliable and feasible conditions.

STRATEGY

Within the area of Metallurgical Engineering, the technological approach proposed and developed by RTP aims to produce refined and high-value metals in the mine itself, following the advanced concept "MINE-TO-METAL".

Within the area of Metallurgical Engineering, RTP offers its customers technological solutions based on Hydrometallurgy, which also includes the fields of Bio-hydrometallurgy and Electrometallurgy, applying the advanced concept "Mine-to-Metal", which has great advantages over the conventional approach of production of metal concentrates and their subsequent treatment in refineries usually located at great distances:

• Technological solutions based on Hydrometallurgy, which includes the fields of Bio-hydrometallurgy and Electrometallurgy, make it possible to treat low-grade and complex polymetallic concentrates, which cannot be treated in conventional smelters.
• The highest efficiency of mineral resources is achieved and metal extraction is maximised thanks to the production of low-grade concentrates with maximum metal recovery and containing impurities that are not penalised in hydrometallurgical treatment.
• Hydrometallurgical technologies allow the extraction of metals of high economic and strategic value: CRM, SRM and REE.
• The environmental footprint is minimized because it is confined and limited to the operational space of the mine, since it is not necessary to transport concentrates to distant places, avoiding possible spills and air pollution, and the waste generated is handled and deposited in dry storage in the mine itself in a safe way.