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By Poltak Sinaga

PT Kaltim Prima Coal's 13.1 km overland conveyor was commissioned in 1991. It is of conventional 3 roller 350 troughed belt type. Cost and performance optimisation during initial design ended up with 5.4m/s belt speed, 1,000mm belt width to convey 1,350tph, and 7mtpa of coal. Despite high initial figure, the belt speed was lifted to 6.5 mps in 1996 to accommodate mine throughput increase. In 2002, new low loss ST2100 1,100mm wide belt replaced the old ST2250 due for change-out. An upgrade project was initiated at the end of 2003 to further increase the belt speed to 8.5 mps, hence to increase the OLC capacity to 30mtpa. Performance data, experience of site personnel, site observation and tests, benchmarking, and information from equipment manufacturers were major inputs to the design review. The project fast track was another challenge in addition to executing modifications on a production lifeline. The project was completed within fifteen months and the OLC was successfully commissioned at 8.5 mps belt speed in February 2005. The OLC has been to date conveying 4200tph satisfactorily.

Jan 1, 2008

Ion exchange (IX) has been in use for a long time, references to IX are made in The Bible, Exodus Chapter 15 vs. 22-25 ?and the waters were made sweet?.1, 2 Aristotle noted a reduction in the salt content of water when passed through certain types of sand, a phenomena probably associated with ion exchange characteristics of zeolites. Some major milestones in IX development include; ? ~ 1400 BC Moses ? ~ 330 BC Aristotle ? 1850 the discovery of the IX process3 ? 1909 Gans proposed zeolites for gold recovery ? 1935 sulfonated coals used for water softening ? 1939 copper recovery from Rayon Production ? 1940 The Rare Earth Project at Ames ? 1952 first South African U IX mine at West Rand (first SX of U using amines 1957) ? 1954 first U IX in USA at Shiprock Mine N.M. USA. ? Late 1950?s U IX over 50 fixed bed systems installed in North America ? 1950?s-1960?s FSU introduce U IX both fixed bed and RIP ? 1968 Gold IX (RIP) Muruntau Uzbekistan (CIL wasn?t commercialized until 1973) ? Mid 1970?s FSU & USA independently develop ISL combined with IX for U recovery ? 1978 Chinese Tungsten IX commercial Plant ? 1984 Uranium extraction from seawater ? 2004 Recovery of Gallium using hydroxyamic acid ligands ? Current ? Commercialization of IX for recovery of gold thiosulfate. Ion exchangers can be naturally occurring or synthetic; the majority of ion exchange materials in use today are synthetic resins based upon organic polymers such as polystyrene or methacrylate. Into more modern times the use of ion exchange for metal recovery was first proposed for the recovery of gold using zeolites in 1909.4 In 1939 copper was being recovered from the manufacturing of Rayon using ion exchange5 a development that continued applicability through to current times in the production/recovery of copper and nickel in ammoniacal leach processes. In early 1949 researchers at the Rohm & Haas Company discovered that hexavalent uranium existed as an ionic complex in sulfuric acid leach liquors, and that quaternary ammonium anion exchange resins exhibited a high selectivity for this ionic species6 The first commercial application of this technology went on-stream in October 1952 at the West Rand Consolidated Mines, Ltd operation in South Africa. 7 Ion Exchange has been applied for the recovery and purification of a range of metals;8 ? Uranium, Thorium and transuranic elements ? Rare Earths ? Gold, Silver and platinum group metals (PGM?s) ? Chromium, Copper, Zinc, Nickel, Cobalt ? Refractory Metals; Molybdate, Vanadate, Tungstate, Rhenium Mercury.

Feb 27, 2013

By D. C. Hogeman

Growing Greener is the single largest investment of state funds in Pennsylvania’s history, allocated to address the Commonwealth’s critical environmental concerns. Signed into law by Governor Tom Ridge on December 15, 1999, Growing Greener will enable the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to appropriate nearly $240 million over five years, to watershed restoration and protection, abandoned mine reclamation, and oil and gas well plugging projects. DEP has utilized these allocations in some remarkably innovative ways, as it: involves the cooperation of several state agencies, local governments, and grassroots organizations to address environmental concerns of the Commonwealth, provides funds directly to watershed groups based on locally determined decisions for local watersheds and offers a user friendly process. In three years, over $130 million in watershed restoration and improvement projects have been initiated.

Jan 1, 2002

By S. D. Thompson

An AIME transaction by P.L. Allsman (1960), "Analysis of Explosive Action in Breaking Rock," contains many useful concepts applicable to blast design. Of special interest was the derivation of a heave blasting burden formula, which is important in establishing the maximum burden. Unfortunately, its derivation contains a fundamental error and then a compensating one. This formula was: [ ] The derivation used the impulse-momentum principle, with a 0.3 m thick (1 ft thick) radius of rock mass being acted on by an explosive impulse. However, the rock weight was not converted to mass by dividing by the gravitational constant. This mistake can be verified by checking the units in the formula, which resolve into m%-sec instead of meters. Adding the gravitational constant corrects this: [ ] If the minimum velocity is now taken as 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec), as was recommended, excessively large burdens result. Any appropriate rock velocity should be capable of throwing the rock mass a minimum distance so that the swell needed for breakage can occur. Unless the burden is extremely small and the bench height is very high, it is unlikely that a velocity of only 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec) will be sufficient. A review of the literature indicates that average rock velocities observed by camera studies typically range from 15 to 30 m/sec (50 to 100 ft per sec) (duPont deNemours and Co., 1977; Tansey, 1979). On this basis, a minimum rock velocity of about 15 m/sec (49 ft per sec) would be expected and not 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec). When a velocity of 15 m/sec (49 ft per sec) is inserted into the corrected formula, the results approximate those of the original formula with a velocity of 0.3 m/sec (1 ft per sec). The errors were approximately self-compensating [ ] References Allsman, P.L., 1960, "Analysis of Explosive Action in Breaking Rock," Transactions, AIME, Vol. 217, pp. 475-476. E. I. duPont deNemours and Co., 1977, Blasters' Handbook, 175th Anniversary Edition, Dupont, Wilmington, DE, pp. 233. Tansey, D.O., 1979, "The DuPont Sequential Blasting System," CIM Bulletin, Vol. 72, July, p. 80. Thompson, S.D., 1981, "Critical Review and Revision of Surface Blasting Practice," MS thesis, West Virginia University, pp. 308-316.

Jan 3, 1985

By S. L. Lebo, J. D. Gargulak

Lignin, the second most abundant natural polymer and bi-product of the pulp and paper industry, has been commercially available in a number of forms since 1940. This growing industry is fueled by demand in traditional applications. Reagents that offer unique solutions in various mineral process applications are examples of advanced uses that also fuel growth. These applications include flotation reagents in fluorspar, bastnäsite and potash, as well as in the zinc pressure leach process. Due to the fact that no concerted effort has been made to find applications for modified lignosulfonates, it is quite possible that this natural material will find use in other benefication processes.

Jan 1, 2002

Invensys’ recently introduced Field Device Manager for Foxboro I/A Series distributed control systems provides the industry’s first solution that takes advantage of both the latest Enhanced Electronic Device Description Language (Enhanced EDDL) and FDT technologies. This combination provides comprehensive lifecycle support to configure, calibrate, commission, diagnose and optimize the performance of any vendors’ foundation fieldbus device. The I/A Series Field Device Manager enables users to take advantage of any EDDL, Enhanced EDDL and/or FDT host deliverables supplied by the device vendor.

Jan 1, 2007

By F. J. Klingler, R. Hausmann, K. M. Swaffar, J. C. Neyer

This paper presents the results of a study of case histories of projects on which sinking caissons were used to construct shafts for tunnel construction and other underground works. Design methodologies are reviewed with respect to the impact of soil and groundwater conditions on the performance and constructability of sinking caissons. Factors which have led to success or failure are reviewed and evaluated, and recommendations for future investigation, design and construction activities are presented. Cost data for five recent projects are reviewed and compared to the cost of shaft installation by other means.

Jan 1, 1997

By N. C. Trivedi

Natural calcium carbonate, commonly known as limestone is an abundant resource pretty much worldwide. Calcium carbonate occurs naturally as the main constituent of chalk, limestone, and marble. One of the unique characteristics of this abundant mineral is its versatility. Major markets for calcium carbonate are: paper, plastics, caulks and sealants, carpet backing, paint, and food additives. This broad spectrum of consuming industries has warranted producers of this industrial mineral to be innovative and quality focused simply to meet the ever increasing demands for performance. This need for improving performance of calcium carbonate has led to the development of new sources of calcium carbonate, natural as well as synthetic.

Jan 1, 2002

By D. H. Horswill

Red Dog, the world’s largest zinc mine, is located ninety miles north of the Arctic Circle in northwest Alaska on lands owned by the Inupiat Eskimo organization called NANA. NANA received a subsurface title over this resource as part of their settlement lands under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and subsequently entered into a Lease Agreement with Cominco in 1982. Cominco, an international mining company focused on zinc, built and operated the mine. NANA’s principle objective in the development of the mine was to have it contribute to the development of sustainable communities within their traditional region. This meant creating job opportunities in a modern economy while preserving the traditional subsistence lifestyles. Preservation of their culture, language, and traditions are as important to the NANA people today as they were through ages past. The principles of sustainable development – matching economic, environmental, and social goals through continuous communications and high commitment to efficient and effective operations – have been core values for the Red Dog Mine from the beginning. This paper will describe how a large mining operation in a remote corner of the world has been able to contribute toward sustainable development in that region.

Jan 1, 2000

By John W. Shield

Oxide gold reserves are being rapidly depleted, especially in regions with long histories of gold mining, such as the Black Hills of South Dakota. However, these districts often have substantial additional deposits, where gold is refractory. It is not amenable to traditional cyanide extraction due to the presence of sulfide minerals that encapsulate or otherwise preclude the economic extraction of the gold. Several technologies have been developed to render refractory sulfide deposits amenable to traditional cyanide processing. These include roasting and pressure autoclaving. Unfortunately, these oxidation processes require substantial capital investment and incur significant operating costs. Microorganisms that obtain energy for their life processes by the oxidation of iron sulfides can be used to treat gold-bearing refractory sulfide minerals. As the bacteria convert the sulfide to sulfate, they expose any gold associated with the sulfide matrix. This makes the gold amenable to cyanide extraction.

Jan 1, 1996

By Robert C. Pease

Siskon Gold has started gold production at the San Juan deposit in northern California. The mine is located about 27 km (17 miles) north of Nevada City, CA (Fig. 1). It is scheduled to be-come the largest underground gold mine in California. It is situated in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Mother Lode gold belt. The property consists of 8 km2 (2,000 acres) of patented land. It is situated in a topographically high area known as San Juan Ridge, which is 213 m (700 ft) above and between the Middle Yuba and South Yuba rivers. The elevation is between 790 and 914 m (2,600 and 3,000ft) above sea level. Annual precipitation averages 1,346mm (53 in.). Most of that falls between November and April.

Jan 1, 1996

By Richard F. Hammen

Mineral extraction from sulfide ore deposits usually leads to the combined action of oxygen and water on the newly exposed ore. The result is acid mine drainage, a low pH solution of various metal sulfate salts and sulfuric acid. Paradoxically, the valuable metals dissolved in acid mine water are a liability because they are too toxic for discharge but too dilute to recover economically. The expense of compliance with water quality release standards has reduced the profitability of many mining operations. Solid phase extraction (SPE) columns have been developed to extract metals from acid mine water. These columns are designed to remove the toxic elements from water and recover the metals as purified fractions. This article describes the results of a Phase 1 bench-scale project to test the performance of the SPE columns. The tests were conducted with water collected from the abandoned Berkeley Pit copper mine in Butte, MT.

Jan 1, 1993

By D.G. Osborne

Each month abstracts of the papers selected for the Annual Bound TRANSACTIONS Volume will appear on this page. Since the Annual Bound Volume will not be published until the spring of next year, this will give people an opportunity to order copies of the papers earlier. If you would like copies, fill out the coupon below and return it to SME-AIME. Each copy will cost

Jan 1, 1985

By D. M. Jepsen

One of the first things we tell a potential new client is that they have only one chance to make a first impression with an Aboriginal community; all future communications and engagement will be predicated on that first impression. The key components of this most critical meeting are not your power point, your maps, or your draft plan for development ? they are instead a genuine, evident and clear demonstration of a sincere desire to develop a positive relationship that is based upon respect, and consideration and understanding of local communities and their interests, needs and desires. Relationship building is the foundation of proactive and positive consultation and accommodation with Aboriginal communities and the tone is set with the first meeting. C3 has refused more clients than we have accepted due most often to the fact that relationships between the company and the Aboriginal community have already devolved into a tense and toxic scenario. Land access and tenure certainty for exploration and mine development is critical to the foundation of a healthy, sustainable and environmentally and economically sound mineral exploration and mining sector. Without certainty confidence to invest in mineral exploration will be severely eroded. We all understand that substantive investments in exploration are required to increase the possibility of discovering, defining and developing new mines. The development of positive relationships based on a shared commitment of understanding, mutual respect and trust by Aboriginal Peoples and the mineral sector can provide the required business certainty and deliver social and economic benefits for local Aboriginal communities.

Jan 1, 2012

By M. E. Gershon

Conventional methods of drill hole site selection are reviewed briefly. Two approaches using geostatistics are then discussed, both of which have been shown to yield improved results. Finally, a branch and bound algorithm is described which will select the best locations for drilling from a user specified number of possible drill sites. Two options are discussed. First, the user can specify a maximum drilling investment or a maximum number of drill holes and the program will select the locations yielding the minimum estimation variance. This amounts to getting the most for a given investment. Alternatively, a maximum tolerable estimation variance can be specified and the program will select the number and location of the drill holes to obtain the desired information at a minimum cost. Another benefit of the approach is the quantification of the tradeoffs between investment and information obtained.

Jan 1, 1985

By E. Tulcanaza

M.S. Azun I do not at all agree with the basic points of the author's conclusion. The use of lognormal or normal model to respond to the attribute distribution function should be carefully questioned. If fitting a distribution function of regionalized variables is the main purpose, one may employ one of certain well-known families of distributions, such as Tukey's lambda functions. For instance, the distribution function of gold assay values studied by Krige (Krige, 1978) may fit the lognormal model well, but one should not exclude that the basic idea of using the distribution function of observed data is to have insight of the physical mechanism that gives rise to the regionalized variables. In Applied Geostatistics, there are many examples considering only lognormal or normal model for the distribution function of geostatistical data even if the observed distribution function has more than one mode. Of course, using lognormal or normal model always brings easy computation for the statistical properties of attribute under investigation. Still, I object to adopting any of those models without having any "statistical inference." As seen from the author's paper, lognormal and normal model produce the same average grade (0.746% copper) and almost the same sample variance. Therefore, which model explains the probabilistic behavior of ore deposit is always an important question that should be replied by the geostatistician using not the common sense but the statistical and probabilistic methods. For kriging procedures, such as linear kriging, one should describe either second order stationary properties or bivariate properties of regionalized variables. Second order properties, such as correlogram function or semivariogram function, are the inputs of the so-called kriging equations. Selecting one of any useable models for the observed second order properties, such as spherical model, is not easy since the models are not based on the correlations structure of the regionalized variables. How those models being used in Applied Geostatistics can be distinguished is another important problem. One may develop many fitting models to respond to the observed second order properties of regionalized variables. However, I suggest that the model should be based on the probabilistic behavior of geologic process. The author used spherical model for copper, wolfram, and silver grades from isotropic sector (Fig. 2, 4, 3b) and exponential model for silver grades obtained along raises in isotropic sector (Fig. 3a). It seems that those semivariograms given in Fig. 3b for isotropic sector and Fig. 4 may be described by the random model implying that regionalized variables do belong to renewal process (Azun, 1983). If I knew the total number of data points used in estimation, I may prove that my conclusion is correct. Recalling the test for the first order sample correlogram value, the test procedure is introduced such that the independence is rejected if [ ] where Za/2 is the a/2 percentile of standard normal random variable and N is the total number of samples used in estimation (Azun, 1983). For the other observed semivariogram functions I suggest the author might try to use the so-called "Markovian model" describing not only the correlation structure of regionalized variables, but also the physical mechanism that produces the regionalized variables. The Markovian model for correlogram function is, [ ] The Markovian model for the other second order properties of ReV are also derived. T ve B, in the above equation, show, for example, structural change and mineralizational variation in a considered deposit, respectively (Azun, 1983). In selecting any model, it is not easy to search for the "best" response to the observed second order properties of ReV's. The Markovian model, based on a theoretical understanding of underlying mechanism, gives more information about the occurrence of regionalized variables and respond to all properties. Random model and the so-called hole effect structure can be easily defined as a special form of the Markovian model (Azun, 1983). An estimation of any second order properties of regionalized variables may be computed through (N-1) lag. However, the dependency between the regionalized variables may be deemed to have "died out" after the so-called stationarity width (range). In practice, the estimation is carried out through 25% of the total number samples available. Therefore, the large fluctuations around the zero level and variance for correlogram or covariogram function and semi-variogram function, respectively, cannot be observed. Since the number of pairs involved in the estimation of higher second order properties is small, the estimation variance at those lags is large. There is no need to show higher order estimated second order properties. After using one of any kriging procedure for block estimation, the distribution function of average grades has the same mean as the drilling sample grades but

Jan 3, 1985

By Z. Mullard

The introduction of social media platforms has ushered in a new era of interaction and information exchange, which impact business-to-society relationships. Mining companies are closely watching these platforms, as the industry takes a cautious approach to control flows of information. This paper explores the risks, challenges and opportunities of using social media, based on a qualitative mixed methods investigation with stakeholders from the Canadian mining industry. Generational and language barriers, misunderstanding and limited motivation from regulators make implementing social media platforms challenging and risky at an organizational level. The benefits of social media include being able to mobilize communities and share information in real time. Despite the challenges, the study found that 62% of mining stakeholders are incorporating social media tools, mostly in an ad hoc manner. Flexible strategies for transparent communication and public engagement are creating new opportunities for information exchange.

Jan 1, 2011

By Ramon B. Santos

The Atlas Concentrator, reputedly the largest in the Far East today, is located on the island of Cebu in the Republic of the Philippines. It started operation on a 4000 TPD capacity in 1955. An expansion program, coupled with significant improvements both in the Crushing Plant and the Mil, made the Atlas Concentrator what it is today, treating about 14,000 tons of ore per day at a comparatively low cost of about $0.50 per ton treated. The Atlas Copper Mine is at present mainly an open pit operation, with ore supplied from two pits (Lutopan and Biga) north of the Concen¬trator. Development of an Underground Mine, situated on the main ore body at Lutopan, which will be a block caving operation, has been underway since 1963, and this underground mining operation is expected to b e in full production by the latter part of 1966.

Jan 1, 1966

By Jose F. T. Agapito

The mining engineer must be able to predict the structural behavior of the rock around underground openings so that he can answer questions relating to safety and economics. With the present status of rock mechanics knowledge, exact predictions cannot be attained and approximate idealizations are made. As a first approximation, structural design makes use of theory, laboratory testing of rock properties, and available experience from excavations in similar rock formations. However, realistic design can usually be obtained only after in-situ observations and measurements are made. After all the information is collected, judgement and experience play a most important role in the final formulation of the design. This paper describes part of a geotechnical program which was instrumental in obtaining information for the design of large oil shale pillars. The work was carried out during 1971 and 1972 in the experimental mine of the Colony Development Operation. Colony is an oil shale venture formed between Atlantic Richfield Company, Operator, The Oil Shale Corporation, Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, and Sohio Petroleum Company to conduct research and development in mining and retorting of oil shale, The property is located in the southern edge of the Piceance Creek Basin in northwestern Colorado, approximately 250 miles west of Denver (Figure 1) . Mining was conducted by the room-and-pillar method in a 60-ft high portion of the Green River Formation at a depth of 600 to 850 ft, Pillar dimensions are approximately 60 ft by 60 ft. The mine site is in the eastern face of the canyon containing the Middle Fork of Parachute Creek, The distance from the mine to the side of the mountain varies from 500 to 1,200 ft, and its height above the stream floor is approximately 700 ft.

Jan 1, 1974

In this work, the crystallization of Carnallite from waste brine of Qaidam Basin in Qinghai province was studied based on NaCl-KCl-MgCl2-H2O phase diagram. According to this study, a new crystallization pathway to recycling waste brine was developed. The carnallite salt was formed by using this technology during the waste brine evaporation. The experiment data shows that 5 tons of waste brine was required to form one ton of the carnallite. The average grade of carnallite prepared by using this procedure was about 19.40% of KCl, 16.92% of NaCl, 28.80% of MgCl2, and 0.82% of CaSO4. This study provides an opportunity to utilization of the waste brine.

Jan 1, 2012