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By James R. Jones

The purpose of these opening remarks is to establish a viewpoint, which will form part of the basis for later discussion between panel members and between the panel and the audience. Important issues will be identified. These ideas in the form of questions and answers, hopefully, will provide the necessary background for the ensuing dialogue. Is There An Urgency? We do not believe there is the urgency for immediate control legislation that has been depicted by some Congressional sources, environmental groups, and certain segments of the press. Emissions of sulfur oxides in the United States have decreased 15% during the 19701s, even though the use of coal by electrical utility power plants increased nearly 80%. That trend will continue as the older plants are phased out of operation and are replaced with newer plants, which must meet the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) requiring the use of "scrubbers" to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 70% or 90%. The present Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977, by allowing the logical progression of economic events- -depreciation, retirement, replacement, and growth--will produce approximately a 50 % reduction in SOX emissions by the year 2015.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. Taghavi, I. Hassan, A. Solecki

"The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail (LRT) Project is part of an $8.4 billion investment to expand transit in the Toronto, Canada area and is the largest transit project initiated in Province’s history. Settlement control and impact to over 1400 adjacent structures due to tunnelling was identified early as a critical project risk. The ground conditions along the 10km tunnel alignment consist of water bearing soft ground deposits (clays, sands, silts) which required careful analysis and control during design and construction. This paper will describe the process used to analyze settlements along the numerous of adjacent structures and evaluate achieved settlement results to those used during design. The paper will demonstrate that with the appropriate design specifications, selection of modernized EPB machines, and contractor performance, settlement can be maintained well below typical industry (volume loss) standards, expanding the application and suitability of soft ground tunnelling in sensitive settlement areas. INTRODUCTION The Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project is part of an $8.4 billion (2010$ CND) investment from the Ontario provincial government to expand transit in the Toronto, Canada area. The project is being developed by Metrolinx, an agency of the Government of Ontario to provide 19 kilometers of dedicated LRT service connecting the City of Toronto from the west to east along Eglinton Avenue. Upon completion in the year 2020, the Crosstown will be the first LRT constructed in Toronto. It will link regional and local transit, cut travel time along the route by half and provide over a thousand jobs during construction."

Jan 1, 2016

By Jr. Pitts

Elevation of surface charge density on colloidal particles in the presence of a high potential electrostatic field is demonstrated as a viable technique for preventing the accumulation of solids in solvent extraction circuits. The effect of the technique is manifest by relative turbidity measurements between pregnant leach solution and raffinate, by changes in the character of the sludge accumulations, by alteration of the zeta potential of particulates, and by a general reduction in the mass of solids.

Jan 1, 1992

By F. J. Hurst

Phosphate rock, which is a prime source of phosphate used in fertilizer manufacture in the United States, contains uranium. In general, the uranium content of the rock increases with the phosphate content and most high-grade phosphate deposits (>30% P2O5) contain 0.01- 0.02% U3 8. The large tonnages of rock being mined represent a significant potential source of uranium that lends itself to recovery as a by-product of the wet-process phosphate industry. For example, in 1953, the U. S. Geological Survey estimated that recoverable phosphate reserves in the U. S. totaled about 5 billion tons and contained 600,000 tons of uranium. I This estimate did not include any rock from North Carolina which has since been estimated at about 2 billion tons. For the most part, the known, economically mineable U. S. reserves - estimated at about 7 billion tons - are concentrated in a few areas: 43% in the western states of Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming; 28% in each of Florida and North Carolina and less than 1% in Tennessee. In the past, Florida has supplied about 80% of the total U. S. production, practically all of which is land pebble phosphate. All forecasts indicate increased production rates from North Carolina and the western states.

Jan 1, 1976

By JESSICA W. A. AZURE, Samuel Frimpong, AZUPURI G. A. KABA, FORSYTH A. KADINGDI, PROSPER E. A. AYAWAH

This study developed machine learning (ML) models for predicting rock formation reactive forces experienced by a hydraulic shovel bucket during excavation. To do this, rock formation in the form of muckpile was modeled as granular ball elements in three-dimensional particle flow code (PFC) using linear bonding logic. A typical field-size hydraulic shovel bucket modelled in AutoCAD was used to excavate the rock formation and the three-dimensional shovel bucket resistive forces required to cut through the rock formation were measured and recorded. The experiments involved different muckpile height, bulk densities, repose angles, and average fragment size. Six ML algorithms, artificial neural network (ANN), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), linear, random forest (RF), regression tree (RT), and support vector machine (SVM), were evaluated on their ability to predict the shovel bucket resistive forces. The input variables used for the prediction of the resistive forces were the muckpile bulk density, angle of repose, height, and fragment size. The results showed that the ML techniques are useful and reliable methods of predicting rock formation resistive forces based on the rock formation properties. This research is a preliminary step towards developing reliable models for accurate prediction of excavation forces/torques which could potentially enhance hydraulic shovel process automation.

Sep 27, 2021

By R. A. Jankowski, J. D. Potts

Four underground respirable dust surveys were conducted to determine factors affecting belt entry dust levels and how using belt air to ventilate work areas affected dust exposures. Belt entry dust levels on the surveyed longwall and continuous miner section averaged 0.59 and 0.26 mg/m3, respectively. The stageloader/crusher contributed an additional 0.5 to 0.9 mg/m3 of dust to belt air, while the feederbreaker contributed 0 to 0.2 mg/m3 of dust. A 1000 ft (305 m) increase in belt entry length or a 200 to 500 tons/shift (181,000 to 454,000 kg/shift) increase in production resulted in roughly a 0.1 mg/m3 increase in dust. Using the belt entry as an intake entry on the continuous miner section appeared to reduce dust levels by 0.1 to 0.3 mg/m3 during cutting. Belt air was not used to ventilate the face on the longwall section.

Jan 1, 1992

By William A. Gibson, Kenneth P. Neumann

In 1967, development of the Cyprus Thompson Creek molybdenum deposit began near Challis, ID. The first mining claims were staked on an intrusive rock out-crop. Exploration continued for 14 years. In 1978, the decision was made to develop the deposit. In Dec. 1980, approval was received for the environmental impact statement and facilities construction and waste rock removal began. By the middle of 1983, 126 Mt (139 million st) of rock had been removed and all facilities completed. Location The Thompson Creek project is located about 58 km (36 miles) southwest of Challis in Custer County, in south central Idaho. The mine and mill are situated between 2.2 and 2.6 km (7,217 and 8,530 ft) in elevation. The project is located in an isolated area. Surrounded by mountains, it is adjacent to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The Salmon river is 8 km (5 miles) south of the project. The project claim block is lo-

Jan 1, 1984

By Chamila Jinendra Nanayakkara, Nimila Dushyantha, Amila Sandaruwan Ratnayake, Gayithri Niluka Kuruppu

Rare earth elements (REEs) are key ingredients in many advanced materials used in energy, military, transportation, and communication applications. However, the prevailing geopolitical dynamics and the rising demand for REEs have rendered the reliance on primary REE resources susceptible to future supply disruptions, posing a substantial risk to the availability of these elements for numerous applications. Therefore, it is imperative to undertake substantial initiatives in the extraction of REEs from secondary sources on a large scale to ensure the resilience of the supply chain. Permanent magnets, lighting phosphors, and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are among the secondary sources with high potential for sustainable REE extraction. This review assesses the extraction potential of REEs from the aforementioned three secondary sources and their leaching kinetics and thermodynamics aspects. More importantly, state-of-the-art different existing kinetic models employed in rare earth (RE) leaching were well discussed for a better understanding of the REE leaching reactions. Furthermore, the optimized leaching parameters related to this kinetics were described, and various RE recovery methods were comprehensively summarized. These processes facilitate to managing one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams by minimizing environmental impacts and producing critical metals, including REEs via circular economy approaches. The recovery of REEs from secondary sources aligns with numerous United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the renewable energy sector for climate change mitigation. Consequently, this trash-to-treasure urban mining concept to transforming e-waste into a valuable resource for REE recovery emerges as a pivotal element within the REE industry.

Dec 28, 2023

By Roy H. Paddon

This paper describes the 6, 000 tpd, three stage haulage system at the Ozark Lead Company's mine in southeastern Missouri. It details the methods and problems pertinent to the loading, hauling, sorting, crushing, storing and hoisting of waste rock and ores obtained from underground development headings and production areas. The Ozark Lead Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Kennecott Copper Corporation. Its mine is located nine miles south of Bunker in Reynolds County at the south end of the "New Lead Belt" mining district. Development started in May, 1964, by drilling a seven foot diameter (six foot cased), 1, 250 foot development-ventilation shaft. Drifting began in August, 1965, to obtain a bulk ore sample, to test ore continuity, and to drive two mine levels while the pre-grouted production shaft was being sunk. Over 7, 900 feet of 12 by 24 foot drifting was done from this small shaft. In March, 1966, a 20 foot diameter, three compartment, concrete lined production shaft was collared. It intersected existing development headings at a depth of 1, 195 feet in April, 1967, and was completed along with a concentrator and other facilities in June, 1968. Mine production began that month, with 5, 000 tpd reached in 1970.\

Jan 1, 1971

By George J. Hartman

The Fort Cady in situ borate-mining project involves recovering boron from a deposit more than 400 m (1,300 ft) below the surface. The resource recovery method is a new in situ mining technology that uses weak acid solution injected directly into the ore body. As the acid contacts the calcium-based ore (primarily natural colemanite), the contained borate values are digested as boric acid. This boric acid solution is then pumped to the surface by submersible pumps. A series of chemical reactions and precipitations are performed that result in the production of calcium borate. The borate values are then recovered as a finely divided solid white powder. The refined product is sold under the trade name Cadycal 100. The Fort Cady in situ borate-mining project is located about halfway between Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV in the Mohave Desert.

Jan 1, 1996

By Jack S. Greber

The mining industry generates an estimated 2.3 billion tons of solid waste each year and the total accumulated mineral resource solid waste at both active and inactive mine sites, approaches 30 billion tons. Five industries generate 85 percent of mine solid waste: copper, phosphate, iron, uranium, and coal. Over the past several years, the Federal government has shown increasing interest in the proper disposal of solid wastes generated by the mining industry. Three new pieces of federal legislation have been passed recently beginning with the most comprehensive regulatory authorization passed in 1976, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) which has been amended to the Solid Waste Disposal Act Amendments of 1980. RCRA is implemented and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and intended to control municipal and industrial solid wastes. Next came the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 which is implemented and enforced by the Department of Interior to control coal surface mining and the surface effects of underground coal mining, and finally, the recent Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) of 1978 implemented by EPA and enforced by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to control uranium mill tailings disposal.

Jan 1, 1981

By Carrie Smith

Mining has historically been one of the most male-dominated industries in the world. From underground operations to executive boardrooms, the presence of women has often been slim. Women had often been excluded from operational, leadership and decision-making roles, both by cultural norms and systemic barriers. According to PwC’s Global Mine Report (2023), women represent around 14 percent of the global mining workforce. Leadership representation, however, remains sparse, with S&P Global’s 2023 report showing women holding approximately 12 percent of C-suite positions and only 3 percent of senior leadership roles globally. These figures reflect persistent gaps, but they also highlight the progress driven by a new generation of women transforming the industry. Despite the gender imbalance among mining workers, women have continuously made grand strides within the industry, resulting in pivotal changes. At the forefront of this transformation is Kimberly Morrison, one of several women who have played pivotal roles in shaping the mining sector.

Aug 1, 2025

By MUSTAFA ERKAYAOGLU, ENVER YILMAZ

Coal is still a part of energy generation worldwide and has a significant role in the sustainable development of countries. The amount of shallow coal deposits is getting scarce, making efficient underground mining operations crucial for both local and global economies. In underground mining operations, longwall mining is a commonly utilized method to extract deep coal deposits. One of the leading engineering goals in longwall mining is increasing the efficiency of the system by investigating the effects of operational factors on equipment. This paper investigates the shearer performance for a longwall top coal caving operation by discrete event simulation that includes modeling the double-drum shearer, belt conveyors, stage loader, and armored face conveyors (AFC) to evaluate system performance by considering the amount of daily coal production of the shearer. As a result, the most influential factor on mine production is determined and a data-based framework is developed. This study suggests a framework for data collection, data analysis, and the interpretation of the operational data to evaluate the primary production unit’s performance. The models developed for the face coal extraction operations in a longwall top coal caving (LTCC) mine have a bi-directional cutting system and can be implemented in other operations readily.

Jul 2, 2021

Sequential and evolutionary changes through time are recognizable in many, perhaps most major families of ore deposits and their geological environments. These changes are additional useful indicators of the evolutionary history of the earth and its tectonic processes. They are important in mineral exploration because they involve consideration of time as a fourth dimension, thereby indicating the most favorable ages, rather than types of rock for investigation. Many of the changes are analogous to those recognized in faunal evolution. Some primitive, unspecialized types of ore deposits occur nearly unchanged through rocks of widely differing age. Others diversify into several, more specialized variants, whereas still others become extinct. The place of these is taken by new, younger types, some of which undergo sudden proliferations and later diversifications of their own. In Archean greenstone belts irrlportant iron, nickel, gold, and base metal deposits occur co-regionally, but in different stratigraphic positions in the same, thick volcano-sedimentary successions. Here their close temporal and spatial associations suggest common genetic exhalative hydrothermal processes. The massive base metal sulfide family of ore deposits provides an excellent example of evolutionary changes, exhibiting distinct variations through both time and space. Deposits belonging to this family span the entire range of time, occurring in rocks of ancient Archean to Recent age, and specific types within the family also span the entire range of spatial environments from ensimatic to ensialic. Moreover there are possible evolutionary metallogenic links between certain types of massive base metal sulfide deposits and other important base metal ores, noteably Mississippi Valley-type and porphyry copper deposits.

Jan 1, 2013

By M. J. Raffaldi, K. W. Harris, K. A. Perry

"Highwall miners have been widely used to extract additional coal reserves from existing surface operations, particularly on contour operations in the Appalachian coalfields. Using a continuous miner cutting head, coal may be extracted from significant depths (such as 150 m), leaving behind an array of web and barrier pillars with the purpose of maintaining highwall stability. This method inherently involves elevated risks to both equipment and personnel due to proximity to and increased exposure time near highwalls. As a result, modern operations should actively design web and barrier pillars to maximize extraction while providing adequate stability. The ARMPS-HWM software, an empirical-based program created for the design of web and barrier pillars at highwall mining operations, is one such approach. The calculated stability factor is compared with empirically established guidelines produced from examining case histories.The ARMPS-HWM program is a handy tool for initial design, but understanding the site’s structurally significant geologic features and geomechanical behavior is important and may potentially increase extraction. We created a two-dimensional numerical model using FLAC3D and calibrated it to ensure pillar strength, closely following the Mark- Bieniawski formula for a typical range of pillar geometries and overburden properties. The development of pillar stresses along a highwall panel was then numerically investigated as mining progressed, and the stress distribution between barrier pillars was found to be asymmetric, which can result in an over-design of the closeout web pillars if tributary area loading is assumed. Finally, the importance of adequate barrier pillar stability is highlighted."

Jan 1, 2014

By Edward Hall Smith

The E1 Indio Mine is located in the Andes mountains about 180 kilometers East of La Serena, capital of the Fourth Region of Chile. It is reached by an international highway running up the Elqui Valley as far as Juntas from where the last 42 kilometers is on a road constructed by the Company. The plant is located at 3.900 meters above sea level among extremely rugged terrain with nearby mountains rising about 5.500 meters. Climatic conditions at these altitudes are severe with winter temperatures down to -20°C. Snow storms lasting several days and leaving up to two meters of snow have been experienced, while fierce winds are corm=.

Jan 1, 1984

By JESSICA W. A. AZURE, Kansake A. Bruno, Samuel Frimpong, AZUPURI G. A. KABA, FORSYTH A. KADINGDI, PROSPER E. A. AYAWAH

Blasting generates undesirable ground vibration with adverse effects on humans, the environment, and structures. Numerous studies have used various techniques including machine learning (ML) to predict the peak particle velocity (PPV) caused by blasting in surface mines. These studies used the validation-set approach to evaluate the performance of their predictive models. In this study, Random Forest (RF), Gaussian Process (GP), and Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) were applied for the prediction of PPV using data from a large open-pit gold mine in Ghana. An ensemble model based on a stacked generalization approach was then built on these three base models to significantly improve the PPV prediction performance. The model evaluation was done using repeated tenfold cross-validation which resolves the challenges with the validationset approach for small datasets. The dataset used in this study comprised a total of 196 measurements taken from different blasting operations. R-squared ( R2 ), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to evaluate the model performance. The results obtained from these models revealed that all the base models did not significantly outperform each other. However, the stacked generalization approach had a better performance, with RMSE = 0.12, R2 = 0.96, and MAE = 0.07. This approach presented an improvement over the existing methods and will be useful for highly accurate predictions of ground vibration during blast design. The application of this model will be useful for efficient and effective blast design.

Nov 8, 2022

By Robert A. Jankowski, J. Drew Potts

The Bureau has identified several ventilation techniques and a water spray application for reducing auger mining dust levels. The dust control methods all work by improving air quantity or flow patterns at the face. Section airflow is maximized by reducing air leakage between entries. Sealing stoppings with brushed- on mortar, containing fiberglass additives, reduces leakage. Heading airflow is maximized by properly installing the brattice curtain and keeping the area between the curtain and rib free from obstructions. The brattice curtains should be hung at least 1.7 m (5.5 ft) from the ribs in 7.9 m (26 ft) wide entries and kept less than 4.6 m (15 ft) from the face. A tight curtain seal is created by using the mine air pressure to force the curtain against the timbers, roof and floor of the mine. Using both a blowing curtain and an exhausting curtain will isolate some face workers from dusty air. The Bureau designed, auger clearer spray system, can be used to force heading air across the active face. Laboratory tests indicate that the auger clearer spray system can increase face velocities by more than 0.5 m/sec (100 ft/min), while using less than 0.13 l/sec (2.0 gal/min) of water.

Jan 1, 1989

By M. Rodgers

Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS) was approached by ASARCO Inc. to attempt to recover cobalt and copper from their copper solvent extraction (SX) raffinate. Cobalt is added to many copper electrowinning tankhouses to help to prevent lead electrode corrosion. With cobalt?s high price this can be a large expense. ASARCO has ore that contains a small amount of naturally occurring cobalt. Currently they have no way of capturing this high value metal from their leach or raffinate streams. DW&PS has some chelating resin technologies that should be able to help solve this problem.

Jan 1, 2010

By Yu. A. Polozov, V. A. Lagunov, O. Yu. Lushinkova, Yu. I. Svirskiy, Eh. Ya. Kipko, Roy A. Williams

The integrated grouting method, as developed in the USSR, can be applied to multi-purpose operations that in¬clude the construction of shafts, drifts, and tunnels. In the USSR it has been used extensively for primary and final grouting of underground excavations in mining engineering and civil engineering projects. It has been applied in projects where the primary objective was waste contain¬ment. It has also been used to control subsidence beneath buildings located over mined out openings and to eliminate the flow of ground water beneath and around dams. This chapter considers several industrial applications in the form of case histories. The word integrated means that grouting activities were integrated with other activities. 9.1 CASE HISTORIES OF GROUTING FRACTURED ROCK WHEN SINKING VERTICAL SHAFTS The integrated grouting method has been applied most widely in the sinking of vertical shafts in fractured, satu¬rated rock. As explained previously herein, grouting oper¬ations preferably are carried out from the ground surface where they are integrated into the schedule of the setting up of the shaft excavation and construction equipment. Such integration reduces significantly the length of time required for preparation of shaft construction and the time required to sink the shaft. The increased efficiency is achieved by the elimination of cementing operations from the working face upon the penetration of each aquifer. Concomitantly, labor and energy consumption during shaft sinking are minimized because the more complicated and labor-intensive work is carried out at the surface section. Table 9.1 presents the essential parameters for the pri¬mary grouting of saturated fractured rock carried out by the integrated method when sinking vertical shafts. 9.1.1 NAGOL'CHANSK MINE NO. 1-2, VENTILATION SHAFT NO. 1 The integrated method of grouting saturated fractured rock through holes drilled from the surface was employed for the first time during the sinking of vertical shaft No. 1 at the Nagol'chansk mine No. 1-2 in the Don Basin. The shaft had an inside diameter of 6 m. The grouting operations commenced by using cement grout with a density of 1.7 to 1.8 g/cm3. Clay-based grout with cement and other addi¬tives was used only for grouting the aquifers where cement grout proved to be ineffective. By the time of the grouting of ventilation shaft No. 1, hydrodynamic analytical methods were well in hand and a preliminary method for designing isolation curtains had been developed. A method for designing and drilling ori¬ented directional drillholes whose natural curvature re¬flected the characteristics of the fracturing had been devel¬oped. The majority of the necessary equipment had been developed. Clay-based grouts were considered ready for the first industrial application. The hydrogeologic environment at the Nagol'chansk mine No. 1-2 contained many prolific aquifers. According to monitored drillhole data, the total expected inflow into ventilation shaft No. 1 without grouting was 425 m3/hr. This large ground water inflow rate was supported by in¬formation obtained during the sinking of the main shaft and from the auxiliary shaft of the "Nagol'chansk" mine No. 1-2. The construction contractor at the site began sinking ventilation shaft No. 1 to a depth of 217 m by cement grouting from the working face of the shaft. As a result of the cement grouting operations, the inflow of water was reduced from 105.4 to 40 m3/hr over this 217 m interval. However the residual inflow rate caused the shaft to become functional at the depth of 217 m. At this point all grouting operations were transferred to SPETSTAMPONAZHGEOLOGIA (STG) in an effort to improve the operation. In order to carry out preliminary grouting from the sur¬face, seven drillholes were installed and designed for re¬ceiving grout. Drilling was implemented by the ZIF-1200A rig to the design depth of the shaft. The geometry of the principal fracture system that would be encountered by the shaft was estimated while breaking ground using informa¬tion from other shafts. The drillholes were arranged so that they cut through the aquifers uniformly around the shaft. Some preference was given to intercepting the aquifers that were located along the rock dip above the shaft bottom because it was established that the ground water in the aqui¬fers flowed downward along the dip into the cone of de¬pression of the shaft. Investigations in the drillholes using the DAU-3M flowmeter described in Chapter 3 showed that all of the nine aquifers were penetrated by the time a depth of 690 m had been reached. The flowmetric information showed that aquifer numbers [1 and 2], [4, 5, and 6], and [7 and 8] had practically identical hydrogeologic characteristics; so it was decided to connect them into combined stopes and inject the grout using five stopes instead of nine. Table 9.2 shows the results of the grout injection into the aquifers. The volume of grout pumped into the separate intervals through single holes varied from 204 to 15 m3. The trend of grout consumption showed a reduction of grout consump

Jan 1, 1993