Search Documents

Safe underground mine backfilling with hydraulic fill requires efficient fill drainage and stable fill retaining walls or bulkheads. If any or both the above two requirements are not satisfied, such a backfilling operation creates unsafe conditions and may lead to backfill retaining wall failures. Mine backfill retaining wall failures are always associated with economic losses, fatalities and interruption to mine production. Mining industry wants to either reduce or eliminate these fill retaining wall failures. The fill retaining wall failures could be effectively avoided through the use of fibre reinforced shotcrete fill retaining walls and engineered drainage systems through the retaining walls. This paper presents the experience of the author in developing, implementing, and monitoring several hundred fibre reinforced shotcrete fill retaining walls at a mine in Australia with the highest safety standard. The details on the mine backfill drainage system and fibre reinforced shotcrete fill retaining wall designs are also presented.

May 1, 2007

By W. L. Ott, J. E. Hawley, C. L. Lewis

"IntroductionTHE APPLICATION of spectrochemical analysis to metals of the platinum group was advocated by Harvey (3) as follows: ""The spectra of the platinum group metals have been studied less than many of the more common metals. The rarity of occurrence of these elements makes the analysis relatively unusual. Potentially, the analysis of this group is an excellent application of spectrographic methods, particularly in contrast to the tedious chemical procedure"".Wichers (8) divides platinum-metal analysis into three broad divisions as follows :( 1) The detection and estimation of these metals in other materials, e.g., ores, where the amounts present are very small.(2) The detection and estimation of impurities in the refined metals themselves ....(3) The analysis of alloys of the platinum metals .....The present paper deals with the second division: analysis of refined rhodium.Research on spectrochemical techniques for determination of trace contaminants in refined platinum metals was begun at Queen's University in 1949, under the supervision of Professor J. E. Hawley. Since 1953, the work has been continued in the Metallurgical Laboratories of Falconbridge Nickel Mines, Limited. Techniques for spectrochemical analysis of refined platinum and palladium have been published ( 4, 5). A technique for analysis of refined iridium has been developed but not yet published."

Jan 1, 1955

By Patrick Pelletier Jr., Pierre-Alexandre Bossé, Gianni Bartolacci, Ian Orford, Steve Parent

"Over the last decades, many authors have shown the importance of froth in the flotation process. Mineral recovery is related to froth recovery and flotation. Selectivity is affected by froth characteristics, especially structure and loading. The characteristics of froth textures could therefore be used for diagnosing flotation.Machine imaging, especially image texture analysis, allows on-line measurement of important froth characteristics and process state classification. The measured characteristics include froth texture, loading and stability indicators. To extract information from images, texture analysis tools are used as well as a block-matching algorithm (BMA). For process state classification, images are analyzed with the same tools and clustering is done with multivariate data analysis algorithms.Two case studies, Brunswick Mine Concentrator Cu/Pb circuit and LaRonde Mine Zn circuit, are presented to show that these indicators may be used for diagnosis and control. The influence of manipulated variables on measured froth features is shown as well as the relationship between froth characteristics, mineral recovery and flotation selectivity.INTRODUCTIONImaging is a way to depict abstract characteristics of a scene or an object; it is often related to other types of scientific observations, chemical component concentrations, for example (Geladi and Grahn, 1996). In this paper, the scene is flotation froth. Imaging can be especially useful in applications where it is difficult to obtain the measurements needed for process analysis – froth flotation, for example."

Jan 1, 2006

By D G. Boxall

As an alternative to heavy water cooling, reactors cooled by organic liquids are being actively developed in Canada under the sponsorship of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. One of the areas in which development has been required is that of core materials. The factors affecting the selection of fuel canning and coolant tube materials are discussed. It is shown that S.A.P. is a potentially attractive material for these applications. The fabrication of fuel sheathing is discussed. Difficulties met due to large inclusions and blistering due to high hydrogen contents have been overcome by magnetic separation and vacuum sintering of the powders. High-quality tubes can now be produced by extrusion to finished size. A study has been made of the mechanical properties of fuel-sheathing tubes and bar stock. The stress rupture properties of the tubes subjected to uniaxial and biaxial stress have been determined. The biaxial stress tests were performed by internal pressurization. For times in excess of about 200 hours, the curve of stress against time to rupture is extremely flat. The secondary creep rates of

Jan 1, 1965

By Jan E. Nesset, Phillip J. Mackey

"Studies have shown that there is a correlation between commissioning and start-up time, i.e. time to reach full plant design capacity, and the degree of innovation and technical/engineering uncertainty in the project design. The paper describes the types of start-up curves for plants according to the level of technology or uncertainty in the process design. The need to properly describe and understand the commissioning and start-up time is examined using these curves and the importance on project success is highlighted. A number of case histories of recent mining and metallurgical projects are also reviewed. Finally, the paper reviews how to better assess the level of start-up uncertainty associated with a project and makes suggestions for decreasing the commissioning time due to technological risk.INTRODUCTIOThe start-up of a new mining and metallurgical facility, a much anticipated event, is a critical step in the life of such a project. Achieving a successful start-up and reaching the design capacity on-time requires careful planning, a thorough understanding of the key technological and engineering components involved and a well-trained and adequatelystaffed start-up crew. In this paper, some of the aspects related to start-up of a mining/metallurgical project will be explored, and in particular, the impact of the technology component will be examined. In order to illustrate this, a number of case histories based on recent mining and metallurgical projects will be discussed. Ways of assessing and understanding the uncertainty associated with technological issues related to start-up of a mining and metallurgical plant will also be examined.The history on mining and metallurgy is full of success stories of great mines and mills that are now considered “company makers” (well known examples of such successes include the Horne mine for Noranda which had a 1 year start-up in 1926-27, the Dome mine for Placer Dome, the Grasberg deposit for FMI in Indonesia). Less well documented are specific studies relating to plant start-ups and what constitutes a success or a failure, however there are a few notable references in the literature and these will be reviewed."

Jan 1, 2003

By R. E. Barbosa

Seepage forces generated during tunnel excavation affect the ground response and may cause severe instability problems, including total ground collapse and flooding into the tunnel. This paper presents a new closed-form analytical solution, for stresses and displacements around a cylindrical tunnel excavated in a porous water-bearing elasto-plastic material, which includes the effects of seepage forces. The analysis is carried out in terms of effective stresses and pore water pressures. The solution shows that seepage forces may have a major effect on the effective stresses around the tunnel, on the extent of the plastic zone, on the radial displacements, and on the tunnel support requirements. The conditions for development of a ?flowing ground? condition at the tunnel face have been identified. The paper presents a procedure for the hydromechanical ground-support interaction analysis, to determine the excavation induced inflow and the pressures acting on the lining, throughout the progressive driving of the tunnel, including the effective pressures exerted by the ground and the pressures generated by the water.

May 1, 2009

By Ali Mortazavi

In underground mining applications, successful blasting results in less damage, which may lower support costs, lower dilution and produce a uniform fragmentation. The explosive detonation process creates a pressure front that propagates a stress wave into the surrounding rock mass at a high velocity. The stress wave can induce varying degrees of damage, depending on rock strength and physical properties, to the excavated area. This paper presents a summary of a research project that was conducted to investigate the propagation of explosive-induced stress waves in hard rock media and the mechanism of rock damage and fracturing due to shock wave propagation. The primary objective of this work was to numerically simulate the experimental study of blast-induced rock fracturing conducted within Inco Limited, Mines Research department. ITASCA?s discontinuum code UDEC (Universal Distinct Element Code), was used to simulate the results of the controlled blasting experiments. In brief, the focal point of the paper can be summarized as follows: ? Investigate the size of the stress-wave-induced fractured zone around the blasthole, ? Examine the extent and direction of the radial fractures that form outside the blasthole, and ? Explore the mechanisms that cause rock breakage.

May 1, 2002

A key point in the manufacture of cemented backfill is the dewatering and settlement of the total tailings product. A new technology characterized by rapid non-mechanical settlement of total tailings has been developed based on a large number of laboratory and field tests, where dynamic settlement and continual slurry preparation of total tailings in a vertical sand silo are realized by the addition of an effective flocculating agent named NPA. It has been shown that the sedimentation velocity of the interface between total tailings and water after NPA was added is 10 to 20 times higher than that without any flocculating agent, that the mass fraction of sand slurry deposited at the bottom of the vertical sand silo reaches 70%, and that the solid particle content in effluent waste water meets national water quality standards. The simple devices used to add flocculants have little deleterious effects on the current preparation tank and have been tested in an industrial environment. The processing cost of total tailings by the new technology is only 10% to 20% of that required for mechanical settlement.

May 1, 2007

By S. Banisi, J. Marois, A. R. Laplante

"This paper compares the behaviour of gold and ore in the grinding circuit of Hemlo Gold Ltd. Particular attention is given to grinding kinetics, classification behaviour, and liberation. For grinding kinetics, laboratory grinding of gold flakes and silica, 840-1200 um in size (14/20 mesh), was also performed to provide a standard for comparison and to study in a controlled environment the mechanisms of breakage, folding, smearing and impacting.Grinding kinetics were characterized at laboratory scale with breakage and selection functions. The breakage function showed that 75% of gold disappearing from the 840-1200 um class reported to the 600-840 um; this figure is much higher than for silica ( 46%) or most other minerals, and implies that comparatively fewer fine fragments are produced from the breakage of gold flakes, on account of gold's malleability. The selection function of silica was four times that of gold. At plant scale, the ratio of the selection function of ore and gold increased from 6 for at 50-100 um to 20 at 500-1000 um.Observation of original flakes and their fragments with the scanning electron microscope showed that the main mechanism of ""grinding"" from the 840-1200 um to the 600-840 um class was folding rather than actual breakage. This was confirmed by a measure of individual flake weight. The postulated breakage cycle is that relatively globular flakes become increasingly serrated through grinding; they can then regain their original shape through folding and reflattening into cylindrical and spherical shapes, as the majority does; however, some fragments will at this point undergo actual breakage. Photographic evidence is presented to support the proposed mechanisms.Smearing of gold unto silica was observed when silica was ground after a gold, and embedding of silica into gold flakes when gold was ground after a silica. Both mechanisms occur whenever gold and harder minerals are jointly ground, and result in ""unliberation"" of gold. It is postulated that smearing of gold onto other minerals plays an important role in explaining how gravity recovery can increase overall gold metallurgy, especially when used ahead of flotation.Classification of gold in the primary hydrocyclones takes place at a much finer cut-size than ore, 20 vs. 57 um. This and the slower grinding kinetics result in high gold circulating loads in the primary loop, 6700%, and a gold content in the primary cyclone underflow (PCUF) is twenty four times that of the ore. The gold size distribution for primary cyclone overflow is much finer than that of the ore, although they are essentially similar in the PCUF.Liberation, or more accurately ""gravity recoverability"", was assessed with a 7.5 cm (3"") Knelson concentrator. It varied between the thirties for the primary mill discharge and two cyclone overflows, to highs of 89 to 92% for the PCUF and secondary mill discharge, 89 and 92%, respectfully."

Jan 1, 1991

By Marc D. Melker, Geoffrey R. Lane, Michael Jahraus

"The Cresson gold deposit is located in the Cripple Creek district of Colorado. The deposit is composed of volcanic intrusive rocks and volcanogenic sediments where gold mineralization is associated with veins and cavities within a diatremal breccia.The purpose of the current study was to:1. Determine the penetration potential of the Cripple Creek Breccia.2. Assess the relationship between penetration and gold recovery within the Breccia.Two methods were applied using a cyanide solution containing ultraviolet sensitive dye to elucidate pathways of penetration within the rock. The first involved stagnant soaking of twoinch square pieces within the solution. The second method involved column leaching of ~100kg of Breccia crushed to P80 12.7 mm (0.5 inch). Samples were selected at specified intervals to capture the penetration progress of the solution. Photomicrographs and image analysis were utilized to illustrate and quantify the degree of penetration.Results indicated that the maximum penetration for the Cripple Creek Breccia (85 to 97%) due to a porous and permeable groundmass, containing large non-porous lapilli fragments. In addition, ~90% of leachable gold was recovered with only ~50% rock penetration.INTRODUCTIONDye penetration studies were first developed at SGS-Lakefield Research for the purpose of determining the fluid penetration amenability of differing rock types. The method was to place a large rock or drill core in a pan with 1 to 2 inches of a pre-mixed, water based fluorescent dye. The sample was sequentially cut after prescribed time periods to reveal a fresh surface. The cut surface was photographed under long wave ultraviolet light, and the same piece returned to the dye and allowed to sit until the next prescribed cutting."

Jan 1, 2006

By T. Grammatikopoulos, A. McKen, O. Christiansen

Vanadium mineralization occurs in oxide-rich horizons within layered metagabbro zones of the Sinarsuk deposit, West Greenland. The main oxide minerals are vanadiferous magnetite and ilmenite, comprising 30% to 90% of the rock volume and the ratio of magnetite to ilmenite ranges from 3:2 to 4:1. Ore microscopy shows that magnetite and ilmenite vary between 0.2 mm and 4.5 mm in grain size, but locally they are coarser grained. Grains are subhedral to euhedral and annealed suggesting that they will liberate very well upon grinding. Electron microprobe analyses indicate that magnetite grains are homogeneous and have a vanadium content, in different mineralized samples, ranging from 1.93 wt% to 2.68 wt% equivalent V2O5. Ilmenite hosts abundant and variably sized hematite lamellae, and it has vanadium contents ranging from 0.32 wt% to 0.59 wt% equivalent V2O5. Preliminary beneficiation of two composite bulk samples shows the samples can be beneficiated fairly easily using low-intensity magnetic separation at a coarse grind (106 microns to 600 microns) to yield a vanadiferous magnetite concentrate. The presence of hematite lamellae in ilmenite prevents recovery of a satisfactory ilmenite concentrate. The most likely beneficiation flowsheet would encompass a primary mill (SAG or rod mill), which would grind to about 600 microns, followed by a rougher magnetic separation stage. The rougher magnetic concentrate would be reground in a ball mill until suitable liberation is achieved. The reground material would then be cleaned in further LIMS stages. However, further laboratory testing is required to establish the final beneficiation program. This work demonstrates the value of mineralogical investigation in guiding and explaining the results of beneficiation processes.

Jan 1, 2002

By Patrick R. Stephenson

The current version of the JORC Code was issued in 2004 and since that date the Australian Securities Exchange, in collaboration with JORC, has issued a number of companies? updates to provide guidance on various reporting issues. An interim review will be undertaken during 2010 to meld these updates with the current 2004 Code. This will be followed by a full review during 2010/11 covering all aspects of the Code and focusing particular attention on: ? clauses / guidelines relating to Exploration Results1, exploration targets and the reporting of historical estimates; ? issues relating to the Public Report2, including definition, the requirements for Competent Person sign-off, level of disclosure and mandatory requirements; ? guidance on techniques to quantify resource / reserve estimation uncertainty; ? the level of study required to convert Mineral Resources to Ore Reserves, and disclosure of prices and economic factors; ? expansion of the requirements for reporting of marketable material for bulk commodities; ? the use of language and tone that anticipates new and emerging technologies and techniques for the qualitative and quantitative measurements of data; and ? linkages to valuation and the valuation code (The VALMIN Code). Although the Canadian and Australian reporting regimes for public statements on Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral (Ore) Reserves are similar in intent and coverage, they differ in detail, sometimes substantially. Canadian requirements are generally more wide-ranging and prescriptive than Australian requirements, including in the need in many situations to publicly lodge a Technical Report, a requirement that does not exist in Australia. Australian-listed companies seeking to list in Canada, and Competent Persons seeking to act as Qualified Persons in Canada, need to ensure that they are fully conversant with Canadian regulations and how they differ from those in Australia.

May 1, 2010

By Adil Aledresse, N. Emre Altun, Bern Klein, Nuri Hmidi, Brent Hilscher

A study was conducted to investigate high gold grades in water lines and carbon fines collected from the Musselwhite gold recovery circuit. It was discovered that fine magnetic particles in the overflow from the carbon fines settling tank launder had high gold grades ranging from 2,000 to7,000 g/t. The -37 micron fraction had up to 17,000 g/t gold. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the gold was attached to the surface of iron particles. The objective of the study was to identify possible mechanisms that result in the attachment of the gold to the magnetic iron particle surface and to recommend process modifications that would reduce these types of gold losses around the carbon circuits. Solid and solution samples were collected from the gold recovery circuit and analysed. Two possible mechanisms were identified including gold cementation onto iron and heterocoagulation of colloidal gold onto iron oxides in the elution column. Possible sources of the colloidal gold include reduction of gold cyanide complex to metallic gold in the carbon regeneration kiln and gold detached from cathode in EW cell. Based on SEM+EDX, the sources of iron were natural magnetite and roasted iron sulphides. Thermal reduction of gold is believed to be the cause of dendritic gold from the carbon regeneration kiln.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. Sturzenegger

This paper documents a field survey using long-range terrestrial digital photogrammetry at the Palabora open-pit mine, South Africa, for multi-scale characterization of rock mass discontinuities. Stereomodels covering the entire mine were generated based on photographs taken from a distance of 1600m across the pit, using a series of f=20-400mm lenses. Details on the methodology used and its accuracy are discussed. Preliminary results on discontinuity orientation, persistence and intensity are presented, highlighting the effect of observation scale. The potential uses of long-range terrestrial digital photogrammetry in open-pit mine and large natural rock slope environments is emphasized. The use of an f=400mm lens from distances larger than 1.5km may represent an important step forward in the geotechnical characterization of inaccessible remote rock faces.

May 1, 2009

By Marc C. Bétournay

Hydrogen fuelcells are a known technology, having been applied to stationary (e.g equipment, buildings, power plants) and vehicle applications (e.g transit buses, space shuttles). There is currently a growing need to provide alternate power systems to diesel fuel for underground mining vehicles to improve underground air quality and reduce production costs and green house gas emissions. To date, however, fuelcells have not been exposed to underground mine air and physical conditions. A testing program was carried out to provide information on the vulnerabilities of fuelcells as part of a number of proof-of-concept projects to apply hydrogen power to underground mining vehicles. The fuelcell type of choice for the industry, the Proton Exchange Membrane, would function at the range of temperatures encountered in underground and surface operations, and use hydrogen that is stored under low pressure and risk. A small fuelcell stack was tested in a cooperative project between CANMET, the Fuelcell Propulsion Institute, INCO, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Sandia National laboratories and H-Power. This article will review the tests carried out to measure the effects from high humidity, mineral dust, diesel emission gasses and diesel particulate matter as well as from shock and vibration provided to the unit in underground conditions, at INCO?s 175 Orebody minesite and INCO?s Stobie Mine. The test results provided will show that the unit was not affected by the underground conditions: physically and electrically the unit performed without any reduction in operation or adverse effects imposed.

May 1, 2003

By D. A. Ainsworth

"The first known use of activated carbon dates back to the Ancient Egyptians who utilized its adsorbent properties for purifying oils and medicinal purposes. Centuries later, the early ocean going vessels stored drinking water in wooden barrels, the inside of which had been charred. (However, by modern definition the carbon used in these applications could not truly be described as activated.) By the early 19th century, both wood and bone charcoal was in large scale use for the decolorization and purification of cane sugar.However, it was not until the beginning of the First World War that the potential of activated carbon was really capitalized upon. The advent of gas warfare necessitated the development of suitable respiratory devices for personnel protection. Granular activated carbon was used to this end as, indeed, it still is today.By the late 1930's there was considerable industrial scale use of carbon for both gaseous and liquid phase application and new manufacturing processes had been developed to satisfy the needs of industry. During the 1939-1945 war, a further significant development took place - the production of more sophisticated chemically impregnated carbon for the removal of both war and nerve gases."

Jan 1, 1984

By L. Vollert

In-situ recovery of metals is presently experiencing a revival not seen since early applications in amenable copper oxide deposits, uranium and generally applications where neither, porosity and permeability, nor process chemistry have been prohibitively difficult. With ever decreasing grades in current mining operations or Greenfields projects and ever increasing capital and operating costs, in-situ recovery is looked to as the processing option that will both unlock these deposits as well as potentially derive revenue from mineralised waste remaining in the ground once traditional mining and processing methods become uneconomical. In-situ recovery is also being looked to as a mining method that minimises the environmental impact sustained in the application of traditional energy and water intensive mining and processing operations where millions of tonnes of ore are mined from the earth, processed on surface and then disposed of in both waste dumps and tailings facilities. The key challenge facing companies like Newcrest is that these low-grade deposits or remnant mines are generally hard rock applications that require costly methods to liberate the valuable minerals. A further challenge includes identifying suitable chemistries that both facilitate the economic recovery of gold and copper and that may be considered environmentally acceptable. This paper presents a desktop study whereby the issues of access creation and chemical extraction are discussed and evaluated with a view to driving future research in the area and unlocking this application as a real processing option. INTRODUCTION Mining companies are increasingly challenged by low grade, deep and complex ore deposits which are no longer economically exploitable by current methods. The large footprint of current open pit operations can present obstacles for permitting and social acceptance. For these reasons in-situ recovery (ISR) technologies are receiving renewed attention as a technology which could be used to exploit these more complex deposits economically and with less environmental impact. The environmental impact may be further reduced if emphasis is placed on use of renewable energy sources rather than traditional grid power, gas turbine or diesel generators are employed to drive the operation. A potential renewable energy driven ISR mine of the future is shown in Figure 1.

Jan 1, 2019

By Jean Cayouette, Paul Blatter, Paul Cousin

"The Laronde mill was commissioned in 1988 and has been treating the Laronde Penna ore since 2000. The Laronde plant, situated in the Abitibi region of Quebec, has experienced mill expansions to accommodate 7500 mtpd and to recover gold and silver as well as important amounts of base metals (Cu, Zn, Pb). Ten sequential metallurgical and environmental processes are responsible for metals recovery and process viability. Over 200,000 ounces of gold, 4,5 million ounces of silver, 7000 tonnes of copper, and 78,000 tonnes of zinc are produced annually.In 2008, the Goldex plant began trucking high grade (35-45 g/t Au) pyrite sulphide concentrate (TCGO) for gold extraction at a newly constructed treatment plant, increasing gold output at Laronde by 40,000 ounces. In 2009, the high gold grade Lapa ore processing facilities were annexed to the Laronde plant increasing output by 120,000 ounces of gold. TCGO and Lapa productions are forecasted until 2018 and 2015 respectively, with known reserves of each mine.Today, up to 140 permanent employees run and optimise the Laronde plant operation. As a result, Laronde has intricacies intrinsic to a large and varied operation. The paper will outline the metallurgical highlights, challenges, and future outlook related to the treatment of each ore type (Laronde, TCGO, and Lapa).INTRODUCTIONFollowing the 2000 to 2003 expansions, the Laronde plant evolved into a mature milling complex with developed processing, man power, and water treatment capabilities able to accommodate the complex Laronde ore. The ore requires a series of grinding, copper/lead flotation and separation, zinc flotation, zinc tails precious metals leaching, followed by a counter-current decantation circuit and Merrill Crowe precipitation. A paste backfill and SO2-air cyanide destruction operate intermittently. The tailings area has a dedicated cyanide destruction and metals precipitation plant prior to water recycling to the mill. A biological water treatment plant was put into service in 2004 to address the build-up of thiocyanate in the tailings ponds at Laronde. This was the result of the high sulphide content of the Laronde ore and 90% recirculation of the process water. The plant uses bacteria to oxidize and destroy thiocyanate, and removes phosphate from the water before it is released to the environment."

Jan 1, 2011

By F. Dai

Due to difficulties associated with gripping in direct tension, indirect methods are commonly used to measure rock tensile strength. In this work, we adopt an innovative indirect tensile test method: Semi-Circular Bend (SCB) to measure the tensile/flexural strength of Laurentian granite (LG). The static tests are carried out with a servo-controlled material testing machine and the dynamic tests are conduced with a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) system. Pulse shaping technique is adopted to achieve dynamic force equilibrium in SHPB to facilitate data regression. Finite element method is used to relate the failure load to the tensile strength. Strong rate dependence of the tensile strength is observed. The flexural strength is higher than the tensile strength measured using Brazilian Disc (BD). This difference is rationalized using the non-local theory. To further validate the method, a coupled Finite element/Discrete element method (Fem/Dem) in conjunction with the smeared crack model is utilized to simulate the fracture process during dynamic SCB tests. The resulting fracture patterns are qualitatively consistent with those from recovered samples. Both the experimental and numerical methods have validated the results and this new method is readily to be used for other rocks and other brittle materials.

May 1, 2009

By L. M. Amaratunga, G. G. Hein, D. N. Yaschyshyn

Fine tailings produced in the milling process have traditionally been disposed of in tailings ponds. Attempts have been made to use these fine tailings in backfill, however, to date the majority of backfill operations have utilized only a small percentage of fines. The remaining fines are, therefore, being sent to tailings ponds creating a waste disposal and environmental problem. This disposal practice is even more acute in the gold milling industry where fine grinding, required for value liberation, results in the production of large quantities of fine tailings, of which a large percentage cannot be used in backfill. Through Cold-Bond Tailings Agglomeration (CBTA), these fine tailings can be agglomerated into pellets which can then be used as a coarse aggregate in back-fill. This paper presents the results of using these pellets to create an Agglomerated Tailings Paste Fill (ATPF) made entirely of fine gold mill tailings and cementing binders. Through this process, supplementary imported aggregates such as sand, gravel, rock-chips are not required while still maintaining adequate back fill strength. By using this CBTA technology, fine tailings are diverted from tailings ponds and becomes utilized as a value added resource in the form of aggregates for use in paste fill.

Jan 1, 1997