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By Y. Huang

Corrosion of GaAs in aqueous electrolytes is a major limitation in implementing GaAs-based photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion systems, In this work, the corrosion behavior was investigated by electrochemical methods and surface analysis approaches, in both H2SO4 and NH3?H2O solutions, Open-circuit measurements showed that the cleaned GaAs surface was very sensitive to water/air, Impedance measurements for n-GaAs showed that an inductive loop only appeared at a high corrosion rate because a reaction intermediate is the oxidant for a further decomposition step in combination with chemical reaction with water, The results suggest that the same corrosion/decomposition mechanism occurred on n-GaAs in the two solutions, When the surface-hole concentration was low, the hole injection or generation process was the rate-determining step, At large reverse bias on n-GaAs, with high-hole concentration, the corrosion rate was limited by a Faradaic adsorption process, involving an adsorbed intermediate, The different surface compositions after corrosion in the two solutions can be explained by the dissolution of As(0), Further oxidation of As(0) to As(III) in NH3?H2O solution is still slow, as suggested from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis,

Jan 1, 2005

By J. Lu, D. G. Ivey, H. Henein

Microalloyed steels are widely used in the oil and gas industry. They are a class of high strength, low carbon steels containing small additions of niobium (Nb), titanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo) and/or vanadium (V). These steels have good strength, toughness and excellent weldability, which are attributed in part to the presence of nano-sized carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides. In the pursuit of developing higher strength microalloyed steels, it is of great interest to quantify the size, distribution, volume fraction and chemical speciation of these precipitates. However, characterization techniques suitable for quantifying fine precipitates are limited. Possible characterization techniques include SEM, TEM and matrix dissolution. A comparison is presented of the various techniques.

Jan 1, 2005

By Harry Wilton-Clark

Introduction Coal cleaning may be taken as meaning the separation of coal-as-mined into two or more fractions. Coal cleaning includes coal washing, together with any other means used in the ultimate preparation of coal prior to shipment (as coal) . The method of coal cleaning devised for any given mine must be one which is based entirely on the economic results obtainable. The installation of a high-cost and complex washing plant, designed to produce a low-ash dean coal, at the highest possible recovery, may be unsound practice. A crude 'roughing' washer may be the best result of sound engineering and operating consideration, and in some cases coal cleaning should be confined entirely to preparation at the face. Consideration of complete costs, to the point where the coal is actually sold, may show that certain seams are workable or not workable. Of the seams found workable, extraction of the whole or parts of the seam may be decided on. The portion to be extracted may contain rock or bone partings, which must be removed. It may be good practice to mine the extra portion and remove the objectionable materials by surface washing; or it may be that such materials should be removed underground, even at an increased mining cost. For instance, in some of the steeply pitching seams of the Alberta Crow's Nest Pass district, the removal of bone and rock at the face may be almost impossible under the usual 'up the pitch' or 'angle' mining methods, but possible by mining across the pitch so that the material to be rejected can be removed and gobbed. Again, if a complete seam is being extracted, investigation may show marked differences between top coal and bench coal, and if sufficient mine cars are being loaded from a chute at one time, the fact that such a place is working top or bench coal at the time may be reflected by peaks in ash content or size proportions at the ripple. It may be very effective coal preparation to smooth out such peaks.

Jan 1, 1934

"Industry Guide 7 contains the Securities and Exchange Commission’s basic mining disclosure policy. It provides guidance for Registrants on various matters including the definition and disclosure of proven and probable reserves and the definitions of exploration, development and production stages. The definitions and disclosure instructions contained in this Guide apply to all public mining entities and their public disclosures. As NI 43-101 is law in Canada, the SEC allows mineral resources and mineral reserves prepared under CIM Definition Standards for issuers that are reporting in Canada but are also registered with the SEC. The SEC places conditions on the disclosure of these estimates. US shareholders are cautioned that the requirements under NI 43-101 and the CIM Definition Standards differ significantly from those of Industry Guide 7.Note: this Guide contains the Commission's basic mining disclosure policy. The definitions and disclosure instructions contained in this Guide apply to all public mining entities and their public disclosures pursuant to the rules of Regulation S-K. Questions regarding the application of these definitions and rules to specific situations should be asked of the Commission's mining engineers or geologists at either the Office of Engineering, Division of Corporation Finance, 202-272-3252, or the Branch of Geology, Central Regional Office, 303-844-1000.(a) Definitions. The following definitions apply to registrants engaged or to be engaged in significant mining operations:(1) Reserve. That part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination.Note: Reserves are customarily stated in terms of DoreD when dealing with metalliferous minerals; when other materials such as coal, oil shale, tar, sands, limestone, etc. are involved, an appropriate term such as Drecoverable coalD may be substituted.(2) Proven (Measured) Reserves. Reserves for which (a) quantity is computed from dimensions revealed in outcrops, trenches, workings or drill holes, grade and/or quality are computed from the results of detailed sampling and (b) the sites for inspection, sampling and measurement are spaced so closely and the geologic character is so well defined that size, shape, depth and mineral content of reserves are well- established.(3) Probable (Indicated) Reserves. Reserves for which quantity and grade and/or quality are computed from information similar to that used for proven (measured) reserves, but the sites for inspection, sampling, and measurement are farther apart or are otherwise less adequately spaced. The degree of assurance, although lower than that for proven (measured) reserves, is high enough to assume continuity between points of observation.(4)(i) Exploration StageDincludes all issuers engaged in the search for mineral deposit (reserves) which are not in either the development or production stage."

Jan 1, 2003

By A. A. Goss

We investigate the relationship between corporate financial performance (CFP) and environmental and social performance (CSP) in a sample (n=165) of large, publicly traded U.S. mining and oil and gas firms. Using optimally scaled principal components analysis to generate aggregate measures of CSP strengths and concerns, we find higher concerns are related to higher volatility of unexpected earnings and discount rates. Furthermore, these earnings shocks are more likely to be negative as concerns increase. Decomposing this relationship shows that negative environmental performance dominates proactive environmental management as a driver of unexpected earnings, but proactive community efforts increase the magnitude of earnings shocks. We document some evidence of the strategic use of CSR, with those firms that have greater risk investing more proactively in CSR.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. S. Eve

The detection of magnetic dykes by using magnetic variometers is the oldest application of. geophysics to mining, and is also one of the more simple and certain methods 0f locating such deposits. As a result of recent improvements in the instruments, it is now possible to find the dyke, deter-mine with magnetic variometers its strike and dip', with fair accuracy, and to estimate the approximate depth of overburden when there is no outcrop. The application of electrical methods may be used to distinguish mineral from diabase dykes. The authors have had an opportunity of making surveys with the modern Askania types of vertical and horizontal variometers over magnetic dykes in the Sudbury region. The interpretation of the results has been confirmed by diamond drilling in some cases, and by experiments over models. The variometers used were the standard form of Askania instruments (1). The sensitivity of the horizontal type was 17.2 gammas per division, and that of the vertical variometer double this quantity. To make a preliminary survey of the district, parallel lines were laid off two hundred feet apart running north and south, and readings were taken with the vertical variometer every 100 feet along these lines. This can be done very rapidly, and when an indication of a magnetic deposit is found, the readings may be taken every hundred feet, or less if the size of the deposit warrants smaller intervals. If the deposit is a vein or dyke, the readings along the adjacent lines immediately indicate the strike of the body. Thus the presence and strike of a magnetic dyke, whether of mineral value like the pyrrhotite and nickel deposits of the Sudbury district, or simply a worth-less diabase dyke, is simply and rapidly found.

Jan 1, 1932

By M. J. Brodie

"The decision to proceed with mine decommissioning, generally involves a number of complex and independent factors. These factors, including potential for re-opening, legal requirements, contingent liability, asset depreciation, due diligence, and public relations are discussed in the context of the financial implications on a net-present- value basis. It is concluded that the decision to delay mine decommissioning is commonly not in the best financial interests of the mine operator. Some measures to reduce decommissioning costs and expedite the process are presented.IntroductionThe primary audience for this paper is mining executives, although it should be of interest to all professionals involved in the planning and carrying out of mine decommissioning. Historically, mines were abandoned, not decommissioned. Then, as decommissioning became required, it was assumed that salvage revenue would pay for decommissioning. During the I980s, it became apparent that mine decommissioning costs would exceed salvage revenue for nearly all sites, and that a substantial net cost for decommissioning would be realized for some sites. Throughout this period, the approach to decommissioning has evolved through the sequential addition of measures to meet the increasing regulatory burden. This has resulted in a process in which the elements of decommissioning may not be optimized with respect to each other for the most favourable net present value to the corporation. Additional considerations which are not specific to mine decommissioning, such as environmental policy, due diligence and public relations, may now come to bear on the decision-making process.This paper addresses the issue of mine decommissioning as a three-step process. The first step involves identification and evaluation of all of the issues that relate to mine closure, the most importantof which is the potential for re-opening of a mine. Assuming that it is decided that a mine is unlikely to re-open, the second step is to determine when to carry out the decommissioning work. This aspect is examined through a net present value (NPV) approach. Finally, details regarding who does the work and how the various tasks are divided up must be resolved.Every mine is a unique concentration of minerals at some specific location, hence the development, operation and closure of a given mine must be regarded as a special case. Superimposed on the site-specific considerations are the size, history and financial status of the associated corporation."

Jan 1, 1995

By J. G. Martin, J. C. Campbell

THE VICTORIA JUNCTION 31,4-million-ton coal preparation complex went into operation in October 1976."' It is designed to produce a metallurgical coking coal by lowering the sulphur and ash content of the raw coal using a heavy-media cycloning process to treat deslimed crushed coal, with scavenging of fine coal by flotation from the primary minus-28-mesh screen product. A secondary H-M cyclone scavenges a thermal-grade coal from the primary H-M cyclone tailing.

Jan 1, 1985

By Wynne Potter

"On the west coast of Cape Breton Island four coal basins have been identified, varying in age and extending from Port Hood northeasterly to Chimney Corner. Those of Chimney Corner - St. Rose in the north and Port Hood in the south belong to the Pennsylvanian Riversdale Group while lying between them are the coal basins of Mabou and Inverness belonging to the younger Pictou Group. Almost all of the coal basins are submarine and coal mining was carried out on all basins at various times. The seams in all basins dip steeply seaward at angles from 10 to 20 degrees but were found to flatten seaward. The coal is ranked as a high volatile C bituminous coal. Ash and sulphur contents are high compared with Sydney coal and the coal has a tendency to spontaneous combustion when stored in large quantities.Of the four basins, the most significant is that of Mabou. At Mabou recent seismic and drilling investigations have indicated that although a sizable reserve of coal may be found offshore the structural problems, particularly faults, and the poor quality of the coal encountered will make it a resource of the future, if at all. Inferred resources have been calculated at 150 million tonnes in four seams over a 10 km2 area and extending 3 km from shore. The quality of the Mabou coals varies with ash, ranging from 5 to 25 per cent and sulphur up to 6 per cent. Calorific value ranges from 25.3 Mj I kg to 31. 7 Mj I kg. The Port Hood and St. Rose -Chimney Corner fields (Fig. 1) contain 16 million and 3 million tonnes respectively, but the Inverness basin is considered to have been depleted. The active mine in this area is the Evans Mine at St. Rose that is currently producing between 30 -50,000 tonnes a year from proven reserves of approximately 3 million tonnes."

Jan 1, 1985

By Mari Yamamoto

Controlled thermolysis of gold(I) complex, [Au(C13H27COO)(PPh3)], at 180 °C for 5 h under an N2 atmosphere affords the new type of monodispersed spherical gold nanoparticles capped by myristate and a small amount of PPh3 ligands (average diameter 23±1.5 nm), in spite of no use of solvent, reducing agent and stabilizer. Much attention has been paid to the preparation and structure determination of transition metal nanoparticles, because of their widespread use in technological applications.1 In general, the chemical reduction of metal salts and organometallic complexes2 by the use of reducing agent is carried out to prepare gold nanoparticles. In some cases, a large amount of solvent and stabilizers such as surfactants,3 polymers4 and ligands5 are used to prevent agglomeration of particles and control the particle size. For instance, Brust et al. reported a two-phase reduction of AuCl4 - by NaBH4 in the presence of dodecanethiol as stabilizer to prepare gold nanoparticles.6 On the other hand, O?Brien et al. recently reported an one-phase preparation of gold nanoparticles by the reduction of AuCl4 - by NaBH4 in the mixture of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and octadecylamine which act as both solvent and stabilizer, but this procedure also needs reducing agent.7

Oct 1, 2003

By M. Ataka

Magnesium alloys are not easy to plastically deform at room temperature and may suffer from edge cracking at high reductions, especially during sheet rolling. In this study, the authors attempted to improve the rollability by the low-temperature hot rolling method, in which the rolling temperature range is lower than that of hot rolling, and also by the edge-heating method, which locally heats sheet edges.

Jan 1, 2006

By C. Liu

Zeta potentials and settling rates of an oil sands tailings sample taken from Syncrude Canada Ltd's Aurora Stacker Pilot Operation were studied. Two clay minerals, kaolinite and illite, were also studied since these are the major constituent minerals in the fine oil sands tailings. Process water, decanted water as well as distilled water were used. It was observed that the zeta potentials of the tailings solids showed maximum negative values in process water at pH 8-10, which coincides with the pH of commercial hot water bitumen extraction process. The settling rates of the tailings sample were very low, at 0.008 m/hr in decanted water and 0.04 m/hr in process water. The rates were increased to 1.0 m/hr in decanted water and 0.13 m/hr in process water at an addition of 50 g/t Ciba AF1235. Although the settling rate was higher the supernatant was cloudier in decanted water than in process water. Further increase in the dosages of Ciba AF1235 did not increase the settling rates in decanted water but gradually increased it in process water, reaching 0.46 m/hr at 100 g/t. The results indicated that lower concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2 (in decanted water) benefited settling rates but did not benefit supernatant clarity. Test results also indicated that Ciba AF1235 caused selective flocculation of the tailings sample, since the top sediments had higher illite and lower quartz contents than the bottom sediments.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. Bender, H. D. Goodfellow

"Belt conveyors, because of their low capital and operating costs and inherent flexibility in handling a wide variety of products, have numerous applications in the mining industry. With the increased emphasis on improving the workplace environment, dust emissions from belt conveyors at transfer and other points have become a significant problem for many applications.The paper reviews belt conveyor dust control technology and compares dust emissions from belt conveyor systems with other possible materials handling systems. Technical information on existing belt conveyor installations which have been designed to minimize or eliminate dust emissions is summarized. The important features of good design as well as the necessary input from operating and maintenance personnel are highlighted. The status of research and development work on dust control on belt conveyor systems on a world-wide basis is discussed. A proposed methodology for field measurements of emission factors from belt conveyor systems is presented. Data collected from such a test program can be used to establish a design basis for new dust-free belt conveyors.IntroductionBelt conveyors have proven themselves over the year s in the mining industry as a reliable and low-co st method of moving bulk material at high tonnage rates. Because of the above, as well as their inherent flexibility in handling a wide variety of products, belt conveyors are often called the ""workhorses"" of bulk material handling systems. For many processing plants, belt conveyors serve as the ""vital link"" in providing feed to the plant and the removal of the finished product. As would be expected, there has been considerable engineering effort in designing rugged and reliable belt conveyor systems.It is also well known that belt conveyor systems are a primary source of respirable dust emissions. The major sources are from the tail pulley where material is received and the head pulley where material is discharged, from the return idlers, due to the fine material attached to the return belt, and from the take-up pulley. It is usually considered that for dust particles less than 10 microns, these particles will remain airborne and thus can have a profound effect on the workplace environment."

Jan 1, 1982

By J. Jankovic

Numerous advantages have been recognized for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating at temperatures of 500-700°C. However, there are several issues related to low temperature SOFCs, such as high electrolyte resistance and high electrode polarization. One of the routes to enhance the electrode performance, particularly for the cathode, is to use new materials with optimized microstructure. In this work, the plasma-spraying technique, recognized to have several advantages over presently used deposition techniques, was used to deposit cathode materials onto ceramic and stainless steel substrates to obtain highly porous structures. Cathode materials with composition of Lao 6Sr0.4Co02Fe0 8O3 (LSCF) were employed in the powder form. The LSCF was prepared from powder precursors with different pore formers and binder levels, or from already produced, single-phase LSCF. The (La0.8Sr0.2)0.98MnO3 (LSM) cathode material was also processed for comparison purposes. The deposition process was developed to obtain coatings with good bond strength, porosity, film thickness and residual stresses. The phase and microstructure of deposited materials were characterized using XRD and SEM.

Jan 1, 2005

By M. B. Greyver

The results of laboratory tests on iron precipitation from non-decopperized nickel anolyte are discussed. The parameters (pH, oxygen consumption and stirring speed) for iron precipitation from the anolyte, using the oxygen in the air, were determined. In the experiments conducted under optimized conditions, the residual concentration of iron in the anolyte after precipitation was 0.7-2.7 mg/L, and the copper and nickel losses to the solid phase were 0.05-0.07% and 0.05-0.16%, respectively. The filtration ability of the iron slurry obtained was 2 to 5 times higher as compared to that after chlorine oxidation and oxyhydrolysis. The leaching of the non-ferrous metals from the iron cake made using the separate nickel anolyte purification process was possible by dissolution in sulphuric acid. It was established that after cobalt precipitation from the copper- and iron-depleted anolyte, the precipitates obtained had lower ratios of Fe:Co and Ni:Co.

Jan 1, 2006

By P. Leo

Al-Mg-Si alloys are widely used as medium-strength structural materials; extrusion is the most common processing route. In the present hot deformation investigation of a 6060 alloy, the microstructure of the alloy has been analyzed in the as-cast state, after homogenization heat treatment and after hot deformation by tensile tests in the range 400-490°C and 10-4 to 10-2s-1 on both as cast and homogenized alloys. After deformation the microstructure of the as-cast alloy exhibited cavitation. The flow curves at the lowest test temperature T show a gradual softening after a stress peak, being more evident for the alloy deformed in the homogenized state in association with a high yield stress; at higher T a plateau is attained which is lower as T rises and strain rates decrease. For each fixed T, the ductility decreases as strain rate increases for the homogenized alloy whereas, for the as cast alloy, it rises with strain rate. Constitutive analysis gives Q = 240kJ1mol for the homogenized alloy in agreement with published values; this indicates a more rapid strength decline with rising T than Al, suitable for good hot workability along with the lack of cavitation.

Jan 1, 2011

By Carl Pelletier

The Sigma-Lamaque Complex is considered a lode-gold deposit characterized by narrow vein structures, which have been mined historically by underground methods. In addition to the narrow vertical structures, mining also took place on horizontal veins, ?North Dipper? veins and dykes mineralized with sub-horizontal veins and stringers. Over the 60 + years of production, mining took place to a depth of 1.8 km. The upper portion of the deposit was considered all but exhausted, when viewed from an underground mining perspective. The year 1998 is considered a turning point for the Complex when a small open pit was mined at Sigma. The resource evaluation methods used underground were applied to surface mining, which allowed small pits to be mined. The resource evaluation method considered only the narrow vertical structures and was not well adapted to open pit mining. As a consequence, resources were consistently under evaluated. It became clear that a new geological approach was necessary to more accurately define resources (i.e., what was being mined). In order to integrate all characteristics (geometry, mechanics and chronology) of this complex lode-gold deposit, a new geological model was proposed. Due to this new approach, dating to February 2000 and updated in December 2000, the reserves evaluated in the first 180 meters now stand at 15 million tonnes @ 2.61 g/t Au (1,265,350 oz). Those reserves cover an east-west corridor extending 1,500 m by 750 m.

May 1, 2001

By S. K. Sharma, Sanket Bacchuwar, Prabal Kumar Agrwal, G. V. Rao

"Iron ore processing industries play a vital role in the Indian economy. At present Iron ore of around +64% Fe is used for production of Iron through blast furnace. To produce +64% Fe from low/medium grade ores, crushing & beneficiation is compulsory. But during these processes, large amount of slime is generated. It is estimated that 18% -25% of tailing is generated during the processing of iron ore. The iron ore slime is discarded because of its particle size and chemical composition not being suitable as feed to the blast furnace. Although the fines/slimes can be agglomerated to larger particle, the alumina to silica ratio which is normally more than one pose serious problem during sintering process and subsequent smelting in blast furnace. The alumina content in the slime needs to be reduced for it to be used as the feed for blast furnace. The sample assayed 61.40% Fe, 7.68% SiO2, and 1.52% Al2O3, LOI 2.63% and all other elements were found in critical limit. A series of 27 tests were conducted by using a spiral for optimisation of process parameters to produce a pellet grade concentrate from the stacked slimes obtained from Kirandul. This paper deals with the optimisation studies of various parameters of a spiral concentrator and helps to utilize the fines from tailing ponds.INTRODUCTIONReserves of high-grade iron ores are diminishing all over the world at an alarming rate. As a result, alternative ways of augmenting and conserving precious and non - renewable natural resources are being seriously considered. One such attractive option is the recovery of metal values from slimes / tailings. Iron ore tailings containing around 48 - 60% Fe are generated from the iron ore washing plants and are disposed into tailing ponds without any further utility. These tailings in the form of slimes are not suitable in iron and steel making due to the presence of higher amount of gangue constituents. Several beneficiation techniques have been tried from time to time to reduce the gangue so that the beneficiated products could be effectively used."

Jan 1, 2016

Applying DEM to prediction of tumbling mill performance is challenging because several different modes of breakage are active in the process. As our knowledge of breakage and computational capacity improve, it is worth revisiting previous simulation tasks which did not produce a satisfactorily realistic description of a measured process. At SAG 2006, we reported the simulated and measured outcomes of treating a well characterised ore in a 1.2 m diameter mill. This well instrumented, pilot scale mill at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has been combined with some new approaches to ore testing to allow different modes of breakage to be tested. The mill design allows the rate of generation of fine material to be measured in close to real time for autogenous and SAG mill charges. The updated simulation model estimates mass loss with particle evolution and embeds the cumulative damage and breakage. The simulated results are compared with the measured results. Issues such as relating modelling inputs to particle breakage characterisation data and the accuracy of the predictions of the models are discussed.

Jan 1, 2012

By G. Deschênes

"In 2013, as the prices of precious metals dropped, investors moved their positions to equity markets for higher returns. As a result, the price of gold dropped further to below US$1200 per ounce, prompting additional substantial outflows from gold investments. In response to lagging gold prices, major gold producers initiated large asset write-downs and cost-cutting programmes. In 2015, this trend continues and gold mining stocks are close to lows not seen since the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008. In the current economic climate many projects have marginal economics, and the number of projects that have competitive development and production costs is declining. A competitive edge is particularly important with the decreasing grades of orebodies, increasing complexity of the mineralogy, and increasingly demanding environmental constraints. In addition, higher cost producers seek to optimize their process t o reduce operating costs.This paper presents some highlights of three case studies on optimization of gold leaching strategies that improved the economics of brownfield projects. Processing of sulphide-bearing ores was optimized by using the synergy between cyanide, lead nitrate, and oxygen. The outcomes were significant reduction of retention times while maintaining or increasing gold extraction and reducing cyanide addition and effluent treatment costs. A stirred tank reactor experimental programme led to direct implementation of reliable leaching strategies from laboratory scale to production. This approach resulted in savings of $2.2 million to $15.2 million on the three brownfield projects discussed in this paper."

Jan 1, 2016