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

Green chemistry principles will be discussed, and examples will be given of the use of Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT) to selectively separate valuable metals such as rhenium and palladium from various copper refinery feed streams. Recovery of these metals has numerous advantages including (i) conservation of valuable resources, (ii) prevention of environmental damage, and (iii) elimination of capital and operating expenses due to re-processing or disposal of metal-bearing streams. INTRODUCTION Refining of copper ores has a long and successful story. The history of copper, one of the first metals mined in human history, illustrates the global challenges faced as a result of increased demand for major metals and for by-product specialty metals found with them in trace amounts (Izatt et al., 2014). Copper has valuable properties, which have sustained its use over the centuries. It is an ideal material for creation of novel materials. Some desirable properties of copper that have proved valuable in our high-technology society include suitability for alloying with many other metals; ease of joining by soldering and brazing; good combination of mechanical qualities; high resistance to corrosion; suitability for many artistic purposes; and, of great importance in the modern era, efficient and economic use as a conductor of electricity. Copper mining in the U.S.A. began in the late nineteenth century in Montana (Izatt et al., 2014). The estimated total amount of copper mined globally before 1800 is about 5 million tons, four times less than is mined in a single year today (Flanagan, 2018). Production of copper in the U.S.A. has remained fairly constant at about 1,300,000 to 1,400,000 metric tons per annum from 2013 to 2017. Specialty metals such as bismuth, rhenium, molybdenum, and others that have become essential in our 21st century technology, and precious metals such as silver, gold, and the platinum group metals (PGMs) are concentrated by geochemical processes in trace amounts in copper ores. These specialty and precious metals were discarded into tailings in early mining operations, since limited extractive technologies existed and uses for most of them were limited. Thus, economic benefits for recovering them were limited, primarily, to silver and gold. Today, copper processing is the main, and often the only, commercial source for certain of these elements (Izatt et al., 2014). For example, molybdenite (MoS2) is the predominant ore mineral of molybdenum mining (Pohl, 2011). Cu-Mo-Au porphyry ore deposits supply ~75% of the world’s copper, 50% of the molybdenum, nearly all of the rhenium, and 20% of the gold. Typical ore grades are 0.5–1.5% copper, 0.01–0.04% molybdenum, and <1.5 g/ton gold. Molybdenite is the primary source for rhenium, among the rarest of metals, which is an essential component of super alloys, such as turbine blades in the aerospace industry (Pohl, 2011). Most rhenium is obtained as a by-product of molybdenite from copper mines in Chile. The case of rhenium raises an important issue. Continued availability of rhenium, selectively concentrated in copper ores, depends on continued mining and processing of copper. Since the mining company’s main interest is typically in copper production, continued recovery of rhenium and other specialty elements present in the ore body is at risk. Dependence of specialty metal supply on continued mining of major metals exists in several additional cases including indium, gallium, selenium, tellurium, germanium and bismuth (Pohl, 2011). PGMs, on the other hand, are typically mined for their own value, which far exceeds that of associated base metals. However, copper ores often contain marketable amounts of platinum and palladium, making their separation of interest, if this can be done economically.

Jan 1, 2019

By J. Poplawski

In mineral processing plants, cyclones typically perform the classification duty prior to the downstream recovery process. Particle size distribution of the cyclone overflow is an important parameter and can be viewed as the product of the comminution process. Too coarse of a product will likely have poorly liberated valuable minerals and make recovery difficult. Too fine of a product may represent a missed opportunity to increase plant throughput and/or also result in low recovery due to poor kinetics. “Near-line” particle size measurement instrumentation has been in place for several decades, its availability and low measurement frequency have typically been inadequate for reliable use in automatic control. CiDRA Minerals Processing has developed a novel and robust technology that provides a highly reliable and low maintenance system for “on-line” measurement of the particle size in the overflow of individual cyclones. The system is based around a wetted sensor design with no moving parts and provides a real-time trend of the desired target grind size parameter. The system does not require sampling and associated sample transfer piping that is prone to plugging, thus avoiding high maintenance requirements. Plant data and benefits realized from the latest installations of the CYCLONEtrac PST will be presented. INTRODUCTION Impact-based real-time hydrocyclone particle size measurement Acoustic impact-based particle size tracking is a unique method for measuring and controlling the particle size in cyclone overflow streams. The implementation of this technology is centered upon a sensor probe that is inserted into the overflow slurry stream via a two-inch (50 mm) hole in the overflow pipe (Figure 1). Particles within the slurry stream impact the surface of the probe generating travelling stress waves within the probe. A sensor converts these travelling stress waves into an electrical signal and proprietary signal processing techniques convert these signals into a particle size measurement that is output every four seconds. The sensor is constantly in contact with many particles in the slurry stream, thus obtaining information from orders of magnitude more particles than traditional sample-based technologies. The sensor has no impact on cyclone performance because it is located downstream of the hydrocyclone and the presence of an air core ensures there is no change in the back pressure seen by the hydrocyclone.

Jan 1, 2019

By R. A. S Villegas

The Brazilian government announced in 2007 its plans to reactivate the nuclear program. As a result of this decision, a new nuclear power plant is already being built and there are studies dealing with, among other activities, the building of 4 to 8 new ones until the end of 2030. Such increase on the country?s uranium demand affects INB, the Brazilian state company that?s in charge of uranium supply. This paper describes scenarios predicted to the Brazilian nuclear industry for the next years and the INB plans to meet the country?s needs in terms of uranium exploration and production.

Aug 1, 2010

By Rene A. Morin, John K. Kebe

"As explosives become more widely used in urban and other congested areas, governmental regulations pertaining to their use are becoming more pervasive and stringent. This is forcing the blasting industry to review its entire spectrum of operations. Greater attention is now being paid not only to the design and layout of blasts, but also to the monitoring and recording of their after-effects for both legal and business reasons.Current PracticesThe major users of explosives in urban areas are quarry operators and construction companies. A characteristic of both of these industries, at least in recent years, is a relatively low margin of profit. This, coupled with the fact that their use of explosives is relatively intermittent, prevents them from having the kind of professional consulting services that blasting operations really warrant in today&apos;s regulatory environment. When such services are obtained, they tend to be directed more at the design and execution of the blast than at the recordkeeping function. The records that are kept tend to be more in the form of a summary of the consultant&apos;s design data as opposed to the kind of after-effect detail that is necessary.The more experienced consultants and operators now realize that at least as much attention must be paid to the record-keeping as to the design work. Regulatory bodies at all levels of government are insisting on the availability of such records.Unfortunately, the instrumentation in use today for taking such measurements does not lend itself to the practice of intermittent consulting. Current monitoring and recording instruments are based on so-called analog technology of the type that has traditionally been applied to the monitoring of earthquakes. They require set-up and calibration procedures which must be repeated each time the instrument is moved, or the blasting parameters are changed, as well as complex total analysis of the recorded data. This can lend to confusion and a dilution of responsibility for anything other than the design work and possibly some summary reporting."

Jan 1, 1985

By Daniel Torres Espinoza, Jose Pinedo

"Ventilation is a vital service in underground mines, required to provide fresh air to the work force and dilute diesel equipment gases (CO, NOx) and diesel particulate matters (DPM). At a Mexican precious metal mine in the state of Chihuahua there is a VOD system implemented using Howden’s control and monitoring system and a state of the art tagging and tracking technology. The JM zone of the mine is ventilated using a push and pull system, using automated regulators on each level to control the air going in and out of the levels. The implementation of advanced control strategies using Howden’s VentSim™CONTROL allows the mine to generate significant savings and increase health and safety of the workers.INTRODUCTIONIn underground mines, ventilation is a requirement in order to maintain the fresh air needed for personnel and equipment. Ventilation regulations dictate the amount of air required underground to carry out day to day operations by limiting the exposure that workers have to toxic gases and other pollutants. Regulations for required airflow in underground operations for diesel pollutants are generally provided on vehicle rated brake horsepower, in Mexico the requirement is 75 cfm/bhp. In underground mines, ventilation services can account to up to 75% of the mine’s energy consumption, and it is very common for fans to operate all the time because of a lack of control infrastructure for the ventilation system. By the implementation of a Ventilation On Demand (VOD) system a mine can reduce this consumption with different control strategies. The main infrastructure required to implement this system consists of remote control of ventilation infrastructure (fans and regulators), a communication network between throughout the mine with the surface and a tracking system for personnel and diesel equipment. Software is required to determine fresh air requirements based on the tracking system data and then send the control commands to the different ventilation infrastructure. In 2015, San Julian Mine acquired Howden’s VentSim™CONTROL (formally SmartEXEC) and the hardware solution to deploy a VOD system at their operation. The VOD system and Fresnillo plc’s San Julian Mine in Chihuahua, Mexico, consists of control of 10 surface exhaust fans, 2 surface intake fans, and 12 underground automated regulators. It also includes the monitoring of 46 flow sensors, 28 CO sensors, 28 NO?? sensors and 42 temperature and humidity sensors, approximately 500 personnel tags, approximately 220 vehicle tracking tags with diesel status (ON or OFF) and approximately 250 tracking zones. This paper discusses the control strategies that have been implemented at San Julian Mine since the system was commissioned and the next steps that will be taken at the mine with the system as they test different level on VOD."

Jan 1, 2019

By Asanga S. Nanayakkara

The surface deformations induced by reservoir dilations can be measured using tiltmeters and these measurements can be used to infer reservoir level volume changes by solving an inverse problem. Preferred approach to solve such an inverse problem is to consider more tiltmeter measurements than the number of unknown variables considered in the inverse problem. However, sufficient number of measurement points is not always available due to economical and practical issues. This paper proposes a new approach to circumvent this problem. The new approach entails generation of pseudo surface deformation data by curve fitting tiltmeter measurements using a mathematical function, which delineates three-dimensional characteristics of surface deformation profiles. Then a three-dimensional inverse problem is solved using pseudo surface deformation data. This method is useful in inferring reservoir volume changes with high areal resolution when the number of available measurements is not sufficient to acquire the desired areal resolution.

Jun 1, 2012

By B. E. Shaw

This paper describes the use of the Free Piston Valve, and a simple hoist brake control system, which has been developed over the last two years, greatly improving the performance of low-pressure brake engines. The basic control system is outlined, with sections devoted to emergency trips and differential braking, and the application of the system to deep shaft hoisting is discussed.

Jan 1, 1966

By Dennis E. Bell

"This paper describes exploration and development to 1982 in the southern half of the northeastern British Columbia (Peace River or Northeast Block) inner foothills metallurgical coal belt. Gates Formation, Fort St. John Group, is the primary target; Gething Formation, Bullhead Group, is secondary. This part of the belt remains wilderness when compared to its other parts. Practical formational and structural mapping is described. A local problem known as the Secus Mountain or Mount Belcourt conglomerates is discussed. The three major explorers have been Denison Mines, PetroCanada, and Crows Nest Resources, all with partners. Initial mine construction and rail spur construction are continuing. The new town of Tumbler Ridge is being built. Introduction This paper describes exploration and development to 1982 in the southern half of the northeast British Columbia metallurgical coal belt. The area (Fig. 1) trends 120 km northwest from the Alberta border to the Wolverine River and Bullmoose Creek. The belt averages 15 km in width, and is 20 km at its widest. Physiographically, the area is dominated by rugged inner foothills, with relief to 1,500 m. The trend of the structures is transected by a dozen rivers flowing southwest to northeast away from the Continental Divide. The Rockies, lying immediately to the west, control the climate. One fact continues to colour all coal work in the area. When compared to the other parts of the western Canadian foothills and Rockies coking belt, it remains the least accessible and least mapped portion. Lack of access also makes all work expensive. Current activity centres about two mines in construction at the northwestern end of the area. Denison Mines and partners are developing their Quintette project, and Teck Corporation and partners are developing their Bullmoose project. PetroCanada and partners have intensively explored their Monkman-Duke Mounta,in project, but mine construction awaits better economic times. The rest of the area remains lightly explored, with the exception of some intensive work on particular structures by Denison and Petro-Canada. The focus of coal work has been metallurgical bituminous coal seams contained primarily in the Gates Formation (Fig. 2) and secondarily in the Gething Formation. These formations are found in generally en-echelon structures ranging to several kilometres in width."

Jan 1, 1985

By Takashi Nakamura, Atsushi Iizuka, Yong Fan, Etsuro Shibata

Magnetic separation of precipitated magnetite as iron resources in copper slag is one of the potential effective ways to recycle the slag. It is preferable to convert molten fayalite slag after copper smelting process to magnetite slag via oxidation. With a TTT (Time-Temperature-Transformation) diagram, the crystal composition of the slag obtained after air isothermal oxidation could be estimated through a designed cooling path. The crystallization behaviors concerned with molten oxidation was studied for better understanding of the trade-off relationship between magnetite and hematite during molten heat treatment. Moreover, a brief consideration was implemented of the reaction mechanism.

Jan 1, 2014

By H. A. Wentworth

The Central Manitoba mining district, as spoken of in Manitoba, refers to that portion of the country lying between lake Winnipeg on the west and the Ontario boundary on the east, and from a few miles north of the Wanipigow (or Hole) river on the north, to a few miles south of the Bird river. It embraces two known mineralized belts; the gold area in the north, extending from the shores of lake Winnipeg almost to the Ontario boundary (in a slightly southeasterly direction) a zone some eight or ten miles wide and perhaps forty miles long, lying (for the most part) north, and parallel to, the Manigotagan river; and the Bird river copper and coppernickel deposits, an area not yet clearly defined, but in general lying immediately north of, and roughly parallel to, the Bird river. To the south of the Bird river is a somewhat differently mineralized area, numerous pegmatite dykes being found, with minerals typically associated with such rocks. More specifically, the known gold deposits are largely segregated in the above belt; (1) around English brook; (2) along the north shore of Wanipigow lake; the Rice lake area (about midway of the belt); and the Long Lake-Bulldog lake area, at the eastern end of the belt. Not all the known gold occurences are found in these segregations, but the density of claim staking in these areas is perhaps an indication of the greater number of prospects found in them to date.

Jan 1, 1925

Productivity and efficiency of diesel-powered underground trucks and LHDs can be enhanced through the application of a range of advanced technologies. In addition, these machines are subject to ever more stringent emissions control requirements. This paper will review how various technologies can improve usability, maintainability, and performance of LHDs, through a number of examples. The use of instrumentation and monitoring to understand the role of operator practice on mucking efficiency, as well as the use of finite-element analysis to evaluate structural design, and the use of control techniques to modify operator inputs and hence decrease power consumption, will be presented.

May 1, 2002

By Phil Keele

"Manalta Coal Ltd. 's Vesta Mine will supply Alberta Power Limited's 740 MW Battle River Generating Station with 1 128 000 tonnes of sub-bituminous ""C"" coal in 1983. Mana/ta Coal Ltd. and Alberta Power Limited are in their seventh year of a 31-year coal supply agreement. With the exception of localized topographic highs where three coal seams are mined, the Vesta Mine is primarily a single-seam mining operation. Vesta's comprehensive programs of mine planning, preventative maintenance, reclamation, and employee relations make it an efficient and a well run operation. Introduction The Vesta Mine, located in east-central Alberta approximately 300 km northeast of Calgary, supplies sub-bituminous ""C"" coal to Alberta Power Limited's 740 MW Battle River Generating Station. The coal reserves and principal stripping equipment are owned by Alberta Power Limited. Manalta Coal Ltd. owns and operates the additional mining equipment and support facilities. Coal production is from a single pit, 3.5 km in length. Both single and multi-seam operations are encountered in the active pit. In 1983, production is anticipated to increase to I 128 000 tonnes from 906 000 tonnes in 1982. The additional tonnage will be achieved by operating 24 hours per day, 5 days per week. The following sections briefly highlight historical, geological and mining/reclamation aspects of the Vesta Mine. Figure I illustrates the location of the Vesta Mine in relation to the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. History Coal mining for domestic use began near the turn of the century in the Vesta Mine area. Initially, small underground room-and-pillar operations were dominant. As equipment technology advanced, surface strip mining replaced the underground methods."

Jan 1, 1985

By T. T. Perles

This paper will review the state of the global vanadium industry and outline the implications for the market in the coming years. Global vanadium resources and reserves will be defined. Current production of vanadium will be quantified and examined in terms of production by country, sources of raw materials for production and cost implications of the production processes. Current consumption of vanadium by country and by application will be reviewed. Vanadium supply/demand balance in recent years and the resulting impact on global inventory levels will be discussed. Projections for changes in global production, consumption and resulting inventory changes for the vanadium market in the coming years will be made.

Jan 1, 2014

By Alfred C. Lane

WE recently received from Professor A. C. Lane, Emeritus Professor of Geology and Mineralogy, Tufts College, Mass., and a Corresponding Member of this Institute, a very interesting account of some recent developments in radioactive methods of determining the age of minerals and, therefore, of the rocks in which they occur. It deals in particular with studies of the minerals of certain pegmatite dykes on the Huron claims and Bear claims in southeastern Manitoba, which, the results indicate, are among the oldest rocks of the earth&apos;s crust. The following article presents a non-mathematical summary of Professor Lane&apos;s paper . . It will be noted that he is anxious to obtain suitable samples of certain minerals and rocks for further age studies. We hope some o our members may be able to supply him with the material he needs. It may be well to explain briefly how the age determinations are made. Uranium is continually breaking down, or disintegrating in successive steps through radium, etc., to a final product which is lead (uranium-lead), and the rate at which this change takes place is known. Minerals containing uranium will therefore contain lead also, and the lead-uranium ratio mul-tiplied by a certain factor (approximately 7 ,600) will give the age of the mineral in millions of years. Thorium also disintegrates at a known rate to give lead (thorium-lead) as a final product, and the age of a mineral containing thorium can thus be calculated from the lead-thorium ratio. Thorium breaks down more slowly than uranium. In unit time, one gram of thorium produces about as much lead as 0.36 grams of uranium.-ED.

Jan 1, 1938

By Yuyong Li, Liangman Zhang, Zhaolian Wang, Shun Wang, Ltd. Shandong Huate Magnet Technology Co., Fengliang Liu

"Introduce a newly revolutionary magnetic separator - Raising Concentrate Grade and Decreasing Dregs Content Magnetic Separator Series JCTN (i.e. RCG&DDC MS JCTN). HUATE® JCTN is designed for rinsing, purification, desliming and thickening of the magnetic minerals as per different requirements. Adopting 240°-270° larger magnetic element with multi-poles and magnetic pulsation, and combining the devices of multi-channel rinsing water and top flushing water and new style tank, HUATE® JCTN can improve another 2%-10% concentrate mFe% than the traditional MS without lowering the concentrate recovery rate. Thereby, it solves the uneasy concentrate upgradation problem of the traditional MS resulting from the magnetic aggregation. Now, JCTN has been successfully applied in more than 30 mines in Australia, China and Russia, e.g. Sino Iron of CITIC PACIFIC MINING MANAGERMENT PTY LTD. HUATE® JCTN can optimize the industrial processing line by: 1) improving the discarding rate before milling to discard the necessary tailing ASAP; 2) getting in advance the final concentrate after milling. One JCTN can replace many traditional MS in series. In some way, it can also replace the anti-flotation separation process.INTRODUCTIONWe’re writing to introduce a newly revolutionary magnetic separator - Raising Concentrate Grade and Decreasing Dregs Content Magnetic Separator Series JCTN (i.e. RCG&DDC MS JCTN). HUATE® JCTN is designed for rinsing, purification, desliming and thickening of the magnetic minerals as per different requirements."

Jan 1, 2016

By Ann Bigué

Outline of Presentation 1. Impacts and Benefits Agreements Defined 2. Elements that determine the content of an IBA: ? the nature of the project ? the identity of Aboriginal communities affected by the project ? the legal environment 3. Content of Impacts and Benefits Agreements Impacts and Benefits Agreements Defined Have emerged in response to effects of major mining projects located on or close to Aboriginal lands and close to Aboriginal communities Are negotiated between the mining project proponent and one or more Aboriginal groups May include government May be known under other names

May 1, 2004

By M. C. Makepeace

"It is the objective of designed experiments to obtain more information for less material and process cost than can be obtained by traditional experimentation. In this paper, the fundamental concepts on which the statistical design of experiments is based are briefly re-viewed according to the following outline: The Experiment The Design The Analysis Two simple 2"" factorial experiments are presented as examples."

Jan 1, 1967

By D. Asefi

A new method to detect microstructural features such as recovery and recrystallization as well as cold rolling reduction in low carbon steels was developed based on magnetic hysteresis loop measurement. To this aim, a hysteresis loop measuring apparatus, specifically designed and assembled for plate samples was employed. It is shown that maximum field (Hmax) of hysteresis loop, measured at constant maximum flux density (Bmax) of 0.5T, is an adequatemagnetic property to monitor different stages of changing microstructures during annealing.

Oct 1, 2011

By J. Makgatho, P. Condori, J. Winnett, Fischerm D.

"Palabora Mining Copper (PMC) has two autogenous mills that have been in operation since 1976. The mills were originally designed to treat 30 000 t/d of open cast copper ore in a closed circuit with cyclones. As the ore body went deeper the open cast method of mining was changed to block caving, a consequence of this was the dolerite content (hardest barren material) increased significantly, increasing the production rate of pebbles and thus reducing the milling capacity. In order to cope with the increased ore hardness and to increase mill capacity, a second ball milling stage and pebble crushing were incorporated to the circuit. The above actions created new challenges to the circuit operation and bottlenecks in different areas of the milling circuit.This paper reports the holistic work performed on the Palabora autogenous milling circuit including the implementation of a mill constraint control scheme, the implementation of a pebble removal system from the circuit and a new circuit configuration."

Jan 1, 2012

By Gary Walters, Matthew White, Thomas W. Gonzales

The copper smelting industry has transitioned into the 21st century compliant with environmental regulations, new smelter installations and brown field expansions. The industry faces new challenges as copper in concentrate grades have decreased while contained impurities have increased. A new benchmarking survey was undertaken to update the last survey of 2016 for operating copper smelters in the world. The information collected was separated based on primary smelting technology rather than by geographical location and supplemented from published literature. Each smelting technology’s unique use of specialized process equipment, concentrate smelting capacity, and impurity flexibility are discussed INTRODUCTION The 20th century was a remarkable time for the growth of copper smelting. Electric, blast and reverberator furnaces dominated the smelting technology well past WWII. In the 1970s, SO2 regulations and high energy cost drove the development of new primary smelting technology. Technological advancements decreased energy consumption and enriched sulfur dioxide concentrations of the process off-gas to levels where sulfur capture in sulfuric acid plants was economically viable. The new smelting technologies began to replace reverberatory and electric furnaces starting in the late 1940s. A new paradigm in copper smelting was established and the enabler was then Outkumpu’s® flash smelting technology from the 1940s through to today. Now, Outotec had become the dominant primary smelting technology with over 44 copper flash smelting furnace installations world-wide. Figure 1 shows the historical installation statistics of primary smelting technologies over the last 70 years (ICSG 2018). The dominance and acceptance of the Outotec® smelting technology from the 1940s to current can be seen. Isasmelt® technology for copper was introduced in the 1970s and did not see advancement in new installations until the 1990s through today. Isasmelt® has 12 world-wide copper furnace installations to date. Mitsubishi® also introduced continuous smelting and converting technology in the 1970s, but had no new installations until the 1990s with a total of 5 copper smelters. Outotec Ausmelt® smelting technology had 3 installations in the 1990s and totals 10 furnaces. Most recently the Chinese technology of Bottom Blown and Submerged Lance Smelting began commercial operations in 2005 for total installations of 11, mostly in China. Other technologies, such as, El Teniente, Noranda, Inco, and Vanyukov furnaces have contributed to the overall global smelting capacity, but have not penetrated the smelting industry to challenge the existing dominant smelting technologies. The technology distribution in Figure 1 also shows flash smelting technology for sulfide concentrate domination untill 2000, bottom blow technology has become the preference in China. Currently, China is the only country building new smelting capacity. Isasmelt® technology also seen a large increase in installations in the current decade.

Jan 1, 2019