Search Documents

By William V. Robinson

The Iron Ore Company of Canada mines, processes and ships crude iron ore, concentrate and pellets from the rich ore bodies of the Labrador Trough area in the extreme north-eastern part of Canada, some five hundred miles from Montreal (see figure 1). There are three main sites of activity. At Schefferville, approximately 12 million tons a year of crude ore (chiefly limonite) are mined, crushed, screened and shipped to Sept-Iles. At Labrador City, 40 million tons of specular hematite are mined annually for processing into 17 million tons of concentrate. Of this, 9 million tons are converted into pellets. All product 1s shipped to Sept-Iles. At Sept-Iles, on the north coast of the St. Lawrence, a six million ton per year concentrator and pellet plant process much of the Scheffervllle ore into high-grade pellets. Also at Sept-Iles are the company's administration offices stockpiles and shipping facilities. The Terminal facilities can berth and load a 250,000 ton bulk carrier at 19,000 tons per hour.

Jan 1, 1975

By M. Fan, Z. Long

"This paper presents some studies on recovering valuable elements from Chinese coal by-products, including coal combustion fly ash, stone coal ash, and coal flotation tailings. Both commercialized technologies and economic potential recovery methods are described in this study. Magnetically stabilized air-dense medium fluidized bed separation, tribo-electrostatic separation, froth flotation, and hydrometallurgical methods are discussed in recovering various valuable elements in Chinese coal by-products from different coalfields. These valuable elements include iron, carbon, aluminum, rare earth elements, lithium, gallium, germanium, uranium, titanium, scandium, silicon, vanadium and phosphorus, etc. The ultimate goal is to fully utilize all valuable elements in coal by-product. Each component within coal by-product should be efficiently segregated to its highest value. INTRODUCTION Coal is mainly composed of energy-producing elements carbon and hydrogen. In addition to these elements, coal usually contains many other valuable elements, including iron, aluminum, silicon, rare earth elements, lithium, gallium, germanium, vanadium, uranium, titanium, scandium, and phosphorus, etc. These coal-associated elements are significantly enriched in coal combustion by-product fly ash because of majority of main components, carbon and hydrogen elements, being removed. Table 1 provides the chemical composition range of the main elements oxides in 12 Chinese fly ash samples collected from coal power plants located in Northeast China, Northwest China, Southwest China, and Southeast China. It can be seen from Table 1 that the major mineral components of different ashes are similar, but the bulk chemistry of different fly ashes may vary widely due to the changes of ratios of the mineral components in different coals. The major mineral components in various Chinese coal combustion fly ash are silicates, iron oxides, and unburned carbon."

Jan 1, 2017

By Galymzhan Karamyrzayev, Rashid Nadirov

Zinc ferrite ( ZnFe2O4) is a by-product of non-ferrous metal production and is considered a promising source of raw zinc. The most efficient way to extract zinc from its ferrite is via acidic extraction, specifically leaching by hydrochloric acid. A comparative study of synthetic zinc ferrite hydrochloric acid leaching in isopropanol, aqueous, and the mixed solvent was performed. Zinc ferrite was obtained by sintering a zinc and iron (III) oxide mixture. Crushed samples were subjected to leaching in 1 M HCl at 323, 333, and 353 K and pulp density of 1 g/100 mL. The dissolution of zinc and iron into solution in organic media reached 77% at 353 K, while in an aqueous environment this value was 65%. The activation energy of 70.0 kJ/ mol was found for the leaching process in an isopropanol environment, which is lower than that in an aqueous solution by 15%. The more efficient leaching effect of isopropanol is attributed to the lower dielectric constant of the alcohol which increases the affinity of chloride anions for zinc and iron cations at leaching.

Jun 5, 2022

By George H. Davis

Much concern has been expressed recently as to whether water supplies will be sufficient to support accelerated energy development foreseen in operation Independence. Taking the Nation as a whole, sufficient water is available for energy growth, but locally, as in arid parts of the Colorado Basin, limited water supplies will dictate economies in water use and affect plant siting. As Young and Thompson1 point out with respect to electric power generation, the term "water requirements" is misleading, as demand for water for cooling is sensitive to price of water and thus is quite flexible rather than the inflexible or fixed level implied by the word "requirement." Much the same is true of other energy conversion systems. Water is used in many aspects of energy production including mining and reclamation of mined lands, on-site processing, transportation, refining, and conversion to other forms of energy. In the East, South, Midwest, and along the seacoasts, water supplies are generally adequate for energy industries; most water problems in those regions relate to pollution rather than supply. West of about the 100th meridian, however, runoff is generally less than potential diversions and energy industries must compete with alternative uses for the limited available water supplies. Water is especially short in areas of less than 10 inches mean annual rainfall where natural precipitation generally is insufficient for establishing vegetation without irrigation. Extraction. The principal categories of extraction comprise coal mining, oil and gas production, uranium mining, and oil shale mining.

Jan 1, 1974

By Duane L. Whiting

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NAPA) provides guidance for federal agencies in making informed decisions. The Act has been used to determine the potential environmental impacts from mining and other natural resource operations, primarily in the Western USA. To accomplish the purpose of the Act, a process for developing environmental documents was established. The documents (EA/EISs) evaluate environmental impacts and are produced by federal agencies through public participation and cooperating agency review. Effective interactions and up front coordination between agencies and industry is required. An abbreviated history of environmental protection in the USA leading to NEPA, the driving regulation, objectives, provisions and limitations of the Act, and select mining related NEPA projects III the Western U.S. are discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 1998

By J. G. Groppo

A series of performance studies have been conducted using counter-current column flotation to recover a marketable clean coal product from existing preparation plant fine waste streams. The test work was conducted at several preparation plant sites in Kentucky and Virginia and utilized a 0.15m (6 in.) I.D. column that was 5.79m (19 ft.) high. The refuse streams tested included both thickener feed and classifying cyclone overflow with a typical size distribution of 100 mesh X O. The percent solids of the column flotation feed varied from 1.5 to 15% while the ash content ranged from 30-60%. The concentrates produced contained 2-10% ash with BTU recoveries of nearly 90% using 0.12-1.25 kg/ton (0.25-2.5 lbs/ton) fuel oil and 0.12 kg/ton (0.25 lb/ton) MIBC. These results were consistent with or better than results obtained in preliminary laboratory scale column flotation evaluation. Test results from 7 different seams are discussed as well as scale-up relationships utilized to design a full scale installation presently in operation.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. S. Klima, A. P. Pinkerton

Solid-bowl (decanter) centrifuges are used extensively to dewater slurries in a wide range of industries. However, the application of decanters as classification devices is not as common. In this study, the performance of a continuous, pilot-scale, solid-bowl centrifuge was evaluated when classifying an ultrafine coal slurry containing nearly 60% material less than 10µm. The current study examined the effects of operating conditions on centrifuge performance. The test conditions included centrifuge bowl and scroll speeds, volumetric feed rates, solids concentration, and pond depth. Centrifuge performance was evaluated using partition curves, along with product yields and solids concentrations.

Jan 1, 2000

By J. R. Heberger, B. H. Ngo

The Safety Pays in Mining v2.0 web application, developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Program, helps mines determine the potential costs associated with mining injuries. This web app categorizes injury cost by part of body injured, by the cause of the injury, or by the nature of the injury. When the user selects one of over 150 common types of mining injuries, the app provides information on the distribution of costs of workers’ compensation claims for that type of injury. Based on other user inputs, Safety Pays in Mining v2.0 will estimate the total costs of the selected injuries and the estimated impact of total injury costs on mining company profits and will provide some examples of services and personal protective equipment on which companies could spend the savings that result from the prevention of injuries. This paper reviews the Safety Pays in Mining version 2.0 web application by discussing the development and updates to the app, how it is used to show the true costs of mining injuries, and how mines can benefit from using this app.

Feb 1, 2024

By Haydn H. Murray

Kaolin is defined and described as an industrial mineral. In addition the types of deposits -primary and secondary are defined and the genesis of kaolin from feldspars and other minerals discussed. The major deposits of the world found in the United States, Great Britain, Brazil, and Czechoslovakia are described along with many of the minor kaolin deposits. Four areas which have very large deposits of kaolin could, with technological breakthroughs to reduce viscosity significantly, become important factors in supplying the world markets which are increasing year by year.

Jan 1, 1977

By V. R. Degner

The trend in both the metallic and non-metallic mining industry is toward processing increasing y higher tonnages of lower grade ores, thereby resulting in a growing interest in progressively larger volume individual machines in the flotation circuit. Because of the relatively high cost of large flotation machine development and evaluation, it is important to establish a rational basis by which the existing smaller flotation machine experience can be extrapolated to establish the configuration of the next larger family of flotation machines with a minimum of development modification in the field. This paper reviews the R&D approach used in translating smaller flotation machine experience to establish the configuration of a 1000 cu ft (2B.3 cu m) induced air machine. Internal cell hydrodynamic principles, which governed this extrapolation, and cell (liquid) surface and froth management considerations will be reviewed, and prototype machine mill tests will be summarized.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. Y. K. Yang, O. Olajide, E. H. Cho

"This study focuses on partial leaching of coal pyrite with sodium sulfite in order to increase its degree of liberation from the coal matrix, which might help to increase the removal of coal pyrite, together with trace elements of arsenic (As), selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) by froth flotation. The U.S. Bureau of Mines’ two-stage reverse flotation process was applied to further reject coal pyrite in the second stage, where pyrite was floated while coal was depressed. The results show that the leached coal flotation with sodium sulfite produced lower pyritic sulfur content in the clean coal by approximately 25% compared to the flotation of unleached coal. The synergism mechanism between the leaching and the two-stage flotation is delineated. The rejection of trace elements (As, Hg and Se) after the two-stage flotation process with unleached coal followed approximately that of pyritic sulfur (64.6%). However, after the two-stage flotation with leached coal, the rejection of Se was as high as that of pyritic sulfur (77.9%), while the rejections of As and Hg were 20% lower than that of pyritic sulfur, or followed approximately the same rejections obtained through the two-stage flotation with unleached coal.IntroductionSO2 is a reducing reagent, but when it is combined with oxygen in an acidic solution, it will become a strong oxidizing reagent for leaching coal pyrite. Sundaram et al. (2001) found that the reagent could leach coal pyrite to produce ferric iron, which, in turn, catalyzed the oxidation of SO2. Similarly, Cho et al. (2009) found that the reagent could leach pyrite as well as mercury from coal. In the present study, coal was preconditioned by partially leaching coal pyrite in water-coal slurry with sodium sulfite at 48° C. The partial leaching of coal pyrite may enhance its degree of liberation from the coal matrix and give a chance to be rejected more effectively during the flotation.The two-stage U.S. Bureau of Mines’ reverse flotation process (Miller, 1975) was used in this study. The first stage is conventional flotation, in which coal is floated while material with higher ash and pyrite content remains in the cell. Kerosene is used as a promoter to float the coal and MIBC (methyl isobutyl carbinol) is used as a frother. In the second stage, the floated coal from the first stage is depressed using a starch-based reagent, while coal pyrite is floated using potassium amyl xanthate. In this second stage, the liberation of coal pyrite from the coal matrix seems to be an important factor for successful rejection of coal pyrite."

Jan 1, 2015

By Charles T. Holland

INTRODUCTION Insofar as I am aware, the term rock mechanics was not in the English dictionary in 1930 when I started my graduate program at West Virginia University. Hence, I never thought that I was undertaking studies in rock mechanics when I undertook to write a thesis on the physical properties of West Virginia coal. In this case, the subject was primarily concerned with the compressive strength of coal, the elasticity of the coal, the physical weathering properties of the coal and its friability. These days investigations of rocks pertaining to such properties are included in the term "rock mechanics". Other than this aspect, the principle interest in this part of my program was that I became interested in the strength of coal from the standpoint of structural purposes, and also became cognizant of its elastic properties as well as its energy storing properties. This research also tied in with a remark that Professor Lawall made in a Mining Methods class in 1928 when he remarked that a peculiar thing was happening in the southern part of West Virginia, namely, in the Pocahontas coal field. His remarks were to the effect that pillars were blowing up in the mines and when asked why he replied the cause was not known. The failure of three-inch coal specimens, especially those in stronger coal, in non-hydraulic actuated testing machines was reminiscent of his description of those pillar bursts or bumps.

Jan 1, 1971

By Myles E. Robinson

During the last decade there were pronounced changes in the competitive pattern of the fossill fuels It is proposed to trace these trends and describe inter-fuel competition, first as it relates to the economy as a whole and then more specifically to examine competition of the fossil fuels as these share the electric utility market. Table 1, Competitive Fuels and Water Power Used in the United States, 1950-1959, shows the growth in the consumption of coal, oil, gas and water power 'during the past decade. Uses which are not directly competitive among the fuels, such as tractor fuel, carbon black, and consumption of petroleum products in the making of synthetic rubber, have been excluded from these statistics. The experience of the three fossil fuels in competition since 1950 shows natural gas expanding more rapidly, than oil by roughly twice as much, 219.0 percent' compared to 124.1 percent growth in B.t.u.s of oil consumed in the ten-year period. Percentagewise, water power little more than held its own, and coal, including anthracite, actually decreased more than one-fifth.

Jan 1, 1961

By Andrew Kaczmarek

The mining industry is enjoying a much needed and long awaited increase in demand for natural resources. However, consolidations in the mining and mining service industries, along with a generational departure of experienced industry professionals, is challenging today’s mining companies. These challenges are not only in maintaining their existing operations, but also in securing qualified resources for developing new projects. These challenges are compounded for junior mining companies. They oftentimes lack for operating properties to draw experienced professionals from. Also, juniors have to compete with the majors’ “mega-projects” for experienced project personnel from the reduced ranks of engineering companies. This article discusses some strategies developed by Anatolia Minerals Development (Anatolia) in developing its Çöpler gold project in central Turkey.

Jan 1, 2006

By R. L. Grayson

For the years 1990 and 1991, West Virginia's underground coal small-mine fatality rate « 20 employees) was approximately ten times higher than the national coal industry rate. Although the total number of fatalities decreased to 17 in 1992 (from 22 in 1991), West Virginia still led ,the nation in coal mining fatals. A team of mining and safety professionals from West Virginia University studied the problem over the past year, interfacing with the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training. A clear path for 'formal intervention was determined and is presented here.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. G. Pippenger

Rio Tinto Coal Australia (RTCA) developed Meandu Mine in Queensland, Australia in 1983 to supply thermal coal to the adjacent newly constructed Tarong Power Station (TPS). In designing the mine, RTCA selected Meandu?s best economic reserves for a 25-year life based on station owner Tarong Energy Corporation?s (TEC?s) estimated life for TPS. That 25-year plan changed dramatically in the early 2000s when TEC approved life extensions to TPS?s four existing units plus construction of a fifth unit. After reviewing Meandu?s remaining reserves, RTCA decided the nearby Kunioon reserve offered the more economic option for maintaining deliveries beyond 2010. Those plans changed yet again in 2007 when TEC chose to purchase the Meandu Mine and nearby reserves rather than extend RTCA?s contract. TEC then selected Thiess Pty Ltd (Thiess) to continue operating Meandu until the new mine at Kunioon could be developed.

Jan 1, 2011

By J. S. Ross

The significance and role of industrial minerals in Canada differ from those in the United States, The smaller Canadian industry has recently become well diversified and self-sufficient in most commodities, However, it depends on exports, principally to the United States, for much of its market, Imports are small, but imports of several basic products manufactured from industrial minerals are large. This nation is a leading world producer of asbestos, gypsum, sulphur, nepheline syenite, titania slag, potash and barite. It has reserves in asbestos for at least 30 years enough potash to supply the current world's needs for 2,000 years and sulphur reserves for 40 years of current world demand, One of the ilmenite deposits contains enough titania to supply the current world demand for at least, 25 years.

Jan 1, 1964

By G. van Eck, H. Smit, L. Meyer

The Cook Islands (CI) possesses within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) a massive field of polymetallic nodules representing one of the world’s largest undeveloped cobalt deposits, along with large quantities of other metals critical to achieving global energy transition targets. In February of 2022 the Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) of the CI granted Moana Minerals a license to conduct our nodule exploration program. This paper describes how Moana Minerals chose to approach conducting exploration activities, one of the greatest challenges to Deep Sea Mining (DSM) development and the securing of the social license to advance to eventual mining of the resources, in an unconventional manner. The remote location of the project poses logistical challenges in mobilizing to and operating in the region and is a significant cost driver. Historically, exploration campaigns mobilized large vessels from mainland Europe, the Americas, and Asia as this model works well when contemplating long duration and widely temporally spaced campaigns without the need to revisit. Moana Minerals, when considering these challenges determined a multi-year deep sea mining (DSM) exploration program conducted in such a remote location can be better optimized by the deployment of a smaller yet highly capable “exploration optimized” vessel that is dedicated to the task and is based full time in the Cook Islands. INTRODUCTION The paper describes the challenges of exploration in remote regions including the South Pacific, and how an unconventional consideration of the problem led to the solution. Completion of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment begins with a detailed environmental scoping study, resource update sampling requirements, and engineering data and sample requirements, which identifies the exploration goals of the project and technology needed to accomplish those goals. The method walks the reader through vessel and technology selection, discusses the challenges of equipment selection considering size and capability, describes the final arrangement, and provides results from the initial exploration campaigns. We followed the project from conception through the shipyard conversion, mobilization, and initial operations in the Cook Islands. The result shows how a smaller vessel with limited budget makes a large impact on the exploration capabilities in the region while building public trust. The Anuanua Moana is the first dedicated deep sea minerals exploration vessel modified with a suite of technologies that allow it to compete technically with existing ships but operate locally in the smaller ports of the South Pacific. The unique combination of size and technical capability gives the Anuanua Moana advantages over other vessels. This paper shows the importance of the Anuanua Moana in the development of offshore exploration strategies in the emerging deep sea minerals space.

Feb 22, 2026

By C. Pattenden

The viability, self-reliance and resilience of small communities are perennial challenges in regional Australia. Recent developments in Australian mining regions seek to govern the minerals industry in a more holistic way that contributes to sustainable futures for affected communities in different contexts. In some areas of the State of Queensland land use conflicts and the cumulative impacts of multiple projects and activities across time and space have come to the fore. In more isolated regions of Western Australia the dominant issues relate to overstretching people, infrastructure and services in predominantly mining towns. In both cases, there is an ambition for regional towns with a strong extractive industry presence to transition into desirable, liveable and affordable cities with a diversified economy. The paper analyses two strategies - the Pilbara Plan in Western Australia, and the Sustainable Resource Communities Policy in Queensland - to identify how these governance instruments are contributing to sustainable development.

Jan 1, 2011

By Bruce Hebblewhite

Australia’s Minerals Tertiary Education Council (MTEC) has achieved several successes during its first three years of operation. This initiative was developed through the Minerals Council of Australia, in conjunction with three partner universities involved in mining engineering education. The partner universities are the University of New South Wales (UNSW); Curtin University, the West Australian School of Mines (WASM); and the University of Queensland (UQ). The collaboration between these partner universities and industry has led to the development of shared course material, cross-institutional teaching arrangements, and the development of a number of flexible, distance-based delivery programs. This article then discusses future initiatives. Importantly, the challenge is the future initiative planned to cement this collaboration by the formation of a “virtual” national school of mining engineering: Mining Education Australia (MEA). This will provide a common third and fourth year program to all three universities beginning in 2007. The common program will involve innovative teaching and learning arrangements, greater student exchange potential and a more significant input by industry into the education process.

Jan 1, 2006