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By R. W. Luhning, S. D. Gittins, J .. A. Haston

"The Underground Test Facility (UTF) project operated by the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) north of Fort McMurray has achieved marked success in field testing mining access and horizontal well in situ recovery of bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands.Mine access has provided for effective placing and operation of horizontal wells in the oil sands from a tunnel system in the underlying limestone. Performance of the in situ recovery process, Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage, has substantially exceeded forecasts made at the start of the project. Over-all results of the program to date show great promise for horizontal well in situ technology as a competitive source of bitumen from Alberta's vast oil sands deposits. The potential economics of a commercial expansion at the site are reviewed in this paper.IntroductionIn situ recovery o f bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands has puzzled the oil industry for many year s, but a breakthrough appears close at hand. The Underground Test Facility (UTF) project initiated by the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) has had notable success in the piloting of horizontal well processes, which offer prospects for commercial development even under the highly competitive situation facing the Canadian industry . This paper describes the project briefly and presents the potential economics of commercial development on the UTF lease."

Jan 1, 1990

By D. L. Churcher, R. J. Perry

"In recent years much work has been don e to examine alternate underground backfill support systems with the objectives of improving ground support and reducing mining costs. This report deals with the work conducted at Placer Dome Inc.’s Dome Mine to develop a high density backfill system, taking advantage of the unique properties of this fill material, to address a backlog of large open stopes to sustain stable minewide ground conditions for future generations of Dome miners.IntroductionDome Mine began its existence in 1909 with the discovery of visible gold on a dome shaped outcrop located west of Porcupine Lake in northern Ontario. The orebody beneath this outcrop has supported one of Canada’s premier gold mining operations for 80 years. Production during this time of over 46 000 000 tons of ore has resulted in the recovery of II 500 000 ounces of gold and 2 000 000 ounces of silver. Mining continues today at a production rate of 3500 tons per day, with ore coming from both underground and open pit operations.During the life of the mine, different underground mining methods have been used to extract the ore from a complex deposit consisting of single and multiple vein structures.Cut-and-fill mining was introduced in the 1930s using sand fill and later hydraulic fill for support and to provide a working platform. A total of 1 800 000 tons of sand fill and 7 300 000 tons of hydraulic fill have been placed underground in cut-and-fill stopes. Until the late 1960sshrinkage mining was used extensively, particularly in narrow, steeply dipping zones. Bulk mining with small diameter longholes was introduced about this time, to take advantage of low production costs. Longhole blasting has often been used to recover low grade ore from the walls or sills of old shrink stopes, resulting in large open stopes. Backfilling of these open holes has been restricted to smaller stopes and associated with local ground conditions.In the late 1970s it was recognized that the number of large open holes which were being generated presented serious regional and minewide stability problems for future operations. With higher gold prices, economic ore reserves were being tied up in areas adjacent to multi-level open stope complexes. To stabilize these stopes and allow access, backfilling would be required."

Jan 1, 1990

By Stuart McTavish

"The Brunswick Mining concentrator processes 10,000 D.S. T. per day of a complex sulphide ore. Four separate concentrates- zinc, lead, copper and bulk-are produced by selective flotation. Several major changes have been made to the Brunswick flotation circuit to improve the process and control. This paper will describe the present flotation practices at the Brunswick Concentrator. Special emphasis is given to the conversion of two of the primary circuits to an SO2-aeration flowsheet, and to the addition of a new secondary zinc flotation circuit that produces a zinc concentrate from the plant tailings. IntroductionBrunswick Mining and Smelting Corporation operates a zinclead- copper and silver mine and concentrator near Bathurst, New Brunswick. Since the start-up of operations in 1964, the flotation flowsheet has undergone major modifications to process the increased tonnages and to produce a greater number of concentrates. The flowsheet for the concentrator as it was in 1971 has been described by Neumann and Schnarru) and by Ersklneco. Since then, in 1971, the No.6 concentrator was converted from bulk flotation to selective flotation to produce a copper, lead and zinc concentrate. A separate zinc upgrading circuit was installed in 1972 and a bulk flotation or dezincing circuit, which reduced the zinc in the lead concentrate, was started in 1973. In 1976, the secondary zinc circuit was initiated.In addition to these new circuits, changes have been made to the existing circuits to simplify their operation."

Jan 1, 1980

By I. A. Cameron, F. Ham, R. Sriram

"Planned increases in electric furnace productivity and higher matte temperatures needed for the Sudbury Smelter's S02 Abatement Plan, require an improved matte tap hole. Since startup in 1978, the matte tap holes have been incrementally improved by the addition of copper cooling blocks around the refractory tap blocks. These improvements provided a tap block life of about 100 taps per campaign.In July 1993, a prototype matte taphole was installed in Number 2 Electric Furnace to develop the technology to increase tap hole service life. The design was based on a heat transfer model of the tapping process to determine candidate refractory materials and cooler arrangements. The prototype tap hole features increased copper cooling, high conductivity refractories and extensive instrumentation. Eight trial campaigns are reviewed outlining the performance of silicon carbide and graphite refractories and typical heat loads during tapping.IntroductionFalconbridge Limited operates two 36 MYA, 6 electrode submerged arc electric furnaces in Falconbridge, Ontario. The furnaces, commissioned in 1978, smelt a partially roasted nickel-copper calcine, to produce matte for converting and slag for discard. Additional details of the smelter are available in the literature(1-4).Each furnace was equipped with two matte tap holes located in the furnace end wall. Early in the campaign, matte tap holes were identified as a weak area in the furnace which could be improved. From 1981 to 1987, incremental improvements were made to the design by the addition of water cooled copper blocks. In 1993, a prototype matte tap hole was designed and installed in Number 2 electric furnace to develop the technology to increase tap hole service life. Improved service life is required to meet planned increases in electric fWl1ace productivity and the higher matte temperature needed for the smelter's S02 Abatement Plan.This paper reviews matte tap hole development since 1978; outlines the prototype matte tap hole design, refractory selection and installation; and details the performance of the prototype tap hole during the first eight campaigns."

Jan 1, 1995

By G. R. Haiden, E. Henderson

"An LHD teleoperation and guidance system, developed at the Ontario Division of Inco Limited, has been demonstrated in operation at Copper Cliff North Mine (CCNM) since late September, 1993. The tests performed to date have evaluated the feasibility and production viability of multiple LHD operation, from surface by one operator.The systems technology required to accomplish this consists of an electronic monitoring and control package mounted on the LHD; a high bandwidth mining computer network capable of providing radio frequency coverage; and an operator control console which provides an operator workstation for multiple LHD operation.This paper discusses the systems required to accomplish the task of LHD teleoperation and guidance, the benefits of multiple machine operation and future research and development directions. IntroductionSince underground mining began, persolU1el have entered the mine workings to mine ore. Today, however, the rapid advancement of modem telecommunications, computer hardware and software technology has opened the door to remote mining technology that was considered unfeasible a few years ago. This paper discusses the ingredients of remote mining technology that have been developed at Inco Limited.Figure I represents an historical view of the application of electronics to LHD operation at Inco Limited. In 1980, the first radio remote controls for the operation of LI-IDs in large open stopes were tested. The successful application of this technology at Inco went hand-in-hand with the development and application of the Vertical Crater Retreat mining method. The combination of these two advances had a very positive effect on the productivity in the mid-eighties at Inco. In 1991, the Mines Research Department of the Ontario Division advanced remote control technology by developing a high capacity underground mining telecommunications system. This system is capable of moving voice, data and video information throughout the mine workings. The system is based on broadband communication technology found in most automated factories, with the added benefit of providing the information to and from mobile equipment through radio interfaces. The first test of the system consisted of an operator teleoperating a single LHD (on the 3000 ft level) from the surface. The next test on September 13, 1993, demonstrated the first production application of multiple LHDs being run from surface with a single operator."

Jan 1, 1994

By A. Blackmore, A. Lamoureux, J. Woloshyn

This paper provides an overview of recent applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to combustion related fugitive emissions problems. The aim is to illustrate the capabilities and discuss the present limitations in this field. Examples include design of retrofitted NOx reduction technology in a kiln and in a boiler, and the prediction of pollutants such as SO2 and metallurgical dust emanating from a copper flash smelting furnace. It is demonstrated that CFD is an effective tool for reducing technical risk in design, for identifying the root-cause problems and testing solutions, and for concurrently assessing emissions reduction and process impact. In addition, the value of CFD for demonstrating due diligence for regulatory compliance is discussed.

Jan 1, 2015

By E. Busse, J. E. Burgener, J. G. Eacott, M. C. Robinson, P. E. Burgener

"This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of a caustic leach - electrowinning process for the recovery of zinc and lead from electric arc furnace baghouse dust at a mini-steelplant. Recent studies and literature are referenced briefly as they pertain to the formation and characterization of dust, toxicity considerations and alternative dust treatment and disposal options.Laboratory testwork results, published data, pilot plant experience and anticipated influences resulting from recycling residues are used for the purpose of developing a conceptual design for a caustic leach - electrowinning plant to treat 15,000 tonnes/year of dust at a one million tonnes /year capacity steelplant in Canada.Target economic studies, comprising preliminary estimates of capital and operating costs, revenues and rate of return are presented. Economic and commercial considerations concerning the relative merits of dust treatment at a centralized facility compared with an on-site plant are discussed.IntroductionThe treatment or disposal of mini-steelplant electric arc furnace (EAF) baghouse dust has been given increasing attention in recent years for two principal reasons. Firstly, the dust is now classed as a hazardous waste material under V.S. EPA regulations which prohibit its disposal in dumps other than controlled landfill sites. Secondly, the dust contains certain metal values, notably zinc and lead, which may be economically recoverable, depending on the costs associated with disposal resulting from enforcement of the EPA regulations. Other metallurgical dusts and waste materials, from both ferrous and non-ferrous operations, may require the same considerations as EAF baghouse dust.Several studies have been carried out to examine various aspects of dust treatment but few commercial plants are in operation. Technology employed uses pyrometallurgical techniques. Commercial-scale hydrometallurgical plants are not known to exist although small-scale plants are frequently more economically attractive than their pyrometallurgical counterparts which generally require economies of scale to be viable.The concentration of mini-steelplants in northeast V.S.A. and southeast Canada merits study to determine whether or not dust treatment for metals recovery is a commercially feasible alternative to disposal.This paper examines the technical and economic feasibility of a caustic leach - electrowinning process for the recovery of zinc and lead from EAF baghouse dust at an on-site ministeel plant processing carbon steel scrap and discusses economic and commercial considerations pertaining to dust treatment at a larger, centralized facility."

Jan 1, 1984

By J. T. Vehkala, S. S. Kerr, D. E. Robertson

"Since the late 1970s, extensive work has been carried out at Placer Dome Inc. 's Dome Mine to develop new mining methods and equipment to improve the productivity of narrow vein mining (Mining Magazine, Oct. 1986, pp. 308-317; Mar. 1988, pp. 176-/79). This work has been focused on mining veintype deposits varying from 0.9 m to 1.5 m in width using open stoping and cut-and-fill mining methods.In 1989, the Dome Mine entered into a contract with Ram Raising Ltd., a joint venture company of Angus Martin and I.S. Redpath Ltd., to develop and mine a narrow vein test stope using an Alimak Raise Climber. Early results have been favourable, indicating that Alimak methods can be used successfully to mine narrow vein are.HistoryThe Dome Mine, which has been in continuous operation since 1910, is located in South Porcupine, part of the city of Timmins, Ontario. The mine is wholly-owned and operated by Placer Dome Inc. and is part of Placer Dome Inc.'s international stable of of 19 mines."

Jan 1, 1990

By Marke Wong

? Vietnam?s economy is growing so fast that gross domestic product (GDP) growth remained above 8% in 2005 and exports are rising steadily at 25% per year. ? Demand for electricity is expected to increase 18% per year through 2010 requiring an additional estimated 7,547 MW before 2010 ? Domestic coal demand is expected to be over 45 Mt by 2010. ? The Quang Ninhcoal deposits are estimated at 6.5-7 billion tons (350m) Vietnam News Agency. Saturday, May, 6, 2006. ? National resources are now estimated at 10 billion tonnes; not including a relative new coal bed discovery estimated at 210 billion tonnesin the Red River Basin.

May 1, 2006

By R. Flood

"Oil has been discovered off Newfoundland in a number of locations on the Grand Banks, the most notable and exciting being in 1979 when Hibernia was discovered. This discovery has brought new challenges to the province as well as to all of Canada. During the seven years"" since its discovery, both industry and governments have attempted to define its parameters and to find the most efficient and economical way to develop the field.A number of studies have been completed during the interval and in 1985, Mobil Canada Ltd. and partners stated that they would prefer to develop the field by using a concrete Gravity-Based Structure (GBS). IntroductionHibernia is located in an environmental climate much more severe than that of any previously developed oil field. The wind and wave conditions are similar to those of the North Sea, but unlike the North Sea, any structure on the Grand Banks would have to contend with ice floes and icebergs. Decisions had to be made on whether fixed structures could be put in place that would withstand the pressures of the ice and the impact of an iceberg, or whether structures that could be removed when such impacts were imminent would be used.Early studies in 1981, determined that it was possible to build a concrete Gravity-Based Structure which could withstand the impact of the largest icebergs that are anticipated to float in that area of the banks.Additional studies increased the knowledge of icebergs: their patterns and size, and verified the original conclusions that Concrete Gravity-Based platforms would provide a practical solution."

Jan 1, 1988

By D. H. Whiting, A. J. Sinclair

"The San Antonio gold mine, in the Archean Rice Lake Greenstone Belt, was in continuous production from 1932 to 1968, during which period the mine yielded 1.35 million ounces (41 985 kg) of gold and 195,000 ounces (6065 kg) of silver from 4.88 million tons (4.44 Mt) of ore for average grades of 0.28 ounces per ton (9.0 g/t) gold and 0.04 ounces per ton (1.3 g/t) silver. After the 1968 closure, several publications appeared implying that gold grade of ore decreased with increasing depth.Recent observations by the authors show that the relatively low grades in the middle levels of the mine are controlled geologically. However, the reduced average are grade in the lower levels of the mine was due to inadequate mining control that led to a high level of dilution. The similarity of geological factors such as vein styles within structural domains, variations in mining control, recent ore muck sampling results and lithogeo chemical profiles all indicate the similarity of ore in both upper and lower levels.Strict mining control should yield improved grades of gold for future production from the lower levels at San Antonio, in contrast with the production grades of the late 19605that represented extensively diluted ore. High-quality production records are an essential component in re-evaluating a past producer, particularly where workings are accessible. Poorly founded conclusions which cannot be checked by access to workings can have a negative impact on the evaluation procedure."

Jan 1, 1990

By Zhou Yanwen, Fudong Wang, Shing Liu

Mixed CrB2 and MoS2 powder (Cr:Mo=1:1 atomic %), without any further process, were used as the targets to be sputtered and deposited onto stainless steel and silicon substrates by pulsed DC power supply. The structures and properties of the CrBMoS films were then analyzed by using SEM, XRD, micro-hardness tester. The SEM morphology of the films showed dense, defect free structure, and the preferred orientations of the films were CrB2 (111) and MoS2 (200) according to XRD spectra. The thicknesses of the films were measured and the relationship between the deposition rates and pulsed factors was determined. The films, with the micro-hardness as high as 19GPa and friction coefficient as low as 0.02, could be considered to be the hard solid lubricant films.

Jan 1, 2015

By John E. Udd, Peter Leinberger, Roman Kozarycz

"This paper is based on work done by the authors in a study of the structural features at a quarry excavated in Chazy limestone on the Island of Montreal. Observations on failures on the quarry walls and benches were recorded, and back analyses of small-scale failures were carried out, thus enabling an assessment to be made of the in-situ strength properties of the rock. Using this information, and data from shear tests in the laboratory, the authors made an analysis of the stability of the south wall of the quarry.IntroductionQuarrying, and excavating for foundations, in the Montreal area involves the removal of million s of tonnes of rock on an annual basis. Even when compared with the quantities mined at major open-pit mining operations, the production figures are impressive. At present, for example, crushed stone is produced at almost 20 quarrying operations either on, or near, the Island of Montreal. The annual capacities of the larger quarries are in excess of one million tonnes each. Lesser, but still substantial, production is achieved at the smaller quarries.Excavations, for foundations , especially during periods of peak construction activity, must also involve large quantities of rock . The writers, however , are not able to produce an estimate of the actual annual tonnages originating from excavations."

Jan 1, 1981

Thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems provide thermal insulation to high temperature for aero¬propulsion. A fracture mechanical model developed earlier for multilayer systems is applied on TBC to realize superior performance by enhancement of fracture resistance. Functionally gradient materials (FGM) solution concept is the basis of approach followed here. A few realistic FGM TBCs are considered in the analysis in addition to a conventional TBC as the base case and a hypothetical worst case with YSZ-YSZ interface. Parameters like number, composition and thickness of graded layers and elastic modulus are considered for the analysis and quantitative improvement of fracture resistance of TBCs. The analysis is confined to deep crack with crack size to width ratio as 0.5.

Jan 1, 2010

By Gaétan Bourdages

A clarification technology used by municipalities to produce high-quality drinking water, polish sewage treatment plant effluent and handle combined sewer overflows has recently found new applications in the mines and iron and steel industry. This patented process, known as ACTIFLO®, utilizes microsand in a ballasted flocculation process to enhance the settling characteristics of suspended solids, increasing the efficiency sufficiently to achieve a clarifier footprint that is smaller than the one of a conventional clarifier. ACTIFLO® rise rates vary from 40 to 170 m/h with a total system hydraulic retention time of about 10 minutes. The result is a clarification system so compact that a full-scale system can operate as a trailer-mounted unit for temporary applications or as a permanent installation in facilities with space limitations. This paper explains the process and presents case studies in which this innovative technology was used at mines and steelmaking facilities to meet compliance requirements.

Feb 1, 2008

By Mei-Yan Yang, Ltd. Yunnan Yuntong Zinc Co., Yong-Xiang Li, Xing-Zheng Dai, Hong-Liang Wang, Meng-Yang Huang, Peng Zeng, Guo-Feng Li

"The removal of iron asgoethite from the high iron bearing solutions generated in zinc hydrometallurgy using a strong airflow device was investigated. The influence of oxygen flow, copper ion concentration, temperature and reaction time on iron precipitation as goethite was studied. The optimum conditions were: oxygen flow 0.2-0.35m3/h, copper ion concentration 0.25-0.5g/L, temperature 80-90oC, zinc oxide powder neutralizing agent and a reaction time of5to 7hours. Under the optimal conditions, the Fe2+concentration was reduced to 0.025g/L after iron precipitation, and the goethite residue contained 38.7wt.%Fe. The SEM and XRD analyses showed that the iron was present as well formed FeOOH crystals in the iron residue, and the amount of iron sulphate was very low. Production practice shows that, when the average iron concentration in the feed solution was 11.61g/L and 4.08g/L after precipitation, the weight of iron removed was 1,439kg/day. When the average iron concentration in the feed solution was 14.51g/L and 2.73g/L after precipitation, the weight of iron removed was 2,454kg/day. This represents a ~70 percent increase in iron removal.INTRODUCTIONThe objective of iron removal is to produce a small volume of iron residue, and our industrial goethite process meets this requirement. The high Fe(II) solution in our reactor isoxidized/hydrolyzed to precipitate goethite and the precipitate is sent to a pyro metallurgical furnace for final residue treatment. Some literature discusses (DengYong-guiet al., 2008;Meiguang-guiet al., 2001;Zhongzhu-qianet al., 1980) research on iron hydrolysis; one of the reported rate limiting parameters was the low availability of the oxidant when using air and another was the inhomogeneous air distribution. There are two iron hydrolysis-goethite precipitation methods; the Electrolytic Zinc process (EZ) and the Vieille Montagne process (VM) (Lei Xiang, 2006; Xuguo-qiang, 2007;ZhaoYonget al.,2005). The EZ method hydrolyzes the Fe3+directly to FeOOH. The weakness of the EZ process is the low recovery rate of the associated minor metals. The VM method reduces the iron to the ferrous state and then oxidizes the Fe(II)to Fe(III),with simultaneous hydrolysis/precipitation of the Fe(III) as FeOOH. Before iron hydrolysis, the minor metals, such as indium, could be selectively precipitated, because Fe(II)requires a high pH for hydrolysis. So the VM method has a high recovery rate for the minor metals. There levant goethite precipitation reaction is:"

Jan 1, 2016

By W. A. Crosby, W. K. Smith, K. L. McDonald

"IntroductionThis paper describes how the introduction of two blasting techniques and the resuItant development of new dragline digging methods have increased the productivity of single- and double-seam dragline operations at the Rietspruit opencast mine.LocationRietspruit , one of South Africa's largest opencast strip mines, is situated some 11 5 kilometres east of Johannesburg in the Witbank coal field.BusinessRietspruit is a joint venture between Transvaal Consolidate d Land and Exploration Company (T.C.L.) and Shell, South Africa. Rietspruit is administered and managed by Rand Mines, the Mining division of Barlow Rand, transportation and marketing being the responsibility of Shell. The total saleable coal product, approximately 5,5 million tons per annum, is exported via Richards Bay.Presplitting and Throw BlastingPresplitting was initially introduced in September 1980, as a means of dewatering t he overburden and mid burden to facilitate the use of dry-mix explosives a s opposed to slurry explosives.The utilization of the throw blasting technique arose as a direct result of observed ground movement after the successful introduction of presplitting. The first trials commenced in March 1981 on the double-seam operation. The methods, economics and resulting advantages are fully described elsewhere. A brief description follows.Method of PresplittingAfter determining the desired presplit line, 250-mm holes are drilled to top of coal at 4-m to 6-m intervals, dependent on the competency of the rock overlying the coal. A single 60-kg charge of slurry explosives is located at the bottom of each hole, no tamping is used and all the holes are detonated simultaneously. The results are a competent, straight, vertical highwall. This enables accurate control of the first row of blast holes closest to the highwall, which is a prime requisite for successful throw blasting."

Jan 1, 1983

By Jehan Rondot

Des quartzites très pars ont été dêcouverts au cours de la cartographie de la region du lac des Martres, étape de l'étude géologique de la region de Charlevoix. On distingue quatre groupes métasédimentaires, tons con tenant des niveaux de quartzite dans an moins deux domaines géologiques différents, c'est à l'ouest, clans le domaine gneisso-charnockitique que se situent les quartzites du groupe des Martres. Quartzite et gneiss à grenat et sillimanite, en banes épais, constituent la formation de La Galette. A Pest, dans un environnement gneisso-granitique, les deux groupes métasédimentaires de Saint-Siméon, et de La Malbaie comprennent, par contraste, des bancs pen épais et de compositions variées. Les niveaux de quartzite dépassent rarement 50 m d'épaisseur. L'autre groupe metasédimentaire, celui de Saint-Tite des Caps, recoupé de nombreuses intrusions charnockitiques et granitiques, ne possède que de minces niveaux de quartzite. La pureté et la grande épaisseur des quartzites de La Galette suppose une histoire complexe qui se termine par des depots continentaux de climat aride, par opposition aux depots marins des autres groupes. D'autre part, la presence de ces quartzites an sein de roches Presque anhy¬dres et de haute temperature que sont les charnockites leur confère des caractéristiques de fusion sans decrepitation. Parmi la multitude de depots de quartzite qui existe clans le monde, peu sont de qualité supérieure. Or, de par sa composition chimique, le quartzite de La Galette se compare avantageusement à ceux des meilleurs gisements des Etats-Unis, de l'Europe de l'Ouest et de l'Afrique du Sud. D'accès facile pour l'exploitation, les gisements ne sont qu'à une trentaine de milles de Baie Saint-Paul ou de La Malbaie, sur le Saint-Laurent. L'utilisation en metallurgic prévue pour le quartzite de La Galette comprend la production de silicium, de ferro¬silicium et d'autres alliages de silicium. La composition du quartzite est en outre appropriée pour la production de carbure de silicium et de silicate de sodium. Les fines peu¬vent être utilisées pour la fabrication du verre et comme matière de charge.

Jan 1, 1977

By Zihe Ren, Edouard Asselin, Marcus Tomlinson, Tianbi Zhang, Jing Liu

"Raman spectroscopy is used to quantify the extent of disorder in the carbonaceous matter associated with preg-robbing ores. Previous studies of Goldstrike ores showed that the height and width of the peaks for the “D” (disordered) and “G” (graphite) bands, the so-called “Raman ratio” had a strong correlation to the preg-robbing value (PRV) measured for various ore samples. A brief literature review on Raman spectroscopy as it applies to preg-robbing ores is presented. Further, recent studies, presented here, have shown no correlation between the Raman ratio and the PRV for a wide variety of ores. This suggests that the extent of organic carbon crystal disorder is not the main factor in determining preg-robbing characteristics.INTRODUCTION Preg-robbing may arise from natural carbonaceous materials in the ore. Several mechanisms have been proposed in the past decades including a physical sorption process by the carbonaceous matter, or via the reduction of aurocyanide at the mineral surface (Abotsi & Osseoasare, 1986; Afenya, Osseoasare, & Abotsi, 1983; Tan, Feng, Lukey, & Van Deventer, 2005). Nevertheless, the mechanisms of preg-robbing remain poorly understood. Understanding the nature of the preg-robber is of practical importance for the selection of a suitable treatment process. Fine carbon particles in the ore have been recognized as preg-robbers due to their similarity to the activated carbon used in the carbon in leach (CIL) or carbon in pulp (CIP) processes. Previous research has illustrated that the activated carbon (also referred to as amorphous carbon in some literature) has a much higher absorption ability than pure graphite with high crystallinity (Adams & Burger, 1998). Adams et al (Adams, Swaney, Friedl & Wagner 1996) concluded that carbonaceous matter is largely responsible for the overall preg-robbing capacity of a given ore. However, the mechanism of carbon preg-robbing was still not clear mostly due to the complexity of amorphous carbon and its behavior in different solution matrices, and at different pH and temperature (Adams, 1990, 1993)."

Jan 1, 2017

Sustainable Development SAFETY ?Safety is the most important element of sustainability. ?One bad experience or incident can mar a company?s reputation for a long, long time. ?News travels faster than ever ?Internet, blogs, texting, peer-to-peer communication, etc. and unfortunately sometimes the information is not always accurate. ?Rarely do we hear in the news about the mining companies or projects that are done safely ?we always hear about the exceptions. ?Safety is just like TQI / TQM ?the process of improving can never stop.

May 1, 2010