Our unique Mitsubishi Continuous Copper Smelting and Converting Process (The Mitsubishi Process) continuously produces blister copper from copper concentrate and recycled raw materials by connecting a series of three furnaces with pipes. As the required facilities are compact and help save energy and reduce costs, they have an exceptionally low environmental impact and produce a copper manufacturing process renowned for its high efficiency.
Raw materials (including wastes and by-products) are prepared during the raw material grinding process and then sintered at high temperatures to produce a hydraulic mineral during the burning process. Once the raw mixture has reached the maximum temperature (1,450ºC) and a series of chemical reactions are completed, it is quickly cooled into an intermediate product called clinker.
Item | Total |
---|---|
Reduction in GHG emissions (CO2 equivalent) |
160 thousand of tons |
Reduction in consumption of natural mineral resources | 420 thousand of tons |
Reduction in energy consumption (crude oil equivalent) |
90 thousand of tons |
Reduction in waste sent to landfill | 120 thousand of tons |
The above table does not take into account the impact of recovering fluorocarbons (refrigerant fluorocarbon in air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines, and insulation fluorocarbon in refrigerators). Expressed in terms of CO2 emissions, recovering approximately 525 tons of recovered freon would equate to a reduction of approximately 1,240 thousand of tons.
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Using copper concentrate from environmentally friendly copper mines and leveraging the competitive edge of the Mitsubishi Continuous Copper Smelting and Converting Process, we operate a recycling business that boasts world-leading processing capacity, thus ensuring the steady supply of cleaner non-ferrous metal materials to society. While copper and precious metals grow more important reflecting various shifts such as EVs, IT, and decarbonized society, we fulfill our responsibility to supply materials with environmental considerations, thus contributing to the development of society and realization of a sustainable society.
Tungsten, the main raw material used in cemented carbide tools, is a rare metal whose stable supply is important in terms of policy. Tungsten ore mines are unevenly distributed in some countries and regions, and there are risks of sharply rising prices and availability issues due to instability in international relations. We will actively promote the recycling of used cemented carbide tools and continue to ensure the stable supply of tungsten in the future.
FYE March 2020 result | FYE March 2021 result | FYE March 2022 result | FYE March 2023 result | FYE March 2024 result | FYE March 2025 target | |
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Ratio of recycled tungsten as raw material | 28.3% | 41.8% | 43.5% | 50.0% | 56.0% | More than 56.0% |