The drop in demand for sulphuric acid has forced the Xstrata's Kidd Metallurgical site in Timmins to reduce production levels.
Effective April 13th, the site's copper smelter will be shut down for an eight-week period. The site's concentrator and zinc operations will continue to operate normally.
Xstrata has stated in a press release they will try to reduce any negative impact to the 175 employees working at their copper operations.
The sulfuric acid is a necessary by-product of the smelting process. Sulphur dioxide must be captured due to environmental regulations and Xstrata's capturing process converts the sulphur dioxide into sulfuric acid which Xstrata then sells to companies that use it.
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