08
2026-07
Good News! Project Led by China Nerin Wins Second Prize of National Award for Science and Technology Progress
On July 8, good news was announced from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. At the National Science and Technology Awards Conference, the General Assembly of Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 11th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the project titled "Innovative Technologies and Equipment for Efficient Mineral Processing and Metallurgy of Complex Sulfide-Oxide Copper-Cobalt Ores and Their Industrialization," led by China Nerin Engineering Co., Ltd. (China Nerin) and jointly developed with China Railway Resources Group Co., Ltd., Central South University, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, China Nonferrous Metal Industry's Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd., and Hunan Nonferrous Metals Research Institute Co., Ltd., was awarded the Second Prize of National Award for Science and Technology Progress. This marks the second time China Nerin has won this prestigious national science and technology honor, after securing the Second Prize of National Award for Science and Technology Progress in 2023.
Aerial view of a large copper-cobalt mine in Africa, showcasing the industrialized application of the complete set of technologies and equipment
Focusing on the vast reserves of complex sulfide-oxide copper-cobalt ores located in the world's largest copper-cobalt mineralization belt, the project successfully overcame bottlenecks such as complicated flowsheets for traditional mineral processing and metallurgy technologies, low copper and cobalt recovery rates, and high operation costs. Through years of dedicated research, the project team conquered three major challenges: the efficient separation of complex sulfide-oxide ores, the targeted phase reconstruction of refractory sulfide concentrates, and the highly efficient synergistic leaching and recovery of copper and cobalt. They established a proprietary technological and equipment system for highly efficient resource utilization, achieving green, low-carbon, and economically viable development of complex sulfide-oxide copper-cobalt ores.
Currently, these innovative achievements have been widely applied in Chinese-equity mines along the Belt and Road Initiative, helping to build overseas strategic mineral resource bases for copper and cobalt. The independently developed complete set of key technologies and intelligent equipment for the mineral processing and metallurgy of complex sulfide-oxide copper-cobalt ores has strongly propelled China's overall technological level in this field to the forefront of the world.
The National Award for Science and Technology Progress is one of the five national science and technology awards approved by the State Council. It is primarily awarded to individuals and organizations that have completed and applied innovative scientific and technological achievements, making outstanding contributions to scientific and technological progress as well as economic and social development. This award represents high-level national recognition of China Nerin's long-term commitment to technological innovation and its fruitful collaborative research achievements integrating industry, academia, research, and application. Looking ahead, China Nerin will take this award as a new starting point to continuously increase R&D intensity and advance the transformation and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, contributing "Nerin's strength" to the high-quality development of China's nonferrous metals industry and the accelerated building of a leading science and technology powerhouse.