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One would anticipate that after 40 years in the mineral industry it would be simple to project the trends at least 5 or 10 years into the future. However the last 20 years, 1950-1970, have been so different in the mineral industry from the years 1930-1950 that I suggest only 20 years or so are relevant to any forward projection.Those, of us that have been about during the last 40 years find it hard to relate the two periods.The first with the depression, low base metal prices, attempts to revive the gold industry, very little export of minerals, and finally World War II and the recovery period.The second, a period of unimagined discoveries and the reappraisal of a wide variety of minerals and metals-iron, coal, bauxite, beach sands, manganese, oil and gas, and nickel, to name but a few.The second period started early in the 1950s and was triggered off by the search for oil in Australia.Rough Range No. 1 was an important milestone in our history because it initiated a series of speculations and the re-examination of much of our thinking about our mineral resources. It lead to the discovery of bauxite and the start of a flourishing aluminium industry.The realization of the extent of the iron ore resources was another, major step and the influx of overseas capital and competence started the large wave of development made effective by the Japanese markets.The momentum of the late 1950s has carried us to where we are today and will undoubtedly carry us further forward in the next few years.All this development in the mineral industry has come at a time when our pastoral industries have reached a difficult period. I have no doubt that if it were not for the mineral industry Australia would at the moment be experiencing one of its blackest eco...

Jan 1, 1971

As we look back through the Proceedings of our Institute, we find few papers dealing directly with education and recruitment. Apart from papers prepared in the earlier decades of this century, there was little written discussion on the subject until the 1950s, and mostly this was by the professionals, the professors and lecturers who staff the various mining schools of Australia and New Zealand.I use the term "mining school" in its fullest and widest meaning, to cover all aspects from ore to metal, and not in the narrow meaning that the word might imply. At the same time, in restricting the parameters of this address to "ore to metal" I recognize that I am excluding the very important fields of physical metallurgy and materials science; this I do because there is a limit to the quantum of any paper, and in fact these subjects are more closely allied to the use rather than the production of metals.However, the lack of education papers does not mean that education has been regarded lightly by The Institute. Sir Maurice Mawby in his presidential address in 1968, reminded us of the original objectives of The Institute, one 'of which was, "To promote the arts and sciences connected with the economical production of the useful minerals and metals ...". Our present Royal Charter is more specific when it says that one of the objects of The Institute is, ". . . to encourage the study of engineering with special reference to mining and metallurgy ...". If we recognize that in itself membership of our Institute is one means of continuing our education, it is true that education has been a concern of The Institute since it was first founded.Occasionally in recent years, an intrepid president has ventured to tell the academics what the industry needs, and he generally does this in a "no-question" situation! However it is encouraging that those entrusted with mineral education have always accepted this; they keep coming back for more and ask us to tell them what we want, and they will provide it.In 1948 a considerable dialogue on education was initiated when a standing committee was established by the Council of The Institute. In the period 1949 to 1951, three papers were prepared under the chair...

Jan 1, 1974

By Johnson N. W

After an unsuccessful transfer from the laboratory to the pilot plant of galena flotation technology which used sodium metabisulphite and ethyl xanthate, laboratory flotation tests were conducted to identify any unusual variables which had a deleterious effect on the position of the lead rougher grade recovery curve for Hilton and Mount Isa silver-lead-zinc ores. Two variables (pulp temperature and contact time for ethyl xanthate and sodium metabisulphite) had important deleterious effects.The findings allowed a successful transfer of the laboratory process to a pilot plant scale process. The effect of temperature was important because the higher temperature (40°C) in the pilot plant pulp increased significantly the rate of reaction between ethyl xanthate and sodium metabisulphite. In the laboratory process at 20 to 25°C, the reaction rate was lower and did not interfere significantly with the process. The contact time for the two reagents was also important in the pilot plant scale process because of the higher reaction rate at 40°C.To employ ethyl xanthate in the pilot plant process, special precautions were required. Further, a collector (Aerofloat 241) from the dithiophosphate family was used successfully in the pilot plant process.

Jan 1, 1988

The discussion in this paper centres on examples of mining that are drawn mainly from the coal mining industry. The intention is to review the opportunities that exist for incorporating environmental planning into mining industry practice in New Zealand. The coal mining examples serve to make some general points which have some application for many types of mining.

Jan 1, 1981

The paper outlines the development of a solvent extraction process for the recovery of scandium, yttrium, thorium, and heavy lanthanides from waste sulphate liquor at the Port Pirie uranium treatment plant. A summary is given of known solvents for these elements, including the recently developed alkyl-phosphoric acid esters which are applicable to sulphate solutions.A kerosene solution of di- (2'-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (EHPA) has been suggested by some workers as a suitable solvent for fractionation of the lanthanides. Experimental work with this solvent showed that it could be used for initial recovery of the above elements from low concentrations in the complex sulphate liquor. In particular, scandium could be recovered as a high grade product by extraction with 0·lM EHPA, followed by a purification strip with 9N sulphuric acid, and final stripping of scandium with sodium hydroxide solution.To enable alkaline stripping to be used successfully, the kerosene solution of the reagent was modified by the addition of a small proportion of nonanol. Experimental work included laboratory scale batch tests and small pilot scale continuous tests.A proposed extension of the process for the separate recovery of individual heavy lanthanides, yttrium, and thorium is described.INTRODUCTIONAt the Port Pirie uranium treatment plant of the South Australian Government, large volumes of "barren liquor", free from 'uranium, are at present run to waste. This "barren liquor" results from sulphuric acid leaching of Radium,Hill uranium concentrate, followed by separation of solid residues and removal of uranium from the clear solution by ion exchange. The mineral davidite, from which the uranium is derived, contains other potentially valuable components, notably vanadium, chromium, thorium, yttrium, scandium, and the lanthanides. These constituents are...

Jan 1, 1961

By Lumley G, Rowlands D

The overburden slusher (OS) is proposed as a stripping tool that is expected to find application in overburden stripping operations including open cut coal and oil shale mines. OS is expected to combat the effects of increasing depth on the productivity of conventional dragline stripping.Although previously developed stripping techniques have included the use of drag scrapers the OS is sufficiently different as to constitute a new stripping method.A study undertaken at the University of Queensland during 1985 is believed to be the first major study on the use of the OS and preliminary economic results are very encouraging. It appears that the OS has the capacity to remove overburden at a cheaper unit cost than the equivalent powered dragline stripping machine at any comparable depth of overburden. The OS is not adversely affected by increasing stripping depth to the same extent as a dragline. In addition, the action of the OS machine allows for the lowering of spoil face angles, thereby reducing spoil slope stability problems encountered in deep open cut strip mines.

Jan 1, 1986

Plant based on the New Jersey refluxing process was installed at the Cockle Creek Works of Sulphide Corporation Pty. Ltd. to refine portion of the zinc output from the Imperial Smelting furnace.Refining of impure zinc is effected by distillation in two stages in vertical columns comprising a series of superimposed silicon carbide trays designed such that ascending zinc vapours and descending liquid metal are in intimate contact. In the first stage, portion of the zinc and its cadmium content are distilled from impure feed metal, condensed, and while still molten, fed to the second column in which zinc is boiled under controlled refluxing conditions to remove the cadmium content.The resultant zinc has a purity in excess of 99·995 per cent zinc.The availability of refined zinc has made possible the production of a number of zinc alloys for marketing in addition to the basic grades of zinc.

Jan 1, 1970

By Clarke DS

The igneous intrusions in SE Papua New Guinea are part of a sub-volcanic to plutonic, high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic suite. High-K andesitic to dacitic intrusives on Misima and Woodlark Islands, and shoshonitic intrusives in Milne Bay and the eastern Owen Stanley Ranges are related to late Cenozoic andesitic volcanism. Both suites are associated with epithermal Au-Ag deposits and weak porphyry Cu-Au mineralisation. All significant alluvial and lode gold occurrences in the region are spatially related to intrusions. Intrusions in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands and near Mt Suckling are core plutons related to basement doming, and appear to have no association with either volcanism or hydrothermal mineralisation. The core plutons are not petrochemi:ally distinct from the volcano-re:-ed Intrusions.

Jan 1, 1991

The Bulli and Wongawilli Seams, the two principal sources of coking coal for the Port Kembla steelworks of Australian Iron & Steel Pty. Ltd., vary in rank and in type over the Southern and South Western Coalfields.The Bulli Seam, ranging widely in type, produces coke varying from weak to strong. The Wongawilli Seam, more consistent in type, produces coke of more consistent strength, but considerably less strong than that from the best Bulli Seam coal.Plans of seam variation show the regional trends in rank and type for each seam.The strongest coke is derived from coal containing between 45 and 55 per cent vitrinite, m.m.f. This is obtainable from the Bulli Seam in a zone embracing Bulli and Appin collieries.A satisfactory correlation is achieved between vitrinite content and coke stability and hardness, enabling prediction of coke strength for Southern Coalfield coals.The use of vitrinite reflectance, as an indicator of rank, in addition to type to predict coke strengths is at present hampered by lack of data, particularly in the South Western Coalfield. Nevertheless, data available at present allow the use of both variables and give better correlations with coke strengths than type alone.A spread of comprehensive data across both coalfields will enable advance assessment of cokes produced from coals having known rank and type. Blending to a ranktype specification for optimum coke strengths would allow the best use of the coal reserves of the coalfields.

Jan 1, 1969

By Sparrow G. J

The effect of polyelectrolyte flocculants on the de-watering of a tailing suspension of very fine clay was investigated.Sedimentation and filtration experiments were carried out in the labqratory to characterise the de-watering properties of the tailing. The results were used to calculate the effect of flocculant additions on the drainage and vaporation components of the de-watering of a clay suspension ponded on to a sand drainage bed.A flocculant increased the drainage rate, but decreased the volume of water that could be removed by drainage leaving more water to be lost by evaporation.The sorptivity values measured in the laboratory were used in the de-watering equation previously established for the tailing to estimate the effect of flocculant additions on the time required to de-water the suspension from 18.2 to 60 per cent solids w/w. The calculated de-watering times were found to increase or decrease depending on the volume of water removed by drainage and the prevailing evaporation rate.

Jan 1, 1980

ONE of the phases of mining wide ore-bodies, such as are found in Broken Hill, is the laying-out and design of the sill floor gangway timber, When, in the above operation, a detail has to be repeated frequently, it is desirable in the interests of efficiency that that detail should be standardized as far as possible. Before arriving at a standard design e.g., a crosscut layout-it would seem necessary to compare its strength with some other unit of timber and see that the general design is at least as strong as the unit that has been taken for comparative purposes, In these notes no attempt is made to calculate the stresses to which timber underground is subjected, but merely to draw a comparison between the relative strengths of the various cross sections of timber in common use underground.It has been assumed for the purposes of comparison that the milling exerts pressure in a vertical plane only, and is uniformly distributed over any area. A beam supported at both ends, and with a uniformly distributed load, has the maximum bending moment at a point midway between the points of support, and equals- WL2 8 where W = load per unit length. L = distance between points of support.The bending moment also equals M-, where y M = modulus of rupture of the material in question. I = moment of inertia of the section of the beam about a given axis.Y = distance of extreme fibre from that axis. WL2. I The formula -8- = MY- only holds good until the elastic limit...

Jan 1, 1923

Mineralogical analysis of a nickeliferous laterite from the Rockhampton region shows that the nickel is largely associated with the manganese wad and opaline silica. The laterite also contains an appreciable chromite content (about 12 per cent Cr2O,) although this tends to be poorly liberated.Leaching with hydrochloric or sulphuric acid, at atmospheric pressure at the boiling point is non-selective with respect to iron dissolution.The degree of dissolution increases as the acid concentration and retention time are increased; cobalt dissolution requires less aggressive conditions than does the dissolution of an equivalent amount of nickel.Leaching with sulphuric acid at elevated temperatures and pressures leads to a minimum amount of iron dissolution, is rapid, and requires a reduced acid addition rate. Nickel and cobalt recovery from the clarified leachate would be simplified because of the leach selectivity.Pressure leaching appears to be the most practical route for treating the Rockhampton laterite. The economics of processing would be made more attractive by the recovery of a chromium concentrate from the leach residue. This would typically contain about 45 per cent Cr2O, and could be used as a source of chromium chemicals.

Jan 1, 1986

By Morgan W. M

It is not the primary object of this paper to treat with the scheme of prospecting in detail, but it is considered that a brief description of the broad lines is necessary so that the significance of the points to be discussed later may be appreciated.The finding of payable gold reefs on the Bendigo field resolves itself into a two-fold problem, firstly the location of quartz bodies, and secondly the location of gold shoots in such bodies. The country rock of the field has been folded and faulted, and the occurrence of known reefs is associated with the fold axes and the faulting. The "lines" of the field are the anticlinal axes, and practically all known reefs are at or near centre country. Very little work has been done on the synclines, which may have some potential value.Quartz has been introduced along the fracture systems, and gives rise to the three main types of reef met with on the field, namely, the "back," which is similar to a bedded quartz reef and is formed along a bedding plane fault; the "saddle," which forms at the crest of the anticline and has the typical shape from which it takes its name; and "spurs," which are irregular masses of quartz, making off reefs of the first two types.As the fracturing throughout the field is widespread and fairly intense, the first problem, that of finqing quartz, is comparatively simple, and any regular system of blocking out the ground will be productive of quartz bodies.*Field Superintendent, Bendigo Mines Ltd. Assistant Field Superintendent, Bendigo Mines Ltd.

Jan 1, 1936

In a previous paper of this series (1) ,t it was shown that during the creep of single crystals of lead, deformation proceeded to some extent by means of slip on the octahedral plane. This was demonstrated by the formation of slip lines on the surface of the specimens. At first, a few broad bands appeared after a small amount of extension had taken place; then, as extension proceeded, more and finer lines made their appearance until the whole of the specimen surface was covered.The present paper deals with the process of deformation of the creep specimens as revealed by X-ray examination..By the use of this method, the changes taking place in the crystal structure can be observed.EXPERIMENTAL METHODThe method of preparation of the specimens, their size and the purity of the lead employed have been reported elsewhere (1). At frequent intervals, the specimens were dismantled from the test rack and X-ray back reflection photographs were taken. The specimens were so marked and set up on the X-ray machine that the same spot on the specimen surface was always examined.Copper radiation was employed, the tube voltage and current being 45 kV. and 25 m.a. respectively and the exposure time 2 hrs. The slit diameter was 1 mm.

Jan 1, 1941

THE art of mine surveying has made very great progress in recent years, and is still advancing, perhaps faster than any other branch of surveying. The scope of the mine surveyor's duties has greatly increased, his instruments and methods have improved, the responsibility of his position is greater, and the end is not yet in sight.It might be supposed that such a steadily growing subject would have an adequate literature, but this is by no means the case and outsiders commonly judge mine surveyors by their text-books. Hardly any condemnation can be too strong for most of these books. The English books truckle to the antiquated and crude methods apparently still in use in England, and thereby largely aid in perpetuating them; they commonly in illustrative examples give the distances in fathoms, feet, and inches; they spend page after page discoursing on instruments that should have been forgotten long ago; they try to antagonize theory and practice by detailing such calculations as that a certain vein will contain 2,003.907 pounds of galena per square fathom, and then reduce this amazing quantity to hundredweights, quarters, and pounds. Nothing can be more unscientific, or, for that matter, less businesslike, than unwarranted assumptions of accuracy; it is, perhaps, the greatest curse of applied science. Here we have a calculation to thethousandth part of a pound, when there is probably an unavoidable error of two hundred pounds. What shall we say of a man who explains how to measure the depths of shafts to the hundredth part of an inch by means of short brass rods screwed together...

Jan 1, 1909

Air tabling of zircon-rich non-conductor products containing quartz enables most of the fine quartz present to be rejected without a markedloss of zircon. The coarser quartz in the air table feed can be separated from the zircon by screening one or more air table products, the oversize products containing most of the quartz and little of the zircon. Air tabling, with or without screening, is more efficient than wet tabling alone for the removal of fine quartz, but not for the removal of coarse quartz. Practically all of the quartz can be separated from the zircon by using wet tabling in conjunction with hydraulic classification, or by using air tabling in conjunction with dry launder treatment, in which a degree of sizing takes place that is advantageous for subsequent air tabling.INTRODUCTIONBack-dune and inland beach sand deposits usually contain fine wind-blown quartz, and neither spiral nor wet table concentration, alone or in conjunction, makes a clean separation of heavy minerals from quartz. Many rutile plants recover rutile and zircon from a low-quartz, wet-table concentrates by means of magnetic and electrostatic separation; some rutile and zircon are lost in the table tailings. Other rutile plants, and two of the ilmenite plants in Western Australia, recover rutile or ilmenite respectively, from a spiral concentrate containing several per cent of quartz, and then subject the non-conductor product to an additionalgravity concentration process to separate the zircon from the quartz. Some zircon is lost in the additional gravity process, but all of the rutile or ilmenite in the spiral concentrate is, or should be, recovered as high-grade concentrate. The higher recovery of rutile or ilmenite by this treatment method is offset by the expense of drying part of the feed twice, as a wet process is usually used to separate the quartz...

Jan 1, 1962

By Urie R. W

Fluidized bed roasting of copper concentrates from Mt. Morgan, Mt. Lyell, Mt. Isa, and Peko was performed in a 3 ft 6 in diameter, slurry fed, pilot plant roaster operated under autogenous conditions to produce calcines with desirable leaching properties. A 12 in. diameter, externally heated roaster, provided with a dry feed system, was also used.An account is given of important factors which influence roaster behaviour and performance, and the effects of operating variables on calcine composition and leaching properties are described. Due to copper ferrite formation, a maximum of approximately 50 per cent of the copper in the calcines may be in the form of CuO before the copper leach efficiency falls significantly below lOO' per cent. Recovery of gold by cyanidation of leach residues was consistently high and independent of roasting conditions.INTRODUCTIONIn traditional practice copper is produced by pyrometallurgical techniques when the ,copper minerals in the ore or concentrate are predominantly sulphides, and by hydrometallurgy when the minerals are oxidized. Copper smelting is most suited to large scale operations, and for many years small to medium size mines with sulphide orebodies have been interested ill; alternative processes.Since hydrometallurgical plants (ie. leaching and electrowinning plants) are essentially unitized, they may be scaled down in output without much loss in efficiency or increase in processing cost, and many proposals have been made for the application of this type of process following roasting of the sulphides to render the copper soluble. However, until the advent of fluidized roasting, it was not possible to control the roasting operations sufficiently precisely to produce calcines consistently of the required leaching characteristics.

Jan 1, 1961

By Linge HG, Fernandez PG, Hughes HC

Aqueous oxidation is a possible alternative to roasting for the processing of gold bearing arsenopyrite (FeAsS) concentrates. The reaction has been studied by voltammetry and this has shown, for the first time, that FeAsS can be readily dissolved without passivation at room temperature in dilute sulphuric acid at relatively modest oxidation potentials (0.7 V SHE). The reaction forms sulphur on the mineral surface and the oxidant consumption is thus minimal. Two practical modes of slurry oxidation are listed.

Jan 1, 1989

The development of Western Mining Corporation's first commercial gold heap leaching operation is described. The laboratory testwork requirements for determining the amenability of ore to heap leaching techniques is discussed. Heap construction and operating practices are described; and production statistics and operating parameters are presented. It is shown that for a specific low grade gold ore a treatment cost optimization can be performed. Taking cognizance of the ore grade, percentage gold recovery, operating costs, and the gold sale price, it can be determined whether Carbon-In-Pulp (C-I-P) or Heap Leaching should be employed as the extraction process. The examples presented in this paper refer specifically to Kambalda and should not be used in themselves as generalities.

Jan 1, 1987

A commonplace, sometimes overlooked or taken for granted, article of everyday existence is the tin can. Produced from thin gauge low carbon steel, and commonly coated with a mere 60 millionths of an inch of pure tin, the product is however strong and corrosion resistant. Tin-plate serves a myriad of purposes-the most important being to meet the requirements of the canning industry. Australia's newest steel product, tin-plate, was first produced on a commercial scale during the early part of August, 1957. The commissioning of the Hot Dip Tinning Plant (Fig. 1) of The Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd. at Port Kembla, marked the culmination of a proposal dating back to 1939, the advent of World War II having caused its deferment to the present time.Cornish tin is known to have been exported as early as 300 B.C. to Syria and tinned vessels existed even in the year A.D. 23. The tin coating of plate could be described as an ancient art, believed to have had its origin in Bohemia in the thirteenth century. During the next 450 years, the process spread through Saxony to Pontypool in Monmouthshire, but it was a further half century before any measure of success was obtained.Perhaps the two greatest milestones in tin-plate manufacture were the rolling of iron plates first carried out in 1728, thereby outmoding the hammer formed sheet, and more recently, the development of the electro-deposition process. By the nineteenth century, several important changes had arisen; namely, the substitution of steam for water power, coke for charcoal in the production of the base metal, and...

Jan 1, 1958