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By H. G. Warrington

Abstract As part of the active development programme pursued by Dominion Magnesium Limited since 1945, a modern extrusion plant was erected and has been in operation for about twelve months. The only source of nigh purity magnesium in the world, Canadian metal is produced by metallurgical processes within the frame-work of the mining industry, which gives a different viewpoint to every phase of production from other world suppliers of commercial grade metal whose operations are based on chemical industries and techniques. The superior properties of corrosion resistance and grain refinement have aided a programme of standardization, reducing the number of alloys supplied in extruded form from seven to four as an aid to economic production. The first big step was the development of a general purpose alloy known as AZ?21x covering all decorative and medium stressed applications, which will supersede two older alloys. Sales approaching a million feet in this alloy show that it bids fair to become the 'mild steel' of the magnesium industry, its applications ranging from terrazzo floor strip to textile machinery and television mast components. In the high stressed field, metallurgical features preclude low-cost extrusion of the older high-strength alloys, but recent development of a magnesium alloy containing zirconium promises an easily workable metal. Hitherto produced by expensive chemical additions, research now shows that the alloy can be produced by metallurgical means, which may make this alloy available for a wide range of commercial applications. Thus the future development programme for extruded products in the form of tube, bars, shapes, and structural angles and channels may evolve two alloys to cover all applications for strengths up to 52,000 lb. per sq. in. Such standardization is the result of taking advantage of the physical and metallurgical properties of high-purity magnesium instead of accepting techniques based on metal produced by older processes.

Jan 1, 1951

By John Dasher

The analyses reported on in this paper indicate that there are hydrometallurgical routes from sulphide concentrates to copper that are potentially competitive with smelters which are not permitted to emit sulphur oxides. The various hydrometallurgical processes, and their economics, are discussed.

Jan 1, 1973

By G. McIsaac

"This paper discusses the formulation of a linear program with the objective of maximizing the cash flow of the long-term plan of an underground operation. A mine is split into eleven independent ore zones, each characterized by its reserves, required development, and mining method. Based on practical considerations, maximum rates are set for each zone’s development and production capacity. For the total mine plan, a minimum daily production rate is set along with a minimum feed grade to the mill. A maximum daily development capacity is set based on the equipment and labour available. Proven and probable ore is mined preferentially over possible ore in the early years of the plan. Also, the fixed cost of operating the mine is taken into consideration whenever mining activities take place.Once the linear program is solved, it can be critically reviewed, and unrealistic results can be identified. Some resource allocations constraints can then be changed in certain sectors, and new results can be analyzed. “Whatif” scenarios can also be examined, such as determining the impact of hiring a contractor to develop a given sector, or dropping an ore zone completely from the plan."

Jan 1, 2005

By G. McIsaac

This paper discusses the formulation of a linear program with the objective of maximizing the cash flow of the long-term plan of an underground operation. A mine is split into eleven independent ore zones, each characterized by its reserves, required development, and mining method. Based on practical considerations, maximum rates are set for each zone?s development and production capacity. For the total mine plan, a minimum daily production rate is set along with a minimum feed grade to the mill. A maximum daily development capacity is set based on the equipment and labour available. Proven and probable ore is mined preferentially over possible ore in the early years of the plan. Also, the fixed cost of operating the mine is taken into consideration whenever mining activities take place. Once the linear program is solved, it can be critically reviewed, and unrealistic results can be identified. Some resource allocations constraints can then be changed in certain sectors, and new results can be analyzed. ?Whatif? scenarios can also be examined, such as determining the impact of hiring a contractor to develop a given sector, or dropping an ore zone completely from the plan.

Sep 1, 2005

By M. E. D. Raymont

"During the history of the sulphur industry there have been three distinct phases of production. Factors controlling supplies during these periods have shifted from demand for sulphur to demand for energy and a cleaner environment. The pattern of brimstone production is t raced through these phases and includes estimates of future supply; these indicate an involuntary excess production of some 20 million plus tons per year by 1980 unless some large-scale new uses are found. Traditional uses for sulphur, including fertilizer, chemicals, fibers, etc., are generally expanding slowly; how• ever, supply in ""by-product"" form alone will soon outstrip demand. The predicted oversupply situation can be corrected by the development of novel potential markets. Promising areas include construction materials, insulation and plastics, among others."

Jan 1, 1972

By R. L. Bruening, N. E. Izatt, S. R. Izatt

"Rare earth elements (REE) are essential and unique components of many high-technology products without which functioning of modern society would be greatly impaired. Commercial deposits of REE are limited to a few geographical locations. Largely untapped sources of REE are available in endof- life (EOL) magnets, rechargeable batteries, and electronics. Presently, < 1% of REE in EOL wastes is recycled. Conversion of EOL wastes to liquid streams allows use of IBC’s Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT) process to selectively recover, separate, and purify target REE and associated metals at g/L to mg/L or lower concentration levels. The MRT process together with its applications to separations of REE and associated metals in recycling as well as in mining are described. Economic and environmental advantages of MRT are presented. INTRODUCTIONRare earth elements (REE) include the lanthanide series (La-Lu), Y, and Sc. These elements are not rare, but concentrated minable deposits are scarce (Cordier 2012; Haxel, Hedrick, & Orris, 2002). Over 95 % of the world’s supply of REE is controlled by China (Hanson, 2011a) where they are mined, processed, and the pure elements incorporated into a growing number of consumer and military products. The consumer products are marketed worldwide. Since REE are vitally important in consumer and military products, this situation has caused other nations to scramble to develop the capability to produce their own supply (Cordier, 2012).In the U. S., Molycorp has reopened the Mountain Pass REE mine in California and production has begun (Goldenberg, 2010). Development of a reliable internal source of REE is of high national priority in the U.S. (Hanson, 2011b; Hess, 2012: “Obama Announces”, 2012). These elements have in recent decades been incorporated into new consumer and military products that are essential to our economy and defense. These products range from wind turbines, high performance magnets, hybrid car rechargeable batteries, energy efficient lighting electronics, flat screen televisions, and smart phones to advanced weapons systems (Haxel et al., 2002; Levkowitz & Beauchamp-Mustafaga, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2012

By R. D. Brown

"""A matter of serious concern to the mining industry in British Columbia""; this comment reflects the attitude of the Mining Association of British Columbia toward the proposed new B.C. Mineral Royalties Act. The proposed legislation, introduced by the provincial government in February and now being debated by the legislature, combines a basic 5% royalty on the selling price, less approved p1ocessing and transpo1•tation costs, of minerals produced in B.C. with an ""excess"" royalty of 50% of any price increases over a predetetmined base. Government estimates project annual revenues of $20 million from the new royalty structure. The accuracy of these figures has been contested by the mining industry. Based on current world prices for copper the industry estimates that the provincial revenues from this mineral alone may run as high as $140 million in 1974 and $150 million in 1975. The Mining Association has warned that the new royalties “threaten to become confiscatory""."

Jan 1, 1974

"Far from being eclipsed by petroleum and natural gas, Canadian coal continues to command wide (and apparently growing) interest.Major R & D investigations are currently heavily oriented toward coal beneficiation (e.g., cleaning and utilization of fines) and toward a broad range of studies on metallurgical coals and cokes. However, active work is also being carried out in the areas of coal geology, mining, transportation and combustion; and, in some laboratories, increasing stress has been laid on developing a number of new, essentially non-fuel uses for coal and coal products.This review summarizes the work of Canadian coal research agencies during 1966 and indicates some of the more important advances made by them."

Jan 1, 1967

By Jun Xiao, Xiaodong Li, Chunming He, Daixiong Chen

"Benzohydroxamic acid with double dentate can react with copper to form cyclic hydroxyl oxime acid copper chelate, indicating a good selectivity for copper oxide minerals flotation, especially for malachite. The flotation results of the pure malachite mineral show a strong synergistic collecting effect between hydroximic acid and xanthate at a ratio of 3.5:1, achieving a malachite recovery of 95.5% when certain sodium sulphide is used as a sulphidizing agent in the optimal pH range. Thanks to the synergistic collecting effect, the flotation recovery of malachite of a real refractory ore flotation ,can reach over 92% under the optimum condition, a 12% higher than the recovery achieved with the conventional collectors. In industrial application, the flotation of the copper oxide minerals is improved , leading to a high efficiency utilization of copper oxide resources.INTRODUCTIONBeneficiation of copper oxide ore is one of the recognized challenges in mineral processing industry. Copper oxide ore is a vital component of copper resource in the world, which has abundant reserves. Majority of sulphide deposits has oxidized zone on the top, and some deposits are oxidized to become the large and medium-sized oxide deposits (Willam & Chavez, 2001). Most copper oxide ores have problems in processing such as high slime consumption, poor floatability, complex ore property and low flotation recovery, so it is of great significance in beneficiation of copper oxide ores to develop an efficient collector, especially for malachite (Fu & Gu, 1997; Wen, 2010; Riet, Kier & Elford, 1980). At present, sulphidization-xanthate flotation is the most important method for treating copper oxide ore. In recent years, due to the decreasing ore grade, the utilization of refractory copper oxide ore draws more and more attention (Zhou, 2003), except for sulphidization-xanthate method, chelating flotation method (Lu, 2009), chemical beneficiation method (Lenormed, Salman & Yoon, 1979), microwave radiation flotation method, hydrothermal sulphidization-flotation method (Mao, Wen & Fang, 2014) and ammonia leaching of sulphide precipitation-flotation method (Lekang, Stevik & Bomo, 2003) have occurred."

Jan 1, 2016

By H. C. Gunning

Introduction The invitation to contribute a discussion on some of the broader features of the mineral deposits of our Cordillera seemed acceptable enough when presented several months ago. More mature consideration has impressed upon me the difficulty of making any constructive or very helpful contribution in the short time available and with my limited inspiration. Dr. Lang deserves our real gratitude for his general paper of nineteen pages at the beginning of the Volume. Into it, with the help of two diagrams and seven tabular summaries, he has packed a lot of useful information and has analyzed along several lines the data of the Volume&apos;s twenty-eight detailed papers on our mines and camps. He has added additional facts from his own knowledge of the region. I am sure that, like myself and the whole fraternity, he feels especially grateful to the eleven company geologists who found time to contribute detailed descriptions of mines they have studied. The Regional Situation With the Jubilee Volume and two recent publications of great value from the Geological Survey, we are more up-to-date on Cordilleran geology than we have ever been. But I would like to emphasize that we still have but fragmentary information. Brief study of G.S.C. Map 932A will illustrate this. Our knowledge of the Rocky mountains is limited to two narrow sections along the main railway lines, a somewhat larger area from the border north along the Mesozoic coal-bearing basins, and some reconnaissance along Peace river and the Alaska highway. There is some additional information on old maps, particularly those by G. M. Dawson, but it is very much of the &apos;exploratory&apos; type. The other mapped areas are chiefly in the accessible region south of &apos;fifty-one&apos;, in the central part adjacent to and spreading north, recently, from the Canadian National railway, and along the edges of the Coast Range.

Jan 1, 1950

By D. H. Stonehouse

Of the f ive Canadian cement producing regions- Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie and Pacific-Ontario has the greatest capacity and normally produces the most cement. However, during the last 5 years the greatest activity within the industry in Canada has been in the Prairie and Pacific regions where major capacity increases have taken place. Most Canadian cement companies produce normal Portland, high-earlystrength Portland and sulphate resisting Portland cements. Some companies also manufacture moderate Portland cement, and low-heat-of-hydration Portland cement. Escalating energy costs highlight the need for technology research into more energy-efficient equipment for the energy-intensive cement industry. The industry is well integrated and plants are well situated to support construction in Canada. Expansion into the United States has become common during the past decade.

Jan 1, 1984

By Maurice Lauzon

"Aerial surveys of the open pits have been conducted regularly at Lake Asbestos of Quebec, Ltd. -a subsidiary of American Smelting and Re-fining Company -since 1958. Ground controls are supplied by Lake Asbestos, and a topographic map of the pits at a scale of 1 in. to 50 ft., with 2-foot contour intervals, is obtained by aerial photography. The information from the topographic map is then transferred by the Lake Asbestos engineering staff to sections from which the volumes removed are calculated. Considering the size and complexity of the operation, this system has proved to be the cheapest, fastest and most accurate way of determining the quantities of rock and overburden removed. More than 11,000,000 tons of ore and waste are mined each year in three different pits. Further-more, the nature, shape and extent of the orebodies make it necessary to mine on many (up to eight) benches of a pit during a single year. In addition, there are sections of the pits where it is impossible or un-safe to survey the crest of some benches by standard ground methods. For these reasons, the tonnages obtained by truck count are checked and adjusted by aerial survey. These surveys are now taking place every six months. With this system, it is possible for a two-man surveying crew to look after all field work in the mine area."

Jan 1, 1967

By Fred G. Hewett

The Cassiar orebody is located in a sill-like serpentinite body intrusive into the Devonian-Mississippian sedimentary rocks of northern British Columbia. Subsequent intrusion of the Cassiar batholith formed the McDame synclinorium and produced chrysotile asbestos. Present information indicates an orebody of approximately 16,277,000 tons amenable to open-pit mining, but continued diamond drilling will be needed to accurately define total tonnage and grade. A program has been developed at the mine to provide the required information on a daily basis, and work is continuing on more effective dollar-value prediction methods.

Jan 1, 1978

ABSTRACT Inco’s Iron Ore Recovery Plant was operated by Inco from 1955 to 1980 near Sudbury, Ontario. As exposures to specific nickel substances have been associated with adverse respiratory endpoints it is important to understand processes giving rise to such substances. This manuscript discusses the process and equipment, the propensity for aerosol formation, and operational procedures used by Inco in roasting a pyrrhotite concentrate, reducing the nickel in the formed oxide, leaching the nickel in ammoniacal solution, purifying the resulting solution, making green or black NiO, and producing iron oxide pellets. Industrial hygiene measurements are also reported.

Jan 1, 2013

By H. B. Merlin

"The past demands for energy and the contributions by the major sources are shown for the world and regions, and for Canada. Three forecasts of future demand are presented. By the year 2000, the world will be consuming energy at a rate of 670-700 x 1015 Btu/year. Canada's rate is estimated at 20 x 1015 Btu/year. Electricity will increase its portion of energy from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent, and more than 40 per cent of the primary energy w1ll. be required to generate 1t. World, regional and Canad1an forecasts are g1ven for total electricity generated and for electricity generated in nuclear stations. The integral world requirement for energy by the year 2000 will be over 12 x 10 18 Btu. Current recoverable fossil and hydro reserves are about 18 x 1018 Btu. The total reserves are estimated to be seven times greater.World production of electricity in nuclear stations by the year 2000 will be almost three times the electricity produced in the world today. The amount of fuel consumed in generating this electricity will depend upon the types and mix of reactors installed. The heavy water reactors, alone or in conjunction with fast breeders and liquid fuel reactors, are the most efficient users of uranium and thorium resources. The heavy water reactors are also the most efficient producers of plutonium which will be required as fuel for fast breeders."

Jan 1, 1969

By Wayne D. Goodfellow, William M. Luff, Steven J. Juras

Abstract-Brunswick No. 12 is a vent-proximal massive sulfide deposit that formed above a feeder pipe with associated hydrothermal alteration. Because of the replacement of bedded sulfides deposited above the hydrothermal vent, individual sulfide lenses show the following vertical and lateral zoning outward from the vent complex: massive pyrite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite core - interlayered pyrite-sphalerite-galena (Pb-Zn ore zone) - bedded pyrite. The feeder zone which underlies the Cu-rich core consists of an anastomosing network of pyrite-pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite­ quartz veins with variable and generally minor contents of ferroan carbonate, Fe-rich chlorite, sphalerite, galena and arsenopyrite. Hydrothermal alteration of felsic igneous rocks hosting and adjacent to the feeder pipe is represented by an inner zone (zone 1) characterized by sulfide stringers, Fe-rich chlorite, muscovite, quartz, and ferroan carbonate that formed at the expense of feldspars and what was probably glass; outer zones (Il and III) are represented by Mg-rich chlorite and muscovite formation, and the albitization and silicification of K-feldspar. Accompanying these alteration trends is a marked decrease of Na + Ca, and an increase in Fe + Mg + C03 in zone 1, and increases in Mg + Na in the outer zones. The classic zoning of metals within the sulfide lenses, the formation of a feeder pipe below the vent-proximal sulfide core, and the hydrothermal alteration of felsic volcanic rocks cut by the feeder pipe all support a vent-proximal origin for the Brunswick No. 12 deposit. Furthermore, restriction of sulfide stringer mineralization to the footwall sequence, the folding of the stringer zone by an F1 fold, and the difficulty of long distance mass transfer of metals from the sulfides into the host rocks all argue against a tectonic origin for the stringer zone. All of the evidence indicates that the feeder pipe formed during the ore forming hydrothermal event, but has been distorted and in some areas detached from the overlying massive sulfides during subsequent deformation.

Jan 1, 1992

By C. Sui, J. E. Nesset, M. Li, J. Y. Kim, S. L. Chryssoulis

"A plant study of zinc rougher flotation at Brunswick Mining was conducted using lime, soda ash and a combination of both as the pH modifiers in order to establish the effects on sphalerite and pyrite kinetics and mineral selectivity. The plant sampling and analysis was augmented by surface analysis using TOF-LIMS, SEM and XPS as well as fundamental precipitation and surface-charge studies in the sphalerite Ca/C03/S04 system.The results revealed the important role of carbonate ions in cleaning the sphalerite surface for effective activation by CuS04 to occur, and the beneficial role of combined soda ash and lime in increasing pyrite and galena depression.1.0 IntroductionThe studies reported in this paper were initiated as part of an investigation into the causes of a particularly pronounced seasonal deterioration in metallurgical performance at the Brunswick Mining concentrator during the summer of 1995. The concentrator treats a complex base metal ore having a typical feed composition of 9.0% Zn, 3.5% Pb, 0.4% Cu and 100g/t Ag at a current throughput of 9,000 TPD, although at the time of the problem in 1995, the average production rate was closer to 10,500 TPD. Zinc, lead, copper and bulk (zinc-lead) concentrates are produced with overall metal recoveries of 86% zinc, 63% lead, 60% copper and 60% silver; results which are typical of the lower recoveries associated with fine-grained, highly complex VMS and SEDEX type deposits. The main economic minerals of interest are an iron-containing (7% Fe) sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite with the main diluent (about 60% wt) being pyrite.Figure 1 shows a simplified flowsheet of the Brunswick milling circuit while the seasonal decrease in summer metallurgy in 1995 is illustrated in Figure 2. Of significance is the rapid drop in copper and lead recovery in June while there is an apparent delay until late August-September before the zinc deterioration reaches its lowest point. A more typical seasonal effect within the experience of the authors is the reverse of the Brunswick situation, namely an improvement in summer performance thought to be associated with improved differential flotation kinetics during warmer weather leading to better mineral selectivity. The historical Brunswick experience was particularly severe during the summer of 1995 with estimated incremental losses of $10 Million for this period. The potential of the very significant economic benefits to be gained from understanding and hopefully improving the annual drop in performance led to an investigation involving the minesite metallurgical group, the Noranda Technology Centre (NTC) as well as researchers in Professor Jim Finch's group at McGill and the surface analytical services and interpretive skills of AMTEL."

Jan 1, 1998

By W. M. Armstrong

This paper compares research on development efforts in various countries, consideration being given to gross expenditures, manpower involved, source of funds, sector of performance and type of activity. The Canadian R & D activity is then reviewed, particularly as applied to the industrial sector, the problems of applied research in Canada are discussed and some remedies are suggested.

Jan 1, 1968

By K. Hasselwander, K. Knabel

"A significant area of Outotec’s business involves fluidized bed roasting. With several decades of experience, more than 300 reference plants and strong R&D capabilities, the company provides several industries with optimum processing solutions. Applications include oxidation and sulfation of sulfides found in copper, pyrite and zinc concentrates. Gold production and de-arsenifying roasting are also within this scope. This paper describes the latest furnace developments and includes novel trends. Moreover, hot and wet gas cleaning systems are examined focusing on unit operations related to the removal of components such as dust, SO2 for sulfuric acid production, fumes, halides, Hg, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides and metals.INTRODUCTIONGenerally, when defining roasting processes, it can be stated that the respective primary pyrometallurgical reaction is exothermic, of gas-solid nature and relates to a value solid product. These processes are a key focus within Outotec’s scope and include: (i) dead roasting (ii) sulfating roasting (iii) partial de-arsenifying roasting and (iv) two-stage, de-arsenifying roasting.Dead roasting involves the oxidation of a given sulfide, thus allowing for a subsequent leaching process, and has been applied to producing ZnO. Dead roasting of pyrite has also been extensively utilized with a primary goal of producing sulfuric acid. In contrast, sulfating roasting involves converting a sulfide to its sulfate, enabling a selective sulfation of components, such as Cu or Co, and their separation from ferrous components during leaching (produced sulfates are soluble). Partial roasting involves partially oxidating the metal sulfide to its oxide with the simultaneous production of gaseous As4O6, which is handled during gas cleaning. The solid product, containing hardly any As, is rich in S and can be fed to a respective smelter (e.g. in the case of Cu). Alternatively, if the production of oxide is required, a dead roasting step is added after the partial roasting step, with the overall process considered as two-stage roasting."

Jan 1, 2012

By Marcelle A. Hauseux

"The Turgeon Lake granite lies 5 miles north of Baie Johan Beetz, Quebec, at the eastern margin of the Grenville Province. The rocks are classed as granites, granulites, quartzites, biotite schists and gneisses, and amphibolites. The granite's uraniferous character is manifested by phosphuranylite, uraninite, and metamict .zircons associated with magnetite. Field anomalies occur in irregular pods, conformable with the tectonic foliation, in bands roughly paralleling sedimentary bedding. Associated features diagnostic of uraniferous granite are smoky quartz, brick-red feldspar, magnetite and a coarse to pegmatitic grain size. The granite is chemically and physically heterogeneous. Metasediment-granite contacts are diffuse or sharp, and usually conformable to bedding. The regional foliations within all rock types are coherent, and sedimentary structures are often preserved within both metasediments and granite. Autometasomatism probably was a strong granitization agent.A uranium reconcentration into fold-axial zones from original sediments which have been highly granitized during at least two phases of folding is suggested from the available data."

Jan 1, 1977