CGTN reported that the city of Bor in Serbia has a decades-old air pollution problem due to its proximity to one of Europe's largest copper mines. Excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide, a byproduct produced by the copper smelting plant, has threatened the health of its inhabitants and those living in towns and villages close by. But now, for the first time in the town's long history, that problem is on the verge of being resolved thanks to Chinese company Zijin Mining, which acquired the mine and its facilities in 2018. The company vowed to invest heavily in the eco-revitalization projects and, as soon as possible, start the cutting emissions inline with EU standards. That was the highly expected news among the people in Bor, as they breathe in some of the worst air in Europe. After Zijin took over the mine, due to the old technology already installed in the smelter those amounts of sulphur dioxide continued to exceed acceptable levels. But when the first investment cycle started, Zijin poured around $750 million into the rejuvenation of the facility. Out of that sum, $126 million was used for tackling the environmental problem. The first results of that endeavor should be felt this August, as Jian Ximing, general manager of Serbia Zijin Copper, told us.Sulfur dioxide, which had been pumped into the atmosphere, will be turned into 30,000 tons of gypsum every year in an enormous new facility that will be in operation soon. The gypsum, which can be used as a base for plaster will be sold to the construction industry.
CGTN reported that the city of Bor in Serbia has a decades-old air pollution problem due to its proximity to one of Europe's largest copper mines. Excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide, a byproduct produced by the copper smelting plant, has threatened the health of its inhabitants and those living in towns and villages close by. But now, for the first time in the town's long history, that problem is on the verge of being resolved thanks to Chinese company Zijin Mining, which acquired the mine and its facilities in 2018. The company vowed to invest heavily in the eco-revitalization projects and, as soon as possible, start the cutting emissions inline with EU standards. That was the highly expected news among the people in Bor, as they breathe in some of the worst air in Europe. After Zijin took over the mine, due to the old technology already installed in the smelter those amounts of sulphur dioxide continued to exceed acceptable levels. But when the first investment cycle started, Zijin poured around $750 million into the rejuvenation of the facility. Out of that sum, $126 million was used for tackling the environmental problem. The first results of that endeavor should be felt this August, as Jian Ximing, general manager of Serbia Zijin Copper, told us.Sulfur dioxide, which had been pumped into the atmosphere, will be turned into 30,000 tons of gypsum every year in an enormous new facility that will be in operation soon. The gypsum, which can be used as a base for plaster will be sold to the construction industry.
