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By P. S. G. Leon

One of the most difficult areas in concession contracts in resource-rich developing countries is achieving an equitable balance between the interests of investors, host states and, increasingly, mine and near mine communities. While some countries in the Andean region have resorted to outright or creeping expropriation of natural resource contracts under the guise of resource nationalism, others such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have claimed international best practice in the review (and setting aside) of important concession contracts.

Jan 1, 2011

By F. T. Cawood

Inauguration of the new political dispensation in South Africa in1994 initiated a dynamic shift in the ownership, management and development of the country?s affluent mineral heritage. The process of substituting the old South African regime with a new equitable system started soon after the 1994 election of the African National Congress (ANC) to parliament. The Congress?s Freedom Charter revealed the intent of the new dispensation when it called for radical transformation of mineral development. However, since then there have been important changes affecting the rules of mineral development. These are: ?A drastic change in politics ushered in by negotiation, a spirit of reconciliation and a desire to settle disputes peacefully ?The globalization of the South African mining industry in tandem with the opening of domestic mineral resources to foreign capitalists and ?The introduction of sustainable development as a holistic approach to mineral development in order to replace traditional narrow-minded environmental management. Each of these significantly shaped the new mineral investment environment of South Africa. This paper represents a summary of the historical developments leading to the current Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act No. 28 of 2002, its regulations, the much publicised Broad-Based Socio-Economic Empowerment Charter, its associated Scorecard, and the Draft Royalty Bill.

Jan 1, 2004

By R. T. Jones

Technical publications in the field of mining and metallurgy have existed for a long time. Recent developments in electronic publishing on websites make it possible to disseminate information more widely and cost-effectively than before. Professional societies have an opportunity to serve their members and their industry by publishing high-quality peer-reviewed papers on their websites as well as in printed form. Older publications can be scanned, and optical character recognition used to provide searchable text. Various business models exist around this process. This paper outlines the approach used by the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) to provide free open access to their journal papers and conference proceedings, as well as the work being done by OneMine.org to collect technical papers from a number of international societies and make them available to subscribers via a large database. An approach is outlined that should be of benefit to authors, readers, and society at large.

Jan 1, 2012

By B. A. Day

The traditional view taken of commodity prices is that they are cyclical, with strong demand boosting prices and attracting new suppliers. The resulting increased supply pushes prices down with consequent exit of the higher cost producers. And so the process repeats itself. Little attention is given to shifts in underlying global issues and their effect on the traditional process which is seen as being controlled by ?amorphous? market forces with producers profiting from the good times and trying to survive in the bad.. The questions posed are: does this still apply and will it apply into the future? What new factors are affecting the cycles? Can we expect to find the traditional commodity cycles repeated in the 21stcentury? Are producers powerless within the forces of the cycles? Forces likely to affect future commodity prices will be suggested, using gold, zinc, copper, tin and coal as case studies. The long-term downward trend in the real price of commodities is identified.

Jan 1, 2000

By F. T. Cawood

This research report was produced in response to the release of the Mineral and Petroleum Royalty Bill. It involved are view of the mineral investment environments of selected countries in order to form an opinion on the appropriateness and competitiveness of the proposed royalty structure for South Africa. Many emerging countries have recently attracted a significant share of foreign investment, as a direct result of changes in policy. These are, by implication, the least risky and most favourable destinations for the ?investment dollar?. The five most competitive countries, namely Chile, Argentina, Peru, Mexico and Brazil have been identified as succeeding with their policy visions of creating favourable domestic investment environments. The investment rules of these countries served as a basis for the compilation of a Competitive Investment Framework (CIF). This is a template of best practice against which other investment environments, such as that of South Africa, can be measured. The framework indicates that mineral royalties should ideally be no more than three per cent, demonstrating that the regime proposed in the Royalty Bill is out of step with international best practice. Mineral royalties can never be viewed in isolation and in the assessment of the rates proposed in the Royalty Bill, one must consider the total taxation package. Such assessment appears in Section 5 of this report, demonstrating that there is reason for concern if National Treasury were to impose the rates stipulated in the Royalty Bill. The alternatives, conclusion and recommendations of the review appear in Sections 9 and 10. These are the result of independent analysis and assessment of the fundamental principles. It is done through the application of a Competitive Investment Framework that avoids the highly subjective and emotional views that often accompany a process like this.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. H. Zietsman

It has previously been observed that industrial high-titania slags display a compositional invariance, remaining close to stoichio-metric M3O5. The present study focuses on this invariance and the phenomena which may cause it. The invariance was studied using thermochemical calculations and a mechanism is proposed for the observed behaviour. The mechanism suggests that a combination of thermochemical equilibrium and transient slag solidification and melting results in the observed compositional invariance. The proposed mechanism provides new insights and prompts questions about other mechanisms in the smelting process.

Jan 1, 2004

The Mineral Sector Development Project, sponsored by the World Bank, has been set up to revise the legal, regulatory and fiscal framework for the minerals industry in Tanzania, with a view to attracting mining companies and investors to the country and facilitating future minerals development. One component of this project, the Environmental Management Framework for the Mineral Sector, was awarded to Wardell Armstrong of the UK and ENV Consult of Tanzania. In developing a new framework of environmental regulations, emphasis was placed on developing realistic standards which reflect local conditions and prevailing values. The main corner-stones of this approach are; effective environmental impact assessment procedures; establishment of environmental management procedures; and monitoring and auditing of companies? performance. The favoured approach involves a three-tier framework, as follows: ?Framework environmental provisions within the new Mining Act; ?Regulations covering more detailed environmental requirements ?Guidelines and/or Codes of Practice, which may in future become regulations in their own right. Careful consideration has been given, in developing the framework, to the limited resources likely to be available for implementation to the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and this has influenced the approach that has been adopted. This paper outlines the main components of the environmental management framework and discusses some of the important issues raised by these proposals.

Jan 1, 1998

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B. Eng (Metallurgical Engineering) degree Electrowinning is an attractive method to recover gold from the relatively concentrated aurodicyanide solutions produced by the elution of loaded carbon, provided that the plated gold can be easily removed using high pressure water sprays. In practice, difficulty with the removal of the gold is occasionally experienced and has been correlated with the presence of high concentrations of copper in the eluate. In this work, the influence of copper on the electro-plating of gold was further investigated using a laboratory electrowinning cell with a rotating disc cathode, polarization, and adhesion tests. It was found that the reduction of copper will compete with gold electrowinning at high copper tenors and that the adhesion of the precipitated gold is also increased under these conditions. Keywords: reduction, adhesion, morphology, current efficiency, limiting current.

Jan 1, 2004

By G. L. Smith

Central to the success of any mining company is the ability to manage capital investment effectively so as to ensure acceptable stakeholder returns within an overall strategic context. Critical to this process is the effective selection and implementation of a strategically aligned project portfolio that enables optimal resource exploitation while operating within mandated bounds and identified constraints. Consideration is given to the strategic long-term planning process, an investment prioritization methodology and specific tools and techniques based on the discounted cash flow philosophy.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. Nete

Qualitative analysis of three mineral samples from northern Mozambique was accomplished by X-ray diffraction (XRD), microscopy, scintillation, and magnetic determination. Chemical characterization was accomplished using ICP-OES and pressed powder XRF after dissolution using microwave-assisted digestion and flux fusion. The samples consisted of a mixture of minerals with tantalite as the major component, with minor amounts of microlite, quartz, mica, accessory garnet, and tourmaline. Incomplete dissolution was obtained using microwave digestion, with maximum recoveries of 90.25 ± 0.06% and 88.90 ± 0.04% for Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 respectively. Complete dissolution using Li2B4O7 resulted in recoveries of 98.5 ±0.2% Nb2O5 and 100.4 ± 0.3% Ta2O5.

Jan 1, 2012

By N. F. Mescheriakov

New mechanical and pneumatic-mechanical flotation machines with axial impellers have been developed. Industrial tests show that these machines ensure lower power expenditure (on flotation) by 1.5-2.0 times as compared with reference machines (with the same or improved technological indices). Application of the newly developed axial impeller, with these advantages, is possible in any volume chambers of type OK, Dorr-Oliver, Wemko etc.

Jan 1, 1998

By M. Jele

? Sulphuric acid plant in umbogintwini. ? Double absorption plant, capacity of 550MTPD. ? Build by simon curve during the year 1973. ? Side stream plants such as: ? Liquid SO2 Plant, ? Liquid SO3 and ? Oleum plant

Jan 1, 2009

By P. I. Page

In mineral exploration the place that yields the first significant result is marked and two questions are posed immediately. Where should the next sample be drawn and how big should it be? At present the answers are arbitrary and ad hoc. They depend on personal experience and sentiment?that is hunch. The thought processes involved in reaching the decisions are unsatisfactory and unsatisfying for professionals. This paper proposes guidance on choosing sample spacing and sample size. The guidance is obtained from the grades of the samples. The grades also imply the extent of influence of each sample assay. Thus sampling and assay are integrated. The integration is achieved by changing the unit of value in which assays and grades are expressed and by exposing meanings and functions of grade beyond that of measuring rock value. The proposals are extended to guide comminution of particle size in sample size reduction and to deal with the problem of erratic high assays. Also, elucidation becomes possible of the computation of a reliable figure for average grade as a statistical weighted mean.

Jan 1, 2005

By P. Venter, N. Naude

"Coal mining is a thriving industry and 53% of the coal mined in South Africa is used for electricity generation. Mechanization has made coal mining more efficient, but fines generation has subsequently increased. Up to 6% of the run of mine material can report to the -200 µm fraction. Common problems associated with fines handling include dust formation, storage problems, and high moisture levels. A method to turn this material into a saleable product instead of stockpiling it can add value to a company.Briquetting is a pressure agglomeration method where loose material is compacted into a dense mass (FEECO International, 2014). The briquettes must be able to withstand rigorous handling and transport operations without disintegrating. This study aims to investigate the optimum binder and moisture conditions required to produce a mechanically strong briquette using two different binders - a PVA powder (binder A) and a starch powder (binder B).It was found that for binder A the optimum moisture level was 12% to 14%. At this moisture level the greatest compression strength gains were observed, and low amounts of fines produced in impact and abrasion tests. The minimum amount of binder added while still obtaining a strong briquette was 0.5% binder A. For binder B the optimum moisture level was also 12% and the minimum amount of Binder B to be added was found to be 1%. Briquettes that were dried outside reached their peak strength after about four days, whereas the briquettes that dried inside took about 20 days to reach their strength plateau. Hardly any degradation took place on the surface of the binder A film after exposure of 300 hours of artificial weathering. Thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that neither binder A nor binder B will add to the ash content of the coal fines, as both binders totally decompose above 530°C.Binder B yielded stronger briquettes after 15 days and also generated less fines. It is therefore superior to binder A and would be recommended for further use.Paper written on final year project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B.Eng degree in Coal Beneficiation"

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Madias, E. Benavidez, E. Brandaleze, L. Castella

Knowledge of the physical and chemical properties as well as the behaviour of the mould fluxes during melting, important in order to improve continuous casting operations. Lubrication and control of heat transfer in the mould are the more relevant functions of these materials. Values of physical properties like viscosity and surface tension at melting range temperatures are required, as much as the thermal behaviour under process conditions. The heat extraction from the liquid steel has an important effect in the final quality of products. Mould fluxes are constituted by different oxides, and may form glasses and crystal phases during cooling. The solidification rate and the chemical composition determine the proportion, type and crystalline morphology, which are responsible of the thermal transfer processes. In this paper, viscosity values are reported in the melting range temperatures calculated by means of the Riboud model and compared with fluidity results obtained by the inclined plane technique. Also the linear expansion of the mould fluxes at high temperatures was determined by dilatometry. The crystallization in two different fluxes was determined by DTA tests and correlated with the basicity index. Crystal phases were evaluated by scanning electronic microscopy on quenched samples at 1300°C. This information is relevant to increase the knowledge on the peritectic steel grades casting process in order to improve its quality. Keywords: mould fluxes, heat transfer, crystal phases, peritectic steels, thermal properties.

Jan 1, 2004

By C. L. Reichardt

Mining companies are increasingly looking to the developing world for the next generation of mining projects, often in countries that have little or no previous history of large-scale mining. One of the major challenges for such projects is hiring?and retaining?personnel that have technical skills and experience in mining-related disciplines. Staffing a mine with an expatriate workforce is neither cost-effective nor sustainable, and many countries now insist that mining companies ?transform? the profile of their workforce to more closely mirror the demographic profile of the host population. The need to nurture mining-related skills in emerging mining nations is not solely limited to the workforce: there are also pressing economic and sustainability imperatives to develop capacity within local service providers such as consultants and contractors, as well as to facilitate informed engagement between mining companies, government and civil society. However, few educational institutions in emerging mining nations currently have the ability to offer practical training in mining-related disciplines. Local employees who are sponsored by companies to develop their skills through international study maybe impeded by language and cultural barriers, and may also be taught using course content that is of limited relevance to the specific challenges of their future working environment. This paper addresses the challenge of skills development and retention in emerging mining nations and uses examples from sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia Pacific region to explore practical means of developing capacity in mining-related disciplines. It examines the need for companies to implement strategies to develop local technical capacity in countries where they envisage a long-term operational future and also highlights the need to foster partnerships between academia, developmental institutions, mining companies, governments and civil society to establish the critical mass of mining-related skills required to nurture the development of a sustainable mining industry.

Jan 1, 2009

By C. Lottering

Copper sulphate solutions are produced during the pressure leaching of first-stage leach residue in a typical base metal refinery process. Apart from impurities such as selenium and tellurium, this leach solution also contains other precious metals (Rh, Ru, and it) due to dissolution in the pressure leaching stage. Selenium and tellurium are removed from the leach solution by precipitation with sulphurous acid, since these elements negatively affect electrowinning. This study investigates the feasibility of modifying the Se/Te precipitation process step to achieve significant rhodium precipitation in addition to selenium and tellurium precipitation, in order to reduce the rhodium inventory of the process. Thiourea, S02, formaldehyde, formic acid, and sodium thiosulphate were evaluated to determine which of these reagents would achieve the highest Rh precipitation. Based on these screening tests, SO2 and thiourea were selected to be used as precipitation reagents in optimization tests. During these optimization tests, the operating temperature (80 to 150°C) and the amount of reagent added (80 to 140 per cent excess) were varied to evaluate the effects that these operating conditions have on the precipitation behaviour of Rh as well as Se, Te, Cu, and Ni, and to propose appropriate operating conditions. It was found that thiourea resulted in good Rh and Se precipitation (typically in excess of 90 per cent), but precipitated noticeably more copper and nickel from the solution than when SO2 was used. In addition, thiourea had poor Te removal characteristics. SO2 achieved a maximum of 70 per cent precipitation of the rhodium. Faster kinetics and a larger extent of Te precipitation were, however, observed when using SO2 compared to thiourea.

Jan 1, 2012

By H. Ogasawara

To study the preparation process of an earthquake, we should get closer to the hypocentre. In co-operation with ISS International, we had an experimental field (~200 m x~200 m) without dykes and faults in a South African deep gold mine. We have monitored more than 20,000 seismic events (M<2) with borehole tri-axial accelerometers. We used a data acquisition system with 15 kHz sampling and 120-dB dynamic range. In a remnant area at a distance of 100?200 m, an earthquake sequence associated with an M~2 event occurred. Significant changes in seismic parameters such as stress drop, b-value, energy index were observed associated with the sequence. We installed Ishii?s borehole strain meters and could monitor as large a strain change as 10-4associated with mining. However, sampling was only 4 times per hour and 12 bit A/D. A distance from the M2 sequence was ~100 m, being not close enough. Therefore, we found another field with several crosscut tunnels excavated across a fault where an M=2-3 event is expected. We installed the strain meter within several metres of the fault to monitor both shear and normal strains on the fault. The strains are continuously digitized with a 24-bit 25-Hz A/D conversion. The Earth Tide (10-8)is clearly detected. Seismicity induced by longwall mining can be compared to earthquake swarm induced by fluid intrusion to vertical dykes. We also found a decrease in energy index in the source area of M>5events a few days before the major events. Keywords: seismic monitoring, strain monitoring, seismic parameters, preparation process of an earthquake, South African gold mine.

Jan 1, 2002

By D. B. Rebuli

Seismic networks in deep gold mines of South Africa are often planar owing to the tabular geometry of the orebody and, therefore, the mining infrastructure. Consequently, seismic event locations are poorly constrained in the direction perpendicular to the reef plane, and symmetrical locations above and below the reef plane may fit the observed data equally well. This problem may be resolved in situations where the strata above and below the reef plane have significantly different seismic velocities, which is the case for the Ventersdorp Contact Reef at Kusasalethu mine (previously Elandskraal, the amalgamation of Deelkraal and Elandsrand). A location method using a layered location model that takes into account the velocity contrast between the layers was tested. Observed direct- and head-waves were used to determine the velocity bounds of the P-wave velocities in the two-layer model. The data-set was also used to find the best P- and S-wave velocities for the two layers by grid searching over a range of velocities and minimizing the sum of the travel-time residuals. The results from the grid search and those from the calibration of velocities using direct- and head-waves give similar P-wave velocities for each of the two layers. A second set of seismic events was then relocated with this layered model and locations closer to reef were found. This simple layered location method goes some way to reduce the reefperpendicular location errors for Kusasalethu mine in particular. Keywords mine seismology, velocity model, location methods.

Jun 1, 2013

By Grant Loveday, Vincent Dieudonné, Andrew Jonkers

Bateman Minerals & Metals supplies the APIC Technologies which include the under-bed air-pulsed APIC jig and related technologies such as the JigScan controller and advanced mathematical models of the jig process. Bateman have developed a methodology for predicting process performance for jigs from simplified testing and modelling, based on batch equipment matched to industrial designs. Batch tests conducted on laboratory scale air-pulsed jigs can process small batches of material, such as those obtained from drill core samples. The novelty comes from using an advanced jig process model, ASTRAD, to link the results of batch and continuous jigs. The batch jig presented as a novelty in this paper has been designed to be hydraulically equivalent to the full-scale APIC Jig, allowing the generation of equivalent pulse shapes and using JigScan controller. Lump and fine ferrous ore material have been separated in this unit and any feed >1mm can be tested and extracted. The global test procedure and further modelling focus on the stratification of material, with emphasis on key aspects such as pulse shape, feed characteristics and residence time. The splitting of rejects from concentrates is itself more difficult to reproduce in batch jigging, however the ASTRAD model includes a separation imperfection module, and the APIC Technologies have extraction systems adapted to each type of material. Air pulsed batch jigs are available in several locations and are relocatable. They have been used to treat samples from Australia, South Africa and India as part of studies into ore processing using jigs. Each test layer is available for various physical testing procedures (density and chemical analyses). Test-work is performed on a case by case basis, and analysed using an advanced model ?now available over the internet. Some fundamentals of air-pulsed jigging are recapped along with some of the features of APIC jigs. The process of designing a ?hydraulically equivalent? batch jig test is then described. Some results from jigging tests are presented plus the results of the ASTRAD advanced jig model, which was first developed at the JKMRC with ferrous ores and coal and is now being supported and further developed and utilised by Bateman.

Jan 1, 2006