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By C Hall, J L. Mauk

New 40Ar/39Ar dates of vein and wall rock adularia from seven epithermal deposits and one porphyry copper prospect help constrain the ages of mineralisation in the Hauraki Goldfield. Vein adularia from the Paritu region yielded a single 40Ar/39Ar plateau date of 16.315 ¦ 0.066 Ma. Five 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates of three samples of vein adularia from the Opitonui deposit overlap within error to yield a preferred age of 13.149 ¦ 0.016 Ma. Two samples of vein adularia from the Night Reef at the Broken Hills deposit yield exceptionally flat 40Ar/39Ar plateaus, and all dates overlap within error to provide an age of 7.121 ¦ 0.010 Ma. Two 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates of one sample of vein adularia from the Wharekirauponga deposit overlap within error to provide an age of 6.318 ¦ 0.061 Ma. Four 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates of three samples of vein adularia from the Maratoto deposit overlap within error to provide an age of 6.411 ¦ 0.022 Ma. Two samples of adularia from altered wall rock at the Sovereign deposit yield three 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates that range from 6.547 ¦ 0.021 to 6.806 ¦ 0.028 Ma. This suggests that mineralisation formed around 6.6 Ma, but the results are complicated because the adularia contains minor illite that post-dates adularia formation. Results from the Karangahake deposit are complex. Two samples of vein adularia yield three 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates that range from 6.116 ¦ 0.116 to 6.901 ¦ 0.101 Ma, whereas one sample of wall rock adularia that contains minor late illite yields two 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates that overlap within error to provide a date of 5.734 ¦ 0.041. The range of dates indicates that more work is necessary to understand the history of mineralisation at this deposit. Two samples of vein adularia from the Tui deposit yield four 40Ar/39Ar plateau dates that overlap within error to provide an age of 5.714 ¦ 0.017 Ma. These results confirm previous work that indicates that the ages of epithermal deposits young southward in the Hauraki Goldfield. These results are also consistent with previously postulated different ages for deposits hosted in Kuaotunu Subgroup rocks in the northern goldfield (>10 Ma), and deposits hosted in Waiwawa Subgroup rocks in the southern goldfield (7.1 to 5.7 Ma).

Jan 1, 2005

By L-B Fu and J Tan, J H. Wei, N Tian

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. The Kendenggaoer-Kuokuqueke region lies in the western part of Chinese North-western Tianshan. New laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry zircon U-Pb geochronology for five separate granitic plutons for this region reveal two distinct intrusive periods: late Devonian (367~361 Ma) and late Carboniferous (315~301 Ma). These intrusions all share an arc-like geochemical affinity (ie enrichment of large ion lithosphere elements and negative anomalies of Nb, Ta and Ti). In situ zircon Hf isotopic compositions further differentiate the magmatic cycle, with the late Devonian intrusions yielding more depleted eHf(t) (+1.47~+6.54) composition than the late Carboniferous intrusions (eHf(t) = +4.95~+9.79). These geochemical data suggest that they might be mainly derived from different source regions and the tectonic setting was transformed into post-collisional in the late Carboniferous. As in many significant porphyry-ore districts, this dramatic tectonic reconfiguration, combined with melting of an evolved crust, resulted in genesis of metal-bearing melts. Furthermore, we can show that Neoproterozoic mafic juvenile lower crust intruded by mantle-derived melts and/or partial melting of slab material generated hybrid primary magma during subduction of the Palaeo-Junggar oceanic crust in the late Devonian. Whereas underplating of mantle-derived magma contributed more to the Late Carboniferous post-collisional magmatism.CITATION:Tian, N, Wei, J H, Fu, L-B and Tan, J, 2015. Timing and geodynamic setting of the late Palaeozoic polymetallic mineralisation in Chinese north-western Tianshan – insights from geochronology and petrogenesis of granitoids , in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 171–174 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

By R L. Brathwaite

The epithermal gold-silver deposits wall poster is one in a series of posters on different mineral deposit types being produced by GNS Science to raise awareness of the characteristics of New Zealand mineral deposits and their prospectivity. Epithermal deposits consist of quartz veins, quartz vein stockworks and hydrothermal breccias that are mainly hosted in subaerial andesitic or rhyolitic rocks of Tertiary age. The deposits were formed at depths of typically less than 1 km and at temperatures between 180¦ and 320¦C, although ore grade mineralisation was generally deposited at less than 270¦C.   In New Zealand, epithermal deposits occur in association with late Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the Northland, Coromandel and Taupo volcanic regions. All of the past and present gold production, estimated at greater than 380 t (along with 1300 t Ag) comes from the Miocene-Pliocene Coromandel Volcanic Zone, where about 50 epithermal gold-silver deposits occur over a 200 km long belt. In Northland, silver and mercury have been produced from hot spring type epithermal deposits, and several gold-silver prospects have been identified. Ore grade gold-silver mineralisation is currently being deposited in several active geothermal fields of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, and extinct geothermal systems occur on the western side of the zone. The active systems have provided natural laboratories to help understand the processes of epithermal mineralisation.

Jan 1, 2005

By A Maldonado, A Robert, K G. Mercer

The Hamersley Group in the Pilbara, Western Australia, consist of interlayered banded iron formation (BIF) and shale host rock formations within which a large number of open pit iron ore mines have been established. The slope stability of most of the mining excavations developed within these formations is controlled by the relatively low shear strength of the shale groups and shale bands, which are the weakest rock types. Shale formations range from fresh to highly weathered and are generally highly fissile when fresh, and clayey when weathered. An accurate understanding of the shear strength of these materials across the entire weathering continuum is therefore a key importance for assessing the slope stability of these mines.Historically defect laboratory testing results for the Pilbara mines have been analysed mechanically using direct shear testing (DST) to measure a number of geotechnical characteristics of the rock bedding and defects. This paper sets out the current practice in the industry in terms of the laboratory testing and presents a possible application of hyperspectral data to empirically correlate the shear strength of shale bedding with the relative mineralogy abundance on the bedding surface. This was achieved by creating both hyperspectral and geotechnical data sets for the same samples.In the study the shale samples were separated into three distinct assemblages: iron oxide + kaolinite, iron oxide + white mica + kaolinite, white mica + kaolinite, which had 40, nine and two samples respectively. Analysing these assemblages alongside DST data showed that samples with white mica had reduced non-variable shear strength, whereas samples with iron oxide + kaolinite had an overall higher shear strength but with a greater variance. It is inferred that the reduced shear strength in the white mica samples is due to the sheet (or plate) like structure of the mineral, giving it a weak stress plane. Confidence in the trends observed can be reinforced by expanding the data set in future works. The investigation also includes a discussion on weathering grade and addresses the question as to whether mineralogy abundances influence these characteristics in Hamersley shales.CITATION:Maldonado, A, Mercer, K G and Robert, A, 2017. The relationship between mineralogy and shear strength of Pilbara Hamersley Group shales across the weathering spectrum, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 423–430 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

In preparing a paper such as this it was thought that the Newstan Colliery Company Ltd., being comparatively new, would need some introduction to mining people in general.The Newstan Company was formed by the Joint Coal Board in December, 1948 during a period of acute coal shortages. The Company took over the holdings of what were known as the Olstan and Northumberland Collieries, situated at Fassifern, alongside Lake Macquarie and adjacent to the Great Northern Railway, within easy rail access of Sydney and Newcastle, as shown on the locality plan (Fig. 1).The Company was developed in order to produce steaming coal for the power house trade and has continued its activities in the steaming coal trade since its inception. The Olstan and Northumberland collieries were together producing some 300 tons per day when the Company was formed, and it was from this foundation that the colliery was built. The planned development of the Company has been along the lines of producing coal by modern, highly mechanised methods, together with the preparation of theproduct for the consumer, to the highest degree possible consistent with up to date methods.In the comparatively short time of 5t years the mine has developed from a small hand-won coal unit to a high capacity modern mine, one of Australia's largest producers, with an output capacity as high as 3,000 tons per shift.

Jan 1, 1954

By Lonie W. M

The rapid development of the Australian steel industry over the past twenty years has greatly increased the demand for coking coal from the collieries owned by the Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd. and Australian Iron & Steel Ltd. This in turn has called for an intensive and continuous programme of colliery expansion and new colliery development, along with the reorganization and modernization of existing collieries.This paper presents a general description of the factors involved and the techniques used in planning modern colliery development for the steel industry.PRELIMINARY GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONSIn any colliery development, preliminary geological investigations require a detailed and practical knowledge of the geology and characteristics of the coal-field as a whole. In the early stages of the investigations, probably the most valuable information is obtained from outside the particular area under review, rather than within it, and unless the geology of the coal-field is understood, the projection of the known information into the unknown area cannot be carried out with certainty.Because development of the coal seams from the outcrops has been an apparently simple matter and not subject to the risks involved in deep mine development, the geology of the New South Wales. coal-fields has not received the attention that major mineral resources warrant.Only the most accessible regions of the coal measures have been generally prospected, while the potential areas remain...

Jan 1, 1957

This paper briefly describes the shaft, including sinking, steel sets and their installation, shaft equipment and winders.INTRODUCTIONThe New Broken Hill Consolidated Ltd. Service Shaft is a vertical concrete-lined circular shaft, 20 ft. in diameter with -steel sets spaced at 12-ft. centres. The diameter of 20 ft. was established as the minimum that would enable the shaft both to house the proposed hoisting and service equipment and to satisfy ventilation requirements as a downcast airway. The 12-ft. set spacing was based on South African practice in similar types of shafts.The shaft extends from the surface to 28 ft. below No. 22 Level, a total depth of 3,194 ft. Sinking was commenced in September 1946, and equipping completed in January 1955. Initially the shaft was sunk and concrete-lined to a depth of 52 ft., using a stiff-legged crane and clam-shell grab for mucking. Operations were suspended at this depth to allow the installation of the steel sinking head-frame, winders and ancillary equipment.Sinking and concreting were recommenced after four months and continued to a depth of 1,035 ft. 6 in., where the shaft connected with a pilot opening. The concrete lining was poured as sinking progressed and was piped from the surface to this depth, after which all concrete was lowered in buckets and discharged through a distributor suspended in the shaft. A cycle of stripping to the pilot opening and concreting was continued until the shaft reached No. 22 Level. From this level the remaining 28 ft. was sunk full size. All plats were cut and concreted as sinking progressed.

Jan 1, 1957

A GREAT deal of attention has lately been given to the discussion as to the education required for engineers, and especially for mining engineers. The Institute of Civil Engineers has had a committee's report on it which has come to some interesting and valuable conclusions.The Institute of Mining and Metallurgy had a few years back a very long discussion on the subject, and the subject appears to be one of perennial interest to similar societies. Two recent addresses by Prof. Kernot, as president of the Victorian Instituteof Civil Engineers, are among the most interesting and practical of the contributions to the discussion. Engineers seem to feel either that the coming generation has not the same capacity to benefit by the training that has made themselves what they are, or that such training has turned out in themselves inefficient men, and that they must consequently struggle to obtain a better one for their successors. For not only is there a desire to extend existing instruction to cover the advances of science, but there seems to be a general desire also to make a completely radical change in the methods.It is not necessary to observe that education does not mean the imparting and acquiring of information, but rather the cultivation of the faculties so that the best use can be made of them and of any information acquired. For instance, a man is not educated who has by heart his lectures and the contents of his text-books, but that man is who remembers little of the actual wording of his text-books, but is able to find anything required in them...

Jan 1, 1909

The Pilbara Block is a nucleus of Archaean rocks which lies in the North West Land Division of Western Australia, and it constitutes a mineral province that has been divided into two areas-the West Pilbara Goldfield and the Pilbara Goldfield.In the West Pilbara Goldfield two contemporaneous environments are represented by laterally equivalent volcanic and sedimentary successions which together comprise the Roebourne Group. The two successions are lithologically similar to the classical Warrawoona (volcanic) and Mosquito Creek (sedimentary) successions of the Pilbara Goldfield; but in the West Pilbara Goldfield there is no sign of the erosional break which separates the Warrawoona Succession from the Mosquito Creek succession. The Roebourne Group and the igneous rocks which have intruded it belong to the Archaean Pilbara System.Evidence of preconsolidation movement and igneous intrusion into unconsolidated sediment suggests that tectonism and igneous activity, localized along lines of fracture in an unidentified basement, beganbefore lithification was complete. Movement was primarily vertical, and persisted into the Lower Proterozoic.Vulcanicity and chemical sedimentation, accompanied by a diminution of detr:tal sedimentation, is thought to have caused a relative enrichment in the metal content of the middle part of the Roebourne Group; and the metal may have been remobilized during diagenesis and metamorphism, and localized in zones of dislocation formed both before and after consolidation of the sediments.INTRODUCTIONThe name "Pilbara" has been widely applied in the area under discussion, and to avoid confusion the various uses are summarized below.1. The town of Pilbara, now abandoned, was a centre of mining between 1888 and about 1914. It lies some 90 miles FJSK of Roebourne (Fig. 1).2. The original Pilbara Goldfield was modified several...

Jan 1, 1965

By Hookings H. J

UNDER a contract relating to the sale of a Broken Hill concentrate, the differentiation between granular and slime concentrate is determined by the proportion of the material which will pass a 200-mesh (I.M.M. standard) screen, and this has led to considerable attention being devoted to the question of laboratory sizing tests with screens of this order.It was found that many of the screens turned out by the makers during the war, and also since its termination, did not conform with the I.M.M. specifications as closely as some supplied in pre-war days. A perfect screen is hardly to be expected, but when the above contract was framed the parties anticipated that, by special care being taken during manufacture, a screen at least as good as the best pre-war screens would be available. This, however, has not proved to be the case, and the large irregularities in screens recently supplied render them useless for sizing determinations under the contract. The makers were approached through the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London, with the view of obtaining a few screens conforming as closely as possible to the 200-mesh I.M.M. standard, and in response to a request twelve pieces of screen were...

Jan 1, 1922

Opening AddressThank you for inviting me here today to open what promises to be a significant conference on the technological aspects of extractive metallurgy. I would especially like. to welcome delegates who have travelled great distances in order to contribute to, and be participants in, this examination of the technical innovations which have always been a crucial part of our industry.

Jan 1, 1992

Our modern cities are almost incapable of sustaining themselves without subsurface infrastructure, which is not identifiable at first glance. This very soon becomes evident when the chaotic conditions prevailing in some cases in the multi-million cities on the African, Asian and South American continents are taken into consideration. This does not simply apply to the hopelessly congested streets in the downtown areas. If anything, it is shown here too that a subsurface infrastructure represents an important prerequisite for public health right up to banishing the danger of disease. Even during the 1990s, this has been clearly underlined through examples of cholera and plague epidemics in parts of Central and South America as well as on the Indian subcontinent. The overriding significance of an inner urban subsurface infrastructure in order to create decent conditions in the major built-up areas was once again emphasised not all that long ago at the United Nations HABITAT-II Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 1996. More than 15 000 delegates from all over the world mulled over and discussed the prerequisites for humane living conditions in human settlements taking the varying climatic, topographical and cultural marginal conditions in different regions of the globe into account. Apart from the built-up areas themselves, the utilisation of underground space is experiencing high and ever increasing significance in less densely populated regions. Attractive and fast transport links between industrial centres call for high- performance transport arteries for the economic, speedy and unhampered carriage of people and goods. Important impulses for the economic power of a region or nation are provided by transport development and links. As a consequence, tunnels for roads and railways are being built or planned to a great degree for crossing mountain ranges, rivers and straits.

Jan 1, 1999

By Johnson I. R, Muir M. D

The Dugald River zinc-lead deposit is located 60 km northwest of Cloncurry. It was discovered prior to 1881, and since 1937, has been the subject of several drilling programmcs which have outlined a resource potential of 60 million tonnes grading 10 per cent zinc, 1 per cent lead, and 30 g/t silver.The deposit is a classical example of stratiform zinc lead mineralization in a black shale host. It occurs within a restricted clastic sedimentary basin within the Corella Formation of Carpentarian (Middle Proterozoic) age. Sabkha, lacustrine and fluvial sedimentary environments have been recognized within this basin. Each environment is characterized by suites of evaporite mineral pseudomorphs, after both shortite and gypsum, indicating that both alkaline and hypersaline environments prevailed at different times during basin evolution. The Dugald Slates which host the zinc-·lead mineralization are lacustrine in origin. Thin Mount Isa-type K-rich tuffite beds occur in the Dugald Slates and in the sabkha sequences.The basin as a whole appears not 10 have been marine, and 10 have had strong tectonic controls on its depositional history.The mineral deposit itself is conformable within the Dugald Slates and many primary sedimentary and soft-sediment deformation structures are preserved. It has a strike length of 2 km, average width of 10 m, and a westerly dip of 50-80 . Drilling suggests continuity to 1000 m vertical depth. The predominant sulphides are pyrrhotite, pyrite, sphalerite and galena in graphitic slate and quartz-carbonate ganguc. Anomalous concentrations of barium, manganese, cadmium, mercury and antimony are present in the ore.The deposit crops out over a distance of 2 km as a gossan ranging from 5-15 m in width. There is a striking vegetation anomaly over the gossanous outcrops. The gossan is enriched in lead, silver, antimony, barium, titaniulll, silica and iron, with respect to the primary mineralization. The depth of total oxidation reaches about 20 m.Cieochemical and geophysical test surveys over the deposit give pronounced anomalies.

Jan 1, 1982

The C.S.I.R.O. acid alumina process employs the essential steps of digestion, hydrolysis and calcination to produce pure alumina from ores too high in silica or too low in grade for the Bayer process. The two latter stages have been described in some detail previously but the digestion stage requires separate discussion since ores vary widely in composition and reactivity. Kaolinitic clays require roasting to 800°C to render the alumina soluble in the 11 per cent sulphuric acid used in the process while some ferruginous laterites require roasting to reduce the reactivity of iron minerals.The iron content of pregnant solutions is kept at a low figure by digesting at temperatures where the solubilities of ferric oxide or basic ferric sulphates are small. A two-stage, counter-current digestion is necessary to extract a high percentage of alumina from the ores and to produce a basic pregnant liquor with an SO3 : AI 203 ratio of 1'\1 suitable for high temperature hydrolysis. The second stage of digestion, called the modification stage, treats slightly acid liquors with excess of ore in the temperature range 1200-1400C.The first stage operates at 170°-1900C to extract further alumina from modification residues, using recycled acid obtained from later steps of the process. Both temperature ranges are critical for economic operation and for proper control of the iron content of solutions. In batch experiments, 30 min is regarded as a suitable retention time for digestion and modification; ores which require much longer than this are less suitable for the process. Impurities such as silica, and titanium and vanadium oxides are discarded in the residue along with iron oxide, and do not contaminate the final product. Bivalent metallic sulphates such as MgSO4, can build up in the circuit to a very considerable degree without affecting product purity.Comparison with other processes shows that the C.S.I.R.O. process is superior for control of contamination by iron, which is the major problem in acid processes. The pure intermediate product (3Al203.4S03.9H20) is also more convenient for calcination to alumina than the hydrated aluminium sulphate usually recovered in other processes. Detailed cost comparisons must await pilot-plant evaluation of the C.S.LR.O process.

Jan 1, 1964

Results obtained from small scale tests using Australian tin concentrates indicate that metallic tin containing less than 0·1 per cent iron can be recovered by a two-stage process using hydrogen and make-up chlorine. In the first stage the concentrate is ground,. pelletized, roasted, and reacted at 650°C with HCI and H2 to volatilize the tin as SnOI2. The volatilization reaction is conducted with cocurrent gas and solids flow because it was found that the use of cocurrent flow yielded a solids residue substantially free from FeCI2. The second stage uses a technique termed "reflux reduction" during which the SnOl2 produced by volatilization is reduced by hydrogen to form tin and a gas containing HCI and H2 of sufficiently high HCI tenor for recycle to the volatilization stage. The elimination of tin ranged from 98+ to 99·7+ per cent of the tin from concentrates containing 5 to 50 per cent tin, respectively. The process should be capable of continuous operation, and a tentative calculation has shown ,that a treatment rate of 12,000 tonnes of tin concentrate per year could be obtained in a volatilization reactor 1·1 m in diameter and 6·1 m high. The process may have particular application to finely divided concentrates containing less than 20 per cent tin.

Jan 1, 1974

Difficulties were experienced in the identification of carbonate minerals intimately associated with iron oxides in the so called carbonate ore, which occurs at depth in the Iron Duke Orebody.Determination of refractive indices by examination under the microscope using the immersion method, together with inferred chemical composition indicates that dolomite and parankerite are common constituents. Histograms of the manganese and sulphur contents strongly suggest that manganese is associated with the carbonate minerals, and that the highest sulphur assays occur near the base of the carbonate body.From the present work it is concluded that refractive indices indicate only a very approximate composition for carbonates of the parankerite type.The different carbonate minerals occur in irregular zones.INTRODUCTIONThe Iron Duke deposit is situated in the southern portion of the South Middleback Range on Eyre Peninsula, S.A., 30 miles from Whyalla. (Fig. 1).Drilling at Iron Duke revealed a large body of so called carbonate ore, which was tested in detail at cross section 1000 ft. S by three diamond drill holes, DDH.57, 67 and 78. (Fig. 2)Most specimens of carbonate ore described below were obtained from DDH 67 and 78.GENERAL GEOLOGYThe South Middleback Range is composed of two parallel ridges trending north-south. The Iron Duke orebody is situated on the southern portion of the western ridge. (Fig.1) .The rocks of these ranges belong to the Middleback Group which rests on a gneiss complex. Their age is considered to be Middle Precambrian or late Archaean.

Jan 1, 1963

Ore samples generally require preparation before analysis. Serious problems can occur with contamination degradation and particle size effects. Both grinding element contammation and sample cross contamination havebeen bound to be related to sample hardness and operator technique. For best results with minerals relevant to the steel industry, the use of Siebtechnik-type mills required a combination of careful planning, short grinding periods and intermediate sieving of the sample. The results may be extended to most mineral, rock, and refractory sample preparabons.

Jan 1, 1978

By Goldney L. H

The authors review the literature and discuss the application of methods to the design of thickeners for ilocculated metallurgical pulps. The use and evaluation of flocculents is described. Experimental data show that design based upon laboratory settlingdata is acceptable. The economic aspect of design is also discussed.INTRODUCTIONFor many years there has been little change in the methods for the design of thickener installations. While modifications have been made in the method of applying the data all methods have been based on the observee settling rate of the solids. The development of a theoretical approach based on physical data would involve so many variables which affect the settling rate that the more practical approach of direct observation seems unlikely to be replaced as the basis of design.The advent of synthetic fiocculents has introduced a modification in operation which affects design and should be considered. The authors review the subject and attempt to bring it up to date with present day procedure. Until recently the original work of Coe and Clevenger (1916) remained the basis of thickener design. They described their observation of the different zones encountered in settling, namely clarification, feed, transition, and compression or thickening- zones. The solids pass through the transition zone in settling from feed density to some higher density where settling ceases and ·some compression or compaction effect controls. the density obtained. The point at which the settling zone ceases to exist is known as the critical point.

Jan 1, 1959

The Cowarra gold mine is at latitude 36°O'S. and longitude 149°19'E. which is roughly 20 miles north-north-east of Cooma.The deposit was· originally worked towards the end of the last century, but the presence of sulphides associated with the gold in the primary zone caused cessation of work when that zone was reached.GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATIONThe principal country rocks are sandstones and shales of Silurian and Ordovician age, both very strongly folded with structural pitches ranging from a few degrees to almost vertical. The mine proper is within Silurian rocks and the main orebody (there are several minor parallel bodies) is developed within a shear striking approximately north, dipping approximately 70° east, and ranging in width from 2 ft to 15 ft but averaging about 4 ft.This shear is impregnated with quartz and sulphides with which the gold is associated. The predominant sulphide is pyrite though pyrrhotite is commonly present in quantity.Arsenopyrite and bornite are present in smaller amounts.Stillwell (1936, 1937a, 1937b, 1938, 1941) has published five mineragraphic reports on the ore.The various levels have been mapped in detail (Figs. 1-3) and the No. 2 level plan (Fig. 1) shows the general relationship of shearing, as now indicated by mineralization, and faulting. There is no apparent connection between the fold structures and mineralization.Fig. 3 is a longitudinal projection showing the distribution of gold expressed as inch-ounces. The estimation of...

Jan 1, 1965

By M Vendrup, T C. Christensen, C Dube

The adsorptive and granulate forming MetClean™ process has been used at many locations in Northern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Spain, Mongolia, Japan and Australia. It has been pilot tested and used in full scale treatment plants to remove metals from:mine watersleachate from solid waste in incineration flue gasleachate from fly ash damsleachate from landfill and waste ponds.The following paper provides details of pilot and plants tests on the effectiveness of MetClean™ in removing arsenic, antimony, barium, cadmium, copper, molybdenum, nickel, radium, uranium, vanadium and zinc. Results show that MetClean™ may reduce the concentration of these metals in treated effluent water to the one part per billion (ppb) range.The paper also finds that, for specific metals, the optimal adsorption condition depends on the:pH levelmolar relation between the specific targeted metal and the addition of iron (II) or manganese (II)type of oxidation agentssalinity levelpresence of other metals.The most effective pH level varies according to the targeted metal but falls within the pH 5 to pH 11 range. A compromise pH level may be set when more than one metal is targeted for removal at the same time and through only one process step. The removal efficiency of one or both metals may be affected by operating at a compromise rather than optimum pH level.The MetClean process generates non-hazardous solid waste. Waste can then be disposed of more easily than brine or sludge.CITATION:Christensen, T C, Vendrup, M and Dube, C, 2015. Pilot tests for heavy metals removal in mine water, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 404–415 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015