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A comprehensive review of ore pass records, from ten Quebec underground mines, indicated some of the limitations of available design tools to predict the occurrence of ore pass interlocking hang-ups in metal mines. The Distinct Element Method was used to perform a series of numerical experiments in order to investigate the influence of ore pass geometry, rock fragments shape and size distribution on material flow in an ore pass. Guidelines have been developed to help limit the occurrence of interlocking hang-ups in an ore pass. The proposed guidelines were evaluated with respect to field observations. Ein kompletter Bericht der Erzrollezeichnungen, von 10 Quebec unterirdischen Gruben, hat einige der Beschränkungen der vorhandenen Designwerkzeuge angezeigt, um das Auftreten Erzrolle der blockierenhang-ups in den Metallgruben genau vorauszusagen. Eine Reihe numerische Experimente mit der eindeutigen Element-Methode, wurden aufgenommen, um den Einfluss von Erzrollegeometrie, Partikelform nachzuforschen und Felsenkorngrößenverteilungen auf Materialfluss in ein Erz überschreiten. Dieses hat zu die Entwicklung der Richtlinien geführt deren Implementierung das Auftreten der blockierenhang-ups in eine Erzrolle begrenzen sollte. Die vorgeschlagenen Richtlinien wurden in Bezug auf Labor- und Feldbeobachtungen ausgewertet. Une revue de la performance actuelle des cheminées à minerai dans 10 mines souterraines du Québec a indiqué les limites des outils de conception servant à dimensionner les cheminées pour minimiser le nombre d’accrochages par enchevêtrement rocheux. Des séries de modélisations numériques, utilisant la méthode des éléments distincts, ont été réalisées afin d’évaluer l’influence de la géométrie des cheminées, de la forme des fragments rocheux et de la distribution granulométrique sur l’écoulement du matériel dans les cheminées. Cet exercice a permis de développer des lignes directrices pour le dimensionnement des cheminées afin de limiter l’occurrence d’accrochage par enchevêtrement rocheux. Les lignes directrices proposées ont été évaluées en fonction des observations effectuées sur le terrain.

Jan 1, 2003

The Manto Verde mine is found in the coastal ranges of the Atacama desert, 1000 km north of Santiago, Chile . The deposit is a fault-breccia specularite-oxide copper mineralisation hosted by the Jurassic andesites of La Negra Formation. It is located in a tensional fault that joins twoparallel arms of the Atacama Fault. The mine is in feasibility study: reserves are of the order of 60 Mt at 0.9 wt per cent soluble copper; mining will be undertaken at a rate of 11 000 tpd utilising an open pit and the ore will be heap-leached with acidified sea water, with copper recovery and by SX/EW.

Jan 1, 1992

The objective of this research was to evaluate the technical and economic constraints on the extraction and utilization of anthracite coal and to determine the research and development needed in order to make anthracite coal more fully utilized as a premium energy resource. In the report the contractor examines in detail the anthracite industry both past and present and evaluates market possibilities. Anthracite reserves and resources are analyzed and tabulated, and the problem of pumping and drainage from the flooded anthracite fields is covered. Current technology is considered in detail with a discussion of production techniques with potential for improvement. The contractor concludes the report with a summary of constraints on the anthracite industry and the contractor's recommendations for effecting a revitalization of that industry. An estimated production of 17 million tons annually by 1990 can be anticipated if adequate planning, research, and development to overcome present constraints are initiated in the near future.

Jan 1, 1975

By Thomas M. Barczak

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has been conducting research to optimize the design and utilization of mine roof support systems. An objective of these efforts is to evaluate the mechanical and structural responses of various mine roof support systems under simulated load conditions in the Bureau's mine roof simulator. Underground studies are also made to evaluate the in situ behavior of support structures. The purpose of this report is to document practical applications for longwall face and gate road supports that have resulted from these studies. This report is not intended to be an all-inclusive manual on every aspect of support utilization, but it does provide a comprehensive assessment of practical considerations relating to the mechanical and structural behavior of these support systems. Forty-six recommendations are made to provide assistance to mine operators in the testing, selection, and utilization of longwall face and gate road supports. Many of these recommendations offer innovative solutions to everyday problems faced by mining personnel in the control of ground in longwall mining.

Jan 1, 1989

By D. Harrington

A uniform hoisting-signal code for mines hoisting from more than one level, if adopted by all mining States, would be beneficial to employees and owners alike and should largely reduce the number of hoisting accidents. Misunderstood hoisting signals cause many shaft accidents involving injuries to men, damage to equipment, and loss of production from the resultant delay. Many of the metal-mining States have adopted codes for hoisting that are effective within the borders of that State but usually entirely different from the signal code, if any, in use in an adjoining State. For many years safety engineers have recognized this lack of uniformity as a distinct hazard, but a uniform code has never been adopted by the States or by the mining industry in those States that have not incorporated signal codes in their mining laws or mining regulations.

Jan 1, 1944

By G. S. Scott

In the course of the investigation into the causes, behavior, and control of mine fires, which the Bureau of Mines is now conducting, some attention was given to the subject of spontaneous heating. It is self-evident that the temperature of a pile of broken coal will rice if the rate of generation of heat exceeds the rate of brat dissipation and will fall if the opposite is the case. Factors that affect the rate of generation of heat are:

Jan 1, 1941

By J. David Lowell

This paper describes the geology of the Kalamazoo copper orebody discovered in the course of an exploration project carried out by Quintana Minerals Corporation under the author's direction in an area immediately southwest of the San Manuel mine, Pinal County, Arizona. In the period 1943-1947, exploration projects were carried out in the San Manuel area by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and Magma Copper Company which resulted in the development of the San Manuel underground block-cave mine which is now in production at a rate of 41, 000 tons per day. Mining claims covering the area immediately west of the San Manuel orebody were staked in 1946 by Frank F. Salas, R. A. Buzan, H. G. Buzan, and W. C. Buzan of Mammoth, Arizona. These claims were optioned to Martha Purcell in 1946, and in the period of 1947-1958 seven churn drill holes ranging in depth from 1,400 to 2,950 feet were drilled by Mrs. Purcell. These holes did not intersect ore and no further deep exploration was attempted prior to the Quintana Minerals project which began in August, 1965, and which is described in this report. The Kalamazoo deposit is in Sections 3, 4, 9, and 10, T 9 S, R 16 E, Pinal County, Arizona, and it is reached by driving seven miles east from Oracle, Arizona (Figure 1) . The writer is indebted to Corbin J. Robertson and Ronald B. Thompson who participated in the exploration planning of this project and to a number of other individuals who contributed to its execution and management. Petrographic work by J. M. Guilbert was used as a basis for rock and alteration classifications.

Jan 1, 1968

By B. K. Shibler

During a research program to develop improved methods for recovering elemental sulfur and useful sulfur compounds from secondary source materials, the technical literature was searched for pertinent articles on processing methods. This report summarizes results of the literature survey and describes the more important processes that have been used or suggested for recovering sulfur and sulfur compounds from all non-Frasch sources. The bibliography presented represents a survey of the available English language literature on the subject through 1958, with particular attention focused on the period 1950 through 1958. Engineering Index and Industrial Arts Index were the principal guides used in the survey of this period. Chemical Abstracts was used to a limited extent to identify a few key foreign articles and patents. The Sulfur Symposium (4)4 published in November 1950 by Industrial and Engineering Chemistry includes a broadly representative selection of the literature up to 1949. Therefore, this reference was used extensively to locate and list pertinent articles on processing methods reported in the period prior to 1950.

Jan 1, 1962

By Craig Wilbour, John Stimberis, Rob Gibson, Lee Redden

An avalanche is a snow slide. A simple explanation is that the snow on a slope will slide (avalanche) when the snow strength can no longer support its own weight. Snow avalanches happen when the load from snowfall or ram on a snow slope increases faster than the stre n g t h of the bonds between snow crystals. Avalanches can also happen when the strength of a buried layer decre a s e s . Active avalanche control is the intentional triggering of slides. Washington State Department of Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n (WSDOT), does avalanche control to minimize the chance of natural avalanches into traffic. Avalanche control work is done all over the world by: highway departments, ski resorts, railroads, mining operations, utility companies, and other activities threatened by avalanches. The majority of active avalanche control is done with skis, by explosives, or exploding projectiles. Blasting techniques and practices have evolved to fit the specific needs of avalanche contro l . Passive avalanche control is the use of engineered s t r u c t u res such as snow sheds, bridges, or snow supporting devices, to permanently protect a specific location from avalanches. The problem is that these struct u res are extremely expensive. There are a variety of passive avalanche control measures as well as the active m e a s u res used to protect the highway over Snoqualmie Pass. As traffic volume and use expectations incre a s e , m o re extensive passive measures will be needed to keep avalanches from affecting the highway.

Jan 1, 2004

By Fraser Rowe

This paper discusses the philosophies, strategies, goals and pitfalls in automating a mine schedule. The intention of the paper is to give an open and honest view of who could benefit from moving to an automated system, what you can expect from such a system, and what you should be aware of. Many companies feel that moving to an automated mine planning solution will allow the mine scheduling engineer to push a button and walk away, but the reality is that is hardly ever the case. Part of that awareness comes from understanding what is meant by ?automated mine scheduling?, and this paper address that. By contrasting what is meant by ?manual scheduling? and ?automated scheduling? it is hoped that the reader can gain an appreciation of the entire process.

Oct 1, 2009

Safety Factor Characteristic Curves. Their Application to Mine Hoisting Ropes. (Paper by W. A. Boyer, Transactions AIME, 199, 989; Mining Engineering, October 1954. Discussion by B. E. Grant.) ............................................................................................................................. 1101 The Use of Wooden Rock Bolts in the Day Mines. (Paper by Rollin Farmin and Carville E. Sparks, Transactions AIME, 196, 922; Mining Engineering, September 1953. Discussion by Edward Thomas.) ................................................................................................................................. 1101 An Analysis of Mine Opening Failure by Means of Models. (Paper by Bernard York and John J. Reed, Transactions AIME, 196, 705; Mining Engineering, July 1953. Discussion by J. P. Zannaras.) ... 1102 B — Minerals Beneficiation Flotation and the Gibbs Adsorption Equation. (Paper by P. L. de Bruyn, J. Th. Overbeek, and R. Schuhmann, Jr., Transactions AIME, 199, 519; Mining Engineering, May 1954. Discussions by W. E. Ewers and Masayoshi Wada.)........................................................................................... 1103 Manganese Upgrading at Three Kids Mine, Nevada. (Paper by S. J. McCarroll, Transactions AIME, 199, 289; Mining Engineering, March 1954. Discussion by J. Bruce Clemmer, J. B. Rosenbaum, and C. H. Schack.)............................................................................................................. 1105 A Physical Explanation of the Empirical Laws of Comminution. (Paper by D. R. Walker and M. C. Shaw, Transactions AIME, 199, 313; Mining Engineering, March 1954. Discussions by Dimitri Kececioglu, George B. Clark, and Fred C. Bond.) ......................................................... 1106 F — Coal Underground Electrocarbonization of Coal and Related Hydrocarbons. (Paper by T. C. Cheasley, J. D. Forrester, and Erich Sarapuu, Transactions AIME, 199, 908; Mining Engineering, September 1954. Discussions by John G. Tripp and James L. Elder.)....................................................... 1108 Longwall Mining and Mechanization, with Special Reference to Nova Scotia. (Paper by Frank Doxey, Transactions AIME, 199, 701; Mining Engineering, July 1954. Discussion by Louis A. Turnbull.) ........................................................................................................................................ 1109 Cleaning Various Coals in a Drum-Type Dense-Medium Pilot Plant. (Paper by M. R. Geer, W. A. Olds, and H. F. Yancey, Transactions AIME, 196, 696; Mining Engineering, July 1953. Discussion by John Griff en.)................................................................................................................................. 1110 Frontiers in Heat Extraction from the Combustion Gases of Coal. (Paper by Elmer R. Kaiser, Transactions AIME, 199, 304; Mining Engineering, March 1954. Discussion by G. A. Vissac.) ............ 1112 Exploration of the Oaxaca Coal Fields in Southern Mexico. (Paper by Luis Toron and Salvador Cortes-Obregon, Transactions AIME, 199, 505; Mining Engineering, May 1954. Discussion by John D. Price.).................................................................................................................. 1113 H — Industrial Minerals Alkali Reactivity of Natural Aggregates in Western United States. (Paper by William Y. Holland and Roger H. Cook, Transactions AIME, 196, 991; Mining Engineering, October 1953. Discussions by Dexter H. Reynolds and W. L. Merritt.) ......................................................... 1114 Characteristics of Titaniferous Concentrates. (Paper by L. E. Lynd, H. Sigurdson, C. H. North, and W. W. Anderson, Transactions AIME, 199, 818; Mining Engineering, August 1954. Discussion by D. R. Grantham.)........................................................................................................................ 1116

Jan 1, 1955

By R. H. Sprute

This report describes a feasibility study to consolidate coal waste sludge in a 100-acre pond by applying direct current between floating and buried electrodes. The study was conducted by the Bureau of Mines under a cooperative agreement with Washington Irrigation and Development Co., located near Centralia, Wash. Part 1 covers results of laboratory tests at the Bureau's Spokane Research Center and a small-scale field test at the cooperator's coal preparation plant in western Washington. The process is efficient and cost-effective when power is applied at low current density. A proposed system, fully described in part 2, has electrodes covering 21 acres of pond surface radially arranged around a central power platform. Densification of pond contents would require 2 to 3 years of treatment. Total cost of equipment, labor, and material is approximately $500,000.

Jan 1, 1982

One of the most important factors leading to the success of a cement plant is its location. A multicriteria decision-making method is used to rank alternative plant locations. The set of criteria is established and corresponding criteria should be established for each case study, although this multicriteria decision-making approach has broader applicability. In this paper, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with 5 criteria is used to develop a location evaluation hierarchy for an alumina?cement plant in East Azerbaijan province of Iran. Five alternatives for the plant location are evaluated. The main criteria are transportation, water supply, power supply, fuel supply and land. Other criteria have the same importance as these five alternatives. The alternatives are ranked by a multicriteria method and the best site is proposed. Keywords: plant location; multicriteria decision-making

Jan 1, 2005

Controlled Source Audio Magnetotelluric (CSAMT) surveys were carried out by Glass Earth (New Zealand) Limited (Glass Earth) in 2006 - 2007 to investigate epithermal gold targets in the central North Island of New Zealand. The surveys were conducted using a Zonge GDP 32 8-channels receiver and a Zonge XMT 32 transmitter powered by a 16 KW generator. The electric field dipole was maintained at 20 m length (five dipoles per 100 m spread) and the frequency ranged from 4 KHz to 4 Hz. Only scalar (TM mode) signals were recorded, using one magnetic coil per spread. The transmitter bipoles were 1 - 4 km in length and located about 5 to 10 km from each survey area.   Sixteen individual target areas were surveyed by June 2007. The CSAMT survey lines (100 - 400 m spacing) were determined mainly on results from previous ultra-detailed airborne magnetic and gravity surveys conducted by Glass Earth in 2005. The data from each CSAMT line was carefully examined to remove any spurious signals and processed using Zonge SCS2D software, which can produce smooth 2D resistivity inversions of the field data. The results were presented as resistivity sections and maps to help the identification of exploratory drilling targets, mainly from the existence of subsurface high resistivity zones (resistors) that can be interpreted as caused by silicification associated with epithermal mineralization.   An example of processing and interpretation of the CSAMT data is presented in this paper on results from Glass EarthÆs Tahunaatara target, where CSAMT surveys have identified zones of epithermal mineralization confirmed by exploratory drilling.

Jan 1, 2007

By Takeo Fujino, Nobuaki Sato, Junichi Hasegawa, Masato Nakazawa, Kohta Yamada

"Tantalum oxide thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by laser ablation of Ta2O5 target using Nd:YAG pulse laser. Deposition-was observed when a laser light energy higher than 200 mJ and its repetition rate higher than 3 Hz. A thin film of 0.1 µm thickness was obtained by the ablation using a laser light of 300 mJ and 6 Hz for 2 sec. The thickness of the film increased with increasing energy, repetition rate and irradiation time of laser. By the SEM observation, it was found that many island-like particles were deposited on quartz substrate forming a thin film. The obtained thin film, which was identified as ? Ta-O by X-ray diffraction, was oxidized to Ta2O5 by the heat treatment in air at I273 K for 3 h.IntroductionTransition metal oxides have a potential to show special characteristics in electrical, magnetic and/or optical properties. When such compounds are fabricated in the form of thin film, the special properties would be improved or new characters would appear in comparison with bulk materials. Tantalum penta-oxide is widely used as a capacitor since Ta2O5 shows high dielectric constants up to high temperatures. The tantalum solid capacitor has been fabricated by the electrical oxidation of sintered Ta metal cylinder followed by MnO2 film coating. However, further improvements, reduction and layered structure formation, are required for compacting the devices. The layered structure of thin films would be applicable for the above requirements. The formation ofTa2O5 film by low pressure CVD1), photo CVD2) and magnetron sputtering3l were reported. The laser ablation -method is one of the most convenient techniques for the deposition of thin films from their compounds, such as oxides. Formation of Ta2O5 film by pulse laser deposition (PLD) method using ArF excimer4), Nd:YAG (533nm)5) and TEA CO2 6 lasers was reported. In these PLD studies, ablation was carried out in relatively high oxygen pressures resulting in formation of Ta2O 5 film. In this paper, the deposition of tantalum oxide thin film by the laser ablation of Ta2O 5 using Nd:YAG pulse laser was examined at a viliety oxygen pressures ranging from 10-8 to 10 Torr. The morphology of the films was also investigated in relation with substrate temperature and oxygen pressure."

Jan 1, 2000

By P. H. Metzger, D. W. Fuerstenau

The activation of sphalerite was found to occur at a much lower rate with Pb++ then with Cut++ or Ag+. To prevent activation with Pb++, the ratio [m in solution must approximate 103. An example is given illustrating how this condition is met in practice through the addition of zinc sulfate and soda ash. In selective lead-zinc flotation, the mill operator, especially the one who is concentrating a partially oxidized ore, often must add zinc sulfate and/or soda ash for effective depression of the sphalerite. In the present paper the authors show how this practice prevents the activation of sphalerite in the presence of Pb++. A number of years ago Gaudin (1) postulated that Zn++ might control the activation of sphalerite with Pb++ through competitive adsorption. However, recent experimentation has shown the activation of sphalerite with Ag+ and Cut++ to be a chemical reaction in which silver or copper ions replace zinc in the sphalerite lattice through the formation of a more insoluble sul-fide (2,3,4) Thus, if activation with Pb++ is similar to that with Ag+ or Cu t+, zinc salts should control the activation of sphalerite not through competitive adsorption but because the ratio of [zn++/Pb++] in solution regulates the extent of the chemical exchange between Zn++ and Pb++ in the solid phase. The objective of this investigation has been to study the kinetics and equilibrium conditions for the uptake of Pb++ by sphalerite and to investigate the prevention of lead activation with zinc salts. BASIC PRINCIPLES Sphalerite activation has been shown to be a replacement reaction wherein a less soluble compound is formed at the expense of the more soluble zinc sul-fide (2,3,4) For example, if sphalerite is placed in an aqueous silver nitrate solution, ZnS gives to the solution more S= than can exist together with Ag+, and hence the following reaction takes place: ZnS + 2 Ag+? Ag2 S + Zn ++; k = [zn ++]/[Ag ++]2 = 10 26 (1) Therefore, ZnS will dissolve in the presence of Ag+ and activation of sphalerite with Ag+ will proceed after monolayer coverage by solid state diffusion until equilibrium conditions are reached in the system (2, 4) Because of the large difference in the solubility of ZnS and Ag2S, zinc salts cannot affect the reaction unless a complexing agent, such as cyanide ions, is present to complex Ag+ more tightly than Zn++ . By complexing Ag+ and Zn++ in solution, the uptake of Ag+ by sphalerite can be regulated by controlling the ratio m. . Experimentally (2) it was found that the activation of sphalerite by Ag+ could be prevented through the addition of NaCN if this ratio reached a value of approximately 10 26. The mechanism of sphalerite activation with copper salts is given by the following reactions: ZnS + Cu ++ ? CuS + Zn + + ; (2) k = [Zn++]/[Cu++] = 10 11 ZnS + Cu + ? Cu2S+ Zn++; (3) Experimentally Mao (3) found that the activation of sphalerite with Cu++ or Cu + was prevented if the ratios expressed in Equations 2 and 3 were approximately l09 and l022, respectively, with cyanide ions as the deactivator. Although zinc salts do not affect the activation of sphalerite with silver or copper ions in the absence of a complexing agent, activation with lead ions theoretically can be controlled by the addition of zinc salts because of the relatively small differences between the solubility of ZnS and PbS (5). Equilibrium

Jan 1, 1961

By L. L. Godirilwe, and A. Shibayama, G. Danha, K. Haga, Y. Takasaki

Selective extraction through leaching of an amorphous slag obtained from a base metal smelter plant in Botswana is investigated in this paper, where the main objective is to optimise the experimental variables that would result in the maximum selective extraction of the three base metals (Ni, Cu and Co) from the slag waste. Mineralogical tests showed that the sample is composed mainly of fayalite (Fe2SiO4), with a total entrapped metal sulphides content of about 1.0 wt.% occurring as fine occlusions in the fayalite phase. In our experimental program, we compare the effectiveness of two common leaching techniques. In the first method, we use sulphuric acid to carry out atmospheric beaker leaching tests, and in the second method we use high pressure oxidative leaching. The effects of acid concentration, oxidant addition/oxygen partial pressure and pulp density on metal dissolution rate are examined. The optimal Ni, Cu, Co extractions of 80.5%, 81.9 and 98% respectively were obtained under high pressure oxidative leaching conditions (150 oC, 0.6 M H2SO4, 0.5 MPa O2), with substantially low dissolved Fe of 9.6%, the majority of which was removed as jarosite in the residue. Atmospheric beaker leaching yielded poor extractions of Ni below 40% when sulphuric acid combined with hydrogen peroxide (1.0 M and 0.6 M respectively, 65 oC) were used for leaching, while Fe, Cu and Co dissolutions were each about 80%. Therefore, using high pressure oxidative leaching provides a possibility to effectively extract Ni, Cu and Co while producing an environmentally benign residue, thus alleviating the current adverse environmental issues associated with the abandoned smelter slag. Keywords: Slag, amorphous, fayalite, atmospheric beaker leaching, high-pressure oxidative leaching, extraction

Jan 1, 2020

By C. M. Davidson, D. J. Drexler

"Sulphuric acid treated with hydrogen peroxide to destroy organic contaminants could conceivably show increased corrosivity toward carbon steel shipping and storage vessels, caused by the persistence of a peroxide residual. This paper describes work performed to determine the effect of 0-200ppm hydrogen peroxide on the corrosion of carbon steel by 93% and 98% sulphuric acid at room temperature (23ºC) and 50ºC.Steel electrodes were exposed to acid containing several peroxide levels (0. 45, iOO and 200 ppm) for up to two weeks. Specimens were removed at intervals and weight loss, open circuit potential, depth of metal loss and residual peroxide concentration recorded.Hydrogen peroxide decomposes considerably over two weeks in iron-contaminated sulphuric acid. initial peroxide concentrations > l00 ppm suppress corrosion, but the effect is lost when concentration decays below about 60 ppm. Sustained peroxide levels in the range below 60 ppm may increase corrosion rates. These phenomena are interpreted by analogy with anodic passivation."

Jan 1, 1987

By W. P. C. Duyvesteyn, B. J. Sabacky

Reprinted with revisions from Extractive metallurgy of copper, nickel and cobalt, volume I: Fundamental aspects. ed. Reddy R.G., Weizenbach R.N. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 1993. Development work on the Escondida process, concluding with the successful operation of an integrated leach-SX-EW pilot plant and a pilot flotation plant for the upgrading of leach residues, demonstrated that all major process objectives could be achieved. Extraction of 40% of copper in concentrates containing monovalent copper was achieved with essentially no oxidation of sulphide sulphur. The Cu contents of leach residues from four different types of concentrate were successfully upgraded to the original feed grades, giving a product that has potential as a high-quality concentrate for the smelter market. A compact solvent extraction section effectively recovered the ammonia lixiviant for recycling to leaching and selectively transferred Cu into a conventional acid sulphate electrowinning system. High-quality "six-nines" copper cathode was produced on commercial-scale stainless steel blanks, demonstrating that the process will be able to compete effectively in the premium cathode market

Dec 1, 1995

By Mostafa Benzaazoua, Bruno Bussière, Philippe Poirier, Denis Bois

"Environmental desulphurisation is an attractive alternative for the management of acid generating tailings. Non selective froth flotation is the most commonly used method to produce desulphurized tailings, as shown from many previous works (McLaughlin and Stuparyk, 1994; Bussière et al., 1995; 1998; Benzaazoua et al., 2000a,b; 2002). This process can reduce the volume of problematic tailings to manage, by making a sulphide fraction concentrate. The desulphurized tailings can then be used as a moisture retention layer in a cover with capillary barrier effects to prevent acid mine drainage.In this paper, the authors present the results from different laboratory and pilot scale flotation tests which confirm that low sulphide, non-acid generating tailings can be produced by froth flotation. It is also demonstrated that the sulphide concentrates obtained from desulphurisation, when mixed with binders gave good long term results in terms of mechanical behaviour, thus demonstrating that the sulphide fraction can be used for paste backfill material. From previous work (Bussière et al. 1998, 1999) on the evaluation of the operating and capital costs of the desulphurisation process for different ore types, the use of desulphurized tailings to create a dry cover was then studied for several scenarios. The desulphurisation process was compared with other technologies (underwater disposal, engineered soil cover) currently used to prevent acidic drainage (AD) for a new mining operation and the advantages and disadvantages of desulphurisation are presented as well as the costs of this method of AD prevention.INTRODUCTIONThe principal environmental problem of the mining industry today is the generation of acidic drainage (AD) resulting from the natural oxidation of the sulphides in mine tailings. This phenomenon involves the generation of acidity which increase the amounts of toxic metals in the waste water released into the environment by a mine. The environmental impact of the AD has been described in detail in previous work (e.g. Down et Stocks, 1977; Ritcey, 1989; Gray, 1997; Ripley et al., 1996; Aubertin et al., 2002)."

Jan 1, 2004