Glencore (OTCPK:GLCNF) (OTCPK:GLNCY) is moving ahead with a new extraction technology at its Lomas Bayas copper mine in northern Chile as part of the industry's attempts to squeeze out more metal from lower quality ore, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

After two years of laboratory trials, Glencore (OTCPK:GLCNF) (OTCPK:GLNCY) agreed to begin on-site testing at scale of a leaching process developed by Ceibo, the Chilean startup backed by BHP (BHP), the two companies said.

Ceibo's process extracts copper from sulfide ores using existing leaching plants, with electrochemical reactions improving recovery rates in shorter cycles.

Lomas Bayas, with some of the industry's lowest grades at just 0.25%, could benefit from leaching as a way to extend its life by at least seven years, mine General Manager Pablo Carvallo told Bloomberg.