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By S. C. Maji, U. S. Chattopadyay, S. Chaudhuri, T. Gouri Charan

India is devoid of coking coal resources, which is a vital raw material for coke making. As a result it has to import about 80% coking coal for steel making. Indian National Steel Policy, 2017 has envisaged crude steel production around 300 million tonnes Mt) by the year 2030-31 and forecasts coking coal demand of 161 Mtpa (million tonnes per annum). One way of improving the indigenous resources is to study the performance of existing washeries and to improve the clean coal recovery by adopting suitable technology. A study was carried out, mainly to focus on the fine coal circuit of an existing coking coal washery, to generate the desired quality of clean coal. The operating coking coal washery being studied is presently feeding coal from nine different sources with varying feed ash contents. The coal fines varied in ash content ranging from 19.5% - 43.6%. For treating the coal fines, the washery has operated a spiral for the past few years. Performance studies were carried out, and it was found that the spiral is not efficient in recovering the cleans. Detailed investigations were carried out on the coal fines using flotation techniques, and it was found that to achieve a low ash clean coal, the froth flotation is a much better beneficiation option than a spiral, The studies showed that the recovery of clean coal through a spiral is 67.7% at ash content of 27.0%, while flotation tests showed a recovery of 68.1% at 16.5% ash content. Keywords: Coking coal washery, near gravity material, spiral washer, froth flotation

Jan 1, 2020

By HORNICKA OSTRAVA

The Czechoslovak Scientific-Technical Institute has arranged the international conference 'Hornicka Ostrava' for four or five days at the end of October, 1969, as part of the preparation for the international 'Miners' Congress' on deep coalextraction in 1970. The keynote of the conference is 'New Techniques in coal mining,' and will be covered by five groups dealing mainly with: 1. New trends in the opening of mines, optimal parameters, projections, equipment, utilization of computers for economic analyses, etc. 2. Increase in efficiency of coal extraction in deep mines, technology, concentration, pressure control, optimization of material and coal transport. 3. Modernization of devices for increased safety and working conditions, new trends in explosives, new techniques for reducing environmental diseases. 4. Innovations in deep level coal extraction, mechanization, rationalization, automation, etc. 5. Other topics about modern techniques in mining. Address your enquiries to: Ing. Karel Kalas (Secretary of the Conference), Dum Techniky Cs YTS, Ostrava 1, Jesenkiho 7-9, Czechoslovakia.

By Y. G. Zhu, G. B. Zheng, X. X. Hu

Reverse flotation by cationic collectors is the classical method to reduce the silicon content in magnesite. But because of the low selectivity, there is a large loss of magnesite in the reverse flotation froth. To improve the efficiency of the collector, a novel collector named BK433 was developed in this paper. In order to determine the performance of the BK433 collector, a systematic experimental study was carried out with a high silicon magnesite in China. The suitable pH environment of slurry was confirmed, the depression effect of different depressants was investigated, and the flotation effect was compared with commonly used traditional collectors. The results show that the BK433 shows remarkable good selectivity and collection ability. After the 4 stages reverse flotation, the SiO2 content decreased from 3.76% to 0.25%, SiO2 impurity removal rate reached 94.69%. Meanwhile, the MgO content increased from 45.06% to 46.73%，the recovery of obtained concentrate (calculated by MgO) was 82.79%. Keywords: Magnesite, Desilicication, Reverse flotation, Collector

Jan 1, 2020

By J. H. French, O. E. Lissner

S. J. Venning (Member): The authors should be congratulated on producing such concise data from the plethora of experimental report results. Their observations on the cost of liners calls for some comment however, as the really unique feature about liners in South Africa is that they can be obtained so cheaply. Attention has been focussed on the 1961 cost of white iron at R50 per ton for chill cast block liners while manganese steel liners are reported as costing as much as R250 per ton. The former are however, a relatively heavy, simple casting with a low labour content and reasonably high percentage productivity, made from metal melted in a cupola. The capital investment to produce this type of casting is low compared with that required to produce manganese or other alloy steels. The chill cast liner block is always a production item and is cast in a permanent mould. Almost all manganese mill liners, except perhaps small aperture screens, are sold for considerably less than the R250 per ton quoted by the authors. Where a price of this nature is asked it would be because the design of the casting demanded is complicated or leaves little metal to carry the labour and other costs of production. As reference has also been made in the paper to liner costs in America, prices for similar types of liners obtained during a visit to Canada and the U.S.A. in 1961, could be of interest: Material Price per Location short ton Ni-hard R250 Elliot Lake Body liners block type Ni-Hard R300-310 FAS New York Mn Steel R280-290 FAS New York Screens (grids) slotted Cr.Mo. Steel R600 FAS New York hole Ni-Hard R320 Elliot Lake At this time the price of comparable manganese steel block type liners on the Witwatersrand was between R145/R155 per short ton. White iron in Canada was then quoted at about R150 per ton, but as Ni-Hard gave a life of at least two to twoand-a-half times that of white iron, it was a much more attractive proposition particularly when relining and down time costs were taken into consideration. There is little doubt that most foundries would welcome clear and complete specifications of the customers requirements and systematic checks to ensure that these specifications are being met. B.S.S. or other accepted standards should form the basis of these, and periodic inspections should be undertaken to ensure that only those foundries capable of complying should be included as suppliers. The authors have referred to new designs, but can the industry really call the grid and plate new when the patents were taken out during the second world war and the sawtooth block has been used for at least 35 years. Unfortunately, far too little thought and consideration are normally given to the ultimate mill liner design while the mills themselves are on the drawing boards. The position and size of the door opening, which is the key to the ultimate shell liner configuration, the drilling of the

Jan 9, 1968

By P. M. Solozhenkin, O. I. Solozhenkin

Currently lead nitrate is used as the recommended activator in Au-Sb flotation. However, due to high levels of hazard, the application of lead nitrate constitutes a potential risk for human health and ecosystems. To mitigate the harmful impact of activators on the environment, further research on activation by alternative reagents has been launched to promote the efficiency of antimony ores. In the present study, adsorption of lead, copper and zinc cations has been investigated by nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), which has revealed copper and zinc cations penetration into the mineral lattice, although lead cations remain adsorbed on the mineral surface. However, the combination of zinc and copper cations leads to preferential volumetric adsorption of zinc in the mineral lattice and further surface adsorption of copper which positively affects the activation process. It has been established that activation of stibnite can be achieved effectively with the mixture of Cu2+:Zn2+=1:1 as much as with lead cations in antimony ore flotation. As a part of this work, the computational modelling has been used in prognosis of reagent activity evaluation (PRAE) for stibnite and aurostibite flotation by sulfhydryl collectors. The lower PRAE value the stronger the ability of a collector to form a stable complex with a mineral. PRAE has shown a strong negative trend to complex formation on the mineral surface of aurostibite and stibnite. Based on these studies, several collectors have been proposed for effective flotation. To verify the feasibility of proposed collectors tetramethyl (ethyl) thiuram disulfides (TMTD and TETD) have been used for flotation of stibnite, sphalerite, pyrite and arsenopyrite. Flotation performance has been improved significantly with TMTD that allows the avoidance of lead nitrate application and increases the recovery of antimony by 8,16%. Keywords: Stibnite, aurostibite, activation, lead, copper, flotation reagents

Jan 1, 2020

By H. J. R. Way

Dr H. J. R. Way: In his reply to my queries Mr Bath still adheres to his statement that it may be possible to replace the estimated R200 million reduction in gold revenue in 1980 by exports of ferro-chromium, and apparently based his conclusion on a growth rate in demand for corrosion resistant steels of 10 per cent per annum in the next few years. As I pointed out at the previous discussion at Middelburg this would entail a production of about one million tons of ferro-chromium in 1980. Exact statistics of South African ferro-chromium production are not available, a fact which is very much to be regretted. But statistics of exports of ferro-chromium are available from "Foreign Trade Statistics" of the Customs and Excise. These show that South Africa exported 99,580 short tons in 1967. The quantity of ferro-chromium consumed in South Africa in 1967 was fairly small and we can therefore assume that the production was 99,580 tons. For this amount to grow to 1,000,000 tons in 1980 would require a growth rate of 19.4 per cent per annum. At 10 per cent this would grow to 344,000 tons and at 7 per cent 240,000 tons. The following growth rates in the form of average trends are pertinent: STEEL - Per annum World steel ingot production - 1957-67 – 6.8 per cent Free-world ingot production - 1957-67 – 6.0 per cent Consumptions of crude steel by four major Free-world Consumers - 1957-67 - 5.6 per cent CHROMITE World production - 1952-67 - 2.5 per cent South African total sales - 1948-67 – 5.4 per cent South African exports - 1948-67 – 3.9 per cent United States consumption, very irregular, but - 1962-67 – 6.5 per cent FERRO-CHROMIUM - Per annum United States consumption - 1952-67 - 6.5 per cent South African exports - 1957-62 - 25.2 per cent South African exports - 1962-66 - 41.9 per cent South African exports - 1966-68 - 21.2 per cent These figures show that exports of ferro-chromium have been growing at a very high rate varying from 21.2 per cent to 41.9 per cent since 1957, but in view of the market situation it seems somewhat doubtful if that high rate can be maintained up to 1980. Of our 1966 exports U.S.A. took 63 per cent which was 53 per cent of their total imports. Their average consumption is trending at a growth rate of 6.5 per cent per annum from 1952-67, but the growth from 1964-66 was 5- 2 per cent and 1966-67, -12 per cent!

Mar 1, 1968

By L. E. Kun, R. O. Oelofsen, E. J. J. van Vuuren

High-rate floc-blanket clarification of gold pregnant rotary filtrate was introduced at the Vaal Reefs South gold plant of the Anglo American Corporation during February 1978. A. daily 12 000 to 15 000 t of filtrate, with an average suspended-solids concentration of 350 mg/I, is continuously clarified to a concentration of less than 2S mg/I of suspended solids in a modified plant pachuca (10 m in diameter) at throughput rates of 7,7 to 8,5 ma/m2.h by the addition of 5 g/t of ferric chloride inorganic coagulant and 0,2 g/t of Superfloc NI00 flocculant. The pachuca overflow is then clarified further in seven Stellar candle pressure filters of 54,S m2 surface area to under 5 mg/I of suspended solids. The combined clarification cost when the hopper clarifier is used in conjunction with the Stellar filters is R0,0032 per ton of liquid treated, which is approximately 60 per cent lower than the cost of Stellar filtration on its own. The savings are mainly due to the reduced use of filter pre-coat, the consumption of which has dropped by 70 per cent since the introduction of hopper clarification.

Jan 1, 1979

By M. R. MacIver, M. Pawlik, S. Finora, H. Alizadeh

The dispersion of mature fine oil sands tailings (MFT) by the addition of sodium lignosulfonate was studied using contact angle measurements, optical scattering, and particle size measurements. Lignosulfonate caused the release of residual bitumen to the slurry surface and settlement of fines. Dynamic contact angle by captive bubble measurements were carried out on bitumen to determine the effect of the dispersant on the wettability of bitumen. Lignosulfonate caused a change in the aggregation state of the MFT and increased sedimentation of particles, as indicated by optical scattering measurements. Zeta potential measurements indicate that this change was caused by an increase in adsorption of lignosulfonate onto particles, which caused improved settling of the colloid. Ultraviolet Visible (UV) spectrophotometry and organic carbon content measurements showed that only a small amount of the reagent remains in the aqueous phase of the tailings, which is critical for decontamination of recycled water. Keywords: Oil sands tailings, bitumen recovery, dewatering, dispersion, surface chemistry

Jan 1, 2020

By J. Pelders, G. Nelson

"Fatigue is a significant concern in the mining industry as it is a causal or contributing factor in many incidents and accidents. Fatigue can be caused by work- and non-work-related factors. There is a lack of information about associations between demographic and other non-work factors, and fatigue. This study aimed to assess associations between demographic, work, living, and socioeconomic conditions, and lifestyle characteristics, and fatigue at a platinum smelter in South Africa. Eight interviews with management and two focus groups with production workers were conducted, and 75 questionnaires were completed by production and other workers. Both work- and non-work-related factors were considered to be causes of fatigue. These factors included overtime, shift work, high workloads, activities performed outside of work, age, race, housing tenure, diet, sleep disorders, stress, and job satisfaction. In general, higher levels of fatigue were reported by younger participants, those who rented accommodation, ate less healthily, had a sleep disorder, and those with high levels of stress and low job satisfaction. As various demographic, lifestyle, and wellness-related factors were associated with fatigue, both work and non-work contributors should be addressed in fatigue management plans. BackgroundFatigue may be defined as ‘a state of impaired mental and/or physical performance and lowered alertness arising as a result of, or a combination of, hard physical and mental work, health and psychosocial factors or inadequate restorative sleep’ (BHP Billiton, 2005). Williamson et al. (2011) define fatigue as a biological drive for recuperative rest. Sleepiness and fatigue are related, and the terms are often used interchangeably. However, sleepiness, more specifically, can be defined as sleep propensity, or a person’s tendency to fall asleep (Hossain et al., 2003; Shen, Barbera, and Shapiro, 2006).Increasing levels of fatigue and sleepiness are associated with lapses in attention, errors, response slowing, fluctuations in alertness and effort, and impaired attention, working memory, long-term memory, decision-making, and creativity (Alhola and Polo-Kantola, 2007; van Dongen and Dinges, 2000). Fatigue is also associated with adverse effects on mood and impulsive behaviours (Alhola and Polo- Kantola, 2007; Minkel et al., 2011; Schwarz et al., 2013). It is a significant concern in the mining industry as it is commonly identified as a causal or contributing factor in many accidents and injuries (Schutte, 2009). Fatigue can also lead to long-term health problems, including digestive problems, heart disease, stress, and mental illness (Shaw, 2003)."

Mar 1, 2019

By G. Chambovet

Applied geophysical methods such as the surface seismic method have been applied for many years and in many places, mainly for oil exploration and to a lesser extent for mineral deposits? exploration in sedimentary basins. The seismic method fundamental is based on the variations of acoustic impedance in a layered earth model and such variations at each main geological interface create reflected waves that are processed and imaged in order to output a clear picture of the subsurface structure. The geology of South Africa was historically, and even until recently, considered as unfit for seismic exploration and the mines were always reluctant to spend any portions of their exploration budgets on these techniques. Hard rocks and high P-waves velocities were creating quite a hopeless model for any mine geologist or geophysicist (if any), unsuitable for the proper use of seismic waves to image their subsurface problems. Boreholes were considered the only reliable tool to derive a geological image of the mine structural features and were linked sometimes with surface methods such as aero-magnetism. The obvious flaw of this methodology was the inability to derive a continuous image from a discrete set of measurement points. Surface 3D seismic is the tool that gives a reliable solution from the initial model extracted from the boreholes, as even the aero-magnetism mapping gives a flat image, unable to show any depth correlation from well to well. The first 3D surface seismic surveys were recorded in the early Nineties only for the gold mines of the Witwatersrand, after a series of serious new shaft sinking failures. The wrong geological locations of these shafts resulted in financial loss of several hundred million rands. The era of3D seismic just started in South Africa and till 1997, all seismic done in the country was for gold exploration with geological target depths close to the oil exploration average depth of investigation. A very important breakthrough was reached when the depth accuracy of the seismic image was tested in real scale as the stopes were surveyed. An error of amplitude of 20 m was usual when true depth was compared with the seismic image predicted depth and shape. This accuracy, completely unknown in oil exploration, started to gain supporters of seismic methods in the mining community but the cash problems and the concentration/disappearance of gold mines in the late Nineties, led to the belief that seismic would be just a very short exploration activity for the mining sector. ort exploration activity for the mining sector. But starting in 1998 with Impala, a tremendous and continuous 3D surface seismic activity occurred in the platinum mining sector. The seismic world got used to new terms such a Merensky and UG2, which have replaced the VCR and black reef. If the primary expectation of platinum surface 3D seismic was to determine and ascertain new shaft locations, as for the gold mines, the quality of seismic data led the mine geologists to require smaller and smaller imaging of geological objects. In addition to the main structural image, small faults, potholes, and shear zone were common expectations of platinum seismic. In a constant velocity environment, what saved the day was the sharp density contrast between the PGM reef and the embedding geology. A good contrast of impedance exists in the whole Bushveld and is sufficient to have enough reflected waves from the PGM main layers to build a high quality seismic image of the subsurface. Recent advances in technology have led in less than 10years to major improvements in the seismic acquisition by using high frequency vibrating seismic sources, but also in processing and interpretation. With these latest improvements, seismic can detect objects of 7.5 m size, either fault throws, flexures, etc. The PGM formations of the Eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex are now accessible for seismic imaging, with cost per square kilometre comparable to the borehole cost of the same surface unit. The economically acceptable seismic surveys can be used for UG2 structural imaging up to a depth of 210 m below surface. Linked with borehole information, 3D seismic today offers a wide range of information for mine development: structural imaging, small fault detection, pothole and shear zone identification. All users of 3D seismic have also used this technique as a tool in the process to qualify their mineral reserves and especially from the category ?inferred? to the category ?measured?. Junior mining companies, in the feasibility stage of their projects, are also quite eager to use seismic as a reserve certification tool, when they present financial statements to future potential investors. Junior mining companies, in the feasibility stage of their projects, are also quite eager to use seismic as a reserve certification tool, when they present financial statements to future potential investors. The current high demand on platinum, pushes the seismic towards new technologies to be implemented in order to improve the final image. Using surface and borehole seismic together or acquiring seismic surveys with multi-component receivers have been just introduced in South Africa. In less than 10 years, surface seismic by adapting its methods to the special case of the Bushveld, became a mandatory step in mine development and ore resources evaluation. As part of the ?seismic? world we are proud to be a major player the ?surge? of platinum exploration and production in these last years and we will certainly increase our synergy with the mine sectors in the exciting coming years.

Jan 1, 2006

By B. Friedrich, A. Birich

Gold has been a metal of special importance for mankind for several thousand years. Its outstanding chemical resistance is an important property of this noble metal, but becomes a disadvantage when it comes to gold recovery. The established processes are based on highly aggressive and toxic reagents. Different alternative leaching reagents with a significantly lower toxicity proved to be promising alternatives in the last decades. Major research activities in this field focused on gold ores, so that leaching of secondary resources were not described sufficiently. Based on literature research and extensive experimental investigations, a reagent assessment was conducted for hydrometallurgical gold recovery from electronic waste. It was found that besides thiourea and halides, thiosulfate in particular represents an alternative of major relevance. A variety of different electronic waste (e-waste) specimens were investigated to identify suitable leaching conditions. As a result, an almost complete and selective gold recovery in less than 48 hours from different electronic waste types and components was achieved by thiosulfate leaching. Within the experiments conducted, it was found that the leaching behaviour of cyanide alternative lixiviants differ strongly from leaching of primary ores. Keywords: Gold leaching, cyanide alternative, thiosulfate, electronic waste

Jan 1, 2020

By G. Pienaar

The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy held a Colloquium on High-strength Low-alloy Steels on 27th October, 1983, at the Vaal Triangle Technikon, Vanderbijlpark. The Colloquium was attended by some 170 delegates.

Jan 1, 1984

By G. L. Dyer, R. D. Alorro, R. E. Browner

A potential new rare earth extraction process has been suggested (Lazo, et al., 2017) (Lazo, et al., 2018) based on converting the rare earth elements to solid phase rare earth oxalates in an oxalic acid leach. Oxalic acid consumption is a significant issue in the process, therefore to improve the viability of this proposed new extraction method, a process to recover oxalate from the leach solution and recycle oxalic acid is required. A review of the literature and confirmation through thermodynamic analysis of the potential options identified precipitation of calcium or ferrous oxalate as the best potential options. The use of metallic iron to both provide ferrous ions as a precipitant and reduce ferric ions in solution would provide the most economical option, however slow kinetics and unreacted iron created significant issues with this process. The direct use of ferrous ions, while faster and more efficient, produced a precipitate with relatively poor solid/liquid handling characteristics and would require an intermediate stage utilising calcium in regenerating the oxalate. Utilising calcium chloride and oxide created very similar precipitates with better physical properties than the ferrous oxalate and that a reasonable proportion of the oxalate could be recovered before neutralisation of the solution induced precipitation of other phases such as iron oxy-hydroxides and calcium phosphate. The produced calcium oxalate was easily converted to oxalic acid and gypsum via immersion in sulphuric acid. It was also found that there is a significant loss of oxalic acid due to factors other than rare earth oxalate precipitation during leaching. This leads to a maximum oxalate recovery in the range of 50 %.

Jan 1, 2020

By H. P. Kritzinger, T. C. Kingsley

Rotary kilns are used for a variety of mineral processing operations. Hatch makes use of a kiln model developed from first principles to evaluate designs for its clients. This tool has been applied to a variety of pyrometallurgical applications. This paper illustrates the application of numerical optimization techniques in combination with the kiln model in the interrogation of a generic iron-ore reduction process. The fundamental modelling concepts are explained, followed by a description of the optimization approach. The results show how the combination of the two methods, with modern computing power, can generate a large number of viable design and operating candidates.

Jan 1, 2014

By B. Larsen

The Søderberg electrode was invented about 95 years ago by the company Elektrokjemisk, later known as ELKEM. It is still the most commonly used electrode system in submerged-arc furnaces for ferroalloys, platinum smelting, and slag cleaning operations. The size of the furnaces and electrodes has increased over the years and electrode diameters up to 2000 mm are today in use. Such large electrodes can be challenging to manage, and large electrodes are also more demanding when it comes to the electrode paste used in the electrodes. Although electrode sizes and equipment around the electrodes have changed, the main principles of the Søderberg electrode processes are the same. To assists in proper understanding of the electrode processes and to optimize electrode management, Elkem has developed several mathematical tools covering various aspect of the process. Both temperatures and thermal stresses can be calculated during dynamic conditions. The paper demonstrates, with examples, how the tools are used in both education and as practical input to improved electrode performance.

Jan 1, 2012

By S. Curry

The Objana Cement Plant is located in central Nigeria, approximately 200km south of capital city Abuja (figure 1). It is the second largest cement plant in Africa, and the fifth largest in the world [1]. The selected mining location is unique as it has all the major raw materials (except gypsum) in close proximity. This includes limestone, clay, marl, laterite soil, and laterite iron. [ ] The plant has a capacity of 5 million metric tones per year (~15,000 tones per day). A 135 megawatt gas-fired power plant, with 90 km of natural gas pipeline, was constructed to power the plant. The total project cost is approximately 1.2 billion US dollars. The lifeline of the plant is two overland conveys totalling 7.7km in length. The first 800m conveyor is relatively mundane. The second conveyor however, is unlike any other troughed belt conveyor in the world. It 6.9km length transports 2,400 T/H and operates at 5.0 m/s. Its ?snake? profile consists of 11 vertical cuvees, and four horizontal curves. The last of which is 2,000m in radius, has a length of 2.2km, and is located at the high tension head end of the conveyor. Although these specifications are noteworthy, the unique feature of this system is that it is entirely elevated from head to tail using a triangulated truss gantry structure (figure 2).

Jan 1, 2008

By Xiang-nan Zhu, Hao Zhang, Lin Li, Jun Qiu, Yue-xian Yu, Chun-chen Nie, Xian-jun Lyua

Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) are excellent metal resources. Mineralogical characteristics of different components in WPCBs were analysed in this study. Organic-enriched particles, fibreglass-enriched particles, associated particles and metal-enriched particles were obtained by density gradient method. Subsequently, the elemental composition, morphology, dissociation characteristics, functional group composition and phase composition of different components were analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM+EDS), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Elemental analysis results show that Cu is mainly contained in metal-enriched particles. SEM+EDS analysis results demonstrate that ideal dissociation can be achieved when the WPCBs are broken to -1 mm. Organic matter particles are enriched with carbon and oxygen elements, while fibreglass particles and associated particles mainly contain Al and Si elements, verified by XRD analysis. FT-IR results show that hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups exist widely in all components, caused by widespread organic matter. This study reveals the important properties of different components in WPCBs, which is of great significance for the subsequent separation process. Key words: Waste printed circuit boards, mineralogical analysis, elemental composition, dissociation; phase analysis, functional group composition

Jan 1, 2020

By M. R. L. Blackwell

Over the period 1964 to 1969 Conzinc Riotinto of Australia undertook and completed an evaluation of a large low-grade copper orebody on Bougainville Island in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. From the outset it was clear that the geographic, climatic and topographic characteristics of the area would necessitate a heavy capital outlay on production and support facilities. Both the physical problems and the magnitude of the investment amplified the need for a thorough and rigorous evaluation of the various strategies for exploiting the orebody. In view of the number of independent and inter-related variables and the flow of new data, a computer-based evaluation process extended the scope and depth of the analysis considerably. The system used permitted an iterative assessment and re-assessment of the various strategies with the results becoming increasingly refined with time. This process encompassed the modelling of the orebody, the simulation of alternative operating strategies and the determination of the financial profitability of the project,

Jan 1, 2014

By V. V. Getman, V. A. Chanturiya, T. N. Matveeva

Most of the Au and PGM ores in Russia are characterised by a thin mineral impregnation of noble metals in sulfide minerals, and a large variety of mineral forms that lead to high loss of precious metals with fine fractions during flotation. In modern flotation technology, the rational choice of reagents is one of the main trends for selective separation of minerals and effective metals recovery. New data on the selectivity of the thermo-sensitive polymer with specific functional groups (TMPPh) as a flocculant and collector of Au and Pt fine fractions are available. The selective modified collector (DEDTCm) for the recovery of Au and Pt from complex ores is discussed in this paper. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEAM), laser SIM and AFM microscopy, UV and IR spectroscopy were applied to study the adsorbed layer of new reagents on the mineral surface. Flotation tests of TMPPh on the gold-bearing ore of the Olimpiada deposit showed an increase in Au extraction and Au content in the concentrate of the rougher flotation. Using a combination of reagents TMPPh and ButX, the quality of the Au and Pt concentrates increased in 1.7 time with an increase in recovery up to 15 % compared with the traditional reagent mode. Testing of TMPPh polymers in flotation of Pt-Cu-Ni ore at Norilsk Nickel has shown the ability to obtain a concentrate with a higher Pt content. Recovery of platinum is 17% higher than recovery in an experiment without polymer. Application of DEDTCm helped to achieve higher technological parameters in flotation of lowgrade Rt-Cu-Ni ore. Compared to the basic mode Pt recovery was plus 13%, Pd recovery was plus 9% and the content of precious metals in the rougher flotation concentrate increased in 2,5 - 4 times. The studies have been supported by Grants of the President of RF “Scientific School of Academician V.A. Chanturiya” NSh-220.2012.5, NSh-748.2014.5. Keywords: Au and Pt complex ores, flotation, flocculation, thermo-sensitive polymer TMPPh, modified collector

Jan 1, 2020

EMMES Sampling Conference BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION ?Impala acquires toll material to supplement production from ROM ?Toll material consists of filter cake, slurry and catalysts ?Samples are collected to determine the commercial values of the lots ?Slurry deliveries projected to remain relatively constant at 120tons dry solids per month, whereas filter cake deliveries set to increase five-fold to 800 tons dry solids per month ?Due to projected increase in toll material, new sampling and offloading facility presently under construction at Impala ?Presentation will cover two projects aimed at reducing the uncertainty associated with sampling of toll deliveries ?i.e. slurries and filter cake.

Jan 1, 2005