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By T. W. Bingay

The production of both lead and zinc in Canada has steadily increased during recent years until today Canada ranks among the world's leading producers of both of these metals. The high prices which they have commanded have led to an energetic search for new deposits and also to an investigation of abandoned properties which, under the present conditions of better prices and more efficient methods of treatment, offer chances of commercial success. It is confidently expected that during the next few years success in both these lines of activity will further increase Canada's lead and zinc output, giving her a still higher ranking among the world's producers. In 1926, approximately 140,000 tons of metallic lead was produced from ores mined in Canada, and of this, 125,000 tons was refined in Canada at Tadanac, B.C. During the same year the production of metallic zinc from Canadian ores amounted to 68,000 tons, of which 62,000 tons was refined at Tadanac. History Of Lead and Zinc in Canada The production of lead in Canada is much older than that of zinc. The chief source has always been the interior of British Columbia. As earl y as the 'eighteen twenties', Indians and Hudson's Bay Company's trappers had discovered an outcrop of lead ore on the site of the present Blue Bell mine on the east shore of Kootenay lake, but it was not until1865 that active prospecting for lode deposits began. In the early nineties the activity of the silver-lead-zinc region of the Slocan reached its culmination and a steady production has been maintained down to the present time. Up to the end of 1924 the Slocan area produced over 38 million ounces of silver, nearly 300 million pounds of lead, and almost 122 million pounds of zinc.

Jan 1, 1927

By R. L. Bruening, N. E. Izatt, S. R. Izatt

"Rare earth elements (REE) are essential and unique components of many high-technology products without which functioning of modern society would be greatly impaired. Commercial deposits of REE are limited to a few geographical locations. Largely untapped sources of REE are available in endof- life (EOL) magnets, rechargeable batteries, and electronics. Presently, < 1% of REE in EOL wastes is recycled. Conversion of EOL wastes to liquid streams allows use of IBC’s Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT) process to selectively recover, separate, and purify target REE and associated metals at g/L to mg/L or lower concentration levels. The MRT process together with its applications to separations of REE and associated metals in recycling as well as in mining are described. Economic and environmental advantages of MRT are presented. INTRODUCTIONRare earth elements (REE) include the lanthanide series (La-Lu), Y, and Sc. These elements are not rare, but concentrated minable deposits are scarce (Cordier 2012; Haxel, Hedrick, & Orris, 2002). Over 95 % of the world’s supply of REE is controlled by China (Hanson, 2011a) where they are mined, processed, and the pure elements incorporated into a growing number of consumer and military products. The consumer products are marketed worldwide. Since REE are vitally important in consumer and military products, this situation has caused other nations to scramble to develop the capability to produce their own supply (Cordier, 2012).In the U. S., Molycorp has reopened the Mountain Pass REE mine in California and production has begun (Goldenberg, 2010). Development of a reliable internal source of REE is of high national priority in the U.S. (Hanson, 2011b; Hess, 2012: “Obama Announces”, 2012). These elements have in recent decades been incorporated into new consumer and military products that are essential to our economy and defense. These products range from wind turbines, high performance magnets, hybrid car rechargeable batteries, energy efficient lighting electronics, flat screen televisions, and smart phones to advanced weapons systems (Haxel et al., 2002; Levkowitz & Beauchamp-Mustafaga, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2012

By F. E. Lathe

The method of feeding blast-furnaces to be described below is simply the application of well-known principles, and an attempt to carry that application to its logical conclusion. It does not involve radical changes in equipment, nor does it require unusual skill on the part of the furnaceman. In fact, much of its value lies in its very simplicity. Before giving details of the method it will be well to consider briefly the conditions under which it was used at the Nickelton plant of the British America Nickel Corporation, in the Sudbury district, before that plant closed down. The Sudbury nickel ore consists chiefly of pentlandite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite in a gangue of norite or greenstone. The proportions of sulphide and gangue vary widely in different mines, the former constituting about 45 per cent of the total in the British America sorted ore. The gangue is fairly uniform in analysis, carrying about 55 per cent Si02, 18 per cent A120 3, 13 per cent FeO and smaller quantities of CaO, MgO, Na20 and K20. The ore has been frequently described as refractory, a word which seems suitable when one considers the many unsuccessful attempts to smelt it pyritically, as well as the high percentage of coke normally used at all the plants in the district.

Jan 1, 1925

By DONALD E. BARNETT

Since the days of early settlement ew Brunswick has produced a variety of industrial minerals but it is perhaps only the recent discoveries of significant reserves of potash that have elevated the meaning of industrial minerals in their contribution to the provincial economy. With potash production commencing in July 1983, the role of industrial minerals will increase significantly to the value of mineral production in the province.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. Eccleston, E. Gardner, F. Letarte, R. Schonewille

"In 2005, after nearly a decade of process development and feasibility work, the commercialization of the Falconbridge Nickel Smelting Technology (NST) began in earnest with the design and construction of a grassroots ferronickel plant at Koniambo Nickel in New Caledonia. The NST process was developed as an alternative to the conventional Rotary Kiln-Electric Furnace (RKEF) process for production of ferronickel from saprolitic nickel laterite ores. The NST process promised environmental and energy efficiency advantages over the conventional route. A key step of the NST process involves fluidized bed pre-reduction of calcined laterite ore using direct injection of pulverized coal as the reductant. Two parallel fluidized bed reduction roasters (FBRs) were installed at Koniambo Nickel, each designed for a maximum capacity of 4,200 MTPD of calcined nickel laterite ore. This paper describes the process development and scale-up of the fluidized bed pre-reduction process, the design challenges associated with the prototype commercial units, and the current status of the FBR operation at Konaimbo.INTRODUCTION In the mid-1990s, Falconbridge began to develop a new flowsheet for production of ferronickel from nickel laterite ores. The process that developed came to be known as the Falconbridge Nickel Smelting Technology (NST). The flowsheet, which is particularly appropriate for saprolitic ores, involves several major unit operations, including: drying in a hammer mill-flash dryer, calcination and preheating in a flash calciner, pre-reduction in a fluidized bed reactor, and smelting in a DC arc furnace to produce the ferronickel product. This paper focuses on the fluidized bed pre-reduction step of the process and provides an overview of the process chemistry, laboratory and pilot plant development work, scale-up and commercialization of the pre-reduction step, and the results obtained in the prototype commercial units."

Jan 1, 2017

By Barry James

Energy, like labour and materials, is one of the basic production inputs in the industrial minerals industry. This paper discusses the significance of the changing energy situation in Canada as it affects the industry. It is apparent that the importance of energy as a management concern has increased considerably since 1973. The importance placed on energy management today will undoubtedly be an important factor in determining company and industry sector strength and profitability tomorrow.

Jan 1, 1978

The Nak?azdli First Nation and the municipality of Fort St. James are located in the Stuart Lake/Nak?al Bun area and are not unfamiliar to mining. These northern British Columbian communities have been associated with the historic Pinchi Lake Mercury mine and today are closely linked with British Columbia?s newest mine, the Mt. Milligan mine. Prior to the construction of Mt. Milligan, community health and social service providers were concerned about potential impacts that would occur from new mineral development activities. This concern has led to a partnership between the above communities and researchers with expertise in the area of mining and health. This paper describes: the current mining and health environment with a focus on British Columbia; mining trends in the Stuart Lake/Nak?al Bun area; the current community-based health research project funded by the Vancouver Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and; a suite of community-based health recommendations to mining companies on key issues to consider when developing projects near municipalities and Aboriginal communities in Canada, based upon one of the newest mines under development in Canada.

Aug 1, 2013

By H. Vendette, N. R. Dando, A. Moras

The thorough analysis of results obtained from different testing campaigns performed on an alumina dry-scrubber pilot installation treating aluminum potline offgases, suggests a clear relationship between the emissions of gaseous fluoride and the fluoride saturation level of the alumina. The integration of this relationship into the development of a new generation of alumina dry scrubber represents an intriguing challenge regarding the design of more efficient air pollution control equipment. An innovative scheme challenging conventional industry practices was proposed. From theoretical simulations, the reduction in fluoride emissions can potentially be reduced by as much as 50% in the summer season. To validate this innovative approach, Solios in partnership with Alcoa Primary Metals, modified one of the Aluminerie de Deschambault&apos;s systems by adding new temporary equipment on the operating units and subjecting it to several test campaigns. This article presents the first results obtained in testing this new and innovative approach on alumina dry scrubbers used to capture fluoride emissions coming from aluminum electrolysis potlines.

Jan 1, 2006

By P. Archer

The Blondeau Formation has been examined in a stratigraphic drill section at Barlow Lake. The formation contains pyroclastic flows and volcanogenic sediments throughout, but epiclastic sedimentary rocks dominate the upper parts of the section. Five distinct types of pyroclas tic flows are known in the section, as well as minor mafic lava flows. Volcanogenic sediments are commonly intercalated with the true volcanic rocks. Sedimentary rocks include fine-grained intraclastic sandstones, heterolithic sandstones and green and black shales. Interpretation of the origin and relative disposition of the volcanic and sedimentary rocks favours a model of near-emergent vulcanism in an upward shoaling environment.

Jan 1, 1984

By H. R. Hammond, E. Sadar

Cominco is making substantial savings in secondary breaking by replacing dynamite with a new nitrate-based explosive. Compareo with dynamite. the new explosive, known locally as "Fine NCN," is significantly cheaper, more effective and safer to use. It also works better than prilled NCN, which is unsatisfactory for secondary blasting because of inadequate sensitivity, low strength and awkward handling properties. A simple apparatus has been devised for pulverizing prilled NCN to a fineness practical for effective secondary breaking. Blasting systems using cheap detonating cord for initiation have been developed.

Jan 1, 1966

By P. C. Santos-Munguía, F. Nava-Alonso, O. Alonso-González

"The gold recovery of a Mexican cyanidation plant, in Sonora, has been decreasing due to the increasing presence of gold tellurides. This work presents the results of different processes aimed to recover the remaining gold from the cyanidation tailings of the operation. The cyanidation in the mine is performed at 0.1 g/L NaCN and pH = 10.3, adjusted with lime. The treatments studied in the laboratory with these tailings were: cyanidation at higher cyanide concentration than that used in the plant, cyanidation with oxygen injection, cyanidation with oxygen and lead nitrate addition, and thiourea leaching. The results obtained with each of these treatments are presented and discussed with the final objective of proposing a method to recover the gold associated with tellurium.INTRODUCTION It has been demonstrated that gold telluride is refractory to the conventional cyanidation process and, for this reason, some alternative methods to recover precious metals from tellurides have been proposed. (Zhang et al., 2010). These include cyanidation with modified conditions or the use of non-cyanide leaching agents. This work presents the gold leaching results of tests performed with a sample of cyanidation tailings obtained from a Mexican deposit containing telluride species. The mine exploits a mesothermal deposit with a molar Te/Au ratio of 1, containing also lead, molybdenum, bismuth and tungsten. Gold is recovered from the ore by standard cyanidation, however, lately the gold recovery has decreased, likely due to the tellurium content of the ore. The sample used in this work was the cyanidation tailings of this deposit. It was treated in the plant by cyanide heap leaching (0.1 g/L NaCN, pH = 10.3 adjusted with lime). Some gold remained after the cyanidation and it was thought that this gold was associated with tellurium. The objective of this work was the recovery of the remaining gold from the tailings by an alternative process."

Jan 1, 2017

By R. J. R. Schaller

NO. 3 winze, the sixth shaft to be sunk on the San Antonio property, is practically a duplicate of No. 3 shaft, which was the main shaft prior to the installation of the larger hoisting equipment in 1939. It is collared on the tenth, or 1,500-ft., level, and goes down vertically to the sixteenth, or 2,500-ft., level, with a loading pocket, spill pocket, and sump below this. It is 1,000 feet east of No. 3 shaft. All ore, men, and materials are handled through the latter. The winze location with reference to the rock formation is shown in Figure 1. (In plan, this section strikes N.30°E. and cuts most of the main orebodies of the mine normal to their strike.) It is collared eighty feet inside the footwall contact of the basalt and cuts through it before reaching the eleventh level. In this location there will be no ore tied up in shaft pillars, as the closest ore to the shaft is on the tenth level, and here it is eighty feet northeast of the collar. The winze headframe and hoist-room straddle the main haulage to the No. 3 shaft, on the tenth level (see Figure 2). At no time during the excavation for the headframe and hoist-room was the general routine work of this haulage held up.

Jan 1, 1941

By Mark Holdsworth

In 2002, Kennecott Utah Copper Copperton Concentrator installed an Expert Control system for optimization of their SAG and Ball milling circuits. The advanced process control has been well received and is utilized well over 95% of the time. In the years since, many lessons have been learned and many advances have been made. Improvements have produced millions of dollars of benefits and have included directly controlling feedrate with complex logic as opposed to using a bearing pressure controller, modifications to how sound is used for control, modifying logic for maximizing asset utilization and using advanced control for automating equipment restart.

Jan 1, 2012

By R. L. Every, A. G. Fonseca

"Sulphur deposition on the internal wall of a pipeline is caused by the temperature effect on the solubility of sulphur in the carrier fluid and is not due to particulate sulphur present. Deposition can be completely eliminated by proper insulation of the pipeline to prevent ""cold-spots"" and the resultant temperature gradient necessary for sulphur to precipitate from solution. Friction head losses for sulphur-condensate slurry systems are quite acceptable from a technical and economic standpoint and, in fact, are less than many present commercial slurry systems. Slurry transportation of sulphur in a hydrocarbon pipeline is a viable possibility and promises to have economic advantage over currently accepted transportation modes."

Jan 1, 1972

By E. C. De Matos

The Uranium Province of Lagoa Real is located in the mid-south region of Bahia State, Brazil. Uranium is the only mineral wealth, occurring mainly in the form of uraninite. The region has been searched for uranium since 1971 and 35 anomalies were detected, distributed over 1200 km2. Seven are now taken as deposits, accounting for reasonably assured resources of 100.000 tons of U3O8. This paper describes the geological aspects of the area, the exploration and mining activities done so far by the state company INB and the perspectives for the near future, when a raise in the country?s uranium demand is expected.

Aug 1, 2010

By R. M. Porter

PILLAR extraction at the Sullivan Mine bas been in progress for over twenty-five years and bas .involved progressively larger pillars. The largest pillar blasted to date exceeds one million tons and is described in this paper. This blast is believed to be one of the largest to take place entirely under-ground. The Sullivan Mine, owned by The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited, is located in the southeastern corner of British Columbia on the east flank of the Purcell range overlooking the twenty-mile wide Rocky Mountain Trench (Figure 1). The orebody is a bedded replacement deposit in argillites, varying in thickness up to 300 feet, but averaging about 80 feet. Above the 3900 Level, the dip varies from nearly horizontal to 40 degrees; be-low the 3900 Level it varies from 45 to 20 degrees (Figure 2). Pillar extraction follows a plan of retreating outward from caved areas. The size of each blast is determined by the effect which the removal of support

Jan 1, 1961

By C. E. Smith, R. J. Inglis, M. I. Brittan, J. H. Schoeman

"AbstractA number of plant-scale cyanidation tests were carried out in an attempt to uncover the causes of fluctuations in gold recovery efficiency. Computer analysis of the results verified that the treatment of reclaimed waste rock material along with normal run-of-mine ore was having an adverse effect on metallurgical efficiency. Mineralogical examinations showed that the free gold particles in the dump material were heavily tarnished or coated (predominantly by hydrated iron oxide), accounting for the lower recoveries. The indications were that the effect could be counteracted somewhat by using higher than normal cyanide and lime reagent concentrations and adequate leaching times. Analysis of the results showed further that leach pulp density was an important operating parameter affecting extraction efficiency. A variable activation energy leaching model provided an extremely good characterization of individual batch leach runs.IntroductionFLUCTUATING METALLURGICAL EFFICIENCY at the gold concentrator of the S.A. Land and Exploration Company Limited (""Sallies"") prompted some plant-scale cyanide leach studies in an endeavour to uncover the causes of the variations in gold recovery."

Jan 1, 1977

By G. I. Mathieu

"An experimental study was carried out to evaluate the performance of column flotation versus conventional flotation for the recovery of molybdenite from a Newfoundland ore. The objective was to verify the claims made by the inventors of the flotation column, Messrs. Pierre Boutin and Remi Tremblay, that their apparatus reduces the entrainment of fine gangue and other mineral impurities in the froth product. The research included a factorially designed series of tests to determine satisfactory operating conditions of the column. These provided a basis for comparative flotation tests with column and Denver cells. In the course of the work, the action of a few depressants was studied. Results indicated greater selectivity in the column and reduced reagent consumption."

Jan 1, 1972

By Link. Theo A.

Introduction Since the discovery of a major oil pool at Leduc, Alberta, on February 13th, 1947, the long spell of &apos;oil drought&apos; in Western Canada is now being turned into an oil and gas flood which requires immediate action to obtain the optimum economic benefits. The Woodbend, Section 9, and Okalta extensions of the Leduc field itself have been established; the Redwater pool, lying thirty-seven miles northeast of Edmonton, has been discovered and is being drilled up, and the Imperial Schoepp No. 1 or Golden Spike discovery holds promise of something phenomenal in view of the 500 feet of oil-saturated coral-reef porosity whose areal extent is not known. Imperial Stanolind Barrhead No. 1, northwest of Edmonton, revealed the presence of oil in the Madison, and just recently Gulf N.J. Ellis No. 1, some sixty miles southeast of Leduc, found commercial production in the Leduc D-2 discovery zone. In addition to these Paloeozoic discoveries, gas and oil reserves have also been established in the Upper and Lower Cretaceous, which must be penetrated by all tests on the way through the geological column to the Devonian. If ever there appeared to be an index of &apos;things to come&apos; in the oil industry, this is it. However, without these recent discoveries the picture in Western Canada does and always did, look very promising indeed. A brief survey of the geological setting in Western Canada is the object of this contribution.

Jan 1, 1949

By A. E. Lehmberg

"IT IS KNOWN that some ores of sulphide type, such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, and bornite have an electrical conductivity comparable to that of metals, and accordingly much higher than the conductivity of any unmineralized rock. This physical property has long been used for the detection of orebodies of this kind by means of electrical measurements made at the surface of the ground.The present paper will deal with a new electromagnetic instrument for the investigation of subsurface conductors, which has been recently introduced into field practice and has already led to successful results in Canada.The principle of the instrument will be described. How it operates, and how the observations made can be interpreted will be explained. Field examples will •be shown to illustrate its application.Description of Instrument and of Operating TechniqueThe equipment (1) includes a low-frequency alternating current generator. The a.c. is supplied to a transmitter coil and generates a primary field which induces eddy currents in the ground, the intensity of which is proportional to the ground conductivity."

Jan 1, 1952