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By Arthur F. Taggart

TO all Mineral Dressers, but particularly to those in the Coal and Industrial Minerals Divisions: Ted Counselman, retiring after two years at the helm of the Milling Committee, pointed with pride to the continued growth of that committee, and sang the swan song "Why ain't we a Division of Mineral Dressing?" Our genial Secretary pointed out, handily, that, you see, the way the Institute is divided there are several blocks running across this way here, and one running all the way down here, and another running part way down here, and they all cut across each other like this, and anyway the miners want to be a Division now, so why not you Mineral Dressers be good and not upset the big Institute organizational chart? And anyway again, Divisions have vested interests, and a Division of Mineral Dressing would take something away from Coal and something from Industrial Minerals, and any good institutional man can see that a Division would never give anything up. It was all quite confusing, and apparently not too convincing, because then the Milling Committee went ahead and voted unanimously it is a good idea, let's see what the other fellows think about it as well.

Jan 1, 1944

By Galen H. Clevenger

THE real and permanent advances which take place in any industry are for the most part slow evolutions which frequently develop and grow almost imperceptibly from clay to clay. A meritorious idea may and generally does require long and patient development and commercial application under a variety of conditions and in a number of localities before it emerges as standard and generally accepted practice. There must be not only technical perfection but also economic advantage. Thus a cross-section taken at any particular time of an industry may reveal little that is distinctly new and yet there may have been considerable progress. During the past year there has been little that is new in milling and yet there has been real progress; some problems have been solved and some of what we may term the newer developments have become more firmly, established.

Jan 1, 1930

By AIME AIME

THE quarters provided for the session on Milling Methods, Monday afternoon, Feb. 17, were filled to capacity. Galen H. Clevenger presided and notables, such as A. W. Fahrenwald, A. O. Gates, F. A. Thomson, W. L. Zeigler and others who had not graced a milling meeting in New York in recent years, or per- haps even never before, were actually present and spoke "in person." The first paper, by A. W. Fahrellwald (T. P. 275), entitled "Classifier Efficiency ; An experimental Study," was summarized by the author, who clearly showed the inconsistency of determining the efficiency of a classifier by means of sizing tests, especially where the material classified consists of a mixture of minerals of different specific gravities. In place of sieve analysis the procedure recommended involves the use of a glass settling-tube which is considered to give ideal classification and thus serve as a standard against which mill classification will be compared and relative efficiency calculated. This procedure sounds logical. Perhaps the greatest difficulty may lie in securing an ideal classifier acceptable to every one.

Jan 1, 1930

First, a classification of the various primary sources of feed materials for the production of cobalt is presented from a mineralogical point of view : sulfides, arsenides, sulfo-arsenides and oxide minerals. Each of these cate- gories will be characterized by its behaviour towards concentration methods, taking account of the presence of the associated minerals of other metals and of the nature of the gangue minerals. Then, for each category of cobalt bea- ring ores, typical flowsheets of treatment will be presented and discussed and the characteristics of the cobalt concentrates produced will be under- lined having in view their subsequent processing by pyro - and (or) hydrome- tallurgical methods.

Jan 1, 1988

By Paul M. Jr. Musgrove, Thomas D. Henderson, Mark B. Nesbitt

Introduction History. Vat leaching operations began in October 1953. Since that time, about 4.2 million tpy of oxide ore averaging 0.72% copper have been treated. Economic conditions, improved operating methods, and increased production facilities have allowed the ore grade to be reduced over the years. The average ore grade was 0.84% Cu during the 1950s, 0.68% in the 1960s, and was 0.50%, or below, during the 1970s. By 1961 some 35 million tons of oxide ore had been removed from the mine, exposing the underlying sulfide ore body. A 5,000¬ tpd concentrator was constructed and put into operation to treat the sulfide ore in November 1961.1 The original crushing plants were used for both oxide and sulfide ores, but by adding a third crushing shift, six days per week, the total ore treated was raised from 12,000¬17,000 tpd. Dwindling oxide ore reserves prompted expansion of the concen¬trator to 13,500 tpd in 19672 so that exhaustion of known reserves of both ores would occur at nearly the same time. Again, no additional crushing facilities were added during the expansion. It was anticipated that the treatment rate of oxide ore would be reduced from 12,000 to about 9,000 tpd. Instead, the addition of two crushing shifts per week and improved operating procedures have increased the treatment rate to 26,500 tpd-13,000 tpd to the leaching plant and 13,500 tpd of sulfide ore treated in the concentrator. Geology. The Yerington ore body is a disseminated porphyry copper deposit where a quartz monzonite porphyry intrusive contains the major part of the ore values, with some copper mineralization found in the adjacent granodiorite and other rocks. The geology of the Yerington Mine was aptly described by J. R. Wilson (Mining Congress Journal, June 1963). The ore body is one of few porphyries where geologic conditions were optimum for the formation of an important concentration of oxidized ore with minimum economic effect of secondary enrichment. The principal mineral in the oxidized zone is chrysocolla, which irreg¬ularly occurs dispersed throughout the rock and as narrow seams along fissures. The grade of the ore in the oxidized zone is generally the same as in the primary sulfide below, although some massive concentrations do occur as vein-like fissures and as filling of breccia zones. Cuprite, tenorite, melaconite, malachite, and azurite occur but are not abundant. Lying between the chrysocolla horizon and the primary sulfide is a transition zone whose limits are irregular but seldom with vertical range exceeding 50 ft. Chalcocite, cuprite, melaconite, native copper, and chrysocolla occur superimposed on the primary sulfides. Chalcocite replacement of chalcopyrite, as well as secondary chalcocite, do occur. The primary sulfide minerals are chalcopyrite and pyrite, with minor amounts of bornite and covellite. There are no appreciable gold or silver values, and molybdenite has rarely been noted.

Jan 1, 1985

By Kenneth L. Clifford, Thomas G. White

Many changes have occurred in lead-zinc milling in the U.S. since the 1970 Lead and Zinc Symposium. New mills have been built, novel flowsheets devised, and the use of process control techniques is increasing. The Missouri concentrators produced in 1976 more lead and zinc concentrate than those in any other state. The Tennessee mills produced nearly as much zinc concentrate in 1976 as Missouri and with some very highly developed flowsheets. Progress in the Western U.S. is centered around new operations in Colorado and Utah. New mills in New York and Missouri incorporate many of the newer control concepts. Most of the older concentrators have undergone flowsheet changes to accomodate different ore types or because of the availability of new and better equipment.

Jan 1, 1977

By P. W. Godbehere, B. W. Brooks

"This paper deals with the milling of slags from the Noranda Continuous Process, in the Horne Concentrator at Noranda, Quebec. The milling of copper slags, although novel in Canada, has been practiced in Japan, Finland and elsewhere for several years.In March 1973, the prototype Noranda Continuous Process furnace or ""reactor'' came on-stream, In this pyrometallurgical process (see Fig. 1), copper concentrates mixed with flux are smelted in a single furnace to form copper or a high grade copper matte, and slag. The conventional smelting processes of roasting, reverberatory smelting and converting have been incorporated in a single 17 ft. diameter by 70 ft. long steel cylindrical vessel (l, 2). The copper or matte is tapped from the bottom of the reactor into ladles and transferred to an anode furnace or to a converter. The slag is tapped into 40 ton capacity ladles, cooled, crushed, and conveyed to the concentrator. At the present time, the reactor is operated to produce matte. The matte slag* containing 4 - 6 per cent copper is milled using conventional ore dressing grinding and flotation equipment. A flotation concentrate assaying 35 - 40 per cent copper is recycled to the reactor. Crushing, conveying, grinding, flotation and tailing disposal equipment previously used for over 40 years for ore treatment has been modified to suit the requirements of slag milling. Slag milling is essentially the scavenger circuit of a pyrometallurgical process."

Jan 1, 1977

By Graeme G. Strathdee

"IntroductionThis paper presents an overview of the industry status, describes current potash industry practices at three mills, and summarizes developments that have taken place since the previous review by Banks (1985).The commodity potash is produced in both New Brunswick and Saskatchewan from the evaporite ore sylvinite. This ore is a mixture of co-crystallized halite, NaCl, and sylvite, KCl, and a minor assortment of silica, carbonate, sulphate, and clay minerals. Carnallite, KMgCl3.6H20, is also dispersed throughout the bedded deposits and can affect the recovery of sylvite for fertilizer and industrial uses.Canada continues to be a principal source of supply of agricultural and industrial potash products. Figure 1 shows the sector performance between 1989 and 1997 in the context of the world supply and demand situation as reported by Prud'homme (1997) of Natural Resources Canada.Potash industry output is traditionally measured as the quantity of potassium nutrient and reported as tonnes ofK20. Mineralogically, the principal form of potash produced in Canada is sylvite, KCl, and 1 nutrient tonne K20 corresponds to approximately 1.64 tonnes of sylvite of agricultural grade, about 95% KCI. In 1997, the Canadian industry milling capacity was 13.4 million metric tons (Mt) ofK20 (22 Mt KCl) while the actual production was 9.0 Mt K20 (14.8 Mt KCl). Worldwide milling capacity in 1997 was 35.9 Mt K20 (58.8 Mt KCl) and global consumption was 25.3 Mt K20 (41.6 Mt KCl). Canadian producers can deliver about 35% of the global demand for potash commodities"

Jan 1, 2000

By G. Ladouceur

"LOCATIONThe mine and mill are located in Lemoine township which is 20 miles directly south-east of the town of Chibougamau Quebec. Personnel live in Chibougamau and commute to the property over 33 miles of paved and gravel roads. Concentrates are trucked 13 miles to a railway siding on the line connecting Chibougamau and Quebec city.HISTORY Several companies explored the property before acquisition by Patino Mines (Quebec) Limited in 1973. Further exploration led to the discovery of a high grade copper-zinc orebody and the property was brought into production by the above company in 1976.ORE The ore contains 85% - 95% sulphides consisting of chalcopyrite, sphalerite, pyrite, pyrrhotite and minor gold and silver. Argenti tetrahedrite, antimonial silver, native bismuth and galena are also pre sent in very minor quantities. Associated gangue minerals are quartz, carbonates and occasionally chlorite."

Jan 1, 1979

By Braes J. R, Neale J. R

The New Broken Hill Consolidated Limited (NBHC) mine currently produces 1.42 million tonnes of silver, lead and zinc ore annually. All of this ore is treated by the NBHC milling ccx[plex. This paper describes the crushing, grinding, flotation and filtration circuits used in the treatment of this ore and lists the major items of equignent used in these circuits. Metallurgical results, manning levels and consumption rates of reagents and grinding media are shown.

Jan 1, 1983

By Eric Konigsmann

"Omai Gold Mines is a large scale open pit gold mining operation located in central Guyana, South America with a 12,000 tonne per day milling facility. Mill operations were initiated in December 1992 with commercial production beginning in January 1993. The entire operation employs approximately 120 expatriates and some 800 Guyanese nationals and is expected to produce in excess of 250,000 ounces of gold per year. The total mineable reserves contain 2.5 million ounces of gold with a projected mine life of twelve years.The milling circuits feature an SABC grinding circuit, gravity concentration and a conventional CIP gold recovery circuit. This paper will review the mill start up and ""run-in"" phase during the first year of operation. Emphasis will be placed on descriptions of start up problems and circuit modifications, mill performance trends in 1993, and personnel training and development. An outlook for 1994 is also given.IntroductionOmai Gold Mines is a large scale, open pit gold mining operation located in the Potaro district of Guyana, South America, some 160 kilometers south of the capital city Georgetown. Although there are numerous small scale gold mining ventures in Guyana, particularly with the dredging operations on the rivers, Omai is the first hard rock, open pit mine to be developed in the country. At present, this mining operation is one of the largest gold mines in South America.The Omai gold deposit has been exploited for over one hundred years. In the late 1800's, a German syndicate used hydraulicing with subsequent gravimetric separators such as sluice boxes and trommel screens to recover gold from saprolite, a soft, oxidized, claylike mineral which covers much of the claim area. Through the early 1900's and up until the 1950's, numerous mining companies including Anaconda Mining Co. Ltd. explored and drilled the Omai deposit but the technology and low gold price of the day made the reserve uneconomic to develop."

Jan 1, 1994

By Octavio G. Echavarria

HISTORY The Santander Mine is located on the western flank of the Central Andes of Peru, about 100 miles northeast of Lima, at an elevation of 15,000 ft. This complex sulphide orebody, whose predominant minerals are sphalerite and marmatite with recoverable amounts of galena and chalcopyrite, was discovered around 1920. In 1956 Compania Minerales Santander, a subsidiary of St. Joe Minerals Corp. acquired the property. Construction of the camps, concentrator and power facilities started in 1957. The mine, at first an open pit operation, and mill began production in January 1959. The initial capacity of the mill was around 120,000 short tons per year (stpy). Production has increased steadily to about 312,000 stpy at present. Production statistics are shown in Table 1. [ ]

Jan 1, 1970

By E. V. Daveler

THE milling plant of the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Co. is located at the town of Thane, Alaska, on Gastineau Channel, 4 mi. south of Juneau and directly across the channel from the Ready Bullion mine of the Treadwell mines on Douglas Island. Previous to the organization of the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Co., in 1912, the milling was done at the stamp mill of the Alaska Perseverance Co. located at the mine in Silver Bow Basin. But the contemplated increase in production made it necessary to locate the mill on Gastineau Channel, as not enough water was available at the mine during the winter months, nor was there room for taking care of the large tonnage of tailings that would ultimately be discarded from the mill. CHARACTER OF ORE The gold and silver values occur in quartz lenses associated with pyrrhotite, galena, arsenical pyrites, and zinc blende. These lenses occur in large bodies of slate, schist, and metagabbro, which also carry some valuable metallic contents. With the essential low cost of mining, it was necessary to mine large bodies of low-grade material containing the high-grade streaks. Of the minerals, pyrrhotite, the magnetic sulfide of iron, is predominant, and galena is the next sulfide present in quantity. The gold occurs free and coarse and associated with the iron sulfide in its finer state. The silver occurs with the lead or is alloyed with the gold. A chemical analysis of the ore shows Silver 0.10 oz. Magnesia 0.4 per cent. Silica 59.7 per cent. Sulfur 1.2 per cent. Iron 5.2 per cent. Lead 0.1 per cent. Alumina 21.4 per cent. Zinc 0.2 per cent. Lime 5.0 per cent.

Jan 1, 1920

By Wing L. Lew

LEAD, silver, and zinc, in quantities of economic importance are found in the Aguilar ore. The lead occurs as galena and the zinc as sphalerite and marmatite. The silver occurrence is more complex. Pyrargyrite and proustite have been identified only occasionally. Galena is silver-bearing and so are the various other sulphides, though to a lesser degree. The principal nonsulphide gangue minerals include calcite, quartz, wollastonite, rhodonite, and various calcium, aluminum, and iron silicates. A typical analysis of, the ore is: Pb, 11.2; Zn, 12.3; Fe, 4.4; Mn, 2.2; Cu, 0.15; S, 11.2; CaO. 7.6; "Insoluble," 50.1 percent; and Ag 263 g per ton. Crushing is done in three stages. The primary crusher at the mine is set to deliver about a 5-in. product. The crushed ore is then transported to the secondary crushing plant by a 3-km cableway where the general practice is to hold the product of the first Symons to about 1 in., and of the second Symons to about 1/2 in. When the ore is soft and rich the product of the first Symons is by-passed directly to the ball-mill bins. Dust control in the secondary crushing plant is effected by enclosing the dust-emanating sources and exhausting the enclosures with a Clarage No. 18 fan driven at 1300 rpm by a 20-hp motor. Use is also made of spray water at one or two critical places. Every effort is made to keep the air free from visible dust. Dust counts taken at the working places show dust concentrations of less than six million particles ner cu ft. The composition

Jan 1, 1947

By Gregory L. Gullord

In September, 1975, production was begun at the new milling facility of ASARCO Incorporated, the Young Mill. The mill is located adjacent to the Young Mine 35 km (22 miles) east of Knoxville, Tennessee. The Young Mill replaced the obsolete Mascot Mill which had been operating since 1913. The basic flow sheet of Mascot was retained for the construction of the Young Mill, with a 20% increase in capacity included in the design. The Young Mill is capable of processing 7710 - t/d (8500 stpd) of crude ore from three underground mines (Young, Immel and Coy) yielding 300 - t/d (330 stpd) of 63% zinc concentrate. The Young Mill is unique in that 92.5% of the ore milled is recovered as saleable products, including zinc concentrate, construction aggregate, sand and agricultural limestone. Processing at the Young Mill is divided into five basic stages: two-stage crushing, heavy media separation, grinding-flotation, concentrate filtering and drying, and limestone by-products recovery. The ore bodies are located in the Knox formation, which consists of primary dolomite, secondary dolomite and limestone with silicas in the form of chert and jasperoid. The zinc mineralization occurs as an exceptionally pure sphalerite. The ore contains an occasional abundance of pyrite and traces of fluorite and barite. TWO STAGE CRUSHING Ore enters the crushing section from two points. The Young Mine ore is hoisted into a 816 ton (900 st) bin which feeds a 1.52m (60 in) conveyor via a 1.52 m (60 in) vibrating feeder. The Immel ore is trucked 10 km (6 miles) by an independent contractor and weighed on automatic recording truck scales at the entrance to the property.

Jan 1, 1977

By G. A. Hellstrand

IN 1915, H. A. Guess, Vice President of American Smelting & Refining Co., in charge of its Mining Department, learned that the Anglo-New-foundland Development Co., Ltd., a pulpwood and paper-mill enterprise, had found upon its large concession in Newfoundland, and had opened up by shaft to the third level and some drifting, a lenticular orebody indicat-ing about 100,000 tons, as an extremely fine-grained sulfide ore, averaging about 0.05 oz. Au, 4 oz. Ag, 1.5 per cent Cu, 10 per cent Pb, 18 per cent Zn; and that having sent parcels of this ore to Minerals Separation, Ltd., and various other metallurgical testing concerns without obtaining any success in commercial separations thereon, had discontinued work thereon and let the workings fill. Mr. Guess wrote to the general manager of that company and obtained a few hundred pounds of the typical ore, which he sent to his company's metallurgical testing laboratory at Flat River, Mo., outlining various flotation tests desired thereon, in an endeavor to obtain separation into a commercial lead concentrate and a zinc concentrate. But the art of flotation had not then progressed far enough to treat such ore, the galena and zinc blende being so fine grained that grinding to about 300 mesh was required to release the mineral particles in their gangue. Mr. Guess had flotation and other tests continued upon this ore from time to time with whatever new reagents and flotation devices were evolved as time went on, and finally, in 1925, he succeeded in effecting in his company's testing plant, then at Wallace, Idaho, separations into lead concentrates and zinc concentrates of satisfactory commercial grade. Mr. Guess then proceeded to unwater, examine and sample the property and made with the owners a partnership operating agreement upon the mine itself and a considerable area surrounding it, and in the early summer of 1926 began to prospect for additional orebodies, utilizing for such prospecting geophysical methods, under the direction of Hans Lundberg, methods which up to that time had been little used in mining in the western hemisphere.. This geophysical work found two large flat-lying orebodies of a type precisely similar to the smaller body of the original discovery. The larger orebody, some 3500 ft. west of the original

Jan 1, 1934

By C. R. Powell, W. H. Maher

"This paper presents a short history of the development of milling at Buchans, Newfoundland, and a description of the operation.History and DevelopmentTHE original ore discovery was made at Buchans in 1905 by Matty Mitchell, a Micmac Indian who was prospecting for The Anglo Newfoundland Development Company, which company was then preparing to build a paper mill at Grand Falls, some 50 miles east of Buchans. A development program, initiated in 1906, was terminated in 1911 because of metallurgical difficulties. Intermittent testing was carried out by The American Smelting and Refining Company, and in 1925 a satisfactory method of concentration by flotation was found. Following this, intensive geophysical reconnaisasnce, succeeded by diamond drilling, uncovered two additional orebodies similar to the original discovery at Buchans River."

Jan 1, 1966

By Norman J. Sather

LOCATION AND HISTORY The Bunker Hill Mine is situated on the south side of the Coeur d’Alene River in Shoshone County of Northern Idaho near the City of Kellogg. Kellogg, the largest in the Coeur d’Alene District cities, is at an elevation of 2,300 feet and has a population of approximately 7,000 people. It can be reached by air, railway or highway. The history of the Bunker Hill Mine dates back to August 26, 1885, when Noah S . Kellogg found the outcrop of the Bunker Hill ore body on the hillside above the present town of Wardner, Idaho, in Milo Gulch. A small concentrator was erected in 1886. Before the railroad came, the mine output was transported by mule teams to the head of navigation on Coeur d’Alene Lake. After ten years of production, an interest was purchased in the Tacoma Smelter at Tacoma, Washington, to which the entire output was shipped. In 1916 and 1917 a modern lead smelting plant and refinery was erected and in 1927 and 1928, a modern Electrolytic Zinc Reduction Plant was built and put into operation by the Sullivan Mining Company which was 50% owned and now totally owned by The Bunker Hill Company. GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY The Bunker Hill ore bodies are found in gray and greenish gray quartzite and argillaceous quartzite of Precambrian age and are known as the Revett and St. Regis formations. Most of the ore bodies are found in the St. Regis formation.

Jan 1, 1970

By George Bell

THE mine and milling plant of Demonstration Gold Mines, Ltd., is near the city limits of Baguio, Mt. Province, P. I. The mine road connects with the main highway to Manila. The nearest railway point is near sea level, approximately 40 miles distant. The Baguio district is very mountainous and has one of the heaviest rainfalls in the world. It is therefore difficult to maintain roads or to impound tailings and mine dumps. All supplies are trucked into the district direct from Manila or the nearest railway point, which means uncertain deliveries and high freight rates. Installation of equipment is difficult and costly. The average elevation at the mine is 4000 ft. and the climatic condi-tions.are ideal except for a three months rainy season. The company generates its own power for mining and milling opera-tions with three 400-hp. Ruston Diesel engines direct connected to 250-kw. General Electric alternating current generators. Labor conditions have been excellent, although at present social security laws are causing some unrest. Labor receives a higher average wage rate in this district than other labor in the Islands. The com-pany also furnishes free living quarters, hospitalization and work-men's compensation. Taxation has been reasonable up to the present time, but some of the new mining legislation may make it difficult to operate and pay dividends. The future depends largely upon the continuation of $35 gold and the political outcome in the Islands.

Jan 1, 1939

By George A. Bell

THE mine and milling plant of Demonstration Gold Mines, Ltd., is near the city limits of Baguio, Mt. Province, P. I. The mine road connects with the main highway to Manila. The nearest railway point is near sea level, approximately 40 miles distant. The Baguio district is very mountainous and has one of the heaviest rainfalls in the world. It is therefore difficult to maintain roads or to impound tailings and mine dumps. All supplies are trucked into the district direct from Manila or the nearest railway point, which means uncertain deliveries and high freight rates. Installation of equipment is difficult and costly. The average elevation at the mine is 4000 ft. and the climatic conditions are ideal except for a three months rainy season. The company generates its own power for mining and milling operations with three 400-hp. Ruston Diesel engines direct connected to 250-kw. General Electric alternating current generators. Labor conditions have been excellent, although at present social security laws are causing some unrest. Labor receives a higher average wage rate in this district than other labor in the Islands. The company also furnishes free living quarters, hospitalization and work- men's compensation. Taxation has been reasonable up to the present time, but some of the new mining legislation may make it difficult to operate and pay dividends. The future depends largely upon the continuation of $35 gold and the political outcome in the Islands. HISTORY The Demonstration ore body was worked by the Igorots for many years, as evidenced by old stopes and fill encountered in present operations. Attention of Americans was first attracted soon after the Spanish- American war. During the building of the Benguet road to Baguio, the engineers and foreman became interested in the geology of the district.

Jan 1, 1939