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By Philippe Henry

HYDROMETAL is using suitable technology to reintroduce lost metal units into the industrial cycle, thereby saving resources and energy while keeping the environment cleaner. Hydrometal is treating on average 60000 t per year of complex materials through a unique hydrometallurgical recycling concept. Zn, Cu, Sn, and Pb are the most important in volume, but in the last 15 years, Hydrometal has also developed a few specific recycling treatments for the minor metals including Ge, In, Co, etc. In 2010, Hydrometal commenced the recycling of RE (Rare Earths) from wastes generated by the RE refining industry in Europe and has decided to initiate new recycling projects for the RE recovery from the magnet or glass industries. Two case studies of recycling of materials in our integrated hydrometallurgical facility (Hydrométal) in Belgium are discussed: recycling of cerium from polishing sludges; and recycling of Ni- Co from cement produced in the zinc industry.

Jan 1, 2014

By J. Laganiere

A considerable part of the sulphuric acid requirements of the Aluminum Company of Canada's Arvida smelter comes from the burning of 180-200 tons per day of zinc '"'sulphide concentrates in a 22-ft.-diam-eter fluidized bed roaster. The plant and its operation were fully de-scribed in a publication that appeared about ten year ago (1). A simplified flowsheet of the roasting and gas-cleaning sections of the plant is given in Figure 1. The wet zinc sulphide concentrates are un-loaded into a pug mixer, by means of a Pay loader, and mixed with water in a mixing tank to make a slurry of 80 per cent solids. The slurry is transferred to a .feed tank and then introduced into the roaster at a point four feet above the constriction plate, which is the height of the settled bed of zinc calcines. The roasting temperature is con-

Jan 1, 1963

By G. A. Vissac

In this paper we intend to deal particularly with the economic side of coal washing as it applies to our mines. We will then discuss why the dry-cleaning process has been selected, and give a brief description of our plant, dwelling only on its specific features and referring the reader to the numerous papers published on the subject for any details on the principles and machinery used in dry cleaning. ECONOMIC DISCUSSION The washery introduces an extra cost for depreciation, operation, and loss in treatment. A certain proportion of the coal, now being sold, and which the miners have been paid for. will have to be wasted. As a whole, the total increase in cost would be approximately 60 cents per ton. On the possibility of recovering this amount depends the success of the washery. There are two advantages to be expected from the washery, the first, which occurs at the mine and which will be certain; the second, more difficult to estimate, because it depends upon convincing our customers that they should pay more for a better product.

Jan 1, 1924

By Frank E. Lathe

During the war the National Research Council at Ottawa sent out questionnaires to the managers of nearly all the industrial plants in Canada. Inquiry was made as to the research equipment possessed, the number of research workers employed and the nature of the research problems which still remained unsolved. Practically all the companies reported that they had no special facilities for research, had no re-search workers and did not require the assistance of the National Research Council-because they had no research problems. Perhaps we have here one of the chief reasons why certain of our manufacturers find themselves unable to meet foreign competition. For hundreds of years the Indian tribes of northern Chile worked, in a small way, the copper deposits at Chuquicamata. They had no research problems and made no striking success of their mining operations. Then came an American company with a research problem, which they proceeded to solve. To-day the stock of that company has a market value of about $140,000,000.

Jan 1, 1926

By R. D. Brown

In his April 10, 1978 budget address, Finance Minister Chretien declared that the federal government will restrict the growth of its spending to less than the trend growth of the gross national product; over the past year, both the federal and a number of provincial governments have taken action to cut back on spending policies. This new emphasis in restraint would seem 10 be a response to a mounting public reaction to the rapid growth of government spending - and taxation - over the past 25 years. Although this relatively new government posture on public spending may be admired by many, to others it raises the question: "Can the growth in government spending really be stopped?" This article comments on just how government revenues - and spending - have grown over the past few years in Canada, and mentions some of the issues relating to a slowdown in that growth.

Jan 1, 1978

By D. KEYS, D. E. Gemmell

The portion of the earth's surface covered by peatlands has been conservatively estimated at over 420 million ha (Kivinen and Pakarinen 1980). It is estimated that there are about 170 million ha of peatland in Canada. New Brunswick contains about 140,000 ha. Harvesting of peat for horticultural purposes has been carried out in New Brunsiwck since 1942. This industry, and the potential for using peat for energy purposes, indicated the need for an accurate assessment of the resource. In 1975, therefore, the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources began a detailed peatland inventory. Assistance from the Canada Department of Regional Economic Expansion permitted acceleration of this program and field work was completed in 1982. Information gathered by the program will form the basis for a management plan for future use of the resource.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. Oja, M. Lahtinen, P. Salonen, B. Saxen

Most of the secondary and low grade zinc raw materials cannot be treated successfully by either conventional roasting - leaching - electrowinning (RLE) process or even by atmospheric direct leaching process. The problems arising especially from high impurity content of these raw materials can be effectively solved by implementation of the solvent extraction process. The utilization of solvent extraction process has been demonstrated by Outotec with raw materials like Waelz oxide, crude zinc oxide and zinc containing concentrator tailings. Based on batch and continuous test work it has been shown that SHG quality zinc can be produced even from the lowest grade raw materials. Impurity control in the solvent extraction process has been examined. The solvent extraction process is the key feature of the whole zinc plant for such raw materials. However, design of the entire zinc process including neutralization and bleed treatment is important for optimization of investment and operation costs of the plant. Very careful evaluation of the zinc process with modern simulation tools is essential. The optimized Outotec zinc process ensures a sustainable and profitable process containing minimal effluent and requiring little residue treatment.

Jan 1, 2014

By W. A. Jones

Purpose of Paper Geophysics is a highly developed science which has found a wide use in industry. Perhaps the most spectacular application has been in the field of oil exploration. It has been estimated that, up to the end of 1939, geophysics was responsible for the discovery of five billion barrels of oil. In 1944, the sum o $40,000,000 was expended for geophysical work in the search for new oil deposits. Although the metal mining industry has so far made comparatively little use of the science, it is becoming increasingly common for the exploration engineer or geologist to be required to co-operate with the geophysicist. Many papers dealing with applied geophysics have been published but in most of them advanced training in physics and mathematics on the part of the reader has been assumed. It is difficult for the average engineer to obtain a ready understanding of the equipment, field procedure, and scope and limitations of the science from the literature. The present paper attempts to describe briefly and in simple terms the principles underlying magnetic, self-potential, and electrical resistivity methods and their application to a field problem. Introduction Geophysics is concerned with the study of gravity, magnetism, natural earth currents, earthquakes, vulcanism, and many other natural phenomena. The methods, originally devised for the measurement, for scientific purposes, of the forces associated with such phenomena have been adapted to the search for buried deposits of economic value. If the body sought has large dimensions and distinctive physical properties, geophysical measurements may reveal associated, and in some cases quite characteristic, anomalous features. However, in many instances the mass cannot be indicated directly but has a common association with geological features which can be defined by physical measurements. Although such surveys cannot specifically identify oil, metalliferous minerals, or other commercially valuable substances, it is possible to delineate anomalous sub-surface physical features which, with the help of geological information, can be assessed as possible or probable indications of the body or structure sought. The nature and extent of the material causing an anomaly, and its economic importance, can only be determined by further exploration, such as drilling.

Jan 1, 1947

By G. M. Behrend

A group of mining men attending a recent workshop on "Analysis and Control in the Canadian Minerals Industry" issued, among others, the following statement: "Slurry flow measurement is considered to be one of the most inaccurate in the industry. A special program should be launched to encourage development." In response, this paper starts off the program with an investigation of the principles and the conventional practice of slurry flow measurement and identifies weaknesses which cause inaccuracies. Then it follows with descriptions of nonconventional systems in use at various locations and comments on their degree of success. The paper concludes that relatively simple methods, which it describes, can be applied to obtain an accurate slurry flow measurement.

Jan 1, 1973

"Yara Siilinjärvi in Finland is the Western Europe's only apatite mine. Annually it produces one million tons of apatite concentrate, which creates 10 million tons of tailings. At the beginning of 2017, Yara replaced their conventional TSF with a new tailings treatment plant, which increased the solids content of the slurry from 45–48% to 66–68%, making it possible to deposit as a paste. This extended the life-span of the current TSF from 2020 to 2035. This paper presents the storyline of the Yara paste plant project. The project began with laboratory testing and then progressed to pilot-scale thickening and beaching trials. After successful pilot trials, the final process design was implemented. Process automation played a key role in the project. An advanced control system is needed to maintain process stability and the desired operation point in various operational circumstances. Since commissioning the paste plant has been running consistently with an underflow solids content of 66-68%, with average beach slope angles of 3.5 degrees in the tailings disposal area. Robust thickener operation also leads to the trouble-free high-density pumping and high availability of the plan. During first year of operation the plant’s availability has been very good, over 97%, and currently, the plant is operated remotely from the main concentrator plant.INTRODUCTION The Yara Siilinjärvi Plant is owned by Yara International, a Norwegian fertiliser company. Yara Siilinjärvi is Western Europe's only apatite mine, and it primarily produces apatite concentrate for its Siilinjärvi phosphoric acid plant. A portion of the concentrate is also dried and shipped to other Yara fertiliser plants. The site annually produces one million tons of apatite concentrate, which creates approximately 10 million tons of tailings. Extending the lifespan of the 1150-hectare tailings storage facility has been studied in Siilinjärvi for a long time. The aim has been to use the same tailings area footprint, without any new land purchases or major dam increases. An important part of the process has been to study the possibilities for using new technologies, especially thickened tailings technology (Ruhanen, 2014)."

Jan 1, 2019

The Daly-Judge Tunnel, begun in 1887 to drain mine workings, is now a source of potable water for the Municipality of Park City. The water is exceptionally clean; however, when roof falls occur, suspended solids levels become too high and water from the tunnel cannot be used in the treatment plant. In 2001, the tunnel was inspected and rehabilitated to ensure that the water supply for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games would be uninterrupted. Twenty-five timber tunnel sets were removed, and 86 steel sets were installed. Timber lagging was installed or replaced over about 230 m (750 ft) of tunnel length.

Jan 1, 2006

By Edward R. Lauer

Energy conservation is an integral part of Canada's energy strategy. We must pursue conservation and energy management vigorously if we are to remain competitive in domestic and world markets, and minimize our reliance on external energy sources. Energy management in industry is discussed from three viewpoints: (l) as a means of directly improving profitability; (2) as a major factor in the supply picture; and (3) as a significant influence on Canada's balance of payments and over-all economic well-being. The Federal role in promoting a voluntary industrial energy conservation program is described.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. W. Lawrence

"The management of acid rock drainage( ARD) to prevent impact when tailings are disposed of in the environment requires understanding of the phenomena giving rise to acidic drainage, a rigorous evaluation of the weathering characteristics of the tailings, and the successful implementation of control measures that will be effective in the long term. This paper provides a brief theoretical background to the complex reactions taking place in mill tailings containing residual sulfide minerals which must be appreciated to enable waste characterization program to be effective in predicting the future behavior of the tailings and in designing control methods which will work. The principals and practice of prediction and control as part of an ARD management strategy will then be discussed.Paper Not Available at Time of Publication"

Jan 1, 1997

By J. Shahabpour

"Many porphyry copper deposits of the Kerman copper province in central Iran are associated with a consistent structurally con-trolled main drainage pattern, which is shown in this paper to be a useful regional prospecting tool in the search for new deposits. The main drainage trends also generally allow the distiction of high-grade (>0.2% Cu) from low-grade (<0.2% Cu) deposits. Topographic maps1:50 000 or geologic maps 1:100 000 have been found suitable for identification of promising drainages.IntroductionTrends of the main drainage systems transecting the high-grade porphyry copper deposits of the Kerman Region in Iran coincide with Quaternary age regional faults and fractures. Observation of such drainage trends can expedite regional evaluation prior to field examination. Thirty deposits located in the Kerman Region (Fig. 1) have been studied to identify common features that can be used for exploration purposes, especially for the first stage of regional exploration. A variety of field criteria are available for subsequent rapid field checking prior to trenching and more costly methods such as drilling, etc.Characteristic geomorphic features have been considered as aids in mineral exploration by many authors (e.g., Faniran, 1971; Piotrovski and Lubkashov, 1976; Verstappen, 1983). Clark et al. (1967) indicated the relationship between geomorphology and the supergene enrichment of copper in Atacama Desert, Chile, and correlated three periods of supergene enrichment with three periods of pediment disection. Seeland (1978) used fluvial drainage patterns for uranium and hydrocarbon exploration in the Wind River basin, Wyoming. Postolenko and Konopleva (1973) used the reconstruction of ancient valley systems for exploration of gold placers"

Jan 1, 1996

By Alireza Golabchi

The AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) industry is an information intensive industry and all related processes employed during different phases of a project, including planning, designing, building, manufacturing, occupying, and maintenance, involve vast amounts of data that is used for a wide variety of purposes. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a powerful shared knowledge resource which stores this data to support decision making about a facility through all these different phases in its life cycle. Nowadays, BIM is mostly used in the design and construction phases while it can also be highly beneficial beyond those stages. For example, in the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase, BIM could be used for automated facilities management or robotic inspection to provide semantic knowledge for navigation. For any implementation not related to the original intent of the BIM (design), organizations need to be able to represent their project data in a common interpretable form, which provides the possibility of an accurate exchange of data among different software products and platforms, known as interoperability. This study has investigated the current state of interoperability between software products used as Building Information Modeling tools. The main focus has been on a popularly used format for BIM models, Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), since it has been specifically developed to enable standardized data exchange. The research methodology involved a comprehensive literature review and the gathering of all fragmented prior research related to the field in order to develop a consistent understanding of the current state of knowledge. This was accompanied with a detailed case study that evaluated and compared two dominant pieces of BIM software, Revit and Bentley, and examined their interoperability strengths and weaknesses while using the IFC format.

Aug 1, 2013

By M. B. McClenaghan

"Abstract- The Ontario Geological Survey completed a regional till sampling project between 1984 and 1988 in the Black River Matheson (BRiM) area of northeastern Ontario. The project was designed to aid mineral exploration in the area by documenting the Quatemary stratigraphy and by providing a database of till geochemistry. This paper summarizes the results from the sonic overburden drilling component of the BRiM project carried out in areas of thick drift (> 5 m). Results from till sampling in areas of thinner drift (<5 m) have been presented in a separate paper. Approximately 1100 till samples were collected from 225 sonic drill holes. For each sample, the non-magnetic heavy mineral (> 3.3 S.G.) and fine (-250 mesh) till fractions were analyzed geochemically and visible gold grains were recovered by panning.Gold and other multielement geochemical data were plotted using proportional symbols to high­ light anomalous areas and to demonstrate how to evaluate and interpret a very large geochemical dataset. Thresholds for identifying anomalous concentrations of Au in till samples, defined using the 95th percentile, are 1500 ppb and 12 ppb for the heavy mineral and fine fractions, respectively. The heavy mineral fraction of older tills and to a lesser extent, Matheson Till, display a number of significant gold anomalies in the study area, which in a few cases, are associated with base metal anomalies. The vertical position of gold anomalies in Matheson and older tills varies from directly on bedrock to several meters above the bedrock surface and can provide information of relative ice transport distances."

Jan 1, 1994

By J. C. Nicholson

The "V" system was first introduced by the West Virginia Coal & Coke Company at their No. 9 mine, Norton. Norton is a small mining village on the B. & 0. railway, about seven miles from the town of Elkins. This year, accompanied by G. D. MacDougall, I visited this mine to obtain first-hand information regarding this modem system and to determine its adaptability to conditions in Nova Scotia. The following is a brief account of my observations. The seam that is being worked is known as the Lower Kittaning, which, at this point, has an average thickness of 7 feet. This includes a band of hard clay varying in thickness from 8 to 14 inches, which occurs about 2 feet from the pavement, also 8 inches of inferior coal at the roof. The latter is not recovered, which leaves to be mined about 5 1/2 feet of clean coal. The roof is slate and shale for the first 30 feet, followed by 40 to 60 feet of sandstone; the total cover is from 80 to 250 feet thick. The seam lies very flat, with a dip of only 2 per cent., and, as the dip is toward the main entrance, it&apos; is in favor of the load, also providing natural drainage for any water the mine makes. As the mine is not gassy, and there is no water to be pumped out, one can understand that mining conditions are practically ideal.

Jan 1, 1924

By R. C. Fernandes, F. L. Santos

Aluminum alloys in particular, have certain limitations when subjected to welding process. This is mainly present because aluminum alloys have high thermal conductivity, high contraction in solidification and high hydrogen solubility. Taking this into account, the FSW process has great potential for this application, since it is autogenous, held without metal melting and without the use of slags or shielding gases. From this concept, the aim of this study is to evaluate the joining of thin sheets of aluminum alloy 3105 H26 with 0.7 mm of thickness. To performing of the tests, some parameters were analyzed, such as: tool penetration in the sheets, attack angle, the type of welding tool and penetration control mode (position or force). The results indicated that the force control mode is most suitable for thin sheets, and the transient state at the beginning of welding was the most critical part to control the welding quality.

Jan 1, 2015

By Charles J. Zablocki, Robert J. Kamilli

"Abstract - Buried, possibly mineralized granite cupolas at the Silsilah tin deposit in Saudi Arabia (lat. 26°06&apos; N, long. 42°40&apos; E) have been successfully located using a closely spaced electric-field-ratio profiling technique. In this study, electrical fields at 27 and 270 Hz across grounded electrodes spaced 50 m apart were measured along six traverses. This method is interpretable by inspection, unlike the dipole-dipole technique, which requires mathematical modeling for interpretation.In the study area, the technique allowed the authors to identify and distinguish among unroofed granite cupolas, cupolas with their aplite-pegmatite apical contact zones intact, strong (quartz-rich) and weak (relatively quartz-poor) greisens, dikes, faults, and pervasively argillized rocks.This method should be useful in the valuation of other shallow mineral prospects in similar settings in other parts of the world, especially deposits for which the location of vertical contrasts is important, such as veins or mineralized zones associated with the apexes of small igneous cupolas."

Jan 1, 1993

By The Staff

IT is a high compliment to be invited to present a pap::r on the subject of "Mining in the National Economy". To cover it adequately would need the knowledge of the economic geologist and of the technical mining engineer, together with the arts of the statistician and of the economist in general, allied with generous psychic powers. Further, one should embellish the tale with a touch of drama. It is comforting that the subject is so broad that whatever may be said within the compass of a paper like the present, can hardly be criticized as going beyond the terms of reference. A conventional approach would be to begin with the noteworthy statistics of the mining industry of yesterday and today. But in the present company this would be "carrying coals to Newcastle"-or to give the venerable metaphor local colour, "nickel to Sudbury". Such statistics are available in all their stimulating detail in our official publications. Let us tackle at once, therefore, as a less hackneyed theme, the relationship of mining to other phases of the Canadian economy. RELATION TO TOTAL PRODUCTION While mining occupies a position of less importance than manufacturing or agriculture in Canada, its relative contribution has greatly increased during the post-war period. Due to the fall in wholesale prices, the net value of production in Canada has shown a decrease averaging about 1.5 per cent per year during the post-war period, though its volume of course has gone up. Mineral production on a value basis, on the other hand, showed a gain of 2.8 per cent per year. Mineral production was only 5.14 per cent of the net value of production of all kinds of commodities in 1919, bur from 1929 to 1936 the proportion rose steadily rill it reached no less than 12. 76 per cent in the latter year.

Jan 1, 1937