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By L. Newman, R. Wyrick, R. Berezowsky

The Stillwater Mining Company operates an integrated mines, mill, smelter and base metals refinery complex in Montana, USA for the production of a high-grade platinum group metals (PGM) bearing concentrate, nickel sulphate crystal and cathode copper from the PGM-containing nickel-copper converter matte. The complex was constructed in stages over several years, starting with the mine and the mill, followed by the smelter and finally, a base metals refinery, which was commissioned in 1996. Due to the relatively small quantity of matte production, a straightforward refinery process was initially selected to extract the base metals, which reported to a mixed nickel-copper solution for further treatment off-site, and yielded a high-grade PGM concentrate suitable for treatment in a PGM refinery elsewhere. Subsequently, as a result of increased matte production, the process was modified to separate the nickel and copper, and to produce a nickel sulphate salt and cathode copper. This paper describes the design and operation of the original and the modified processes utilized in the base metals refinery (BMR).

Jan 1, 2004

By David Davidson

Overview- Points To Be Addressed ? Review the building blocks of a successful and vibrant industrial economy ? China?s current position in the global economy ? China?s voracious appetite for raw materials ? Distortion in import/export trends ? Areas of strategic importance for China - Steel and its components - Agriculture self sufficiency - Energy now and for the future ? Do current valuation techniques fairly value ?strategic? assets? China ? The Economical Miracle - Massive shift in population from rural to urban - ?Middle class? growing rapidly, hence strong consumer growth - China is the manufacturing center for the world ? cheap labour and - modern facilities - Infrastructure build out ?US$585b stimulus package and 5 year plan - Rail ? 30,000 kms of new track planned by 2020 - Power ? 50% capacity increase, including 35 nuclear reactors - 100 major new airports - State of the art process and manufacturing facilities - Port capacity ? 100m TEU capacity increase by 2020 Class 1 national highway ? 35,000 km?s by 2020

May 1, 2010

By M. H. Govett, G. J. S. Govett

"The current American ""energy crisis"", occurring in the midst of a global debate on the adequacy of mineral supplies to support present and projected levels of world consumption, has focused attention on Canada as a major world producer of minerals. Exports of minerals account for approximately one-third of Canadian foreign earnings; more than half of these exports are to the United States. Although the United States is a net importer of most industrially important metals, with the exception of nickel and zinc, only a small part of American mineral imports are from Canada; these imports are minerals for which geographical proximity and strategic considerations are important. In the short-term, Canada is more dependent on her exports to the U.S. than America is on imports from Canada. It is argued that Canada, far from indulging in economic nationalism to preserve her resources, should expand her exports while the markets are available."

Jan 1, 1973

By John O. Marsden

Technology development and innovation has played a crucial role in the copper industry throughout history. The effective development and implementation of new technologies allows mankind to produce copper at progressively lower cost of production at a given feed grade and mineral type. This progress serves to counteract cost escalation over time and, depending on the magnitude of the cost benefit, allows ore cut off grades to be reduced thereby improving the availability, accessibility and utilization of mineral resources. The development of step change technologies that can offer >$0.15/lb total cost benefits provides a significant opportunity for producers to achieve competitive advantage, but it has been argued that rapid dissemination of technology makes such competitive advantage unsustainable over time. This paper presents the results of a recent study that evaluates a number of historical and emerging step change technology case studies in the copper industry and quantifies the associated cost benefits for users, the impact on the production cost curve, and the duration of such cost benefits for various categories of implementers: first mover, fast follower, conservative followers and laggards. The results provide a compelling case for major, mid-tier and emerging copper producers to invest in technology development initiatives if they wish to achieve and sustain competitive advantage over the long term. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND A key issue for mining companies is how much time, effort and cost to spend on research and technology development (R&TD). The economic drivers for technology development and implementation are poorly understood in our industry and the business case is clouded by some notable and well-publicized failures (McNulty, 1998). Mining companies are in business to deliver financial returns to investors. This means delivering short term results on a quarter-by-quarter reporting basis as well as sustaining and growing the company to retain and reward a sustainable longer term investor base. The cyclical nature of the commodity metal markets makes it challenging to maintain investment in research and step change technology development: Mining companies must manage through the highs and the lows of price cycles, typically ranging from 5-15 years in length. The discounted cash flow approach to investment evaluation results in weak financial justification for R&TD expenditures. A clear and compelling rationale to support longer term investment in research and step change technology implementation is required.

Jan 1, 2019

By I. Stanoev, V. S. Stoilov, I. Gradinarov, E. D. Visariev, I. A. Bonchev, Aurubis Bulgaria

"Aurubis is the leading integrated copper group and the world’s largest copper recycler. In Copper smelter Aurubis Bulgaria (Pirdop), the residual copper in the slags from Flash furnace and Converters is recovered by flotation. The slag processing comprises: pit cooling, crushing, two stages grinding (autogenous and ball) and flotation. The copper concentrate is thickened and then is filtrated by vacuum disk filter. The thickener overflow is sent to settler for additional clarification. A resent throughput increase resulted in higher solid content in the thickener overflow due to insufficient thickener area. Different scenarios to overcome the issue were evaluated (new thickener, reagents and reconstruction). An increase of the thickening area by installation of lamella modules was chosen as the most promising option. Three lamella modules (1 m3 each) were installed in conventional thickener for the test. Number of sampling campaigns was done to evaluate the effect on solid content in overflow. Parameters of the dewatering cycle were collected during sampling campaign. The products grain size distribution was defined - thickener feed, thickener overflow with and without lamella. The thickener overflow with lamella modules has 2.12 g/L less solid content. The decrease was 71.8%. According to the tests results, the whole conventional thickener was reconstructed with lamella modules. The thickener area was increased by more than 400 m2.INTRODUCTIONIn Copper smelter Aurubis Bulgaria, the copper in slag from the Flash furnace and the Converters is recovered by flotation. The scheme of slag processing is crushing, two stage grinding (autogenous and ball) and flotation. Till 2010 the grinding cycle in the plant was in two stages: the first stage was AG Mill 70×23 working with a classifier and the second stage was ball mill 3.6/5.5 working with a hydrocyclone. In 2010 a new AG Mill 65×78 with hydrocyclone was put in operation in order to increase throughput of the plant. The second stage of the grinding cycle was not changed."

Jan 1, 2016

By A. Bascetin

The mining industry in Turkey has been developing in the last 10 years. Mine wastes and tailings have thus been increasing, depending on the rising production rates. There are many problems related to accidents that occur in tailings damps. In this study, the applicability of the surface paste disposal (SPD) method for a Pb-Zn mine in western Turkey was examined. Density was 3.084 and specific surface area was 0.899 m2/g. The mill tailings have very low plasticity and show characteristics of clays and silts in terms of the Unified Soil Classification System. The particle size distribution of the tailings was 39.2% particles finer than 20 µm. The results of this study showed that the physical and chemical properties of mill tailings make them suitable for SPD.

Aug 1, 2013

By Paul B. Warrington

This paper presents a discussion of the factors affecting copper scrap markets, including such items as price levels, freight. grades of material, sources and packaging. Reference will also be made to the effective life and turn-around of the copper content of some products. Introduction IN TERMS OF SIZE, copper scrap is second only to ferrous scrap in tonnage recycled. However, in total value, it is second to none. For example, world scrap recovery during the preceding 4 years averaged just under 2,300,000 metric tons per annum, and at an average price of 70 ¢ a pound, this works out at a turnover of about $3.5 billion, which indicates that the copper scrap industry, or recycling as it is now becoming known , is a substantial one.

Jan 1, 1977

By M. D. Everell

Le Centre de Recherches minérales (CRM), qui est un organisme de recherche appliquée du ministère de l'Energie et des Ressources du Québec, a été créé en 1969, dans le but de procurer un support scientifique et technique à l'industrie dans le domaine des mines et de la métallurgie. Pour atteindre ses objectifs, le CRM met à la disposition de l'industrie un personnel spécialisé et compétent dont une quarantaine d'ingénieurs et de scientifiques. Etant donné la nature même de l'industrie minérale, ce personnel est très versé dans l'étude des problèmes diversifiés des domaines de la technologie minière, du traitement des minerais, de la métallurgie extractive et de l'analyse minérale. Ce Centre de recherches met également à la disposition de l'industrie une usine-pilote permettant de reproduire les résultats du laboratoire au moyen d'un appareillage de type industriel, d'obtenir des échantillons en quantité suffisante pour une exploration du marché et de familiariser du personnel avec les opérations normales de l'industrie. Certaines de ses contributions récentes au développement de l'industrie minérale du Québec seront présentées.

Jan 1, 1985

By W. Gordon Muir

This paper deals with the exploration, development and current operations of the salt mine at Goderich, Ontario operated by the Sifto Salt Division of Domtar Chemical Limited. The rock salt is obtained from a bed 1,760 feet below the surface, 75 feet thick, extending under Lake Huron. Annual production is in excess of one million tons. Large mobile equipment is used. Details of this equipment, as well as the shaft layout, which permits the equipment to be lowered underground with a minimum of trouble are outlined. Mining, crushing and screening procedures' are rev1ewed. Reference is also made to productivity salt distribution and uses.

Jan 1, 1967

By W. L. Ennis

Introduction This paper outlines the causes of underground fires at Noranda Mines and the precautionary measures taken to guard against such fi res. Shafts There are six shafts (Figures and lA) on the property, of which N os. 1 and 2 are abandoned. Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are the present working openings from surface and No 6 is an internal shaft. No. 3 is used primarily as a service shaft, while Nos.?1 and 5 are the main hoisting shafts. Orebodies The orebodies are of two distinct types. There are the massive sulphide bodies, and the areas of mineralized rhyolite containing gold values and a silica content high enough for fluxing purposes. The massive sulphide bodies contain chalcopyl'ite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and minor amounts of sphalerite and magnetite. The concentration of particular sulphides varies even within the same body. It is the areas high in pyrite, and to a lesser degree those, high in pyrrhotite, that are of particular interest.

Jan 1, 1950

By N. Plint, D. Philips, J. Sweet, B. Durant

A pilot scale AG milling campaign was conducted at the AngloAmerican Platinum pilot plant in South Africa. Different blends of hard: soft (silicate: chromite) and coarse: fine particles in the AG mill fresh feed were tested. The effects of multi-component feed on the pilot scale autogenous grinding are presented in this paper, and can be used as a guideline for multi-component feed blends for AG mil

Jan 1, 2012

By Barry D. Simmons

"A well-defined approach is essential to ensure the long-term success of a regional exploration program. Teck's approach in eastern Canada is designed to fulfill corporate objectives while recognizing certain unique parameters for exploration in the area. The elements of this approach include clearly defined objectives, technical considerations and personnel policies, all of which are equally important. The goal is a significant discovery before the mid-l990s and the company is confident that this target will be achieved.IntroductionAs one of Canada's oldest continuously operating mining companies, Teck Corporation traces its roots to Kirkland Lake, Ontario, with the development of the Teck-Hughes gold mine in 1913, later supplemented by production from the Lamaque gold mine in Val d'Or, Quebec. Control of the company was acquired by Temagami Mining Company, part of the Keevil Mining Group, in 1959. Credited as one of the first discoveries made using airborne geophysics, the Keevil Group had recently found the small but very high-grade copper deposits at Temagami, Ontario. These developments in eastern Canada formed a foundation for remarkable growth and Teck's present status as one of Canada's most successful and respected mining companies.Teck currently operates successful mining ventures across Canada and has international exposure through its association with Cominco Ltd., M.I.M. Holdings Limited and Metallgesellschaft AG. Operations in eastern Canada, however, remain an important component of Teck's ongoing success. The David Bell and Williams mines at Hernlo, Ontario, are Canada's lowest cost and largest gold operations, respectively. The Niobec Mine at Chicoutimi, Quebec, is North America's only significant producer of niobium. Teck maintains a 45070 interest in Golden Knight Resources Inc., part owner of the successful gold mining operation in the Casa Berardi area of northwestern Quebec. As a significant shareholder in Aur Resources Inc. and as a part owner, Teck is participating in the development of the Louvicourt deposit, a major base metal discovery at Val d'Or, Quebec."

Jan 1, 1992

By Arnaud Faucher, Amar Sabih, Sudarshan Martins, Tristan Martin, Sami Makni, Peter Radziszewski, Poorya Hosseini, Francois-Raymond Boyer

The measurement of acoustic signals produced by a tumbling mill has been previously used to determine the operating state of the mill and correlate the variations of the sound intensity with the operating conditions of the mill. Separately, the discrete element model (DEM), a software simulation of the mill, was developed to provide insight into the operation of the mill. Presently, there has not been much work reconciling the DEM simulation of the mill with the acoustic signal. Working from basic principles of linear, time-invariant systems, agreement between an acoustic DEM simulation and the measured signal is sought. First, the impulse response function of the mill is measured. The DEM provides the forces applied to the mill shell as a function of time. A convolution of these simulated shell forces and the transfer function gives the simulated acoustic signal. This signal is compared to the measured acoustic signal, both in the time domain and the frequency domain. Finally, a discussion of the results is given.

Jan 1, 2012

By H. Kuboyama

The synergistic effects of polymer additives such as gelatin and polyethylene glycol) (PEG) and Cl- on Cu electrodeposition have been investigated by measuring the polarization curves for Cu deposition, by rotating ring-disk electrode technique and by AC impedance measurements. The cathode potential for Cu deposition was greatly polarized in solutions containing both Cl- and gelatin or PEG, showing evident synergistic effect of polymer additives and Cl- on Cu deposition. The cathode potential was shifted to the less noble direction with increasing the concentration of Cl- in solutions containing polymer additives and showed the maximum polarization at Cl- concentration range between 0.1 and 1 mmol/L. The rotating ring-disk electrode technique revealed that Cu deposition in solutions containing small amounts of Cl- proceeded with initial formation of adsorbed intermediate CuClad. The Cole-Cole plots obtained by AC impedance techniques suggest that the reduction of CuClad is suppressed by polymer additives. The morphology of Cu deposited from solutions containing both PEG and Cl- showed the compacted surface composed of smaller grains due to an increase in the overpotential for Cu deposition.

Jan 1, 2007

By B. Van den Bogaert, K. Binnemans, T. Van Gerven

Europium is one of the most critical rare-earth elements due to the limited supply of this element combined with a high demand for red lamp phosphors. Therefore, the recycling of europium from end-oflife lamp phosphors has become increasingly important. Photochemical reduction of europium(III) to europium(II) and subsequent removal from rare-earth mixtures by precipitation as EuSO4 is a very selective and efficient method to recover europium from binary europium/yttrium solutions. It is shown that full separation of europium and yttrium is feasible from laboratory prepared non-equimolar Eu/Y mixtures up to a ratio of 1/20, which reflect the composition of red lamp phosphors. Optimal conditions were determined at pH 4 with isopropanol as a radical scavenger, which is a less harmful and toxic compound than the commonly used formic acid scavenger. Europium removal efficiencies of more than 95% were achieved, with a purity of 98.5% of the EuSO4 precipitate. The irradiance of the used light source, expressed in mW/cm2, has a large impact on the illumination time needed to remove europium from the solution. It is observed that higher irradiance results in a shorter induction time, i.e. a period during which virtually no europium is removed, and a faster removal rate once the induction time has passed. The photochemical separation technique was applied to recover europium from leached industrial red lamp phosphor (YOX) powder, with a Eu/Y ratio of 1/30. Europium recovery of 50% was reached with a purity of 96%, proving the feasibility of this method for the recycling of europium from end-of-life lamp phosphors.

Jan 1, 2016

By C. A. Pickles

Microwaves are being applied industrially in a number of fields and possess a number of potential advantages that could be applied in extractive metallurgy. Microwave heating has a number of unique characteristics, which distinguish it from the conventional heating methods. In microwave heating, the absorption of energy occurs at the molecular or atomic level and therefore the heat is generated within the material itself. In conventional heating, the exterior temperature is usually higher than the interior, but with microwave heating, the temperature gradient is inverted and thus the interior temperature can be much higher than that of the surface. The energy densities in microwave systems can be relatively high and this in combination with the low thermal conductivities of oxide ores, can lead to very high internal heating rates. In this research, the application of microwave energy for the reduction of a nickeliferous silicate laterite ore has been investigated. The real and imaginary permittivities are the two fundamental properties which determine the microwave absorption characteristics of a material and these were measured for the ore, both with and without carbon additions using the cavity perturbation technique. The microwave heating and reduction experiments were performed in a 0 to 2 kW CTC microwave system. The effects of power input, processing time, sample mass and charcoal additions on the microwave absorption were investigated. Then reduction experiments were performed and the nickel grade of the magnetic concentrate and the nickel recovery in the concentrate were determined.

Jan 1, 2005

By M. Pelser, H. Gous, J. H. W. M. Brits, K. Voogt

The effect of impurities; iron and selenium, on current efficiency and deposit quality in copper electrowinning was investigated using an at-line cell at the Rustenburg Base Metals Refiners’ Copper Tankhouse. The tankhouse is a direct leach, starter sheet electrowinning operation with a unique electrolyte composition. The effect of iron on the current efficiency in the at-line cell was found to be less severe than reported in literature. However, the distinction between the chemical impact of iron on current efficiency and the physical impact of iron on a starter sheet operation needs to be realised. The effect of selenium on current efficiency and deposit quality is also reported. INTRODUCTION Anglo American Platinum’s Rustenburg Base Metals Refiners’ (RBMR) Copper Tankhouse serves a unique function in the refinery flowsheet in that its primary functions are the removal of copper and production of acid for the leach circuit. This function needs to be performed to specification in order to keep the leach circuit operating optimally. Current efficiency is seen as an indicator of tankhouse performance and efficient energy use. The tankhouse plates starter sheets onto titanium blanks which, after stripping and preparation, return into the production cells for further plating. Approximately 78% of tankhouses surveyed (Robinson et al., 2013) use permanent cathode technology whereas older, smaller operations still use starter sheet technology. Drawbacks of the starter sheet technology are that the starters are thin and bend easily leading to increased shorts, they need to be removed after two days of plating to be manually straightened and are then returned to the cells. In addition, the electrolyte levels in the cells need to be adjusted during the plating cycle to improve loop adhesion to the cathode and reduce loop corrosion. The starter sheet technology is therefore very labour intensive and the final quality of the product is dependent on the quality of the starter sheets produced. In comparison, permanent cathode or direct plating technology lends itself to automation, allows for higher current densities and better cathode quality due to more robust geometric stability in the cell. The present barrier to implementation of permanent cathode plating at the RBMR Copper Tankhouse is the capital cost required to convert the tankhouse, i.e. blanks and stripping machine. At present, alternatives to titanium blanks, such as LDX 2101, are being investigated for the unique electrolyte composition of this tankhouse.

Jan 1, 2019

By Christiaan Zeilstra, Jan van der Stel, Koen Meijer, Gerard Louwerse, Tim Peeters

The steel industry is producing about 5% of the world wide CO2 emission. Therefore the European steel industry has defined a research program to reduce the CO2 emission by 50% per ton: ULCOS. Since its start in 2004 ULCOS has identified four technologies for further development. Two of these technologies which produce liquid hot metal are discussed. The ULCOS blast furnace is based on recycling of decarbonated topgas and the capture and storage of CO2. The concept has been demonstrated during three campaigns at LKAB EBF in Luleå, Sweden. The smelting reduction process HIsarna is a combination of the cyclone-technology and Hismelt. The process has been demonstrated successfully in four campaigns at a pilot installation on the IJmuiden steelmaking site.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. H. Lang

"The name Barkc:rville district is applied loosely to the gold-bearing area around the historic town of Barkerville; the first mining camp in western Canada. The region is partly in the Cariboo mining division and partly in the Quesnel mining division. It contains two producing lode gold mines; the Cariboo Gold Quartz and the Island Mountain; and numerous other deposits. The regional structural pattern is outlined in this paper; the structural details of the producing mines are described in the papers that follow.The discovery of rich placer deposits in this district in 1860 was followed by the Cariboo gold rush. Placer mining in the area flourished until 1875 and then declined as the shallow diggings were exhausted, but important operations are still active. The total placer production amounts to about $50,000,000. An extraordinary number of quartz veins outcrop in the district, but many have only a small gold content. The miners soon recognized that the placer gold must have been derived from the erosion of these veins, and some directed their attention to the possibility of quartz mining. The erection of a 4stamp mill in 1876 was the first attempt at ore reduction in British Columbia, exclusive of arrastras. Efforts to mine the Cariboo lodes on a large scale were not successful, however, until 1933, when, due to the pertinacity of F. M. Wells and to the increased price of gold, the Cariboo Gold Quartz mine commenced production, followed by the Island Mountain mine in 1934. This success led to development work at many properties in the district, but the only ones that have reached production to date are the Columbia Tungstens, where scheelite has been mined intermittently since 1937, and the Cariboo Hudson, from which gold was produced in 1938 and 1939."

Jan 1, 1954

By S. E. Malouf, W. Thorpe

"The Chibougamau Explorers property comprises 35 claims or 1,726 acres in La Dauversiere and Rohault Townships along the west shore of Norhart Lake. The property is serviced by a twelve-mile all-weather high-way leaving the main St. Felicien-Chibougamau highway at mileage 121. This road junction will be a railway siding on the C.N.R. St. Felicien-Chibougamau branch line in early 1957. The property lies 30 miles due south from the town of Chibougamau. The mine-sponsored Chibougamau Explorers town has a population of 250 with 28 residences and a well equipped recreation centre.The original showing was found by Rider Storn, a prospector financed by Val d'Or interests during the 1950 field season. This showing did not stand up to detailed prospecting but it did lead to the discovery of the main zone by A. Oakley during the following winter.The company was incorporated in I 950 under the presidency of E. Ayrhart. Financing following the initial drilling involved an increase of capitalization from 3 to 5 million shares and the advent of financing and management control by Anacon Lead Mines Limited.Exploration and development to Jan. I, 1956, has included 42,331 feet of surface diamond drilling; 31,363 feet of underground drilling; a 3-compartment shaft to 1,245 feet, with 8 levels at 150-foot intervals; and I 1,054 feet of drifts, crosscuts, and raises. Ore reserves to the 900-foot level, proven and partly developed, total 546,725 tons averaging 0·30 ounces gold and 0·93 per cent copper. A mill with capacity of 500 to 750 tons will be installed by January 1956.GeologyThe Chibougamau Explorers property lies along the belt of Keewatin volcanics striking through Bachelor Lake, Opawica Lake, Doda Lake, Coapatina, Norhart Lake, and Rohault Lake, where it is in close proximity to the paragneisses of the Grenville series. The boundary of the paragneisses, a gradational contact, lies within a mile of the Chibougamau Explorers shaft collar."

Jan 1, 1949