Outotec has installed a SepTor continuous counter-current carousel ion exchange system at a copper mine situated in South Africa. The copper from the smelter is cast into anodes which are then transported to the refinery for electrolysis. Nickel is accumulated in the electrowinning circuit. A bleed stream is taken from the electrowinning cells, and passed through a separate set of cells where copper in the bleed stream is completely plated out, leaving only nickel and other dissolved impurities. Then the stream with 10–15 gpl of nickel content is passed through a SepTor continuous counter current ion exchange system. The SepTor system takes the nickel from the solution and increases its concentration to 70–80 gpl, due to the highly efficient counter-current elution.