China resumes sulphuric acid exports to copper king Chile after three-month halt
China resumed sulphuric acid exports to Chile in September after a three-month halt, with shipments to the world's largest copper producer accounting for nearly all of the month's exports, customs data showed on Tuesday.
China shipped 31666 metric tons of sulphuric acid to Chile in September, accounting for 93.5% of its total exports of 33873 tons.
Exports to Chile had dried up in March but resumed in April and May.
Despite the rebound, China's overall sulphuric acid exports remained well below the 116703-ton level in May, when China moved to halt sulphuric acid exports to safeguard domestic fertiliser supplies after the Iran war disrupted shipments of sulphur, a key raw material used to produce the acid.
The restrictions largely choked off exports from June, with monthly shipments falling to less than 1000 tons in both June and July.
Chile, which relies heavily on imported sulphuric acid to extract copper from ore through leaching, was particularly exposed to the restrictions.
September marked the first shipments to Chile since May, when China exported 24195 tons to the country. Exports to other destinations remained subdued at just 2207 tons.
Indonesia, which uses sulphuric acid in high-pressure acid leaching to produce nickel, received no shipments from China for a fourth consecutive month, after emerging as the biggest buyer of China's sulphuric acid in the first five months of this year.
The export restrictions have also complicated operations for Chinese copper smelters, which produce sulphuric acid as a byproduct. Revenue from acid sales has helped support smelter margins as fees for processing copper concentrate have fallen below zero.
