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By D E. Langberg, J S. J va, D R. Swinbourne

Specifications on the types and levels of impurities tolerable in metals are becoming increasingly stringent, and are pushing the limits achievable with conventional refining technologies. Particularly difficult is the removal of electrochemically noble elements with low volatilities, such as copper, from more active host metals such as lead, iron and aluminium. Electrochemical refining, utilising the ability of certain solid electrolytes to selectively transport copper or other impurity cations away from the molten host metal into a separate refining phase, may provide an answer to this problem. Numerous studies on solid electrolytes used in concentration sensors have been reported, as well as a limited number on metal refining. Oxygen anion conducting solid electrolytes have been applied to the deoxidation of copper and steel while cation conductors, eg ¯ -alumina and Nasicon materials, have been used to remove lithium and sodium from aluminium. However, solid electrolytes have yet to be applied to the removal of noble elements. The behaviour of solid electrolytes under the extreme conditions of molten metal refining is not well understood. This paper will examine the potential use of solid electrolytes to remove noble metals such as copper from active host metals such as iron. The suitability, and selection criteria of available solid electrolytes for implementation in the metal refining industry in the future will be discussed. In particular, the stability of Cusicon, a copper superionic conductor potentially suitable for use in metal refining, has been assessed and the results of the experiments are presented.

Jan 1, 2000

It is a very great privilege for me to be able to address you tonight and I am deeply sensible of the honour which has been done me. I am equally sensible of the inadequacy of my training for the position of President of your Institute.May I say at once what a very great pleasure it is to have so many members from the mainland States visiting us here in Tasmania. We do hope that you will find pleasure and profit in your stay.Since the Annual Conference is always held in the vicinity of one or other of the great mining fields, it has become the practice for the Presidential address to review the history of the particular field and t(j) indicate its place in the economic structure of the country.I propose to follow this practice and to try and present to you a short picture of thÇ mineral industry as it has existed in Tasmania. None of the information is new it is available in diverse and remote geological reports and in publications such as Witham's Western Tasmania and the more recent Peaks of Lyell. The last composite approach was written twenty years ago by P. B. Nye and published as a Geological Survey Bulletin.I have enjoyed preparing this address because on occasion I find it refreshing to look back and see what was known and what was accomplished in the days when the going was a little tougher than it is now, and to speculate upon the reasons that drove men to do what they did. I shall therefore discuss the search for minerals in this State; the discoveries over the years; the elation with which the new fields are greeted; the disappointments attending some of them; the mines that have come and gone; and the...

Jan 1, 1958

Currently, mining in Australia underpins the economic vitality of the nation, generating massive revenue from commodity exports and providing substantial infrastructure and employment. In addition, it is predicted that mining related services will in the future develop a global market of their own that could eventually grow to rival, in value, the export trade in mineral commodities. There is however little room for complacency. In the short- to medium-term, escalating, vigorous competition can be expected from many previously underdeveloped countries that are reforming their own mining and mineral export industries. In addition, most mining companies are facing a modem-day renaissance in terms of new expectations, changing social norms, evolving employee relations and statutory obligations. Thus, along with whatever promise the future might hold, the mining industry is currently being subjected to a growing number of largely unprecedented problems and pressures, both economic and social, that are both highly complex and demanding. In particular, it remains a matter of on-going concern that relations between mining companies and their employees still, in spite of recent reforms, continue to constrain productivity, perpetuate inefficiencies, affect quality of work life and retard progress towards mutually beneficial goals and achievements. If mining in Australia is to attain and hold on to a commanding position on the global scene, then further changes will clearly need to be made. Realisation of this appears to be growing, with most mining companies having attempted in recent years to improve workplace culture. Based on a wide ranging study, this paper presents an overview of what has been learned to-date with regard to the `people factor' when it comes to implementing and progressing positive change and reform in mining. From this, a number of practical suggestions, arising from hard won lessons and experiences in the field, are offered. Attention to the nine `key principles' given should help to ensure that many of the common problems encountered to-date with change and reform in the mining industry are in future avoided or at least minimised.

Jan 1, 1997

By J Galvin

This paper addresses the actions of the Australian mining industry, its regulators and educational providers towards ensuring that a pool of competent mine managers is maintained in Australia and that mine management remains a desirable career path for future mining professionals. The Australian and global mining industries are experiencing an acute skills shortage. Mine managers, traditionally drawn from the ranks of mining engineers, are at the sharp end of this shortage. Exacerbating the shortage is a perception that a professional mine manager is not an attractive career option. This perception is influenced by the following forces which combine to make the role of a modern mine manager very demanding:legislative requirements for owners and managers to ensure (guarantee) the safety and health of employees; an increasing trend towards prosecution over exposure to risks to health and safety a need to be more aware and responsive to community and environment; financial, technical and æpeopleÆ pressures traditionally associated with the job of managing a mine; and mine management roles being filled by younger and less experienced professionals. Universities and other educational providers have the challenge of both ensuring that undergraduates are exposed to these issues during their study and continuing to promote mine management as a desirable career option. Anecdotal and statistical evidence indicates that young graduates are choosing and remaining in technical roles rather than taking on the challenge of mine management. Furthermore, it is suspected that the issues referred to above are contributing to the low retention rate of young professionals at mine sites. The challenges are not insurmountable, however. This paper reviews the initiatives of industry, the regulators and educational institutions in addressing these challenges. It includes a focus on:prosecution policies and their impacts, tertiary education program content and delivery modes, CPD initiatives of the Mine Managers Association of Australia, and alternative pathways for obtaining mine management qualifications.

Jan 1, 2006

This paper presents the water management plan of the Mae Moh Project in the North of Thailand, which includes a large lignite opencast mine and thermal power plants. Lignite production will increase from the present 5.5 million tons per annum to approximately 20 million tons per annum by 1995 when the pit area will be about 20 sq.km. and the depth at over 300 meters. Seven power plants are proposed of which two are under construction. The total capacity to be installed is 2,925 MW. The principles considered for water management are firstly flood protection, including drainage of the mining pit and diversion of the Mae Moh stream away from proposed future mining areas; and secondly, a plan to meet the water requirement of the thermal power plants, while maintaining downstream supplies for irrigation and other purposes. The limited annual run-off of Mae Moh and Mae Chang watershed basins are inadequate for the proposed power plants. A study has been prepared to compare two approaches, namely conveying water from remote watersheds to meet the water requirement of the power plants up to total installed capacity; or by limiting future total generation, at the existing site, to only 2025 MV.

Jan 1, 1988

By Fee BS

This paper describes four new families of collector products which are currently being introduced at the industrial level. A brief summary of the chemical basis behind each product family will be given. This is then followed by a selection of flotation examples which illustrate the more important use characteristics that have been observed to date. It is becoming more apparent with further testing that these four new product families can offer both technical and economic advantages to the industrial flotation process operator.

Jan 1, 1993

By T Leach, I Pringle

The Bowdens Silver Deposit is a low sulfidation epithermal silver-base metal deposit that has formed on the northern margin of a hydrothermal system within air-fall breccias, ignimbrites and crystal tuffs of rhyolitic composition. The deposit lies near the north-eastern margin of the Lachlan Fold Belt and the rhyolitic host rocks are of Early Permian age. The silver mineralisation occurs as flat-lying zones of disseminations and silicic fracture-filling within the Rylstone Volcanics and is closely associated with sulfides of iron, arsenic, lead and zinc. High-grade silver mineralisation is also found in steeply-dipping fracture zones which host banded sulfide veins. Studies of the alteration products indicate that high temperature fluids, flowing from south of the current project area, resulted in quartz (¦adularia) û illite/sericite alteration. Cool, low pH steam-heated waters on the northern and eastern margins of the prospect area resulted in siderite û smectite-illite clay û Fe-carbonate û marcasite û kaolinite alteration. Mixing of the two fluid types resulted in the deposition of iron and base metal sulfides, a decrease in both sulfur activity and pH of the mineralising fluid, and subsequent silver mineralisation.

Jan 1, 2004

The Beruang Copper-Gold Deposit is located very near the centre of Kalimantan in Indonesia. It is a dacitic tuff hosted deposit currently being explored by Kalimantan Gold Inc of Canada. Exploration activity to date at Beruang has been focused on the Main Zone, which is defined by a north-south elongate, 1 + 1.5 km zone of anomalous copper and gold, and intense phyllic alteration. The disseminated sulfides responsible for the anomalous copper values produce a moderate to high chargeability signature. Phyllic alteration is overlain at high levels, and on the western edge of the Main Zone, by advanced argillic alteration. The dacite tuffs hosting the mineralisation are cut by post-mineralisation dacite dykes that are delineated by ground magnetics and geological mapping. Base metals, principally zinc and lead, form broad halos around the Main Zone. These metals are incorporated in massive NE-trending, polymetallic mineralisation that outcrops to the north and south of the Main Zone. IP survey results highlight the highly pyritic NNE-trending shear zone, which hosts most of the copper mineralisation in the Main Zone. A high chargeability anomaly at depth in the central-east part of the Main Zone is interpreted to be the source for mineralising hydrothermal fluids. This is suggested by zonations in alteration and mineralisation. A deep chargeability anomaly can be correlated with the downward plunge of a pyritic breccia, encountered at shallow levels in drillholes, and is a potential breccia pipe target. Compilation and inversion modelling of the IP results has yielded some interesting drill targets.

Jan 1, 2004

Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) is one of the leading base metal producers in India. It operates a two-smelter Complex at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. At this zinc-lead smelter zinc is manufactured by the conventional hydrometallurgical route and lead is produced by Blast furnace technology generating residues or wastes which contain substantial quantities of metal values. Disposal of such wastes is a problem in any non-ferrous industry. Both the stringent environmental regulations and the changing industrial scenario emphasise the need for industrial research to find economically viable and environmentally friendly technologies to recover the metal values from these waste materials. The in-house R&D Centre at Vizag Zinc Smelter (VZS) thinking globally re-engineered its activities and major thrust was given for converting waste to valuable metals and metal compounds. Basic analytical chemistry with the hydrometallurgical concepts has been adopted in developing these innovative technologies. In this paper attempts are made to provide a clear history of the different waste raw material, the process developed for each raw material and their superiority of over other parallel work. Most of the processes described here are pilot plant tested and under patenting. The process flowsheet, results obtained and advantages of each process are presented. This paper provides a consolidated approach through which the varied smelter waste materials can be processed with cost effective and eco-friendly innovative technologies. In-house R&D efforts at VZS with its contribution and achievement in converting æwastes into wealthÆ technologies are presented in this paper on the following the major thrust areas:recovery of zinc from liquid effluent; recovery of zinc from effluent treatment plant (ETP) gypsum sludge; production of highly pure electrolytic zinc metal powder from zinc bearing gypsum residue/sludge generated at the effluent treatment plant; hydrometallurgical recovery of copper as copper sulphate solution which can be used for CuSO4.5H2O, copper cathode/copper metal powder from copper-cadmium cement; recovery of manganese, lead and silver from anode mud generated at Zinc Cell House and 4-metal extraction/recovery of manganese, cobalt, copper and nickel from Indian ocean bed manganese nodules; recovery of zinc, lead, silver and sulphur values from silver concentrate residue generated at the froth flotation process; recovery of silver and lead as lead-silver sponge/lead-silver sulphide concentrate from lead bearing residues; recovery of lead, silver and copper from copper matte; recovery of antimony as antimony metal or lead-antimony master alloy from antimony bearing dross; and recovery of nickel and dimethylglyoxime from Ni-DMG complex.

Jan 1, 2000

By Ken Campbell

Exploration and mining in Third World countries will essentially be an exercise in the transfer of technology. We must not underestimate the effort it will take to develop the necessary industry peer group in these nations which can accept the latest western technology and use it to good effect.

Jan 1, 1994

The role of the mine geologist and the exploration geologist have diverged considerably in the last two decades. The principal focus of the mine geologist now is on ore resource management rather than ore resource discovery.

Jan 1, 1997

Continuing education is recognised as an essential aspect of professional training, but no systematic procedures have hitherto been attempted. The tertiary educational institut- ions are making a valuable contribution without formal financial support. The Australian Mineral Foundation is offering a programme of continuing education in the earth science and related disciplines both by direct initiative and by co-operation with existing tertiary educational institutions.

Jan 1, 1974

The integration of historic exploration geoscientific data with high precision multi-element and isotope geochemistry can provide explorers fundamental information on mineral potentiality, tectonic setting, source signatures, fluid migration, mineralisation environment and the timing of mineralising events. Such knowledge is crucial for ore modelling and target generation, particularly for concealed ore systems in both brown and greenfields. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008

The "Industrial Minerals" sector of the Australian minerals industry over the past decade or so can be seen to be moving away from a somewhat ad hoc grouping of producers to a more highly integrated and sophisticated industry in which products are being more stringently specified and greater amounts of capital are being spent.

Jan 1, 1983

Following GyÆs earlier proposals for the use of StudentÆs t-test, a simplified, effective method and philosophy are proposed to test for maximum tolerable bias in data sets as well as in sampling devices. The philosophy of testing is particularly emphasised to derive important practical implications in terms of decision-making and risk control. Conclusions are offered which should equally matter to manufacturers and users of sampling equipment.

Jan 1, 2005

The restructuring of the minerals industry has created new challenges for the design and delivery of professional development, and difficult decisions for potential participants. New technologies offer some new methods of delivery, but fall short in providing all of the benefits of face-to-face participation. This paper is intended to be a catalyst for discussion of the issues involved in delivery and participation in cost-effective, relevant and timely professional development.

Jan 1, 2000

The process of defining the external environmental costs of mining activities, devising appropriate mechanisms to internalise them is complex and is likely to be a gradual.Australia's competitiveness could be seriously affected if , in terms of incorporating environmental costs, we were to exceed other resource producing nations.Australia has a great deal at stake in the debate and therefore we need to proceed carefully and be fully aware of the environmental and economic issues.

Jan 1, 1992

The introduction of gravimetric sampling of respirable dust in the mining industry ne- cessitated the standardisation of techniques. The paper reviews the legislation con- trolling respirable dust monitoring for risk assessment purposes, it discusses the actions taken to introduce gravimetric sampling in collieries and it summarises the proposed guidelines. In conclusion, some of the results of dust surveys conducted in accordance with the proposed strategy are discussed.

Jan 1, 1988

By Tinto R

Aims of the Forum A contribution from Dr Robin Batterham, Vice President, RIO TINTO Research & Technology and a member of The AusIMM Standing Technology Advisory Qroup. Dr Robin Batterham is of view that the inevitability of automation in the minerals industry and the importance of addressing the human implications. He also outlined Rio Tinto's approach to automation. The progressive introduction of automation into mining operations will be revolutionary in its effects. This is the experience in other industries and it will be no different in mining. Mining companies most successful at implementing the new technologies will gain relative competitive advantage and those manufacturers who produce the most desirable automated equipment for miners will also gain market share.

Jan 1, 1997

Seven papers included in Session 8 of the Third International Mine Water Congress under the heading "Achievements in Mine Water Management & Research" have been reviewed. Only one paper, a case study by Masters on biological treatment of inorganically polluted effluent, has any connection with research in the sense of seeking new, generally applicable knowledge which would advance the frontiers of mine water management. The remainder deal with various aspects of the management of mine water ranging from investigation of the geology of a specific aquifer system through operating dewatering systems to the management of specific effluent disposal problems.

Jan 1, 1988