Although initially spared, the African mining sector is now also feeling the effects of the war in Iran. This is due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of the world’s hydrocarbon production passes, which are jeopardizing the supply of certain chemical inputs such as sulfuric acid and sulfur, essential to the copper processing industry.
According to an analysis by investment bank Goldman Sachs, cited by Jeune Afrique, the DRC “could be forced to reduce its production by around 125,000 tons in 2026 if the logistical disruptions persist”.
“Around 20% of the global copper supply depends on a process that uses sulfuric acid to leach copper from oxidized ores. With around 50% of the global supply of sulfur transported by sea cut off, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the sulfur and sulfuric acid markets are becoming extremely tight,” said Robert Friedland, executive co-chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, a Canadian mining company that mines copper at the Kamoa-Kakula site, in a statement last April.1
However, China, which accounts for 45% of global sulfuric acid production and is the world’s largest consumer, suspended its exports at the beginning of May until further notice. Beijing is now prioritizing domestic demand as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.
Sulfuric acid is produced from sulfur. However, the price of this product has already risen by 50% on the Chinese market since the outbreak of war in Iran at the end of February.
Sulfuric acid: essential for copper
To understand what is at stake, one must grasp the central role that sulfuric acid plays in copper extraction. Around 20% of global production of the red metal relies on a hydrometallurgical process known as leaching, in which the acid is poured over oxidized ores to extract the copper. No acid, therefore, means no copper – at least for this category of deposits, which accounts for a significant share of Congolese production.
A solution on Congolese soil, but insufficient:
This situation could be put to good use by the new Kamoa-Kakula smelter, a copper production mining complex based in Lualaba. Having only come on stream at the end of December 2025, it has been producing high-strength sulfuric acid at an average rate of 1,350 tons per day since the start of 2026, as announced in a press release on 13 April by Ivanhoe Mines, a Canadian company specializing in copper production. This volume of sulfuric acid produced represents the equivalent of 480,000 tons on an annual basis.
At full capacity, its sulfuric acid production is expected to be higher, between 600,000 and 700,000 tones.
However significant these volumes may be, they cannot bridge the looming shortfall, as the DRC’s requirement is 2 million tons for the mining sector alone. Due to this scarcity, the DRC will also have to review its revenue from taxes and duties related to sulfuric acid imports, including excise duties at a rate of 20%.2
Despite everything, the DRC, the world’s second-largest copper producer, remains a key player in supply chains linked to low-carbon technologies. However, developments observed at the start of this year already point to a shift. Exports fell by 14.6% in the first quarter, standing at around 955,000 tones, compared with nearly 1.09 million tons a year earlier, according to data reported by Reuters.
As the second-best electrical conductor after silver, copper is central to the manufacture of cables, electric motors, vehicles and electronic components. Furthermore, it is widely used in renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles.
Written by Akilimali Chomachoma
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