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By J. Roger Loebenstein

Demand for arsenic trioxide exceeded supply in 1978 and 1979, and the major domestic and foreign producers allocated available supplies to customers. Major demand has been from the cotton-growing and wood-preserving industries. Ample supplies of arsenic metal produced in the United States and Sweden were available in 1978 and 1979. Major demand for metal was from the automobile battery industry in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Legislation and Government Programs.-The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), promulgated the final standard on the occupational exposure to inorganic arsenic, effective August 1, 1978.2 The need for the standard was a result of OSHA's conclusion that inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen. The purpose of the standard was to minimize the incidence of lung cancer among workers exposed to inorganic arsenic. The maximum exposure to arsenic was lowered from the previous ceiling of 500 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 10 micrograms per cubic meter over an 8-hour time period. OSHA had originally recommended a ceiling limit of 4 micrograms per cubic meter in January 1975. Provisions of the new standard require exposed employees to wear respirators and undergo continuous medical monitoring. Other provisions establish regulated areas limited to authorized employees and require the construction of special lunch-room and worker hygiene facilities and the posting of signs and labels warning of the presence of arsenic. The new arsenic standard will have a significant economic impact on copper, zinc, gold, and lead smelters as well as consumers of arsenic trioxide. A number of copper companies have joined together to contest the standard in court. However, measures to comply with the standard have been initiated by ASARCO Incorporated at its Tacoma, Wash. plant.

Jan 1, 1980

The Department of Interior, U.S. Bureau of Mines performs the task of estimating the quantity of coal reserves existing in each state on a county by county basis. As a part of Information Circular 8655, the Bureau of Mines established the criteria for the uniform estimations of coal reserves and listed the most recent estimates of coal reserves by county and by seam. At the same time however, the Bureau recognized that these figures represented the upper bound with regard to the estimated actually usable or obtainable reserves. Recovery of these reserves are subject to the mining methods used and to the resolution of such problems as the use of poor quality coal and competition provided by conflicting land use. These problems, in practice restrict the recovery of the estimated quantities of coal reserves listed in IC 8655. Another impact, the subject of this manual, is the impact resulting from previous mining activities. In particular, many of the reserve seams included in the reserve estimates overlie or underlie mined-out coal beds. Portions of these reserve seams may therefore be unmineable or at best may have a reduced quantity of extractable coal. In order to improve the accuracy of the coal reserve base estimates, the Bureau of Mines funded an effort1 to develop a systematic methodology for estimating the coal loss associated with the impact of previous mining activity. The coal loss calculation model (CLCM) described in this manual is a result of that effort and addresses the percentage of coal loss in reserve seams due to previous overmining or undermining.

Jan 1, 1976

By G. E. McClelland

The Bureau of Mines investigated chemical methods for producing high- purity gold from precious-metal-bearing zinc precipitates and steel wool cathodes. Precious-metal-bearing zinc precipitates and steel wool cathodes are unrefined products from conventional cyanidation and heap leaching-cyanidation operations. The zinc precipitates contained 14,40 pct Au and 0.35 pct Ag. The precious-metal-bearing steel wool cathodes contained 20.65 pct Au and 4.84 pct Ag. The precipitates and cathodes were treated with dilute acid to solubilize the silver and/or base metals. The gold-bearing residue was leached in dilute aqua reqia to solubilize the gold. High-purity gold was precipitated from the aqua regia solution with oxalic acid, sulfurous acid, sodium bisulfite, and gaseous sulfur dioxide. The leaching-precipitation experiments recovered 99.9 pct of the gold. The gold precipitates ranged in fineness from 997 to 999 fine. The chemical refining method provides a viable technique for the smaller operator to produce high-purity gold without using pyrometallurgical refining methods.

Jan 1, 1985

By G. W. Birge, D. E. Wolfson, J. H. Lynch

This report by the Federal Bureau of Mines describes the carbonizing properties of coals from the principal beds in Boone County , W. Va . Results are given for samples of coals from No. 5 Block , Stockton - Lewiston , Coalburg , Winifrede , Chilton , Hernshaw , Cedar Grove , Alma , and No. 2 Gas beds . Boone County coals rank as high -volatile A bituminous . Eighteen of the 21 samples tested contained from 3.3 to 7.9 percent ash and 16 of the samples contained from 0.6 to 0.9 percent sulfur . Two samples from the Alma and No. 2 Gas beds , the lowest stratigraphically of the seams tested in Boone County , contained from 1.4 to 2.7 percent sulfur . Most Boone County coals yield

Jul 1, 1960

By Floyd D. Everett

The J. B. fluorite deposit is in the Washington mining district, southwestern Beaver County, Utah (fig. 1). Fluorite outcrops were found during 1942, and three lode claims wore located. Little work was done on the property until October 1943, at which time the Bureau of Mines started development to determine the subsurface extent of the fluorite mineralization exposed at the surface. The most prominent rocks in the J. B. mine area are porphyries, which vary considerably in composition. Dacite porphyry appears to be the most common host rock for the fluorite-quartz-calcite lenticular masses. The dacite porphyry in the area is highly brecciated over a strike length of more than 1 mile. Fluorite deposits in the brecciated zone cover a strike length of approximately 400 foot. The fluorite lenses range in length from 40 to 200 feet and in width from 4 to 10 feet (fig. 2). The Bureau of Mines work on the J. B. property was started in October 1943 and completed in October a year later. The work consisted of surface trenching by bulldozer and hand methods, shaft sinking, drifting, and crosscutting. Eleven trenches totaling 1,800 linear feet were excavated. An inclined shaft was sunk to a depth of 105 feet, and from thin shaft 577 feet of drifts and crosscuts were driven to outline the extent of the mineral deposit (fig. 3). Two hundred ninety-seven samples were taken in the surface trenches and underground workings. The locations of the samples and analyses arc shown in accompanying figures and tables. Results of metallurgical tests comprise the concluding section of this report.

Jan 1, 1950

By G. L. Neumann

"INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARYThe Guymard mine in Orange County, N. Y., is reported to have been discovered in 1862 and mined until 1876, producing 10,000 tons of lead and zinc ore. 2/The property was examined by an engineer of the Bureau of Mines 3/ in 1948. Development work was done by the Bureau in April and May 1949 and March 1950. During these two periods four drill holes totaling 2,090 feet were completed. The mineralized sections of the core were sampled and assayed.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe diamond drilling was conducted under the general supervision of McHenry Mosier, chief, Mining Development Branch, Minerals Technology Division, Region VIII, and the direct supervision of Kenneth M. Earl and the writer as project engineers. Drill cores were logged by Paul K. Sims of the Federal Geological Survey. Chemical analyses were made by the Bruce Williams laboratories, Joplin, Mo., and the Minerals Processing Branch, Minerals Technology Division, Region VIII, Bureau of Mines, under the general supervision of Paul M. Ambrose, chief, and the direct supervision of Howard F. Carl, chief, Physical and Chemical Section.LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITYThe Guymard deposit (see fig. 1) is on the west slope of Mount Hope, Orange County, N. Y., 1,500 feet northeast of Lake Guymard.Graham station, near the deposit, is on the Erie Railroad about 8 miles north of Port Jervis and 4 miles south of Otisville."

Aug 1, 1952

By O. C. Blade

A comparison of certain properties of the commercial aviation gasolines produced in the United States during October 1949, 1950, and 1951 is presented in table 1, the 1951 data being average values from tables 3 through 6 of the present report. Trends in the average values of certain characteristics of these fuels may be seen in figures 1 through 4 which also indicate the minimum and maximum values. As may be observed, with the exception of changes in kinematic viscosities, the properties of commercial aviation gasolines have not varied greatly during recent years. A list of aviation-gasoline survey reports published by the Bureau of Mines is given on page 6. A summary of the average values of the properties on jet fuels is shown in table 2.

Jan 1, 1952

This manual is for use by mine operating personnel and vehicle manufacturers in the selection and proper use of automatic fire protection systems for underground metal and non-metal mining vehicles. Most of the currently available systems are manually operated, dry chemical fire suppression systems. When properly designed, installed, and maintained these systems have proven to be effective both in fire suppression and in withstanding the rugged mine environment. Portable fire extinguishers and manually actuated systems have provided adequate protection for most of the reported fire incidents. However, there have also been incidents where injuries and property losses would not have occurred if the vehicle had been protected with an automatic fire protection system. The need for reliable automatic systems exists when the operator is not present, especially when the vehicle engine is running without the operator in the cab; and also in cases where the operator leaves the vehicle to fight a small fire with a portable and is then forced to abandon the vehicle because the small fire becomes uncontrollable. In the later cases manual systems on the vehicle are never actuated. Although these incidents have been relatively few in number in the past, the increasing use of mobile diesel powered equipment and the related importance of personnel safety, high costs of the mining vehicles, and high cost of down time warrant consideration of automatic fire protection systems. The fire history data and the design concept discussed in this manual were developed under the Bureau of Mines Contract H0252038 which is part of the government's mining research safety program. The purpose of the contract was to develop a low cost, reliable, prototype automatic fire control system for underground vehicles. The industry needs were determined through an extensive mine visitation program, and the prototype system was demonstrated on a vehicle in an underground mine fire test. The system developed under this contract was specifically designed for a load-haul-dump. However, the design concept is applicable to the full general class of mobile underground mining equipment.

Jan 1, 2011

By K. K. Kelley, L. B. Pankratz

The heat contents of four silicate minerals -- akermanite , cordierite , gehlenite , and merwinite --were measured from 298 ° to around 1,700 ° K by the dropping method . The results were compiled into tabular and equation forms suitable for thermodynamic calculations . The heat contents of these compounds are nearly additive with respect to their constituent oxides .

Jan 1, 1964

By T. J. Ballard

The Conrad Hill mine vas first opened as a gold mine about 182 and has been operated at various times since then. The Bureau of Mines, as part of the strategic minerals program, mapped and sampled the accessible mine workings. The work failed to reveal appreciable copper values or evidence of additional ore deposits.

Jan 1, 1948

By Jr. Sillers

This is the sixth report of investigations in cooperation with the steel industry to establish the technological acceptability of electrolytic manganese in steelmaking processes. The bulk of the .electrolytic manganese used in these tests was produced by the Bureau Of Mines from domestic ores at its Boulder City, Nev., pilot plant by the process developed by the Bureau. Electrolytic manganese for the first series of tests made in 1940 was supplied by the Electro manganese Corp., Knoxville, Tenn. The first report dealt with the application of electrolytic manganese to the manufacture of stainless.steel;9 the second with tests in acid electric and acid open-hearth low and medium carbon-steel castings; the third with its use in rimmed and? killed low-carbon steels; the fourth with its application to the manufacture of stainless steel as well as the Timken 16-25-6 alloy for gas turbines; and the fifth with tests in acid and basic electric steel foundry practice and basic steel ingot production.

Jan 1, 1948

By G. A. Appell

"INTRODUCTION During the summer of 1945, the Bureau of Mines conducted an investigation and program of churn drilling near the village of Tennyson in Grant County, Wis. The work was undertaken as part of a general investigation of the zinc-producing area of southwestern Wisconsin at a time when all effort was being made to increase the production of metals important to the war program.The area for special investigation was selected on the basis of favorable structural disclosures, evidence of widespread zinc mineralization, absence of any great amount of exploration to depth beneath the productive shallow workings, and the favorable results of several churn-drill holes in the village of Tennyson.During the Bureau's investigation, 30 churn-drill holes aggregating5,888 feet were completed.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn its program of investigation of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to-the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual. Investigative work, and prepares the final report.The work described herein was accomplished under the direct supervision of Francis C. Lincoln and the author, mining engineers of the Bureau of Mines. Final data on the investigation were prepared under the direction of Edward F. Fitzhugh, Jr., chief Minneapolis Division, Mining Branch."

Jun 1, 1947

By R. D. Ladoo

"At the beginning of 1920 a general feeling of optimism was noted in many talc-producing districts. The industry seems to have recovered from the temporary depression of the first half of 1919 and many mills are running at capacity production with their entire output for 1920 contracted for. The imports of talc for 1919 were only slightly larger than in 1918 by weight and probably no more by value. Thus foreign competition has not begun to be seriously felt. Several new companies in this country have been organized, some to operate new deposits and others to continue the work done by others.An interesting phase of the present situation is the possibility of increased use of talc in paint. There is a shortage of barium sulfate used as,paint filler. Since, for some uses, talc is considered second only to BaSo4 as a filler for paint, it is possible that part of the shortage could be relieved by an increased use of talc.A series of physical tests upon all pigment materials used in the manufacture of paints is being conducted for the Paint Manufacturers Association of the United States. It is important that all types of talc be represented in these tests. Producers of finely ground talc, 200 mesh and finer, are urged to submit samples of at least two pounds each of these grades that are available to paint makers with trade name and quality data, to the Institute of Industrial Research, 19th & B Streets, Washington, D. C., where the tests are being conducted.The Talc Products Company, Inc., Washington Building, Los Angeles, California, has recently been organized to develop a large body of talc one mile north of Riggs, San Bernardino County, California, This deposit contains a compact, white talc which can be sawed into crayons. The company's mill, at Los Angeles) is equipped with a unit of the Raymond system of grinding and air separation, and pencil sawing machines. It is reported that the pencils are being successfully used in Pacific Coast ship yards.The mining of talc where no mill is owned by the operator and the consequent sale of talc in its crude massive state has not proved profitable in a number of cases recently noted. Under exceptional circumstances, where mining costs are low and the product can be sold to a mill near the mine, the operation maybe profitable, but this condition is not common. One mine of this type has recently closed down, at least temporarily; but a second, more fortunately situated, in another district, is continuing operations, although plans are being made to erect a mill in the early spring. Most satisfactory results are ordi¬narily obtained where the mine and mill are owned by the same company.The sale of the Balmat mine of the International Pulp Company, near Gouverneur, N. Y., to J. H. McLear, Gouverneur, and H. G. McLear of New York, has been reported. It is stated that a large part of the property has been already leased to the Sylvia Lake Company, who will operate it. ""Cement, Hill, and Quarry""* states that ""the first mining done on this property was for silver and lead, but it developed into a good zinc producing property and later it was worked for its talc deposits. It has passed through several hands, the American Pulp Co., the Union Talc Co., and the International Pulp Co., all having had it in successive periods since 1891."""

Jan 1, 1920

By John Taber, JOHN B. HOPKINS

During World War II , a critical shortage of domestic abrasive corundum developed . Late in 1944 , the shortage became so acute that it was deemed advisable to investigate certain low-grade corundum prospects in Madison and Gallatin Counties , Montana . The Gallatin , the Bozeman , and the Bear Trap deposits were the principal ones investigated . The Bear Trap deposit was examined by E. W. Newman and Robert S. O'Brien , engineers of the Bureau of Mines , in August 1944. Exploration was started in October 1944. Field work was completed late in the spring of 1945 . report presents the data obtained from the exploration .

Mar 1, 1947

By M. M. Fine

The flotation work on samples from nine fluorspar properties in Crittenden and Livingston Counties, Ky., reported herewith was part of a wartime project that resulted in increasing the supply of metallurgical-grade fluorspar. The samples were tailings, dumps, and waste rock that had been rejected in previous milling operations. All were treated successfully by flotation to yield metallurgical-grade concentrates with recoveries ranging from 77.5 to 98.3 percent of the fluorite. After the laboratory testing, the results of which were available to the owners and operators of the properties, many of the tailing ponds and rock dumps were milled. The real value of this report, therefore, is to show the operators of gravity concentration plants the possibilities of re-treating waste products by flotation either at some future time or currently with the gravity

Jan 1, 1948

By R. C. Hickman

Manganiferous breccia formations on three properties were prospected by the Bureau of Mines from January to November 1954 in Johnson County, Tenn. The prospecting consisted of diamond drilling, trenching, shaft sinking, and crosscutting. The results of the exploratory work show the manganiferous material to be low-grade, with little vertical extension. The manuscript on this report was completed February 1955. LOCATION The prospects are in Johnson County, Tenn. (fig. 1), within a radius of 12 miles from Mountain City. The nearest railroad terminal is Damascus, Va., 14 miles from Mountain City.

Jan 1, 1956

By N. S. Dalal, X. Shi, V. Vallyathan

"Correlated spectroscopic and cytotoxicity measurements were made on newly crushed silica to find whether the fracture-induced, silicon related (Si-0· or Si· type) free radicals play a direct role in the mechanism of hemolysis by silica particles. The free radical content of the silica particles was controlled through the radical decay, thermal annealing, and boiling processes, and was followed with electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Portions of the same sample were evaluated for their hemolytic potential, employing sheep erthyrocyte and optical absorption techniques. The results indicate little, if any, correlation between the amount of the silicon-based radicals and the hemolytic potential of the fresh dusts, but these or related radical sites might be contributors to silica cytoxicity and fibrogenicity via peroxidative pathways .INTRODUCTIONIn an earlier convnunication (1.) from our laboratory it was reported that mechanical crushing of coal and quartz under normal air atmosphere generates free rad;cals on the particle surfaces, and that these radicals decay with time, hence pointing to a higher toxicity of fresh dusts in relationship to pneumoconiosis and silicosis. More recently Fubin; et al.(2) have also reported the detection by electron spin resonance (ESR) of the formation of SiO· and Si·-type of radicals from quartz particles crushed under atmospheric conditions. In agreement with earlier ESR studies on single crystals of quartz crushed under high vacuum (10-10 torr) (3) and subsequent exposure to air (3), and to other gases (4), these radicals were identified (2) as being formed by the hemolytic cleavage of the Si-0-Si bonds and the reactions of the Si· and SiO· ,radical with atmosphere. Fubin; et al. (2) also suggested that these radicals might be involved in the mechanism of the fibrotic action by silica, either by transforming the particle surface into a selective oxidating agent or as an initiator of a sequence of reactions leading to fibrosis. Earlier Gabor and Anea (5) had reported that lipid peroxidation caused by free radicals on the silica surface might be involved in the red blood cell membrane damage. Thus far, however, no parallel cytotoxicity, fibrogenicity, and free radical studies on a given Quartz dust sample have been reported, except for some earlier work from our laboratory (1,6,7). We now present more recent results obtained from parallel cytotoxicity, fibrogenicity, and free radical measurements on a freshly made quartz dust. The dust’s free radical content was measured using ESR spectroscopy while its cytotoxicity poteni1al was estimated via hemolysis. Hemolysis was employed as the tox1c1ty test because it 1s a widely used method for estimating the potential of a dust for disrupting the cell membrane (8). The f1brotic potential was followed.by measuring the dust-induced lipid perox1dat1on. us1ng linole1c ac1d as a model lipid. As discussed below, the results obtained suggest new clues.to the mechanism of the Quartz-related cytotoxicity and fibrogenicity."

Jan 1, 1988

By K. K. Kelley, L. B. Pankratz, W. W. Weller

Mullite is a substance of prime importance in ceramic technology . Despite this fact , its thermodynamic properties have received little attention . A Bureau of Mines literature survey disclosed the absence of lowtemperature heat capacity data , the absence of an experimental entropy value for 298.15 ° K , and the lack of heat content data beyond the temperature range from 298° to 576 ° K. Data supplied in this Bureau report fill these gaps in the thermodynamic knowledge of mullite . According to equilibrium phase studies of Aramaki and Roy ,3 the mullite phase melts congruently at 2,123 ± 15 ° K , and the equilibrium crystallinephase composition extends from Al Si2013 to Al6.8 Si₂ Q4.2 . The results in this report are for the stoichiometric composition , Al Si¿Qз . • Heat capacity measurements were made over the temperature range from 50 ° to 298 ° K , and the entropy at 298.15 ° K was evaluated . Heat content measurements covered the temperature range from 298 ° to 1,800 ° K. Heat content

Jan 1, 1963

By F. S. Crawford

Safety devices and guards are often looked upon as the last word in safety by the men around the shop or large industrial plant . However , thorough knowledge of the details of their jobs and of the dangers attending them are even more important . It should be unnecessary for all men to go through the experience of the first man to meet an unknown danger , but that appears to be about the only way by which many learn . Practically every danger connected with the job around a mine , blast furnace , steel mill , foundry , coke oven , cement mill , or other operation , was encountered for the first time by someone , and if he was fairly fortunate he either got hurt or just missed being injured and lived to tell his " budaies " how it happened; he spread the knowledge of that particular danger . Sometimes , but not often , a man can foresee a danger . If he could always be on guard and remember everything he had ever learned and also know everything that had happened to the other fellow , and then let that knowledge keep him aware of the dangers in his own immediate " job , " so that he would work the safe way for both himself and the other fellow , he would have what safety engineers call " safety consciousness . " Being safety conscious is a fine attribute , as it really means knowing all about one's job . A man who is really safety conscious is one of the best and most efficient workmen in the whole plant . The boss wants men of that kindmen who want to learn and who try to learn every little detail about their jobwhere there is danger of spoiling the heat or getting burned by hot metal in a steel plant or of loading rock instead of coal or ore in a mine . Such men know how to do whatever job they are on easily and with the least amount of hard work and at the same time get it done as quickly as possible with safety . A man who is safety conscious has to nearly all intents and purposes developed eyes in the back of his head , if he is in a big mill where there if something going on all around him . These eyes are not real eyes , but they are what might be termed a sixth sense which he has developed by his experience in the mill as well as in other dangerous work which he may have done before in other plants . There may be occasions when a man's safety consciousness will leave him for just a short time ; this is likely to happen when he is thinking about a quarrel he had with his wife which has not been cleared up happily , or perhaps when he has bought too many things on installment and with sickness at home

Apr 1, 1931

By M. Clair Smith

This report is one of a series describing exploration, development, mining, and processing of mineral deposits in the United States. The reports are prepared and published by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with various mining companies The purpose of the reports is to promote development and conservation of our natural reserves by disseminating technological information on mining and milling procedures and related practices at operating mines. Simplot Silica Products, Inc., mines and processes a friable silica sandstone. The finished products are sold for use in glass manufacture, foundries, chemicals, and special applications.

Jan 1, 1959