Protection of the air

KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. conducts its core business being aware of its responsibility for the environment, including for air quality. Many years of investments in this area are reflected in the reduction of air emissions that are critical for the Company’s operations, which is shown on the chart and descriptions below:

Dust emissions from mining production continue to decrease in KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. in spite of the growing output. The continuous reduction of emissions from underground mining production is made possible by a proper organization of the mining process and replacement of mining machinery and equipment driven by combustion engines with low emission or electric machinery. Dust emissions from the ore enrichment process were effectively reduced in the 1980s. The current projects are aimed at sealing the process even further and reducing fugitive emissions. All these efforts led to a 70% decrease of dust emissions from mining production in 2021 as compared to those in 2010.

Dust emissions from metallurgical production of copper may contain metals and metal compounds. The consistent application of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) in KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. led to a 79% decrease of dust emissions from electrolytic copper production in 2021 as compared to 2010. The main focus for reducing emissions to the environment, which started in the 1990s, was on the use of modern treatment technology for most organized emissions. The current projects are aimed at improving dust suppression techniques, further sealing the processes and reducing fugitive emissions. In terms of reduction of dust emissions, the Company has already achieved a great deal through continuous improvement of dust suppression techniques and has practically exhausted the technical possibilities to reduce emissions. Further progress in reducing emissions will be a particular challenge for the near future. It will require new technologies to be developed and new technical barriers to be overcome.

Besides copper, sulphur is one of the main ingredients of copper concentrates. The gaseous sulphur dioxide produced during the smelting of concentrates is converted to sulphuric acid in sulphuric acid installations. In international benchmarks, KGHM is a pioneer in reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions: emission per tonne of copper produced has been reduced to approximately 2 grams per tonne of electrolytic copper, i.e. by about 72% vs. 2010.