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By M. Sears, K. Mohamed, J. Addis, J. Wickline, G. Rashed

To better understand the load shedding and the stress transfer on coal pillars due to room-and- pillar retreat mining in deep cover panels, researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a monitoring field study. Two sites, at overburden depths of 1,000 ft (304.8 m) and 1,500 ft (457.3 m), were selected in a room-and-pillar mine operating in Southern West Virginia. The deformation and stress changes in the roof and two adjacent pillars at each site were monitored during the retreat mining process. The monitoring results and field observations were used to calibrate large-scale FLAC3D models for each site. The calibrated models were used to assess different sizes of roof bolts installed in deep cover areas. INTRODUCTION Deep cover room-and-pillar retreat mining is an important emerging issue that will intensify in the future as shallower reserves are depleted (Mark, 2009; Chase et al., 2002). During pillar retreat mining, the likelihood of local and/or global instabilities increases due to elevated stress levels near the pillar line because of the abutment loading. In the last decade, approximately 31% of the room-and-pillar mining groundfall fatalities in the United States occurred during pillar retreat mining. Between 2013 and 2017, this proportion increased to 55%, of which 50% of these fatalities were due to falls of roof and rib that occurred during pillar recovery (MSHA, 2018). One interesting piece of information about pillar recovery fatalities was that the victim was nearly always under bolted roof. Sheared and broken #5 (5/8-in), fully grouted rebar bolt failure contributed to three of four fatal roof fall incidents that have occurred in deep cover retreat mines (NIOSH, 2010). This claim raised the following question at the study mine: Is it safe to use a 4-ft long #5 (5/8-in) rebar bolt grade 60 at a depth of cover more than 1,000 ft (304.8 m)? There was some concern about shear failure of the #5 (5/8-in) rebar bolt at a depth of cover over 1,000 ft (304.8 m). To answer the question and to reduce accidents and fatalities caused by ground falls due to room-and-pillar retreat mining in deep cover panels, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) monitored the roof and rib deformation and the change in vertical pressure within two adjacent pillars during pillar recovery. The study was conducted at two deep cover sites in a room-and-pillar mine located in Southern West Virginia that operates in the Lower War Eagle (LWE) seam. The monitored sites were selected at 1,000 ft (304.8 m) and 1,500 ft (457.3 m) depths of cover. In this paper, site-1 represents the monitored site at 1,000 ft (304.8 m) of cover, while site-2 represents the monitored site at 1,500 ft (457.3 m) of cover. For this study, large-scale FLAC3D numerical models were calibrated based on both field observations and instrumentation results. The calibrated models were then used to compare the ground response and the induced stresses of two pillars at instrumented sites 1 and 2. The maximum lateral displacement (roof shift) obtained from the calibrated large-scale FLAC3D models was applied to a small-scale FLAC3D bolted models, the safety factor for axial stresses of the simulated roof bolts was calculated at the deep cover sites.

Jan 1, 2019

By Y. J. Zhang

This paper presents the results of a recent study on the development of an in-situ testing method for determining the coal strength in mine pillars. The strength testing is performed in the horizontal holes drilled into the coal rib using the penetrometer. It is a hydraulically powered device that uses an indenter to press the surface of the borehole until the load reaches the failure point of coal. The pressure and the penetration of the loading pin are recorded by the data acquisition unit. The results collected from several coal mines indicate that this testing method is ideally suited for the realistic coal strength measurements. The new testing system not only improves the accuracy of pillar strength determination, but it is more cost efficient than the conventional method.

Jan 1, 1995

By William H. Wiese

Anecdotal reports of high rates of congenital malformations and spontaneous abortions at the Shiprock Indian Health Service Hospital in San Juan County, New Mexico prompted an interview survey, obtaining data from families of 26 former uranium miners and 30 controls. Results supported the possibility of increased fetal wastage and congenital malformations. However, definitive conclusions were obviated by methodologic limitations in terms of selection of cases and controls and interviewing technique, as well as very low numbers and lack of statistical significance. The Council of Environmental Quality (1980) published a report which singled out San Juan County, nationally, as having an extra-ordinary high rate of congenital anomalies reported from birth certificates in the years 1973-75. San Juan County is in the northwest corner of New Mexico and includes the northeastern edge of the Navajo Indian Reservation. It has been the site of uranium mining and milling and also of coal mining (Clement Associates, 1980). While much attention has been focused on lung cancer and chronic lung disease as health hazards to uranium miners, virtually no attention has been focused upon possible reproductive effects that may result from exposure to radiation. Could these reports indicate such an additional arena of health effect either on miners or on others living in the vicinity of the mines and mills? The biologic and epidemiologic literature does not lend much support for adverse genetic outcome. The UNSCEAR report (UNSCEAR, 1977) summarizes much of the existing data. For example, on the basis of many animal studies and what has been observed in atom bomb survivers in Japan, it has been estimated that mutation rates resulting from low LET radiation to paternal germ cells would be 60 X 10-6 recessive and 20 X 10-6 dominant mutations per gamete per rad. There would be a five-fold increase in the number of recognizable abortions. The doubling dose for genetic disorders in mice is estimated at 100 rads. The assumption has been that low levels of exposure, such as might be received occupationally from uranium mines and mills or environmentally will produce reproductive effects that would defy distinction from background rates. However, the possibility can not be dismissed. In man, spermatogonia are thought to be three-fold more sensitive than in the mouse. Also, the high LET radiation from alpha particles is as much as 20-fold more effective in inducing changes in meiotic and post meiotic stages of cells, compared with low LET radiation. There is some degree of localization of alpha emitters in testicular tissue after inhalation of radon and radon daughters (Blanchard, R.L. and Moore, J.B., 1971; Pohl, E., 1964). The slopes of doseeffect curves are affected by type radiation and rate of administration. Data on such curves are poorly defined and debated as to whether there may be increased or decreased effect per unit dose at low levels of high LET radiation. Increased rates of aberrations of chromosomes in peripheral lymphocytes cultured from uranium miners have been reported (Brandom, W.F., et al., 1978). At cumulative exposures of 100 working level months (WLM) or less, a range of exposure lower than the limit of current occupational standards, the aberrations were increased more than two-fold. Our interest has led us to pursue the question of reproductive effects along three separate paths of inquiry: studies of the secondary sex ratio, cytogenetic study of human sperm, and studies of rates of congenital anomalies. I will present the thrust of our findings, most of which remain preliminary, comment on their interpretation and limitations, and indicate directions needed for future research. The secondary sex ratio is the ratio of males to females at birth. In the U.S., the ratio averages around 1.05. Ratios in blacks are somewhat lower (1.025) than in whites (1.053). For American Indians, the data are less definite. Values from Oklahoma and California are similar to whites (1.05). Southwestern tribes have, as we shall see, varying levels. The theoretical effects on sex ratio resulting from irradiation of the zygote are based on the principles of sex-linked genetics, including differential effects of lethal dominant and recessive mutations on the sex chromosomes, complicated by possible non-disjunctional events. Observations have done little to clarify, confirm or refute the theories. The sex ratio of progeny of survivers of the atomic bomb showed little change (Schull, W.J., Otake, M., and Neel, J.V., 1981). Observations in children of uranium miners having been inconsistent. Most frequently cited is a study of miners in Czechoslovakia (Müller, C., Razicka, L., and Bakstein, J., 1967). Compared with children born to miners prior to the start of mining, the sex ratios of children born after the start of mining were decreased -statistically significant after correcting for birth order. The ratios in first-born children were, before the start of mining, 1.118, and, after the start of mining, .713. In the interview survey at Shiprock, the sex ratio in families of non-miners was 1.03, and in families of miners it was 0.73 (p < .05). Dr. Alan Goodman at the University of New Mexico has studied trends in the sex ratio in the general population in New Mexico and Arizona with particular reference to counties in the Four Corners area and the Navajo Indian Reservation, areas where uranium mining has been active_ His findings (unpublished) are as follows: (1) Beginning in the early 1950&apos;s, there has been a modest, but persistant and statistically significant decline in the secondary sex ratio for the state of New Mexico compared with the U.S., a decline that roughly parallels the emergence of uranium mining in the Grants mineral belt in northwestern New Mexico. (2) Data available for the 11 years since 1969 show that among the five counties with ratios significantly lower than the state

Jan 1, 1981

By W. G. Pariseau

Reliable stress measurement using hollow inclusion gauges and monitoring stress change using borehole stress meters and borehole deformation gauges in anisotropic rock remains a challenge for the rock mechanics community. In this regard, the complex variable method advanced in 1983 for deducing stress in anisotropic rock is flawed and software is privileged. Fortunately, advances in computer hardware and software now enable fast, reliable reduction of hollow inclusion stress measurement data for determining stress in anisotropic rock. Monitoring stress change in anisotropic rock poses a different challenge but is also subject to numerical analysis. Stress measurement using a hollow inclusion (HI) gauge such as the triaxial Australian HI is done in four steps: 1) drilling a measurement hole, 2) installation of an HI, 3) stress relief of the HI by overcoring, and 4) data reduction. The last step, data reduction, is the focus of this work. The process is well-known in linearly elastic, isotropic rock (Worotniki and Walton 1976, Duncan Fama and Pender 1980). However, in case of linearly elastic, anisotropic rock the requisite technology is not readily available. This situation is somewhat surprising because anisotropy is more often the rule rather than the exception, especially in the neighborhood of ore bodies. Rahn (1984) has pointed out the potential for significant errors with neglect of anisotropy and the adverse consequences for engineering design. Amadei (1984) has also pointed out the potential for errors with neglect of anisotropic rock properties in stress measurement. Worotniki (1993) cites other studies that indicate potential for serious errors when doing measurements in anisotropic rock. In both theoretical cases (isotropy and anisotropy), data reduction is essentially a composite of solutions to boundary value problems in linear elasticity. In the finite element approach, the analysis is a simulation of gauge hole drilling, installation and overcoring. Two important advantages with the finite element approach are a more faithful representation of the conditions of HI stress measurement than approximated in theory and the capability for handling rock whether isotropic, transversely isotropic or fully anisotropic

Mar 2, 2022

By S. Frisch

Selenium (Se) in effluent waters has become a significant challenge for a number of industries. Toxicity studies and new reports of occurrence have certainly caused increased scrutiny and actions in the mining industry today (Sandy, DiSante, 2010). While initial activity in addressing selenium-laden waters were conducted in the coal mining industry, today a much broader range of mine types are beginning to search for solutions to selenium treatment of their mining waters, including both hard rock mining operations (gold, nickel, zinc, etc.) and soft rock mining (phosphate, uranium, etc.) Throughout North America, new regulations covering selenium discharge are either in place or being developed. While a number of physical/chemical approaches show promise in selenium treatment, when considering optimal cost and treatment efficacy issues, biological treatment ? particularly fixed-film biological treatment - is reported to be one of the most promising approaches to managing selenium-containing waters. Among biological treatment options, the fluidized bed reactor (FBR) has undergone extensive pilot testing for Se treatment in the last three years, including eight pilot programs, and the first FBR system is now operating at a coal mining site. In all tests, the FBR has been shown to be a highly cost-effective approach to selenium treatment based on its physical and performance characteristics. This is consistent with its history for reaching low levels of treatment in similar service for other oxyanions including perchlorate, nitrate and various metals. With the results from the most recent testing, the technology has been shown to be adaptable to an ever-broadening range of influent water conditions and flow rates, in varying terrains and weather conditions. Selenium occurs in various valence states from -2 to +6 (Sobolewski, 2005). The speciation of selenium plays a critical role in understanding the effectiveness of any approach for removal, especially to low levels. Elemental selenium is insoluble and has little effect on living organisms. Colloidal fractions are known to occur. In aqueous environments such as coal mining runoff, selenium is most often found as the oxygenated anions of selenite (SeO32-, Se4+) and selenate, (SeO42-, Se6+). Selenium is commonly found in mining waters in concentrations ranging from 3 to >12,000 µg/L. The U.S. National Primary Drinking Water Standard MCL is 50 µg/L for selenium (EU 10 µg/L; WHO 40 µg/L). The National Fresh Water Quality Standard is 5 µg/L for selenium. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended that the National Fresh Water Quality Standard be lowered to 2 µg/L to protect fish, waterfowl, and endangered aquatic species. Several states have followed with enforcement actions at these same low levels. In Canada, permits may require stakeholders to monitor levels in water or biota, or to comply with guidelines, at either the National or Provincial levels, which can be as low as 1 or 2 µg/L in surface waters. Treatment of selenium in all mining waters presents a series of challenges. It can be present in relatively dilute concentrations and in streams with variable and often high flow rates. It can be present in many soluble and particulate forms, which may affect process design and treatability. The conditions of influent selenium-containing waters can vary, with issues such as temperature, pH, total dissolved solids and other contaminants affecting the ability to remove selenium selectively and economically. Treatment of selenium often results in the generation of a concentrated by-product requiring disposal, and re-release from residuals can occur. Beyond these issues, the physical environment of a mining operation can offer challenges such as remoteness and harsh and/or cold weather. Currently available selenium treatment technology (Table 1) includes biological treatment and a number of physical-chemical processes ? such as ion exchange, membrane filtration and adsorption ? that vary widely in efficiency and cost. Most treatment options remain either too costly and/or unproven for selenium-containing streams for reasons that include poor removal efficiency, variability in volume and composition of influents, system sizing and logistics considerations, as well as operating requirements.

Feb 23, 2014

By J. Weinstein

New erosion, corrosion resistant metal, ceramic, and polymer composite technologies are being developed and marketed by Alanx Products L.P. for use in hydrocyclones, pumps, valves, and other applications in mining and minerals processing. This paper will present an overview of the ceramic/metal composite material system and properties developed, which include excellent erosion/ corrosion resistance. Wear data will be shown from a variety of laboratory tests in dry and wet conditions, in aqueous neutral and corrosive environments. Comparisons will be made with a variety of competitive materials currently used in the industries sited. Data will also be presented on field tests with pumps and hydrocyclones in hard rock mining and other abrasive/corrosive environments. Field data from North and South America, as well as Australian mining applications will be highlighted.

Jan 1, 1992

By William Hodder, Ehsan Alavi, Nader Ghasempour, Daniel Cressman

The Don River & Central Waterfront Coxwell Sanitary Bypass Tunnel (CBT) Project in Toronto will extend approximately 10.5 km from Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant west under Lake Shore Boulevard, north under Bayview Avenue and east through the Don River park area to the Coxwell Ravine Park. The tunnel is currently being mined by using a shielded dual-mode tunnel boring machine (open and close) capable of operating in EPB mode and lined by using a precast concrete segmental tunnel linear with an internal diameter of 6,300 mm and external diameter of 6,900 mm. The CBT is expected to be excavated mainly through shale bedrock of the Georgian Bay Formation, at approximately 50 meters deep. The tunnel crosses a buried bedrock valley in two locations, in the southern portion of the alignment, adjacent to the Don River, and at the northern portion of the alignment approaching the CX-1 shaft. In these two locations, the bedrock cover is expected to be less than 6 meters. The risk of encountering weathered bedrock, significant ground water inflows or surficial soil deposits through these buried valleys was identified during the design phase. The contract required the TBM to be designed with the ability to probe drill ahead of the TBM and convert to EPB mode if necessary, to cross this area. This paper will discuss the additional exploration that was performed by the contractor to identify the extent of this buried valley, the plan going into the zone of potential weathered shale, and the actual conditions encountered.

Jun 13, 2021

By F. F. Peng

Fine Coal Cleaning Processes including froth flotation, aggregative flotation or oil agglomeration, depend upon the wettability of coal particles in the aqueous solution. The wettability of coals of various ranks, hydrocarbon oil treated coals and oil-agglomerates have been measured using film flotation, induction timer, and froth flotation. Various hydrocarbon collector dispersion techniques are used to alter the surface wettability of coal particles. Change in wettability behaviors, measured by flotation responses, due to various ranks with or without of hydrocarbon collector modification are explained in terms of surface chemistry modifications as analyzed by induction time, film flotation as well as DRIFT Spectroscopy. The relationship between the wettability of coals and collector treated coals, and floatability are discussed.

Jan 1, 1993

By Ken Fucik, Jorge Briceno, Bjorn Bjorkman

In 1993, a lawsuit was filed on behalf ofnative groups in Ecuador against Texaco for environmental damage resulting from petrole­um production activities which had occurred many years earlier. The basis of the lawsuit at the time was that Texaco had failed to perform its foreign activities in the same manner that it operated in the U.S. No environmental regulations were in existence in Ecuador at the time of Texaco's operations. Also in 1993, a lawsuit for over $3 billion Australian was filed on behalf of native New Guineans for alleged environ­mental damages and health impacts that occurred as a result of BHP's operations at its Ok Tedi Mine. Since then, Royal Dutch Shell has been subjected to major criticism for environmental damage caused by its operations in Nigeria. A more recent report has criticized Shell for groundwater contamination of an aquifer in Turkey. Southern Peru Copper is now defending against a lawsuit filed by citizens exposed to air emissions from smelter operations in Peru. In all of these cases, much of the alleged damages occurred many years previous. A defense com­monly made by the companies has been that operations were conducted according to the standards in place at the time. This has not limited the lawsuits nor minimized the international publicity which has followed. While such lawsuits have been common in the U.S. for many years, their appearance in other nations have pointed out a growing sense of worldwide concern with regard to the impacts of industrial operations. Of particular concern is the fact that lawsuits have been filed in countries that have up to now had few, if any, environmental regulations. The regulatory environment has been a part of most U.S. business operations since the early 1970's. Now, however, envi­ronmental regulations are starting to be implemented in many less developed nations. This has led to the formulation of a myriad of standards and approaches to environmental regulation around the world. For multinational companies, the challenge becomes one of anticipating the level of compliance that will be required to minimize liabilities not only for the present but also in the future. The purpose of this paper is to provide some guid­ance with regards to choosing a level of compliance, particular­ly as it applies to water quality.

Jan 1, 1996

By Frederick McNeill, John Harper, Mahmood Khwaja, Shawn Lavoie, Timothy Cloughert, David Polcari

City of Manchester, NH, is implementing a 20-year plan to control and significantly reduce overflow of its sewer system. The long-term control plan had called for large scale box culvert installation through downtown Manchester. The City and the project team evaluated, and eventually selected, tunneling as an alternative to mitigate construction related impacts for open trench approach. This paper provides an overview of the alternative evaluation process; discusses the development of the preliminary design for the 12,000 feet long, 12-ft internal diameter tunnel, including plan and profile selection, subsurface conditions, drop shafts and the anticipated packaging of the separation areas.

Dec 1, 2022

By Raymond A. Povirk, David L. Bartsch, James V. Hamel

The Ohio Valley Coal Company is expand- ing its Powhatan Mine No. 6 near Alledonia, Ohio. This expansion includes a 20 rn (65 ft) height in crease for an existing 44 rn (145 ft) coal refuse - slurry impoundment dam. The dam is being raised by upstream construction which will involve placement of more than 15 m (50 ft) of new fill over an existing reinforced concrete decant structure. This structure is 0.76 rn (30 in.) square inside and its deepest portion was under 24 m (80 ft) of coal slurry and water. The top of the decant structure was not strong enough to safely support the new fill and, because of the slurry and water, there was no way to reinforce the structure from the outside. The structure was reinforced frorn the inside by sliplining 73 m (240 ft) of 0.66 rn (26 in.) OD, 0.53 rn (21 in.) ID polyethylene pipe, grouting around this pipe with cellular concrete. and constructing a steel-fiber reinforced micro-silica concrete transition at the upslope end of the pipe. Rehabilition of the decant structure was completed in August 1989. The rehabilitated decant structure is now performing satisfactorily as fill is being placed over it for raising the dam.

Jan 1, 1991

By B. Pollack, L. G. Stevens

INTRODUCTION In other chapters of this volume many of the important technical aspects in the design of concentration and dewatering circuits have been discussed. This chapter will deal with the steps necessary to bring that information together in order to produce the specifications necessary to purchase the equipment and complete the design. It deals with the plant as a whole rather than just concentration and dewatering, since the steps are essentially the same. Prerequisites to Engineering Design Feasibility studies will have been completed and design parameters established prior to the start of the engineering design stages for a metallurgical plant. The data base for the feasibility studies will have included laboratory and/or pilot plant test work, historical data, proposed plant site data such as climatology, topographic mapping, geological and geotechnical information. These studies will have established the general project design criteria as well as the process design criteria leading to the preparation of preliminary flowsheet ( s) and/or alternative process flowsheets. These will have incorporated metallurgical and material balances, allowing identification of major equipment items, and development of preliminary plant site plot plans. Preliminary technical and economic assessments and recommendations will have been prepared during this phase for Owner&apos;s review and evaluation of the technical, physical, and cost effectiveness of the overall project and its component process, process facilities, and supporting facilities elements. After Ownert s approval and decision to proceed, the engineering design can be initiated, using the above information as the basis. Engineering Design Phase The engineering design of metallurgical plants and their elements are generally developed in two sequential stages, namely: (1) Basic ("Front end") Engineering Design (2) Detail Engineering Design Figure 1 relates these engineering stages to the entire program from feasibility through construction.

Jan 1, 1986

By Owens S. Roberts

The drive selected for any piece of machinery must adequately satisfy the application requirements both during the starting interval and at running conditions, All loading possibilities of the drive must be known and allowances made for any adverse limiting conditions such as extreme cold, or perhaps an intermittent excessive loading situation etc. In general, the drive must be selected to provide the required operating characteristics with maximum reliability and at minimum cost. Simplicity of overall design is always an advantage and care must be exercised to insure that systems incorporating unnecessary complicated parts are not indiscriminantly provided. Important non-technical considerations such as equipment avail-ability (on an overseas project) as well as standardization details also play a role in the drive selection process. Additionally, an assessment of the potential capabilities of the personnel that will have to maintain the equipment can have some influence on the final choice. Several types of prime movers are available but this article will restrict itself to the use of induction motors operating from an available alternating current power source. Many drive arrangements are possible, the most common being the direct coupled single motor arrangement. It is sometimes desirable to use more than one motor per machine, but these designs are usually more

Jan 1, 1971

By Joshua Cole, Joshua Sovechles, Christian Cardoso, Guillermo Bermudez, Martta Hirsi, Joshua Dettamanti, Rabia Abbasi

The implementation of technological advancements in flotation is key to optimize performance in mining operations. Consequently, flotation cell’s performance is highly dependent on the effectiveness of the mixing mechanism. A more efficient flotation mixing mechanism is likely to improve metallurgical performance and optimize energy consumption, which is the motivation for Metso’s journey to develop the latest iteration of FloatForce®. Looking to test the new design at plant scale, Metso approached the Kennecott Copperton concentrator, which is continuously looking for different venues to improve metallurgical performance. In this context, a test campaign was conducted to implement this new flotation mixing mechanism in their rougher circuit during 2024. The industrial trial consisted of several sampling campaigns assessing different operational parameters for comparison purposes around a 300m3 flotation cell. The effect of the new flotation mixing mechanism on the cell’s power draw was also studied. The results of this trial at Kennecott are presented in this paper. Overall new flotation mixing mechanism, FloatForce+ was seen to perform as well as the original FloatForce.

Feb 1, 2025

By Robin J. Hickson

The Ortiz Mine is operated by Gold Fields Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of Consolidated Gold Fields Ltd., one of the world&apos;s major gold producers. The Ortiz Mine is Gold Fields only heap leaching facility as well as being their first operating mine in the U.S.A. The hydrometallurgical processes utilized for recovery of gold and silver at Ortiz are discussed along with the several practical changes in operation adopted since start-up. Included are heap leaching by cyanidation, concentration of values on activated carbon, desorption, and the final electrowinning steps prior to shipment. Construction costs and pertinent technical data are shown.

Jan 1, 1981

By Vanessa Viterbo, Lia Walker, Hassan Khaniani, Vitor Viterbo

Fatigue is a major contributor to haul-truck incidents in mining, with up to 65% of fatigue-related events associated with operator drowsiness or microsleep episodes, Williamson et al. (2011) and Caterpillar (2007). This study examines whether operator fatigue produces measurable and repeatable signatures in haul-truck telemetry. Eight confirmed fatigue-related disengagement events were analyzed using 20-minute telemetry windows centered around the incident. Statistical descriptors, Z-score normalization, first- and second-order derivatives, sliding-window variability, and cross-signal correlations were extracted from engine speed, throttle position, fuel rate, ground speed, and brake indicators. A logistic regression classifier was trained and evaluated using leave-one-event-out cross-validation. The model achieved a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) scores of 0.75–0.79, demonstrating consistent discriminative capability. A characteristic shutdown sequence characterized by sudden throttle collapse, fuel-rate decay, RPM reduction, and unbraked coasting was observed across all events, indicating operator disengagement rather than mechanical malfunction. Earlywarning indicators appeared 90–500 seconds before shutdown in the events analyzed, suggesting practical potential for real-time fatigue prediction. These findings provide initial evidence that telemetry-based fatigue detection is feasible and could enhance safety in mining operations.

Feb 22, 2026

By J. E. Lowe

The unique application of a large walking dragline in the mountains of southern West Virginia was developed and implemented by Hobet Mining, Inc. Hobet is an independent operating subsidiary of Ashland Coal and is headquartered at the No. 21 Mine in Boone County, West Virginia, near Danville. Hobet also operates the 07 Mine located in Logan County, West Virginia, near Holden. Both mines are similar in equipment and manpower used; both produce over 2,000,000 tons of clean coal annually. Each site encompasses large, contiguous properties with access to rail service. The larger of the two is the Boone County property; it totals nearly 40,000 acres and has ample reserves. In 1977, Hobet was in the process of constructing a preparation plant (Beth Station) at its 21 Mine site with a capacity for two million tons. One of the first orders of business was to design a mine plan that would provide production for the capacity of the plant. Coal production would come from a more than adequate reserve base using the most economical mining methods available. Hobet looked at different deep and surface mining methods to use in order to develop the property; ultimately, it was determined that the mountaintop removal method with the use of a large dragline was the most economical way to develop reserve. Prior to this time surface mining in mountainous Southern West Virginia was generally done by contour mining and/or augering techniques.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. D. Vincent

The Mission By-Products Plant at the Mission Concentrator of the American Smelting and Refining Company, some 20 miles south of Tucson, Arizona in the Twin Buttes mining area, has been in operation slightly over a year. The plant produces a molybdenite concentrate a copper concentrate and, at times, a zinc concentrate. An intensive test program of over three years was conducted at Mission to make the recovery of molybdenum economic. Briefly it was found necessary to make a scavenger concentrate in the copper mill before it was possible to recover economic quantities of molybdenite. By so doing there were resulting additional recoveries of copper, silver and zinc. This program resulted in the design and construction of the existing plant. A paper by the authors discussing the test work and the design was presented at the, October 1965 meeting of the American Mining Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Mr. Wayne Bossard.

Jan 1, 1966

By Kenneth R. Krivanek

In recent years the widespread problems of air and water pollution generated by both population and industrial expansion have become a major public concern. Therefore, many municipalities are striving to achieve more efficient wastewater treatment processes so these wastewater&apos;s can be reintroduced into the waterways of our nation with little or no detrimental effects on the future beneficial use of that water. With this, improved treatment comes an ever increasing volume of wastewater sludge which must be disposed of in a manner of minimal impact on the environment. Furthermore, with demand for energy continually accelerating in this nation, our concern over high oil prices and our increasing dependency on foreign oil sources, there has been an ever growing interest in the largest energy source that are nation has, coal. However, surface mining of coal can cause many environmental problems when adequate precautions are not faithfully adhered to. These problems include water pollution from silt and/or clay erosion and acid runoff, produced by oxidation and hydrolysis of pyrite; i.e., FeS2 + 3/02 + H20 + FeSO4 + H2SO4. One method of wastewater sludge disposal which can utilize large volumes of sludge for a beneficial project that may not compound our environmental problems is spray irrigation, to either depleted farmland or to abandoned strip-mined soils. Sludge is characteristically high in organics, as well as having near neutral to alkaline pH properties. With these two qualities it possesses a potential for neutralizing acid strip mine spoils, which would enhance the establishment of a vegetative ground cover. Sludge can accomplish this by lowering the oxidation potential, reducing the solubility of iron and aluminum and by the chelation of metals, thereby

Jan 1, 1977

By Paul O. Knorr

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Interior, has responsibility over both energy and non-energy mineral development on the United States Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) under the OCS Lands Act (“OCSLA”). BOEM’s Marine Minerals Program (MMP) manages federal offshore mineral deposits through non-competitive, negotiated agreements for sand and gravel (“sand”) used in coastal restoration efforts and the competitive leasing of critical and hard economic minerals (“critical minerals”). As the steward of OCS critical minerals, BOEM MMP is responsible for understanding where critical minerals are located, identifying and understanding their environments, managing activities that affect these resources, and implementing pertinent federal policies. Fulfilling these responsibilities involves the collection and analysis of environmental, geological, and geophysical data; supporting the science needed to understand the impacts of resourcerelated authorized activities on the biological, physical, and sociocultural environments; encouraging emerging technologies that can reduce the environmental impact of activities; and communicating with stakeholders to foster an understanding of existing federal regulations and potential needs to revise the legal framework. Four U.S. federal rules in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) currently inform MMP’s procedures: 30 CFR 580 (prospecting for minerals), 30 CFR 581 (leasing of minerals), 30 CFR 582 (operations in the OCS related to minerals), and 30 CFR 583 (negotiated noncompetitive agreements for sand). Other federal laws and regulations are also pertinent, particularly those supporting the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Clean Air Act, Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Feb 22, 2026