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By Frank Hagar, George M. L. Robinson

INTRODUCTION Mine waste monitoring and management is essential when the industry is being required to accept the environmental liability for all generated, stored and disposed solid and hazardous waste. Environmental regulations mandate the operator to minimize waste production while requiring the operator to cleanup existing contamination. Since these requirements are being enforced, many operators do not have a clear under- standing, whether their existing operation will or could be required to adopt remedial plans to mitigate off-site contamination impacts. The following methods, using conventional and advanced geostatistical methods, provide a tool to make appropriate assessments whether existing or potential contaminant issues are present. BACKGROUND Generated solid wastes from mining operations are currently exempt from Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) Sub- title C (RCRA), statutes and promulgated regulations, however, compliance with SWDA Subtitle D statutes and regulations is required. In order for the mining operator to be exempt from hazardous waste regulations, the operator must demonstrate that generated waste does not have hazardous waste characteristics. In many instances the operator will be able to use statistical tools and their existing data to determine whether their site could be a potential hazardous waste liability. METHODS The following statistical and geostatistical methods can be used to determine whether existing wastes could be a regulatory concern. The following presents a brief discussion of standard statistical methods and discusses, in greater detail, how advanced geostatistical tools can be used to define potential waste issues. The following will discuss how data can be screened, "Data Filtering and Reporting"; how data can be evaluated using "Conventional Statistics"; followed by a detailed discussion o f "Geostatistical and Estimation Techniques" and "Statistical Modeling". Data Filtering and Reporting Data filtering is the simplest, but potentially the most powerful statistical tool because data can be easily sorted to meet regulatory reporting requirements. Filtering includes unions and intersections of data such as date, maximum and minimum values of one or several variables. Using the data base presented in "Mine Waste Data Base Management Procedures", Robinson and Hagar, 1987, an example of a filter group is presented.

Jan 1, 1987

By C. S. Harman, C. A. Enright, J. F. Brune

"The mining environment presents challenging and complex situations for the application of medical care. The combination of remote locations, difficult access and longer response times may create an increase in morbidity and mortality in the event of serious accidents. The U.S Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has only minimal requirements of first aid training for mine workers. For mine rescue team members, MSHA requires medical training at the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level, as only prescribed by mine rescue contest rules. This paper examines, based on mine accident statistical information, whether a higher level of medical training, for example at the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or at the Advanced Life Support (ALS) level can better address injuries most commonly disabling or leading to the death of miners in the United States. BACKGROUND Prehospital emergency medical care for the sick and injured has evolved considerably from first inception. Ambulances used to be staffed by persons with little training and equipment and prehospital care was focused largely on the rapid transport of the injured person to a hospital and. The modern prehospital care model was initially developed in military applications, where medics were responsible for some treatment on the battlefield and rapid transport to the care of a physician. In 1965, the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council Committees on Trauma and Shock published Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society (National Research Council Committees on Trauma and Shock, 1966). This white paper laid out the consequences of the insufficiency of the Emergency Medical System (EMS) in the United States at that time. According to this paper, in 1965, 107,000 people were killed from accidental injury, with another 400,000 injured with permanent disability. The authors estimated that approximately 50% of ambulance services were provided by local morticians that were not capable of rendering advanced life support. The paper states that, based on experiences in the Vietnam war, seriously wounded soldiers had a better chance of survival in the battle field compared to traffic accident victims with similar traumatic injuries because the military was capable of providing first aid and efficient transportation to emergency care facilities. The white paper states that death rates from battle injuries declined significantly from 8% in World War I to 2% in Vietnam. The publication of this white paper is credited for the broad evolution and rapid advance of the civilian EMS system after 1965. It eventually lead to the creation of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) National Standard Curricula (NSC) for emergency medical care in 1985. Training, and therefore required skill and knowledge for prehospital emergency care has continued to grow to reach the current standard."

Jan 1, 2016

By D. M. Fritz

Environmental experts face large and rapidly-increasing volumes of raw data obtained from environmental monitoring stations. These professionals must compile and analyze the data in a systematic manner to cost-effectively understand and minimize the impacts of mining. The shift toward desktop computing, combined with the downsizing of company staffs, has now more than ever created a demand for a modern, PC-based application for the storage, retrieval, analysis and presentation of environmental data. This paper discusses the general requirements of such a system, and points out specific ways in which such industry-specific software can provide convenient and useful access to the data. The software used to illustrate these features is the HydroDat program, developed by Western Water Consultants, Inc.

Jan 1, 1996

By L. Bloom

"Man-Made Parameters" refers to the importance of selecting appropriate analytical procedures to acquire useful chemical data. The correct procedures are particularly critical at the sample preparation stage where decisions concerning pulverizing equipment, sample size, contamination and dissolution will impact on the final results independent of the instrumental method of analysis. Several experiments were designed to quantify the impact of these approaches.

Jan 1, 1993

By M. J. Zdunczyk

Located approximately 50 miles northeast of Knoxville, Tennessee, Short Mountain Silica mines the Clinch Formation, an orthoquarzite, for silica sand. In 1980, a Knoxville resident and area contractor visualized mining Short Mountain for silica sand. Because APG Industries, the main market for the glass sand product, was only 48 kilometers from the site, many silica sand companies became interested in the property. In 1986, J.D. Nicewonder began to develop the site, and in May of 1988, APG Industries received the first sand shipment.

Jan 1, 1992

By Song Jiang, Xianzhi Tan, Minjie Lian

"The ground water heat pump system lades underground hot water which can be heated or cooled by heat exchanger in water source heat pump air conditioner. This system replaces the model of heating of air-conditioning by refrigerator and boiler. In this paper, the formation conditions of hot water energy in Shan Dong are analyzed in order to achieve the purpose of energy conservation and emissions reduction by taking full advantage of water resources such as water pouring and return water of beatification during the productive process of underground metal mine. In order to analyze the issue better, the paper points out some ways and methods for geothermal water often used in underground metal mine. This paper also presents the advantages of the technology of water source heat pump that is applied into underground metal mine. Here is a case study of comprehensive utilization of water source in a certain underground metal mine in Ji Ning. This mine, according to its own actual situation, designs heat pump heat exchange system which is used for indoor heating of buildings and bath for staff. It turns out that the system can save 23% water per year, cut down 3.303 million KW electric energy, and reduce 4160t emission of carbon dioxide. It is concluded that the technology of water source heat pump has broad application prospects in underground metal mine. Therefore, the results show that it is an ideal way to change the present structure of cooling and heating source in metal mine.Introduction In recent years, overuse of fossil fuels has posed a grave threat onto the environment, which makes renewable energy a more important status in energy structure. Development and utilization of renewable energy has become an important direction. Water source heat pump technology is to use solar energy stored in water as cold/heat source to convert energy. Currently, this technology has been widely used in some advanced countries. However, due to facers of implementation technology and component costs, there is still a gap in water source heat pump technology between China and these advanced countries. According to (Blum et al 2011) that after in-depth study, water source heat pump technology has developed rapidly in China recently, and the gap is gradually reduced. Groundwater source heat pump system as a kind of high efficiency, energy-saving and environmentally friendly technology in recent years, more and more get the people's attention. At the same time, its practical application has also been rapid development. Based on (Ni et al 2015) that According to the relevant departments of the prediction, the technology will become the 21st century the most efficient heating and cooling technology."

Jan 1, 2017

By S. K. Kawatra, A. K. Bakshi

Mineral suspensions in water show Newtonian flow properties at low percent solids. However, this changes to a non-Newtonian regime as the pet-cent solids increases. For Newtonian fluids, viscosity is independent of shear rate, hut, for non-Newtonian fluids, viscosity varies with shear rate. Therefore, if the slurry is non-Newtonian, attempting to measure the viscosity at a shear rate different from the shear rate experienced by the fluid within the process is futile. This is especially true for a hydrocyclone, where the rate of shear is different at different points within the hydrocyclone. In this case, it is very important to determine the flow type of the suspension before attempting to establish any correlation between the viscosity and the process efficiency. A new technique to distinguish such changes inflow type was developed. This involves two viscometers: a coaxial cylinder-type viscometer that measures apparent viscosity at low shear rates and a vibrating sphere-type viscometer that measures the apparent viscosity at high shear rates. For each of these instruments, special precautions were taken to allow, for the measurement of the viscosity of rapidly settling mineral suspensions. Because the vibrating sphere viscometer is operated at a much higher shear rate than the rotating viscometer, the two instruments together could determine the shear-rate dependency of the viscosity. Ground silica (80% passing 65 µm) in water was used to prepare slurries at concentrations ranging from 10% to 70% (by weight) solids. The viscosity of each slurry sample was measured simultaneously by both viscometers, and the results were compared. With this technique, it was found that all of the silica-slurry samples tested were in the Newtonian flow regime for up to 70% (by weight) solids. Methocel and Cellosize polymer solutions showed clear non-Newtonian behavior using this technique. This confirmed that non-Newtonian behavior of the silica slurries, if present, would have been detected by this arrangement.

Jan 1, 1997

By I. J. Dowdeswell

Perspective Man is a model maker. Throughout recorded history man has-used models both to provide insights into the workings of the processes which surround him and as a step towards the eventual control of those processes. These models have covered the field from extremely large systems (solar and celestial. models) to infinitesimally small systems (sub-atomic .and atomic models). Models have been developed for social systems, ecological systems, biological systems and economic systems: all fields of human endeavour contain the fruits of this restless model-making. The Role of Models Since the evidence of mans' industry in formulating models is so abundant, it is worthwhile stating some of the reasons. Based on the simple definition that "a model is a convenient and useful representation of some facet of the 'real' world", then a model provides a means for: 1. Understanding the thing being studied. 2. Communicating that understanding to others. 3. Manipulating the thing being modelled. The common denominator implicit in these reasons is that- improved control is the. objective off all modelling or simulation work. Improved control shows itself either directly by the development of devices which perform the control functions or indirectly by improvement in the decision making process itself. For example, in a process plant, a suitable model of part of the process could lead either to the use of automatic control devices such as set-point controllers or to the implementation of instructions (pre-defined decisions) which permit the operator to better control the process. Typical process control systems use both of these since fully automatic control is restricted to processes where the required information can be effectively measured.

Jan 1, 1972

By Tim Neil, O&apos

Finnish mining traditions date back 400 years. The country was then one of Europe's major iron producers. Most of the mines in current operation, however, were started during the last 20 to 30 years. The Finnish mining industry must make do with limited resources. Deposits are usually low grade and small in size. Open-pit methods are used where possible. But thin ore bodies and harsh winters can impose severe restrictions. Underground mining is often the only option. Despite these handicaps, Finnish metal miners produce copper, nickel, zinc, vanadium, iron ore, cobalt, and ferrochrome. Ironically, the success of Finnish mining is rooted in a crisis the industry faced several decades ago. Mining costs were rising. High grade mineral deposits were nearly exhausted. It was vital that Finland develop new mining machinery and methods that afforded higher productivity. Cooperation between the Finnish mining industry and its equipment manufacturers was good. Partly as a result, the Finnish mining industry has turned itself into one of the most modern and efficient in the world. The Finns did this while continuing to meet the stringent safety and environmental requirements in force in the Nordic countries. Today, the share of domestic raw materials used by the Finnish metallurgical industry is decreasing. So the country increasingly depends on imports of ores and concentrates. To better provide these imports, Finnish mining companies have expanded their foreign operations. And, while importing raw materials, the mining industry has been exporting its technological and equipment know-how and expertise. Mining methods Conventional mining methods and machinery are used in surface mines. Drilling is the exception. It is done with Tamrock hydraulic track drills and 100 to 150 mm-diam (4 to 6-in.-diam) drill holes. Pumpable slurry explosives are used in larger open pits. Underground, sublevel stoping with open stopes is the most common mining method. It accounts for about 80% of all underground stoping. The main benefits of this method are low production costs, high mechanization, and easy control. The best productivity figures exceed 10 t (11 st) per man-hour, including all mining personnel. The development of cable bolting has made it possible to use sublevel open stoping even in relatively weak rock. Cut-and-fill methods, such as concrete-pillar stoping, inclined-wall stoping, and traditional cut-and-fill have also been used, combined with sublevel caving and room-and-pillar methods, according to local demands. Various fill materials and stabilization components have been investigated and tested for cut-and-fill methods. Sublevel open stopes are often later filled, to stabilize the surface or to allow pillar recovery.

Jan 10, 1988

By John S. Owens

The National Steel Pellet Project and the Butler Taconite Project are operated by The Hanna Mining Company in the vicinity of the towns of Keewatin and Nashwauk, on the western Mesabi Range. Production began in 1967, after seven years of exploratory and development diamond drilling and reconnaissance magnetic surveys, Previously, direct shipping hematitegoethite ores and gravity concentrates had been produced in the area from numerous open pits and several underground mines since the start of the century. Total shipments of these oxidized ores amounted to more than 200 million tons, but at the present time such reserves are nearly exhausted, and there are no mining operations in the Keewatin-Nashwauk area except at the two taconite projects. The locations of all of the present taconite operations on the Mesabi Range are shown in Figure 1, extending for a distance of about seventy miles from the Butler plant to the Dunka River area. The Butler and National plants have a combined rated capacity of 4.4 million tons of pellets. Their reserves cover a combined strike length of about eight miles on the Biwabik iron formation. All of the intervals between present taconite operations on the Mesabi are potential sources of additional magnetic taconite; in particular, exploration and economic studies have been carried out by Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation in the Biwabik area between Aurora and Virginia, and by Pickands Mather and Company in the Hibbing area. However, west of the Henna and Butler holdings, it appears unlikely that magnetic taconite exists in commerical quantities at economic depths due to extensive oxidation of magnetite to hematite.

Jan 1, 1968

By Omar A. Muhtadi

6.1 INTRODUCTION The three most critical factors in successful heap leaching operations are: • The methods employed to pretreat ore (i.e, crushing and agglomeration); • Placement of ore on the leach pad (heap building techniques); and • Wetting of the ore with cyanide (solution application techniques). Improper execution of any of these initial steps may result in a substantial sacrifice of total metal extraction or, in the worst case, in project failure. Ore preparation in terms of crushing and agglomeration was discussed in Chapter 5; this chapter therefore focuses on commonly employed techniques for heap construction and solution application. The main objective of heap construction is to obtain the most homogeneous heap possible. "Channeling" of leachate in heaps with preferential seepage paths leads to preferential leachate distribution and uneven/incomplete extraction. The two main contributing causes of channeling are inadequate attention to heap construction and uneven solution application. These pitfall s can best be avoided through a knowledge of the various techniques available and the applicability and success of these techniques with various ore types and site conditions. The remainder of this chapter provides a discussion on these two subjects. 6.2 HEAP BUILDING TECHNIQUES Successful heap building techniques vary with the type of ore and, since no two orebodies are exactly alike, some slight modifications are usually necessary for each specific project. However, it is possible to generalize in terms of the appropriate techniques to be used with ores having similar characteristics. This section discusses the three most commonly used methods of heap construction and provides some guidelines with regard to ore types, construction constraints, and lift height parameters for each of the three. 6.2.1 Run-of-Mine Dumping and Dozing The run-of-mine method of heap building can only be used with ore of a highly silicious nature (i.e., ore which will not generate a large amount of

Jan 1, 1988

By S. S. Churchill

Introduction Amidst the apparent chaos of the final push to complete a major construction project, a small group of specialists works with great intensity. Armed with yellow "in test" and green "turned over to operations" tags, these startup engineers follow detailed preoperational test procedures to confirm that a plant is ready to operate. They follow a test schedule designed to complete individual process system in the order they will be needed by operations. After extensive preliminary testing, the startup engineers begin the truly exciting part of their work - initial operations. The thrill of engaging the clutch for the first time on a 10,000 horsepower grinding mill makes all the long hours worthwhile. Preoperational testing and startup are of critical importance to the success of a project. No other aspect of a construction project allows such opportunities for success or failure, and no other aspect is so critically influenced by careful planning. At Bechtel, the tasks of preoperational testing and startup are among the responsibilities of the Mine and Plant Operations group. The Preoperational Testing Process Preoperational testing is the transition phase between constructon and startup on a new plant. It includes the preparation of detailed test schedules and procedures. The schedules are used to coordinate construction completion activities, so that systems are available for startup and operations in a rational sequence. The procedures form the basis for performing the testing and documenting its completion. Tests include instrument calibration, wire insulation tests, wire termination verification, mechanical alignments and inspections, and system cleaning and flushing. Where possible, the systems are then operated on water and their performance recorded. Normally, either the construction contractor or a team of specialists has the responsibility to perform preoperational testing. Witnesses to the testing may be owner operations and maintenance personnel, engineers from the design firm, or specialists assigned to the project who provide assistance and guidance to the contractor in addition to witnesing the work.

Jan 1, 1986

By A J. Jonaitis

The DENVER Tube Press is a simple, high pressure (1500 PSI (100 bar» filtration unit, developed for processing difficult-to-dewater materials and to produce a handleable filter cake and clear filtrate product. Lab and pilot testwork conducted in Australia on coal fines (55-70\ -35 micron (400 mesh)) have shown that total moisture contents of less than 20\ are consistently achieved in the final cake products from the Tube Press. Currently, these coal super fines are sent to waste due to uneconomical mechanical dewatering methods, which were only able to reduce total moisture levels in excess of 30%. Calculated, throughput rates for the 500 Series Tube Press exceeded 1700 kg/hr (3750 lbs/hr). Feed solids concentration requirements are between 45 and 50\ to achieve these results.

Jan 1, 1993

By Young C. Kim

Because of the high cost of obtaining coal washability samples, it has been difficult to obtain washability variograms in the past. As a result. It could not be determined if geostatistical prediction tool known as kriging can be applied to predict in-situ coal washability characteristics.

Jan 1, 1988

By Wilhelm J. Kogelmann

The concept and operation of novel shaft sinking systems utilizing roadheader-type cutter booms, including mucking, conveying, and hoisting installations, are described. Selection criteria, performance data, and economic considerations for various shaft excavators are presented. Various applications of this low-cost and flexible system for civil engineering and mining projects will be discussed. The cutter booms can work in both soft ground and competent rock. Furthermore, the novel excavator can operate in ground stabilized by grouting, cementing, and freezing. The flexible cutting system can be used both for excavation of shafts, foundation pits, slopes, and for tunneling (drifting).

Jan 1, 1989

By G. Trusler, P. Dama, C. Buckley, C. Jänisch

In the 1990s, Cleaner Production (CP) approaches were successfully introduced to a number of industrial sectors in South Africa. Building on this success, the South African Water Research Commission has commissioned a 3-year study to investigate the use of CP and its related set of environmental assessment and management tools in the mining industry. A scoping study is being carried out on the current knowledge of CP approaches being used in the industry, as well as the proactive and preventative measures being undertaken. One of the significant findings of the scoping study is that distinct differences exist between the larger global companies and the smaller local companies. Being a water research project a key focus area of the project is to reduce the impacts related to mining on the South African water resources. Some of the significant water related threats identified include acid mine drainage, the shortage of the resource and the effects of inter-mine flow.

Jan 1, 2005

More than 5,300 mining professionals from around the world attended the SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit, March 1-3 in Denver, CO. Seventy three technical sessions highlighted innovative technologies and applications for the development of mineral resources. And the exhibit featured 421 companies worldwide and 632 exhibit booths. The 1999 SME Annual Meeting had 10% international attendance Professionals from outside the United States were guests at the first SME International Reception. Other meeting highlights included the Keynote Session. This pivotal session examined the international experience of North American-based companies. Speakers presented their perspectives on international explorations and operations. Keynote speakers included Robert Buchan, Chairman an( Chief Executive Officer, Kinross Gold; Dave Baker, Director Global Mining Project Management, Caterpillar; and Leendert Krol, Vice President International Operations Newmont Gold. Ihor Kunasz, 1998 SME President, made the introductory remarks.

Jan 1, 1999

By Philip E. LaMoreaux

The development of large quantities of ground water for any major use in an area is always of environmental concern to representatives of regulatory groups, citizens, agricultural and industrial users. From these concerns, state and federal congressional representatives receive a variety of impulses from their constituents and in turn begin a series of questions upon which to-base appropriate legislative actions. The kaolin industry in Georgia is substantial to the economy and the welfare of an important segment of east-central Georgia. It uses large quantities of water for processing. This constitutes an important source of income and tax revenue. Pumping test procedures to provide an accurate and efficient dewatering scheme have been developed and carried out at a number of mines in the kaolin district of Georgia. This paper highlights one such test and is directed at an assessment of the impact of this industry on ground water supplies of an area.

Jan 1, 1983

There are several simulators available and are being used for analysis, improvement and optimal control of the grinding process. However, these tend to be developed on informal software engineering methodologies. The informal approach is not suitable for long term development and a formal design methodology is necessary to develop efficient, error-free, and easy-to-use and to maintain software. In meeting this goal, basic concepts of a software model for describing the mineral process objects has been proposed. The software model forms the basis for software design and efficient implementation of the simulation. This paper describes the development of software models for grinding circuits. The work constitutes the theoretical foundation for the development of an advanced simulator for comminution.

Jan 1, 1995

By Peter Moser, Michael Hitch, Michael Tost, Susanne Feiel

"Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) are intended to be a negotiated agreement between an industrial proponent and a community, local or regional citizens’ organization. Although the elements have grown over the past two decades from a simple agreement to exceedingly complex legal frameworks, the intention remains the same: to outline the roles and responsibilities of the two stakeholders and the natural resource development on their lands beyond environmental assessment. These agreements were born out of comprehensive indigenous land claims and have become the cornerstone of community engagement today in most indigenous nations. In the case of mixed communities, those that have beneficiaries of land claims and those who are not, social acceptance remains uneven and reflective of an unequal distribution of decision-making power (political ecology). This Differential Social License can cause conflict and a breakdown of the societal fabric that binds communities of diverse populations, resulting in inequality, fictitious wealth generation and failure of infrastructure. This paper presents a case study of how the development of Differential Social License developed in the Hamlet of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut as a result of an IBA negotiated between Tahera Diamond Corp. and the Kitikmeot Inuit Organisation in 2004 for the Jericho Diamond Mine.Introduction / Background Social license (social license to operate or SLO) has become an essential part of the social governance ‘toolkit’ demanded by mining stakeholders in today’s world. Stakeholders are now insistent that companies operate more closely under the tenets of sustainable development and provide for an increased level of community participation. Social license is not simply a matter of communicating with a community, to earn its consent for or acceptance of a project. It requires that we engage with the individuals and organisations who ally themselves with communities, or who sometimes side with dissident factions of a community. SLO is a process associated with and informed by political ecology or the recognition that unequal decision-making power exists amongst stakeholders."

Jan 1, 2017