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By E. W. Sawyer

Attapulgite is a magnesium aluminosilicate clay mineral which exhibits unique, processing-enhanceable physical and chemical properties that are related to its current commercial uses. Properties of commercial interest are gelling, absorption, adsorption, binding, acid neutralization and many others. Major industrial applications are: (1) absorption by heat treated grades utilized in industrial oil and grease absorbents and in agricultural pesticide carriers; (2) gelling of aqueous liquid products by colloidal grades for stabilization and viscosity control in salt water drilling fluids, suspension fertilizers, liquid animal feed supplements, paints and tape joint compounds; (3) adsorption by heat treated varieties for the removal of catalysts, color bodies and other polar compounds from hydrocarbon streams; (4) gelling of organic liquids by colloidal attapulgite/surfactant blends in oil-type paints, fibrated and nonfibrated asphaltic coatings and mastic compositions, and (5) the binding of feeds and molecular sieve sorpents with colloidal type attapulgite products. These applications and other less common uses and potential uses will be discussed along with, the necessary selective mining and plant processing features related to each property and application.

Jan 1, 1986

By C. Y. Haas

Of all the industrial clay minerals, attapulgite probably enjoys the widest variety of applications. A review published over three years ago by Haden and Schwint (18) cited some 80 individual uses, a list which continues to grow. In its near half-century of commercial life, attapulgite has received a generous share of research study and patent development effort, both on the part of producers as well as consumers. This work has been divided between understanding the mineral's structure or properties and applying it to specific end-uses. Naturally, information gained from the former has pointed toward opportunities in the latter. References of particular significance are cited throughout the text. Attapulgite's variety of uses derives from the unique three-dimensional structure and needle-shaped particle form of this crystalline hydrated magnesium aluminum silicate. Its inherent colloidal and sorptive properties are well known, and distinguish it from its sister clay minerals. Attapulgite is characterized by its high surface area, porosity, sorptivity, and decolorizing power. Its slips or slurries are viscous and thixotropic, however, unlike bentonite are not flocculated by electrolytes. In Table I are compared the general properties of attapulgite, bentonite, and kaolin. The properties in Table I are documented in greater detail by the wealth of scientific literature which has been published on the composition (14)(15), structure (6)(16), surface (16)(4)(22)(24), adsorption (31)(4)(5)(25), rheology (10-11)(12)(13)(26)(27)(32), plasticity (30) (31), and chemistry (23)(3)(7) of attapulgite. Attapulgite is the principal mineral constituent (70 to 80%) of attapulgite clay as it is commercially produced in the Georgia-Florida area of the United States. As mined, this clay also contains 10 to 1S% montmorillonite, sepiolite, and other clays; 4 to 8% quartz, and 1 to 5% calcite or dolomite. (18) During processing, non-clay fractions are removed so that commercial products are enriched to 85 to 90% attapulgite. By wet processing (such as practiced in the

Jan 1, 1971

By L. A. Khan

This paper first discusses the physicochemical cleaning methods used to process fines followed by an analysis of the subprocesses of froth flotation and the adverse effects of slimes and particle oxidation. These subprocesses include the phenomena of interception, contact, adhesion and levitation. Preventive and corrective measures to combat the generation of fines and their effects are suggested. Preventive measures include controlled grinding, limited liberation, flotation at coarser sizes. Means of preventing oxidation and/or removing oxidation products are a1 so discussed. Corrective measure to increase recovery include intensive aeration, aggregation of particles, intensive mixing, increased retention time, and reduction of detachment. Measures leading to improves selectivity involve means to reduce slime coating, achieve selective mineralization of bubbles and minimize entrapment.

Jan 1, 1986

By Bruce Gellar

For the past six years, the author has made it a priority to attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s (PDAC) annual conference. This most recent meeting took place March 10-13, 2002in Toronto, Ontario. In the three years since the author’s last PDAC report, the mining industry has undergone a severe trough. Some the industry’s woes included deeply discounted commodity prices, rampant layoffs, mergers, and overall avoidance by the investment community. However, at each of the PDAC conferences, the author has felt a heightened sense of excitement about the mining industry, more so than at other similar gatherings.

Jan 1, 2002

By K. J. K. Weglo, M. U. Savich

"At the Falconbridge Limited, Canadian Nickel Division, Sudbury Operations, we investigated the ""NO NOISE"" ear muffs model NN3-F which is a Swedish product with foam-filled sealing rings (the Hellberg Standard Volume Hearing Protector). It is used extensively at Falconbridge mines in Sudbury.The research which was carried out in the four Falconbridge mines was conducted under three different headings: manufacturer's attenuation data (psychophysical method), clamping force and head size (bizygomatic diameter), and attenuation tests (physical methods) under working conditions.Manufacturers of hearing protectors claim their products offer noise reductions of 23 decibels (NRR) or more, but they fail to point out that this reduction is obtainable only under ideal conditions. The reality of attenuation under working conditions, as several studies have found, is quite different.Methods for using short measurements to determine the noise exposure index, and for controlling muff-wearing habits, were developed at the Elliot Lake Laboratory. Measurements taken at Falconbridge on ""NO NOISE"" ear muffs revealed that they have a practical attenuation of some IO to 13 decibels. It is important to note here that measurements also revealed that clamping force (thus attenuation) was in an inverse relationship with ear muff comfort. Measuring attenuation using noise dosimeters was a difficult job. Not a single surveyor would accept these measurements (physical method) for absolute accuracy. Apart from that, it was impossible to measure, in one shift, more than two work stations. Because of this, we sought a solution: measuring head size and clamping force in relation to actual attenuations.A detailed analysis of the relationship between attenuation and head size/clamping force was done at four mines. Standard deviation ellipses (standard error ellipses) for head size versus clamping force are in close agreement with measurements that were carried out. In order to measure clamping force an apparatus was constructed and a method for measuring suspension system durability is described in Appendices Band C of this report. At the same time we sought to reduce deterioration of ear muffs in mines as well as to put in place a system whereby attenuation can be controlled and improved. The clamping force apparatus can be operated automatically. The proposed control system is quick, simple and efficient . This system is equally applicable in small and large mining operations, and it can be totally automated and the data computerized for audit of the results. This control system is a new step in controlling ear muff attenuation in working environments.From these measurements of NN3-F ""NO NOISE"" muffs it can be concluded that ear muffs are not the total solution to protect the worker from noise.As the results were evaluated folio wing measurement, Falconbridge switched from the NN3-F ""NO NOISE"" muffs to approximately 90% Mark V ""NO NOISE"" muffs and 10% Mark V MSA muffs. These new muffs showed much better head size versus clamping force relationship and can be expected to produce 14 dBA or better attenuation of noise. RESUMEUne étude des casques antibruit ""NO NOISE"" modèle NN3-F, de fabrication suédoise, avec anneaux d'étanchéité en mousse (dispositif de protection contre le bruit ""Hellberg "" pour volume ordinaire)a été effectuée Ii la Falconbridge Ltd. , Division canadienne du nickel aux installations de Sudbury . Ces casques sont largement utilisés dans les mines de la Falconbridge Ii Sudbury.Cette étude aeu lieuen milieu de travail dans les quatre mines de la Falconbridge sous trois rubriques différentes soit: les données d'atténuation du bruit du fabricant (méthode psychophysique), la force de serrage et la taille de la tète (diamètre bizygomatique), et les essais d’atténuation de bruit (méthodes physiques). Les fabricants de dispositifs de protection contre le bruit prétendent que leurs produits offrent une réduction du bruit s'élevant Ii"

Jan 1, 1986

By Dale W. Collins

The disposal of arsenic from copper operations possess various health, environmental and processing problems. There are basically two areas of concern. The first being the disposal or treatment of smelter flue dusts and the second the removal of arsenic from refinery electrolytes. A number of treatment options have been proposed including the addition of soluble arsenic wastes to copper heap and dump leaching solutions. This approach will allow arsenic to be reintroduced to the ore via Solvent Extraction (SX) raffinate associated with hydrometallurgical operations. Knowledge of the attenuation behavior and mechanism during leaching is important in determining the long term stability of arsenic and the success of this approach. Parameters, such as uptake capacity, pH, particle size and solution chemistry have been investigated. Arsenic attenuation has been examined using column leaching with experiments employing both continuous flow and pulsed additions of As(V). In the initial stages of leaching, the attenuation of arsenic appears to depend on the pH and iron concentration in the effluent. Arsenic stability in the copper oxide ore has been examined with rinses of progressively lower pH.

Jan 1, 1994

By James L. Hendrix, David Castillo

Cyanidation is one of the most common practices used in the extraction of gold and silver. One method of application is heap or dump leaching which entails the leaching of the gold or silver ore by spraying or dripping a cyanide lixiviant over the ore and collecting the effluent. The ore is placed on what is known as a leach pad system. A typical leach pad system consists of a foundation, a leakaqe detection system, a liner, and a cover layer (Strachan and van Zyl, 1988). There are many types of liners available for use. The type of liner depends upon what type leaching pad system us used. Generally, leaching pad systems can be categorized into two types: an expandable pad and a reusable pad. An expandable pad exposes the liner to the elements only in the initial stages of ore placement on the leach pad system. A reusable pad exposes the liner to the elements on a periodic basis. In addition to the exposure to the elements, the liner is also under the stress of the ore placed on it and the stress of the vehicular traffic across it. These stresses and exposure to the elements are the major causes of liner failures, which can appear as punctures, tears, cracks, and deterioration. Because of the possibility of the failure of the pads to contain cyanide-laden solutions the designs for liners of pads and ponds have become more and more stringent. Currently, though, there is some recognition that in some locales such stringent design criteria may not be required (Chatwin, 1989). Some soils have significant cyanide attenuation and degradation capacity. It has been found that soils containing carbon- aceous materia1 wi11 remove cyanide from solutions percolating through them (Chatwin, 1989). Of course metallurgists have long recognized the deleterious effect of carbonaceous material in the mill circuit. Sheridan, et a1 (1988) have shown that WAD cyanide is detected in the effluent of a 2 m column filled with ground carbonaceous ore only after it had been continuously washed with greater than 9 pore volumes of NaCN solution. It was decided to examine the potential of successfully attenuating cyanide by placing an organic material layer between a 1iner and the prepared soil base. One consideration for the selection of the organic material was cost. Sawmill wastes, ground agricultural wastes (such as corn cobs), and other organic wastes were considered. But the first waste to be tested was a product found at any metropolitan area, sewage sludge.

Jan 1, 1990

By Jinrong Zhang

Major components of soil were tested for their ability to attenuate cyanide. Feldspar, kaolinite, plagioclase and bauxite are found to degrade cyanide at an appreciable amount mainly through adsorption. A soil near a mining site in northern Nevada was studied in detail using a tall column. Many species of cyanide were anlyzed to determine the mechanisms of the reactions of cyanide with soil. Volatilization, adsorption, oxidation, precipitation and complexing were quantitatively identified, being 5 to 10, 11.7, 4.2, 7.3 and 4 per cent of the total cyanide added, respectively. It is found that the oxidation of cyanide to cyanate is due to the catalytic effect of nickel and copper leached from the soil. Precipitation of metal-cyanide complexes occurred at low pH values.

Jan 1, 1991

By M. U. Savich

In Canadian mines, ear muffs are now an essential part of safety equipment. Because of this, a research study was conducted to investigate their efficiency. The main characteristics of eleven commercially available ear muffs were investigated in the laboratory and analyzed by: (I) a psychophysical method; and (2) a physical method. These investigations showed the following effects: head size has a significant influence on the attenuation because of a different clamping force; the amount of hair trapped between the ear muff cushion and the head decreased ear muff attenuation; attenuation and comfort are not in a causal relationship; with the use of glasses and their adapters, attenuation decreases-the adapters are not effective sound barriers; there are no great differences in attenuation with neck movement; the efficiencies of various brands of ear muffs are not equal; ear muffs with a small cushion area start serving their purpose more quickly because the force per unit area is larger; a clamping force larger than 900 g wt, in most ear muffs, does not cause an increase in attenuation; attenuation characteristics (ANSI 224.22 - 1957) of ear muffs show some correlation with physical tests. Nine ear muffs out of the eleven were tested under uniform conditions in mines. Three ear muffs were found to be the best. All three ear muff s have bands passing behind the head. The ear muff with a support strap, which improves comfort and maintains a good fit during wear, showed the best attenuation. Causes of poor attenuation are numerous: bad mounting of ear muffs on helmets, improper fitting, interferency by hair and glasses, improper wearing by miners, unsatisfactory enforcement by supervisory personnel, incomplete training of miners, etc. Results of this research have indicated that none of the ear muff s tested in this study contain all of the characteristics desirable in an ideal unit. Because of unsatisfactory ear muff attenuation in working conditions (/5 dBA), it should be a mandatory requirement that workers wear both ear muff s and ear plugs if the noise level is higher than 105 dBA (various literature recommends t io dBA). The key to the solution lies in the following: the foreman must be capable of helping and controlling miners in their task of wearing ear muffs properly; the program must be introduced to miners; and constant contact must be maintained with manufacturers.

Jan 1, 1979

By AMIT SHARMA, BIBHUTI BHUSAN MANDAL

Operators of mining vehicles are exposed to high levels of whole-body vibration (WBV) and are therefore at risk of developing vibration-related health disorders. For implementing an effective control strategy, it is imperative to locate the source(s) of vibration, and the specific changes that might occur to the vibration signals during its transmission through the seats to the recipient human body. With this objective, Seat Effective Amplitude Transmissibility (SEAT) values of seat modules used in dumpers (n = 10) and other heavy earth-moving machines (n = 11) were evaluated in an iron ore mine. Vibration was measured simultaneously on the seat and on the cabin floor beneath the seat using tri-axial and uni-axial accelerometers. The study aims at determining the quality of seat modules of the transport and non-transport vehicles from the perspective of their natural resonance frequencies and capability of any such seat in reducing harmful vibration. The highest acceleration values were observed in the z-axis for all the dumpers. SEATrms values ranged from 78 to 133% and SEATvdv values ranged from 72 to 130% for the dumpers. For other HEMMs, SEATrms values ranged from 55 to 125% and SEATvdv values ranged from 56 to 123%. Mechanical vibration contains multiple frequency components. To understand the changes taking place to the different signals at these frequencies, 1/3 octave band analysis was carried out for the signals recorded both on the seat and the floor. There was significant attenuation (38 to 57%) at 4 Hz for three Dumper seats, whereas they resonated in the range of 1.6–2.5 Hz. The transmissibility(%) in the resonating frequencies ranged from 108 to 156%. Resonance frequencies for the remaining seven dumpers ranged from 3 to 8 Hz. The spine has been reported to resonate at 4 Hz, whereas resonance at 1.6 Hz has little significance to human beings in regard to WBV of a seated person. Hence, the characteristic resonant frequency of 4 Hz of seats as observed in the present study has the potential of causing adverse impacts on spinal health. Evaluation of SEAT factors and resonance characteristics of seats are therefore recommended to be examined while selecting a mining vehicle for regular deployment in mines.

Mar 12, 2021

By AMIT SHARMA, BIBHUTI BHUSAN MANDAL

This paper describes the vibration transmissibility characteristics of mining vehicle seats under dynamic conditions in an opencast iron ore mine. Magnitude and frequency contents of vibration signals on the seat floor as well as on top of the seats were measured to record the change during transmission. The conventional rigid seats were found to resonate at about 4 Hz, which coincides with the resonance of the human spine. The pneumatic suspension seats also proved to be more efficient in attenuating the overall vibration energy transmitted from the vehicle chassis to the human body.

By Willard C. Lacy

INTRODUCTION A program to insure adequate talent for development and management of our mineral resources entails two equally important and interrelated aspects: 1) attracting and retaining promising student talent, and 2) providing a first-rate education for those entering careers in mineral science and engineering. Manpower shortages have eased in many areas of engineering, particularly in those areas dependent directly or indirectly upon government contracts in space and war programs. However, in the minerals industry the needs still remain critical. As increasing concern over preservation of the environment has developed, the political and social reaction was to seek out major offenders, to look for "whipping boys" -- and the mineral industry was, and had been, an offender. It was there for everyone to take pictures, it couldn't be covered up, and the Department of the Interior lashed away in the beautiful and popular brochures: Quest for Quality, The Third Wave, The Population Challenge, and Surface Mining and Our Environment (Ravaged Land). The Sierra Club, the Field and Stream magazine, TV, and daily news media added their lashes. In the minds of our social-conscious youth the mineral industry took on the image of "exploiters" of natural resources; "polluters" of streams, lakes, and the atmosphere; "despoilers" of wilderness areas and scenic beauty -- a plague to combat, rather than an exciting challenge that entailed exploration of the remote, conquering of the primitive, and developing of the undeveloped. Enrollments declined and many traditional mineral engineering curricula were abolished or Integrated into other stronger engineering departments to meet student-faculty ratio requirements.

Jan 1, 1971

Jan 1, 2004

By B Johansson

The mining industry needs to recruit young talented people. An important task therefore, is to create future attractive mining workplaces that engage and motivate young people to work within the industry. Our intention with this article is to illustrate a possible way forward for the mining industry to form such workplaces. We discuss different aspects of an attractive workplace and summarise our findings in a specification of basic demands dealing with safety, physical and psycho-social work environments and social responsibilities.

Nov 22, 2011

By J Johansson, B Johansson

The mining industry needs to attract and recruit young talented people. An important task is, therefore, to create an attractive mining workplace that engages with, and motivates youngsters who are not particularly interested in working in the industry. This paper aims to illustrate a way forward for the mining industry to form healthy and safe workplaces honouring key components such as knowledge, skill, co-operation, continual development and acceptance of diversity. This is a way to create a vision of healthy and safe mining work. The mining industry must work towards zero vision; a future without accidents and hazardous environments. In this paper the authors discuss different aspects of an ‘attractive workplace’ and summarises lessons learnt in 26 statements dealing with safety, both physical and social work environments, and social responsibility. The authors hope these recommendations will provide some guidance for how attractive workplaces should be designed for future deep mining.The paper is based on lessons from two large European projects, a Swedish-Polish project: The Smart Mine of the Future; and a European Union project: Sustainable Intelligent Mining Systems (SIMS). One of the authors was the WP leader of health and safety in both projects.CITATION:Johansson, J and Johansson, B, 2017. Attractive workplaces in future underground mining, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2017, pp 99–102 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 16, 2017

By Robert F. Conley

Attrition milling, once employed exclusively for the dispersion of pigments, has in recent years found a host of new applications in the area of mineral processing and mineral-pigment production. Broadly categorized, attrition milling is divided into two classes, as defined by the machinery's function, vibratory milling and rotational milling. Each mill type has been defined as a variation on ball milling and the terms, "vibratory ball mill" and stirred ball mill" appear in the literature. The primary design differences between attrition and ball mills are: (1) a stationary canister (or shell) (2) smaller grinding media (3) grinder energy is motor limited rather than gravity limited (4) strong media/feed size dependance.

Jan 1, 1983

By W Baguley

Attritioning has been a method of improving mineral extraction for over 60 years, however it is only recently that an understanding of the mechanism employed and the improvement in efficiency that have been achieved.The paper will discuss these improvements and how to overcome the problems that have been raised. At present there is a dearth of information on the correct design and operation of these machines.The paper will address these issues as well as fluid on the Zeta potential, micro shear, retention residence time and pilot plant operation.A study on the hydrodynamics of attritioner operation has been identified and will be discussed.Surface chemistry, clean lines of attrition material and the treatment of fines significant advances in the understanding of attritioning highlighted.CITATION:Baguley, W, 2013. Attrition scrubbers, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 229-246 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 15, 2013

By Richard D. Nichols

A new method of slaking lime has been developed by DENVER EQUIPMENT DIVISION of Joy Industrial Equipment Company and patented under U. S. Patent 4,261,953. The new method utilizes an attrition machine, commonly used in mineral processing circuits as a sand scrubbing device, to slake lime. The scrubbing effect of the attrition slaker continuously produces a fresh reactive surface so that further slaking may occur. This process allows for utilization of slaking all grades of burnt lime and most grades of dolomite lime. Testing indicates that poor grades of water usually not considered for this service can now be tolerated using the attrition slaker. The slaked lime produced is of higher quality, faster reacting and much less apt to produce scaling problems than previously experienced. The attrition slaker can be combined with a spiral classifier and ball mill to eliminate any need for grit handling or grit removal. The attrition slaker can be designed for all burnt lime tonnages up to the limit of 175 tph and 1" pebble lime size. Control can be maintained easily with minimal operator assistance. The equipment, the principals of process metallurgy, and the above topics will be presented.

Jan 1, 1982

By O S. Maluleke

In some deposits valuable heavy mineral quality is poor due to increased mineral surface coatings from higher slimes and more competent sand orebodies. Mineral surface coating can include silica or aluminium rich clay minerals and iron based minerals that render the final product quality off-specification, in this case specifically ilmenite and zircon. Conventional physical beneficiation processes such as magnetic separation, electrostatic separation and gravity separation are not able to remove these surface coatings. Surface dependent separation techniques such as electrostatic separators are affected by these coatings which hinders the rejection of non-valuable mineral from product. Attrition scrubbing is the most commonly used technique to reduce surface coatings, using mechanically induced particle to particle interaction, abrasion and shearing.In many cases it is a challenge to measure the surface removal efficiency of these scrubbing units. Elemental analysis techniques (ie X-ray flourescence) (XRF) in a multi mineral environment are unable to measure surface impurity reduction with enough precision. Mineralogical analysis (in this case Qemscan®) has constraints in terms of sample preparation with highly coated particles being plucked out during block polishing. This paper suggests a combination of laboratory separation techniques coupled with elemental analysis to evaluate the surface removal efficiency. Three different types of feed materials were used to analyse the efficiency of surface removal using production attritioner scrubbers. This approach relates the downstream beneficiation plant’s expected performance with that of the attrition scrubber’s scrubbing efficiency.

Oct 5, 2011

By Antônio Carlos Simões de Santana Filho

Entre os anos de 2012 e 2014 a CSN adotou uma série de ações para ajustar o balanço hídrico da Usina Presidente Vargas (UPV), localizada na cidade de Volta Redonda no estado do Rio de Janeiro. Tais ações possuíam o objetivo de alcançar um fluxo hídrico mais ajustado e equilibrado em relação aos seus processos produtivos, consequentemente favorecendo na identificação de novas oportunidades de redução de captação de água do rio Paraíba do Sul e principalmente na melhor quantificação no consumo de água nos processos produtivos da companhia. A quantificação detalhada, atualizada e mais precisa do balanço hídrico da empresa favoreceu uma série de ganhos operacionais, possibilitando uma comparação mais assertiva com outras empresas do ramo siderúrgico, além de alavancar diversos indicadores ambientais da CSN.

Aug 17, 2017