PT Freeport Indonesia will start processing anode mud after its precious metal refinery (PMR) facility operates in 2025. The anode mud purification facility is integrated with Freeport's copper concentrate smelter which is being built in the JIIPE Special Economic Zone (KEK), Gresik, East Java. "The PMR capacity is 6,000 tons per year and will process anode sludge from [smelter] PT Smelting and those at JIIPE," said Technical Affairs & Smelter Project Support Manager Erika Silva during a visit to the Manyar Smelter at JIIPE, Gresik, East Java, Wednesday (29 /3/2023). Anode mud is a by-product produced by the Freeport copper concentrate smelter.
So far, said Erika, anode mud from Freeport's first smelter managed by PT Smelting was exported to Japan because there were no cleaning facilities in Indonesia yet. He explained that anode mud is a concentrate with a fairly high gold content. When purified, anode mud can produce a number of products, including gold, silver, platinum, and others. "So far, anode mud has been exported, but in 2025 it will be processed here and refined into gold bars," said Erika. He explained, with an anode mud capacity of 6,000 tons per year, PMR Freeport would be able to produce 52 tons of gold and 210 tons of silver per year. It also produces 0.03 tons of platinum, 0.375 tons of palladium, 285 tons of selenium, 220 tons of bismuth and 2,200 tons of lead per year. Meanwhile, for gold production, Freeport is exploring potential buyers from within the country.
