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By S. Leong

This paper reports on research examining disclosures from mining companies regarding their water usage in the Macquarie and Lachlan catchment areas, both parts of the Murray-Darling Basin in New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the research was to assess whether this disclosure is sufficient to allow communities to determine whether mining companies are complying with mining conditions of consent and abiding by the requirements of their water licencing agreements. These requirements are then compared to the water reporting requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Water Accounting Framework for the Minerals Industry (WAFMI). Communities are concerned about whether the mining industry?s use of water will have impacts on their livelihoods and lifestyle and thus require information concerning the quantity of water that will be extracted, how much water will be left for other stakeholders and whether the mining will affect water quality. This is an archival study. It has involved examining relevant publically available information released by mining companies and government regulators and determining if this is sufficient to meet the needs of the local communities. Additionally, it has involved looking at information indirectly provided by mining companies, via the use of intermediaries. Further, information availability concerning basic water accounting and regulatory breeches and whether such information is available at the mine site level has been considered. It is found that while NSW legislation places very little reporting requirements on mining companies, the development consent conditions for new projects and extensions to existing projects are quite significant and should be sufficient to meet the needs of local catchment residents though such information is not always easily accessible for the layperson.

Aug 1, 2013

By Pascal Lesagel

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a holistic environmental assessment tool that allows the compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life cycle, from cradle to grave (i.e., from resource extraction and transformation to final disposal, including production and use stages). The relevance of LCA for the mining industry is twofold. First, the mining industry has a role in providing the LCA community the data that allows subsequent evaluations of the life cycle environmental impacts of primary materials such as metals, as well as the environmental comparison of the downstream products of the mining industry with other competing materials for specific uses. Second, the mining industry can use LCA in order to evaluate the environmental impacts of its activities, identify their environmental hotspots and compare the impacts of available technical options. For example, the environmental impacts of different extractive and processing technology can be compared through the use of LCA. This latter use of LCA by the mining industry is less common. This paper discusses the use of LCA to compare sulphidic tailings management options. The paper also presents some of the LCA research challenges that still have to be addressed to increase the relevance of LCA results for the specific context of mining activities.

Nov 1, 2008

By John Canterford

Quay Magnesium Limited (QMG) listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in late September 2004 having raised approximately A$30 million with the object of designing, constructing, commissioning and operating a 15,000 t/a magnesium alloy production facility in Nanjing, China, Site construction commenced in February 2005 with installation of all major components completed by the end of October 2005, Hot commissioning was simultaneously commenced with the final stages of installation, leading to the first stage of continuous ingot casting by mid November 2005, Since that time ramp-up to the name plate capacity has been undertaken, This presentation highlights some of the more significant technical and logistical hurdles that have had to be overcome in order to meet the high quality product specifications required by a range of QMG customers.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. J. Nicol, C. van Wensveen

The kinetics of the oxidation of thiosulfate by copper(I I) in ammoniacal solutions have been studied in the presence and absence of dissolved oxygen. The formation of an intermediate mixed ammine/thiosulfate copper(II) complex ion has been confirmed and the rate of the reaction monitored by simultaneous on-line spectrophotometric, dissolved oxygen and potentiometric measurements. The rate of the anaerobic oxidation of thiosulfate by copper(II) was found to be orders of magnitude slower than that in the presence of dissolved oxygen and is inhibited in the presence of ammonia and anions such as sulfate and chloride as a result of competition with thiosulfate for the axial coordination sites on the copper(II) tetrammine complex. In the presence of dissolved oxygen, it was found that the copper(I) thiosulfate complexes are only very slowly oxidized while the copper(I) diammine complex is rapidly reoxidised to the copper(II) state. Thus, the initial rapid reaction with copper(II) leads to a pseudo steady-state condition in which the concentration of copper(I) is relatively constant and the rate of oxidation of thiosulfate can be predicted from the measured rate of oxidation of copper(I) by oxygen in ammoniacal solutions. The effects of the concentrations of ammonia and thiosulfate on the oxidation rate can be rationalized on the basis of the above coupled to the species distribution of copper(I) in the ammonia/thiosulfate system. It is shown that, with relatively simple measurements of dissolved oxygen and copper concentrations, the rate of oxidation of thiosulfate can be predicted under typical leaching conditions.

Jan 1, 2005

By Fei Dai

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a group of painful disorders that affect muscles, tendons, nerves, joints, cartilage, and ligaments. They are a serious problem among the workforce in the United States. In the construction industry, high physically demanding tasks expose construction workers to a number of well recognized MSDs risk factors such as repetitive motion, high force exertion, and awkward body posture. Finding ways to effectively identify and evaluate risks of MSDs can significantly alleviate this problem. To this end, this paper reviews state of practice and research in the assessment of risks of MSDs among construction workers, in which a number of biomechanical models have been developed to evaluate joint and tissue loading with the aid of state-of-the-art remote sensing technologies. Findings from the review reveal that despite the advances in tracking human motion and muscle activities, current remote sensing approaches still involve sophisticated instrumentation and expensive experiment setup. These factors greatly limited the applicability of such approaches in real construction settings. How can we detect and evaluate the construction worker?s MSDs risk in real work environments? In this paper, strategies by utilizing video surveillance systems are presented, to set the stage for addressing the above question and discussing future research in real-time, marker-less, and costeffective MSDs risk assessment.

Aug 1, 2013

By O'Halloran. Gerard F.

"ECSTALL MINING has installed in their plants the most modern equipment in the mining industry. At the minesite, digital blocked frequency controls are used to monitor all crushers, conveyors, ventilation equipment and pumps from underground. Distant pumping stations are monitored and controlled by radio. Modern friction skip and cage hoisting systems have been installed with static power supply designed for automatic operation. Rotary-type compressors of recent design are in service in place of the conventional reciprocating-type units. At the concentrator, the 800- and 1500-hp synchronous motors driving the grinding mills have static field excitation and pneumatic clutches, still meeting modern-day concepts, having been• installed in 1966. The maintenance work load has increased annually for the past eight years. The modern plant, with all the present-day sophistication, must have a welltrained and well-organized force of skilled workers, and a maintenance system which will supply realistic facts and guidelines. This presentation will review the relative location of plants, utilities, maintenance and services, plant maintenance control and mechanical control. It is the hope that enough information will be presented to weigh the size of the job and how the resources are utilized for controlled maintenance."

Jan 1, 1974

By Y. Gordon

ABSTRACT A methodology based on a two-stage approach was developed for process technology selection. The first stage includes evaluation of available technologies, followed by shortlisting the best technologies based on mass and energy balance modelling, financial analysis, and risk analysis. The second stage involves detailed analysis using refined input data, mass and energy balance modelling, and capital and operating cost estimation, as well as a more detailed financial analysis. A case study covering the selection of ironmaking technologies for a company in the Russian Federation is presented to illustrate the critical elements of the methodology and the analysis process.

Jan 1, 2014

By Nathan P. Schmidt

Climate and hydrology data are required during all phases of mining projects, including impact assessment, mine planning and design, operational water management and mine closure and reclamation design. In the Canadian north, data sources are spatially sparse and often short-term in nature, and design parameters are often estimated based on data collected at sites far distant. Confidence in such data can be increased by verification or modification using data collected during properly implemented baseline and operational monitoring programs. A data set that accurately reflects conditions at the project is more readily accepted by regulatory agencies during the permitting process, and allows development of more effective and economic water management, mitigation measures and compensation. Data requirements and collection methods for developing an adequate data set for mine development are reviewed. These are illustrated using examples from oil sands, diamond and metal mines in the Canadian north.

May 1, 2004

By Rob Boom, Yasuyuki Tozaki, Greg Traquair

The objectives of the business case are to examine a proposed metallurgical project and answer fundamental questions about project feasibility, risks, opportunities, and value. A business case fulfills these basic functions: estimates economic value; helps to understand competitiveness; serves as a risk management tool; and serves as a communication tool. A business case evolves with the project life cycle, and supports the gate reviews at the end of each phase of engineering, through to project construction and operations. A business case must be holistic, including all elements of scope that can impinge on project risk and value.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Aiello

"Introduction Byron Creek Collieries Limited Corbin mine is located in southeastern British Columbia approximately 180 air kilometres southwest of Calgary (Fig. I), twenty four kilometres south of Highway No. 3 via a newly constructed provincial road (Fig. 2). The development of the area began July 30, 1905, when D.C. Corbin, a prominent businessman from the northwestern U.S., and his associate E.J. Roberts first visited the site of Coal Mountain on horseback. Coal was in great demand by railways and other industrial users, so the Corbin Coal and Coke Co., after acquiring 6,000 hectares of land in the area, began to develop a mine. Mr. Roberts was responsible for the construction of the 22-kilometre rail spur, the Eastern British Columbia Railway, which joined the mine to the CPR main line at the McGillivray Loop. Rail access to the mine and its developing community, Corbin, B.C., was completed in September 1908, the same year that the first underground mine began production. The Corbin Coal and Coke Co. operated six mines on Coal Mountain (Fig. 3) and production from 1908 to 1930 inclusive totalled 2,120,800 tonnes. This production was allocated to the mines as follows:"

Jan 1, 1985

By Weiren Lin

The Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki, Japan earthquake occurred on 11 March 2011 produced a maximum coseismic slip of >50 m near the Japan Trench. To investigate why the plate boundary fault between the subducting Pacific Plate and overriding North American Plate which caused the earthquake had such unprecedented large coseismic displacement and slipped to the trench, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 343 called Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project (JFAST) drilled three boreholes at Site C0019 through the earthquake fault about one year after the earthquake. Borehole C0019B dedicated to loggingwhile- drilling (LWD) penetrated ~850 meters below seafloor (mbsf) at a water depth of approximately 6890 m. The plate boundary fault is located at ~820 mbsf in the borehole and has been identified as the slip zone during the Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Borehole wall resistivity images obtained from LWD show that drilling induced borehole breakouts are available in a wide depth range above the fault but are not available below the fault. Breakouts are reliable indicators of the orientations of current maximum and minimum horizontal stresses and can also be used to constrain the horizontal maximum and minimum stress magnitudes. As results of breakout analyses, the maximum horizontal stress orientation highly varied in the upper part of the borehole, but has a clear preferred orientation in a northwest – southeast direction in the deeper part just above the fault. This orientation is approximately parallel to the direction of the Pacific Plate subduction. Stress magnitude constraints indicate that the post-earthquake stress states in the hanging wall are either in or close to the normal faulting stress regime. By inferring the pre-earthquake stress state and comparing with the constrained post-earthquake stress state, a significant coseismic stress change was interpreted. The stress change suggests an active slip of the frontal plate-interface consistent with coseismic fault weakening and a nearly total stress drop.

Jan 1, 2015

By E. Best

In 2003, Phelps Dodge Mining Company decided to pursue the design and construction of a Central Analytical Laboratory to provide chemical analyses for their Arizona and New Mexico operations. This centralized approach was selected in place of refurbishing six (6) older laboratories that operated at the various Phelps Dodge sites, and which would not have permitted full automation and use of robotics. The new lab was designed by the Process Technology Center (PTC) Material Characterization Group in cooperation with IMP Group. The Central Analytical Service Center (CASC) encompasses fully automated sample preparation of blast holes and geological samples weighing up to 15 kg/sample. The CASC also includes the first "wet chemistry module" worldwide to be operated by robotics systems to perform Total Cu, Acid Soluble Cu, and Quick Leach Tests (QLT), and a fully automated lab for electrowon copper cathode. The new lab also offers flexibility for handling specialty samples and analyses by either semi-automated or manual mode. Data handling and transfer is accomplished using the commercially available StarLIMS system. Commissioning was accomplished within five (5) months of startup during which the CASC also handled 86% of a full production load. The 24/7 lab operation has already exceeded its design capacity, has achieved considerable savings in operating cost, reduced sample preparation errors, and significantly increased analytical quality.

Jan 1, 2007

By Lloyd F. Dunham

"Crucial to the implementation of new computer-based information systems at Sudbury Operations of Falconbridge Limited was a data communications network that would take computing power to the various mine and plant sites. Falconbridge required a capability to provide on-line data entry, inquiry, and reporting capabilities in three geographical areas, six mines, two mills, a smelter, approximately fifty shops, seven warehouses and numerous administrative offices throughout the Sudbury basin.Conventional cabling methods were rejected based on the projected cost of installation of necessary cables; lack of flexibility to meet the changing requirements of the mine environment; and the risk of losing service to an entire area depending on solitary communication lines.Instead, Falconbridge selected and installed a Data Carrier System (DCS) and Packet Switching Communication System from Teltone Limited, Markham, Ontario. This combined system ""piggy-backs"" computer data over voice-grade twisted pair wire, bringing data to the associated PBX equipment. From there data packets are assembled and routed to the central computer site where they are disassembled for entry into the host machine.Falconbridge has been successful in using existing technology to solve communications problems in a difficult environment. Plans for the future of this network will increase its utilization for technical and real time data communications in addition to the business systems workload it now handles. The Computer Services group in Sudbury is confident that the data highway will handle communications traffic well into the future.IntroductionIn late 1984, the Sudbury Operations of Falconbridge Limited undertook a review of their existing business computer systems. The results of this review indicated that there was an opportunity to improve the timeliness and quality of information coming from the existing computer-based systems while achieving an investment payback by undertaking the project. The greatest benefits from this project would be achieved if the computing tools could be delivered to the employees that were the day-to-day users of the data. Falconbridge's existing business systems were oriented to the batch mode of processing. An alternative solution to using the existing programs had to be found."

Jan 1, 1988

By Ivor da Cunha

Ontario Mining Association (OMA) represents 57 members that are engaged in exploring, producing & processing mineral resources in an environmentally responsible manner. Conservation Bureau at the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) develops, coordinates and stimulates commitment to electricity conservation and demand management programs ? OMA selected compressed air optimization for high impact cost savings and energy efficiency potential ? Ontario Power Authority (OPA) provided $218k funding for $532k project ? Commenced summer 2006, Final Report June 2007 ? Three representative sites participating: ? Williams, CVRD Inco & FNX McCreedy ? Different levels of energy management ? Small, medium and large mining operations ? Different corporate practices and culture

May 1, 2007

By P. Curry, H. G. Stephenson, B. Van Den Bussche

"Three Sisters Resorts Inc. currently owns a2035 acre (824 ha) parcel of land, which previously belonged to Canmore Mines Ltd. Approximately 50% of these lands, that are slated for residential, resort and recreation development, have been undermined for coal in one or more seams.Norwest Mine Services has been contracted by the developer to assess and advise them on any past mining activity that may be potentially hazardous to their development and offer solutions to how these hazards may be mitigated or avoided.The following paper deals mainly with the procedures put in place and accepted by the approval authorities, and the Staged approach to the Investigative Procedure that Norwest follows in the mining assessment and mitigation work for Three Sisters."

Jan 1, 1996

By D. B. Hyma

"The Raglan Ni/Cu property is located on the Ungava Peninsula in Northern Quebec, Canada, at a latitude of61°42' and a longitude of73°40', approximately 40 km southwest of Douglas Harbor. Geological reserves are estimated at 18 million tonnes, grading 3. 1 % nickel, 0.9% copper and smaller amounts of cobalt and platinum group metals.Extensive project development has defined the concentration process, concentrator sizing, tailings and environmental management required for this project.The grinding circuit selected is a fully autogenous primary grind, with pebble crushing and a pebble mill for secondary grinding to produce a product of 80% -70 microns for flotation.The flotation circuit is a simple circuit utilizing roughing, a regrind of rougher concentrate to 80% -20 microns, two stages of column cleaning with a cleaner scavenger bank on the column tails.Concentrate handling options were thoroughly reviewed because of the pyrophoric nature of the concentrate, remote site location and long distance to downstream processing. The preferred option, currently.is to dry the concentrate at Raglan to less than l % moisture and then pneumatically handle the powder.A detailed analysis of tailings placement options, suggests filtered tailings placement to be the preferable route for the Raglan site.INTRODUCTIONThe Raglan Project, as proposed by Falconbridge Limited, will develop extensive nickel-copper deposits in the Ungava Peninsula, Quebec, Canada. The project schedule and construction conditions in the project area are demanding. The Raglan mineral deposits have been the subject of numerous studies and evaluations over the last thirty years and the Phase I 1991 pre-feasibility document includes exploration information obtained in the 1989 and 1990 drilling seasons. This review concluded that an 800,000 tonnes of ore per year mining and concentrating complex located at Katinniq could produce 20,000 tonnes per year of nickel at competitive costs."

Jan 1, 1993

By Nehad Elsafty

It is always necessary to expand existing buildings, so that they could meet the growing societal needs. Compared with demolishing them and then constructing new ones, the expansion of existing buildings could not only reduce project cost, but also save the use of energy and raw materials in projects. Therefore, it is widely adopted in most under-developed countries. However, the expansion of existing buildings is not an easy task. It has been involved with a lot of issues in defining the scope of work, planning landscape, managing construction activities, etc. This paper investigates the potential challenges in expanding existing buildings. The project of expanding the Al-Agoza Hospital, one of the biggest and oldest hospitals in Cairo, Egypt, is selected as a case study. In the case study, the project documents have been carefully reviewed. The project engineers and the health-care professionals working in the hospital have been interviewed. This way, the point of views from the owner, the architect/engineer, and the contractor have been taken into account. Several lessons are learned through the discussion with these people. The results from this paper are expected to provide pieces of useful advice and suggestion for the expansion of existing buildings in the future.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. L. Jambor, J. E. Dutrizac, J. B. O'Reilly

The present-day metallurgical community is quite familiar with the use of jarosites [MFe3(S04)2(0H)6 where M = K, Na, NH4, Ag, 1/2Pb, etc.] as a means of controlling iron, alkalis and sulphate in hydrometallurgical circuits. This modern precipitation technology has found an increasingly widespread application in the zinc industry111 and is gradually also being extended into the hydrometallurgical processing of copper and cobalt121 . The chief advantage of jarosite precipitation is that the iron precipitate settles and filters well, and gives low losses of divalent metals in the washed residue. Although this jarosite precipitation technology was developed only within the past twenty years, man's involvement with jarosites extends back to antiquity, and jarosites have played an important role as a source of silver in several ancient metallurgical centres. In the early days of this century, argentojarosite was an important local source of silver at the Tintic Standard mine, Dividend, Utah, where over 200 000 oz of silver were recovered from highgrade natural jarosite over a three-month period 131 . At the Matagente mine in Peru, pockets of argentiferous plumbojarosite up to 40 m thick were mined and processed by the Indians prior to the arrival of the Spaniards14-51 . In Cyprus there are vast jarosite deposits associated with the ancient mining sitesl51 , but exploitation of these jarosites has been insignificant because of their low silver values. The most extensive mining of silver-bearing jarosite, and certainly the oldest documented instance of such jarosite exploitation, was in the vast pre-Roman workings at Rio Tinto, Spain. This mine, the greatest single miningmetallurgical site currently known from the ancient world and also the oldest site of more or less continuous metal production, has witnessed many metallurgical firsts. Aside from the initial processing of jarositic ores for their silver values, the development of large-scale hydrometallurgy also seems to have occurred at Rio Tinto. As early as 1737, copper was recovered by cementation on scrap iron from the mine waters at Rio Tintol51 . Large-scale heap leaching of calcined ore commenced with the British operations in 1876 and, by 1900, raw pyrite was heap leached to recover associated copper values161 .

Jan 1, 1999

By J. V. Thirgood

"Reclamation legislation was introduced in British Columbia in 1969 amidst public concern and controversy. This paper reviews this legislation as it relates to coal mining, and how it is being implemented.Although the principles of land reclamation are reason-ably well understood, reclamation of industrial wasteland has never previously been attempted under such rugged conditions as occur in the Canadian Rockies and a new methodology is being developed.The resolution of the technical and organizational problems involved are discussed and the techniques and experiences described."

Jan 1, 1971

By S. Gaulocher

Gearless mill drives (GMDs) are the workhorse in the mineral processing industries, more specifically when it comes to grinding crushed ore and cement (in various production stages) in semiautogenous (SAG) mills and large ball mills. They are renowned for their excellent reliability and robustness, long lifespan, and little need for maintenance, and thus yield a low total cost of ownership (TCO). A GMD represents a major investment for a mineral processing plant, and its availability is pivotal for the grinding process. As a basic rule, shut-down periods are to be minimized, but even much more important is that unscheduled shut-downs be avoided. In this contribution, we will present a portfolio of innovative remote diagnostic that consist of the following three key components: 1. Trouble shooting is a form of corrective maintenance and is based on state-of-the art remote access technology, thus enabling highly skilled engineers to access the current sensor readings anytime and from anywhere in order to resolve urgent problems together with the GMD user. 2. Periodic maintenance reports are a form of preventive and predictive maintenance and aim at continuous improvement based on long-term historical records and analyses of multiple measured signals. These detailed reports highlight the health and operational status of the GMD and are periodically (e.g. 3 months) submitted to the customer. 3. Remote condition monitoring spans across preventive and predictive maintenance and is based on continuous recording and automatic analyses of relevant signals using advanced algorithms. The main issue is how to handle the enormous flood of data in an intelligent manner. The results of these analyses are made available to both the GMD user and supplier in real time in order to increase the availability and reliability of the GMD. In this paper, we consider various parts of the GMD, e.g. the cycloconverter, the ring motor, the auxiliary devices (e.g. cooling and lubrication systems), and also phenomena related to the mill itself (e.g. state and quantity of charge). The signal analysis techniques range from simple threshold-based analyses to complex time and frequency domain analyses. We will illustrate the benefits of the proposed approaches with some selected examples.

Jan 1, 2012