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By Jürgen Kretschmann

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a very important producer of raw materials in the world. The country holds 68 types of minerals, including salt, sand and gravel, chrome, lead, zinc, copper, coal, gold, and iron-ore. With more than 37 billion tons of measured and indicated reserves and 55 billion tons of total mineral resources, Iran is ranked among the 15 major mineral-rich countries. Sangan iron-ore mines (SIOM) is one of the biggest iron ore mining complexes in Iran, located in a remote, but strategically important area near the Afghanistan border. The Iranian government has planned several mining projects in this region for a stepwise development over the next 5 years to satisfy the growing demand of the Iranian steel industry. In cooperation with private companies, these projects shall be realized as sustainable as possible. This paper introduces SIOM and describes socially responsible activities undertaken during the initial development of this mining complex. The effects of these activities will be demonstrated. Unique attributes of the Sangan area have a significant impact on the acceptance of SIOM by regional stakeholders. The government has made several social investments that benefit workers´ families and the community. They are attempts to build social capital for the mining operations and demonstrate a commitment for socially responsible mining to the communities and the local population. They aim to create a balance between the local and regional expectations and requirements and the necessity to secure the corporate profitability at a reasonable and sustainable level. Investment in socially responsible activities is not a choice but a necessity to improve the relations between mining companies and stakeholders in the communities. It is recommended that social investments should be carefully planned and implemented from the early stages of mining activities, and should proceed throughout the life cycle of the mines.

Aug 1, 2013

By L. H. Bergmann

THE blasting practices described are fairly representative of those employed in the coal mines of Eastern Canada. As such, they may be of interest to Western Canadian coal mine operators. The treatment of the subject is general, no attempt being made to discuss blasting operations at any particular coal mine in detail. All the mines dealt with are mining bituminous coal and are classified under the Coal Mines Regulation Act of the Province of Nova Scotia as 'closed light' mines. As such, they are required to use only 'permitted' explosives and to apply them in a 'permitted' manner, except where authority is given by the Mines Department to do otherwise.

Jan 1, 1945

By B. N. Church, J. J. Barakso, A. F. Bowman

"An evaluation of mineralization in the Goosly- Owen Lake area of central British Columbia is the result of a comprehensive geochemical study of rock samples obtained from a regional geological survey. The dispersion of metals in country rocks about a line of Tertiary intrusions suggests that these igneous bodies may be genetically related to known sulphide replacements, disseminations and vein deposits. The geochemical investigation is based on the determination of 12 elements from samples gathered from more than 800 scattered field stations. To assist processing and interpretation, the data are subjected to a variety of statistical procedures, including correlation of the elements, factor analysis, clustm• analysis and computer contouring of the elements. Some practical applications of rock geochemistry in regional exploration are indicated."

Jan 1, 1976

By C. Droun

"Low back pains account for about 13 per cent of all compensation claims made to the Quebec Workmen's Compensation Commission and cost the employers a sum exceeding ten million dollars. The frequency and cost of these health problems in Quebec metal mines are proportional to the provincial trends. An elaborate review of the literature on the causes, nature and prevention of low back pain is made in this presentation. A prevention program for low back pain has been designed in cooperation with a team of seven medical specialists and two physiotherapists for the Quebec metal mines. The program is especially designed for persons who have had low back pain, in order to prevent a recurrence, and for persons beginning to feel chronic difficulties. It is based on existing programs at the Hawthorne Plant of Western Electric Company and at Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, but it requires a much different approach because of the nature of medical care available at the mining sites. The program is difficult because it involves a change of attitude for every employee and every supervisor. The program, so far, is beneficial because several men are now seriously engaged in an active program of reconditioning and because the problem of low back pain ie beginning to be seen from a new angle."

Jan 1, 1973

By John S. Stevenson

ZEBALLOS is a relatively new mining camp. It is on the west coast of Vancouver island, approximately 195 nautical miles northwestward from Victoria. Previous to 1934, a small amount of placer gold had been recovered from the Zeballos river and tributary creeks. However, it was not until the winter of 1934-35, when shipments of high-grade gold ore were made from the property of the White Star Gold Mines, Limited, that lode gold mining really began. Since then, several new mines and many promising prospects have been found. Milling in standard sized mills only commenced late in 1938, when the 75-ton mill of Privateer Mines, Limited, and the 50-ton mill of Spud Valley Gold Mines, limited, were first turned over. The most striking feature of the camp is the high-grade quality of the ore as usually mined. At one property, the ore along a drift 650 feet long has ranged from 5.8 ounces per ton to 17.5 ounces, over average vein-widths ranging from 8.3 inches to 14.5 inches in selected blocks along the drift. One . high-grade shipment of 196.6 pounds of ore from the same property contained 142.877 ounces of gold. The present paper deals only with that part of the area in which mining operations are most active, namely the main Zeballos River valley and its tributaries, Spud and Goldvalley creeks. During the summer of 1938, prospecting was carried on beyond this circumscribed area. The geology and early developments in the area have been described in the following reports: (1) CLOTHIER, G. A., Annual Report of the British Columbia Minister of Mines, 1929, p. 376; 1930, p. 441; 1932, p. 205; and 1933, pp. 252-254. (2) GuNNING, H. C., Geological Survey of Canada, Summary Report, 1932, Part A-II, pp. 29-50, Zebaltos River Area, Vancouver Island, B.C. (3) STEVENSON, John S., Annual Report of the British Columbia Min-ister of Mines, 1935, pp. F-38-40. ? ( 4) BANCROFT, M. F., Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 204, 1937, Gold-Bearing Deposits on the West Coast of Vancouver Island Between Esperanza Inlet and Alberni Canal. (5) STEVENSON, John S., British Columbia Department of Mines, 1938, Lode-Gold Deposits of the Zeballos Area. (6) MAcDoNNELL, G. F., The Privateer Mine, Zeballos; The Miner, Van-couver, B.C., December, 1938.

Jan 1, 1939

By Robert C. Stanley

Early History Probably the first use of nickel by man was in the fashioning of implements, and later swords, from nickel-bearing meteorites, masses of metal that have fallen from time to time at many points on the earth's surface and which consist normally of iron carrying substantial amounts of nickel. Meteorites were perhaps the first metal known to man. The falling star, sought out with fear overborne by curiosity, was found to be a better stone than the earth-given, truly a boon from the gods. Archeologists tell us there is good evidence that the ancient oriental peoples learned at an early date to make these stones into useful implements. The invincible blades of the great warriors of old in China, Persia, and in northern Europe, were Heaven-sent, a fable which sounds significant of meteoric iron. Probably some of the ancient swords of Khorassan and of Damascus were of meteoric nickel-bearing iron (1). Fifty centuries were to pass before men learned to isolate nickel and add it to iron to produce the same alloy for much the same purpose. Meanwhile, man had found another natural alloy of nickel, known first to the Chinese as paktong, or 'white copper.' It was obtained from complex copper-nickel sulphide ores of Yunnan in southern China. This metal was brought by caravan through India into Bactria, a country north of the Hindu-Kush mountains, in what is now known as Russian Turkestan. The earliest specimen extant is a Bactrian coin attributed to 235 B.C. The rough reddish-white metal was also sent in the form of triangular rings to Canton, where zinc ores were added and the whole smelted to a more malleable alloy, also known later as paktong. This alloy was the forerunner of German-or nickel-silver. Specimens of this alloy, wrought into ornamental candlesticks and boxes, were brought from Canton to Europe by the East India Company in the early days of the China trade. Paktong was highly prized for its beauty as well as its eastern origin in far-away China. By 1760 the unwrought metal was imported into England for domestic manufacture.

Jan 1, 1935

By A. Ignatieff

"A practical picture of the effects of stress and of the structural environment in an extraction area in a bedded deposit is described, and the main factors of ground control where principles of rock mechanics can be applied are discussed. Reference is made to early work in Europe, where systematic rock mechanics studies started in coal mines, as well as to the early work in the Canadian coal mines.During the past two decades, considerable theoretical and experimental knowledge, pursued both in the laboratory and in the field, has accumulated throughout the world, but the state of the science still does not permit application of substantiated theory such as is found in the design of above-ground structures, largely because of the complexity of the rocks. The mining engineer, as oppm1ed to the civil engineer, is constantly faced by exposures of new ground that is often subject to unpredictable discontinuities. However, the rationale already developed by rock mechanics principles and experimentation provides concepts and information that may be useful in selecting mining layouts. These concepts and existing measuring techniques can also assist ground control as mining progresses.Many of the bedded deposits, much as coals and evaporites, have pronounced deformation properties, and there are limitations in making stress measurements within short distances of mine openings or extraction areas. On the other hand, the measurement of movement of the hanging wall (roof) and footwall (floor) of roadways and extraction faces, as well as the sides of pillars, provides a most useful tool in assessing ground stability.This paper is to be regarded as a brief progress report with particular reference to Canadian applications of rock mechanics to bedded deposits."

Jan 1, 1968

By D. M. Muir

Many plants produce iron(II)/(III) waste liquors which must be treated by neutralisation and precipitation to remove the iron. Iron can be precipitated as crystalline goethite or jarosite by controlled oxidation at low pH and as magnetite by controlled oxidation at high pH, but only at elevated temperatures (>70°C). This study focuses on the characterisation and settling properties of the iron oxides produced at ambient temperatures using various neutralising agents in order to improve the performance of thickeners. It was found that two-stage addition of caustic to FeC12 solutions produced a fast settling material characterised by Mossbauer spectroscopy and XRD as maghemite and magnetite. However, lime and magnesia additions resulted in more ferrihydrite formation and much lower settling rates because of the enhanced oxidation of Fe(II) by air. Settling rates decreased significantly as the proportion of Fe(III) to Fe(II) in the liquor increased. The mechanism of iron oxide precipitation is discussed together with some reasons for the different behaviour of the neutralising agents.

Jan 1, 2006

By John T. Whetton

"FROM 1850 when the annual production was around 50 million tons, coal output in Great Britain expanded rapidly to 225 million tons in 1900 and 287 million tons in 1913. However, during the First World War, countries which had previously bought large quantities of coal from Britain sought other sources of sup-ply or developed their own coal re-sources. Thus from the record figure of 73 million tons exported in 1913, Britain's coal exports declined until in 1938 they stood at 39 mil-lion tons. An important reason for this was the development of oil engines for marine propulsion. Today, nearly all the navies and mercantile shipping in the world have turned to oil engines. Sometime in the future, however, it is reasonable to expect nuclear power to replace oil.During the Second World War, coal output in Great Britain and manpower at the mines were reduced considerably and in 1.945, 175 mil-lion tons were produced by 709,000 miners. Exports were meagre, only 8.""7 million tons went to foreign consumption. During the severe winter of 1947, inland demand for coal exceeded production and exports were prohibited. Even importation of coal was required to meet inland demand. These were years when the coal industry of Great Britain made immense efforts to secure maximum output irrespective of economy. The energy needs of Great Britain appeared insatiable; but had it been possible to export, the nationalised mining industry could have made huge profits as there was a world shortage of coal. However, home needs were considered to be the priority and many overseas markets were lost. Other producers moved in and secured long-term contracts. Not only was the British export market lost, but also the nationalised industry had to sell the imported coal at the same prices as home-produced coal and suffered losses up to of:3 per ton. Bence, at a time when the National Coal Board might have ac-cumulated a reserve fund to cope with less prosperons times, it was having to spend large sums of money securing sufficient coal for inland consumption. This was a time when intensive efforts in the mining industry, comparable with those of many industries and establishments inclusive of the armed services during the war, would have produced a greater amount of coal and have been of immense value to the country as a whole."

Jan 1, 1960

By Jack Parker

"The original design of mine openings and pillars at White Pine was based upon traditional assumptions; i.e., that the principal load is due to the weight of overburden, and that horizontal stresses are equal to one-. third of the vertical.Beginning January, 1964, borehole deformation measurements confirmed suspicions that the principal stress is horizontal and several times greater than the vertical.Vertical stress appears to be directly related to depth, but lateral stresses vary considerably in direction and magnitude. The direction of major principal stress lies parallel to the bedding and is apparently parallel to tension joints. Lateral stresses appear to originate from an igneous intrusive.Mining induces stresses which add to the primitive stresses, in some areas precipitating failure. In this paper, rock failures are illustrated, methods of measurement and typical results are given, and measures to counter or utilize the lateral stresses are described."

Jan 1, 1966

By John G. McCamis

The Maritimes Carboniferous Basin is the largest intermontane basin in the Appalachian Mountain System, occupying a total area of 57,200 square miles and containing up to 30,000 feet of late Devonian through Permian .sediments. Deposition began with continental elastics in late Devonian and early Mississippian. Marine deposition is represented by a limestone-evaporite sequence of late Mississippian age. Pennsylvanian and Permian continental rocks deposited largely in flood-plain and swamp environments complete the succession. Marine seismic data disclose several varieties of structure, both halokinetic and tectonic in origin. Recent exploratory drilling in the offshore part of the Basin encountered good reservoir rocks in the Riversdale sandstones, which also provided encouraging shows. The most likely source rocks of hydro~ arbons in the Maritimes Basin are shales in the Horton and Riversdale groups. Potential recoverable reserves of the Maritimes Basin are estimated to be 400 million barrels of oil or 7.8 trillion cubic feet of gas, based on the volume-of-sediment method of calculation.

Jan 1, 1973

Several inorganic reagents and organic polymers were tested as depressants in the single mineral flotation of ultrafine iron oxide and hydroxylapatite with Dowfroth 250 as a frother. It was observed that the inorganic reagents and the low molecular weight polymers generally caused dispersion of the ultrafine particles, and consequently their recovery into froth products more or less equaled the recovery of water. On the other hand, the high molecular weight polymers caused different degrees of flocculation of the ultrafine particles, and their recoveries were much lower than the recovery of water. These observations pointed to a need to re-define flotation depressants in fine particle flotation. The traditional definition of a flotation depressant, i.e., to make particle surfaces hydrophilic by forming a hydrophilic film and/or by removing collector and activator coatings, is sufficient for relatively coarse particles. However, to prevent fine and ultrafine particles from floating, a successful depressant should not only make the particles hydrophilic, but also enlarge the particle sizes so that they do not enter the froth product by mechanical entrainment. Polymeric depressants are ideal for these purposes. The different schemes to use polymeric depressants in the selective flotation of fine and ultrafine particles were discussed These schemes involve the integration of the polymeric depressants into other size enlargement processes such as shear flocculation, oil agglomeration, etc., for hydrophobic particles.

Jan 1, 2004

By L. Vollert

"The application of pneumatically-assisted fluidized bed flotation, specifically the ERIEZ HydroFloatTM technology, has found widespread use in non-sulphide processing (particularly phosphate, potash and coal) for the recovery of coarse particles. In gold processing, centrifugal gravity circuits and flash flotation cells are typically employed for the recovery of coarse and near-size liberated gold which tends to accumulate in recycled grinding streams due to bypass to the classifying cyclone underflow streams owing to the higher specific gravity of these gold particles. Early removal of this gold from the grinding circuits contributes toward the reduction of downstream processing losses as a result of overgrinding and particle shape deformation in the case of flotation processing, longer leach residence times in the case of extractive processing, and surface occlusions in the case of both flotation and extractive processing. Furthermore, recovery to bullion attracts higher payment terms by way of comparison to concentrate sales in the case of copper-gold concentrators. This paper assesses the application of pneumatically assisted fluidized bed flotation for the recovery of coarse liberated gold through the analysis of piloting data generated from the operation of a continuously operated 16 inch ERIEZ HydroFloatTM unit treating a sized coarse grinding circuit stream. The paper presents the stage recovery by size performance of the ERIEZ HydroFloatTM unit together with quantitative gold deportment analysis to demonstrate the efficiency with which gold was recovered during this pilot campaign and then compared to more conventional processing units – centrifugal gravity and conventional flotation.INTRODUCTION Newcrest Mining Limited (NML) has identified that an opportunity exists for improving the recovery of coarse composite particles at its current operations, both as a means for improving overall recovery and as an opportunity for early gangue rejection. As such, Newcrest Mining Limited has taken an interest in the application of pneumatically-assisted, fluidized-bed flotation i.e. ERIEZ HydroFloatTM technology. This interest dates back to 2011 with sighter testwork carried out on their Australian-held ore bodies (Kohmuench et al, 2013). Newcrest continues to assess ERIEZ HydroFloatTM potential for coarse composite recovery and, in the case of the topic of this paper, coarse gold recovery based on examples in the literature which demonstrate the efficiency of this technology in this regard (Carmona Franco et al., (2015); Miller et al., (2016); and Kohmuench et al, 2013)."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. Mrozowski, R. Kurowski, A. Chmielarz, Z. Szolomicki

PbSO4 is a commonly encountered component of the materials used in lead recycling (e.g. battery paste) and in by-products of metallurgical processes (e.g. residues from zinc hydrometallurgy, dust from copper smelting). Smelting of battery paste results in SO2 emission and in generation of significant amounts of hazardous ‘white slag’. Those adverse phenomena can be eliminated by removal of sulphur from the paste. Lead-bearing by-product materials are of polymetallic character with usually low Pb content, which makes lead recovery technologically difficult and uneconomic. However it can be successfully achieved by extraction of lead sulphate from solid phase with triethylenetetramine (TETA) water solutions. That compound has capability for selective solvation of a whole lead sulphate molecule. Virtually pure lead carbonate can be precipitated by means of saturation of lead-loaded aqueous TETA solution with carbon dioxide, and complete regeneration of the extractant is achieved by fixing of sulphate ion into gypsum through operation of calcium hydroxide suspension. The paper presents results of the lab and pilot scale studies into process of battery paste desulphurisation and recovery of lead from the residue of zinc calcine leaching.

Jan 1, 2014

By Q. H. Bui

The elastoplastic self-consistent model is one of the effective models to study the initial microstructure effect on the mechanical behavior of bulk materials. However, the use of this micromechanics-based model which takes into account only the Hall-Petch relationship at grain level for predicting the grain sized effects on the strength of the deformed materials is not accurate yet because of the fact that the dislocation density contributes also to the strengthening of this kind of materials. In this study, a modification made to the Hill-Hutchinson elastoplastic self-consistent model was proposed for investigating the microstructure dependence of the mechanical behavior of cold-drawn 6063 aluminium tubes. Because of the novel modification, an estimation procedure with two steps was required to identify the parameters of this micromechanical model. An acceptable agreement between experimental and theoretical stress-strain curves was achieved.

Jan 1, 2011

By Derek V. Ellis, Jack L. Littlepage

"Marine ecosystem effects ar1smg from the discharge of man-generated wastes to the sea can be schematized as: acute poisoning, chronic poisoning, enrichment, suffocation, temperature effects, salinity effects, toxin bio-concentration, changed production rates and changed species equilibria. A professionally designed site-specific monitoring program to check for such effects can not only safeguard the marine ecosystem from degradation, but it can also protect the industry involved from unanticipated remedial action after expensive construction has been undertaken. Monitoring programs should consist of three steps. Step 1 is an ecosystem survey which should be undertaken prior to final design of the discharge system and submission of applications for permission to discharge, because there can be considerable cost savings in obtaining information at an early stage in development. Step 2 involves location of the effluent field at the time of starting discharge, and analysing its dispersal behaviour. Step 3 consists of ecosystem monitoring with sampling stations and specific tests based on the accumulated prior information."

Jan 1, 1972

Gold recovery from refractory ores can be very difficult and complicated depending on the causes of the refractoriness. Typically, a fine wind and/or the oxidation of the gold-bearing sulfide minerals are required to liberate gold from the host rock matrix. Mineral separation techniques, particularly surface¬wettability based separation (i.e., flotation) and magnetic separation, can be used to pre-concentrate the gold and sulfide minerals, or to remove mineral species that are harmful either to the oxidation of the gold-bearing sulfides or to the cyanidation following the oxidation. In this paper, several processes are described, including oil-agglomeration flotation recovery of fine-grained gold and sulfide, reverse flotation of carbonate minerals prior to pressure or bio oxidation, reverse flotation of elemental sulfur after pressure or bio oxidation but prior to cyanide leaching, and magnetic concentration of gold-bearing iron oxides. The integration of these techniques with gold hydrometallurgical processes may make the economic recovery of gold from an otherwise uneconomic refractory ore possible.

Jan 1, 2011

By S. A. Jacob

Magnesium sheet is notoriously difficult to form at low temperatures without initiating failure, In the present work cold rolling and annealing conditions are varied to produce samples of AZ3lB sheet with a range of grain sizes. The formability of these samples is investigated using tensile testing and forming limit diagrams (FLD's), The results are discussed in terms of twin types and frequencies.

Jan 1, 2005

By Norman A. Parlee

Introduction The principal primary iron and steel producing capacity of the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation is at the Dominion Iron and Steel, Limited, plant at Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The main raw materials are Cape Breton coal, Wabana (Newfoundland) iron ore, and Port-au-Port (Newfoundland) limestone. This plant, which was established at the turn of the century has gradually expanded its production facilities so that today its ingot producing capacity is over 720,000 tons annually. Principal operating units of the plant at present are three batteries of 173 Koppers by-product coke ovens with conventional by-product recovery equipment, three blast furnaces .of 15 ft. 6 in., 18 ft. 3 in., and 19 ft. 3 in. hearth diameter (inside the brick), one 700-ton hot metal mixer, ten open hearth furnaces (two of 175-ton capacity, three 12 5-ton, five 60-ton), one 10-ton electric furnace, a 40-inch blooming mill, a billet mill, a rail mill, a tie plate mill, rod and bar mills, and a wire and nail mill. Extensive machine shops and an iron and brass foundry are also available for plant maintenance and repairs. This paper will describe developments during the past five years and those now in process. It will also briefly discuss research being done and indicate the direction of future development.

Jan 1, 1951

By C. R. Powell, W. H. Maher

"This paper presents a short history of the development of milling at Buchans, Newfoundland, and a description of the operation.History and DevelopmentTHE original ore discovery was made at Buchans in 1905 by Matty Mitchell, a Micmac Indian who was prospecting for The Anglo Newfoundland Development Company, which company was then preparing to build a paper mill at Grand Falls, some 50 miles east of Buchans. A development program, initiated in 1906, was terminated in 1911 because of metallurgical difficulties. Intermittent testing was carried out by The American Smelting and Refining Company, and in 1925 a satisfactory method of concentration by flotation was found. Following this, intensive geophysical reconnaisasnce, succeeded by diamond drilling, uncovered two additional orebodies similar to the original discovery at Buchans River."

Jan 1, 1966