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By Sebastiaan Peelman

NdFeB permanent magnets are the best available magnets used in many technology applications. However, at their end-of-life (EoL) most of magnets and the contained REEs are lost during the recycling of the bulk metals. The REEs are classified as the most critical raw materials in the European Union, and recycling of REEs from EoL products will reduce their criticality and contribute to the sustainability of REE. Various technological routes have been reported, but most of the methods are effective for highly concentrated magnets or magnet scrap, which is greatly dependent on expensive pre-dismantling processes. This paper presents various innovative metallurgical solutions to the effective REE recovery from current industrial practice for WEEE recycling, including the ferrous scrap from WEEE shredder products and shredder residues from computer hard disk drives. Both hydrometallurgical and combined hydro- and pyrometallurgical REE recovery routes are developed after demagnetization and physical upgrading.

By P. J. Petit

Changing mining conditions, legislative issues, rising costs, and the constrained supply of skills and electricity in South Africa, have been some of the criteria forcing mine operators and engineers to review the traditional use of compressed air to power underground hand-held drilling operations in narrow-stope, hard-rock mines. In answering the question, 'What is the best way to power this mine?', they have resorted to trade-off studies with results of limited usefulness, because they are site-specific, and use only a few comparative parameters, based on a small data set. This paper aims to provide definitive, objective and quantitative decision-making approaches to evaluate alternative energy delivery systems for stoping in narrow-reef hard rock mines, based on primary and relevant criteria. These include quantifiable criteria such as capital expenditure, operating costs, resulting financial returns, energy and water usage, production performance, life-of-mine, etc. Other important criteria with qualitative aspects are integrated. These are safety, health and environmental concerns, legislative requirements, business risk, technology change, etc. The paper begins with a review of decision making processes available, and proposes the use of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method as a multiple-criteria decision making tool and the decision tree-based on milestone-driven uncertainties, to validate the selection of the energy delivery system. The results of a multiple-criteria questionnaire completed by a variety of industry experts and professionals, such as production and operation managers, consultants, suppliers and techno-financial analysts, are discussed. The evaluation indicates the potential for hydropower to be the best solution for narrow reef hard rock mines, based on current information, mine design layout and production.

Jan 1, 2012

By Hernando Labarthe

El presente trabajo señala los posibles soluciones a problemas encontrados en el diseño de una planta de beneficio en nuestro país. Para ello, es necesario considerar cuáles son los factores que ocasionarían esta dificultad como el costo de producción, economía de espacio, almacenamiento de minerales, etc.y en el que tanto la ingeniosidad y experiencia del diseñador son relevantes, para que el mejor diseño del proyecto no altere la economía del proyecto en sí mismo.

Jun 20, 1954

By Anoop Sattineni

Over the past decade the use of BIM in the AEC industry has grown several fold and with it the number of standards available for implementing BIM. The ?National BIM Standard? by buildSmart Alliance, the ?Contractor Guide to BIM? by the Associated General Contractors of America, the ?BIM Project Execution Planning Guide and Templates? from Penn State University, the ?BIM Roadmap? by the US Army Corps of Engineers are some of the several BIM guidelines that are currently available to the AEC industry practitioners. Some of these guidelines are as comprehensive as defining BIM and the associated taxonomy while others are meant to be used on an individual project basis. From a contractor?s perspective one of the key benefits of using BIM is for the purpose of collision detection and coordination. This research has found that currently available guidelines do not address these issues adequately. For instance, the currently available guidelines do not allow the subcontractor to quickly communicate issues such as naming conventions and color schemes within the model, to the general contractor. Consequently general contractors and sub-contractors find themselves making changes to their BIM deliverables based on each other?s abilities and levels of adoption, apart from reason?s stemming from use of different software platforms. This paper describes how a group of contractors and subcontractors from Atlanta and Birmingham in the United States came together to create and adopt a ?Coordination Guidelines for Virtual Design and Construction?. These guidelines were specifically created with the purpose of streamlining the construction coordination process using BIM. This paper describes how the guidelines created differ from other guidelines currently available in the industry.

Aug 1, 2013

By T. D. Kaufmann

When Dr. David Gully solicited this paper last spring a few questions basic to commodity trade between the U.S. and world markets appeared perplexing. Why, for example, when the demand for aluminum was at a peak and when little expansion of capacity had taken place, was the dollar price half of what it had been at the previous peak? Or, why in 1984 when imports surged by 50% as the U.S. economy pulled out of its recession did the dollar not fall, but rather rose by 35%? And, why when the experts all seemed to agree that the dollar was grossly overvalued did the price of gold continue to decline? Surely these were extraordinary times for the mineral economist. When this paper was written in late July, 1985 the answers seemed clearer. The prices of many commodities were not low - the dollar in which they were denominated was too high. In other currencies many commodity prices were indeed high. The dollar was overvalued in trade terms by some 40% caused by an influx of short term coupon investments made by foreign money managers to take advantage of the higher short term interest rates in the U.S. relative to other international banking centers. With a decline in the relative difference in interest rates, an unhealthy buildup of foreign bank accounts and a perception that the dollar would fall, the dollar did start to decline rapidly.

Jan 1, 1985

By T. Shoji

"The human history is characterized by social development based on mineral and energy resources, and many conflicts to take the resources by power. This is shown by not only world wars but also many local conflicts as well as international supremacy.IntroductionThe world population after B. C. 10000, which is summarized in several papers, is approximated by four straight lines on a semilogarithmic diagram as shown in Figure 1 [l]. The annual rates of increasing are 0.0041, 0.071, 0.53, and 1.85 % from the old and young periods. The boundaries among four periods are approximately B. C. 4600, AD. 1670, and 1930. The start of the second period seems to correspond to the beginning of agriculture and cattle breeding. Precisely speaking, the usage of natural energy resources such as woods and domestic animals already began, but is inferred to have become common after the age. The third and fourth periods are characterized by the common usage of coal and oil, respectivety. Not only energy resources but also mineral resources including gold, copper, iron and others are also important for the human history.Mineral and energy resources have supported the development of the .human civilization, and have caused many conflicts because of this reason. Every day newspapers report conflicts, such as Chechnya, East Timor and Ache. We can easily point out the facts that the conflicts closely relate to mineral and energy resources. Groznyj, Capital of Chechnya, is located on the western margin of Caspian oil field. Many mineral deposits occur in Kavkaz Mountains running south of Chechnya. Subsea oil fields occur in Timor Gap located between East Timor and Australia. Ache is also one of oil fields in Indonesia. It is very difficult to state present conflicts independently of a political view of point. For this reason let us try to historically review the relation between mineral and energy resources and international domination and conflicts [2] based on many papers [3]."

Jan 1, 2000

By S Wellink, D Chalmers, D Adermann, C Martin

The practice of recording blasts for quality control purposes has been conducted for several decades. However, at the low frame rates of a standard video camera, essential data is frequently missed as it occurs when the shutter is closed between frames.The use of high-speed video for the research, development and monitoring of the performance of blasting procedures is a well proven but under-utilised practice.The recent development of low cost, easy to use high-speed digital cameras and user friendly software can deliver a capability into mine management as a day-to-day production tool that can greatly improve blasting performance and reduce costs.Digital high-speed video and image analysis software can accurately quantify each blast. Analysis of the images can facilitate the identification of causes of variance from design, geology changes, errors in blast practice and areas of poor performance. The use of high-speed video greatly enhances the audit and review processes so that future blast design can be quickly and appropriately modified to deliver improved blasting performance and reduced costs.The three videos demonstrate the differences between standard video and high-speed video and the detail that can be obtained from them. These videos of open cut blasts can be used to identify blast performance variances. Capturing images at 1000 frames per second allows the analysis on a millisecond timescale where detonator timings, fragmentation, venting, fume generation and flyrock can be accurately identified.CITATION:Adermann, D, Chalmers, D, Martin, C and Wellink, S, 2015. High-speed video – an essential blasting tool, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 471–476 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By J. C. Gilbert

"IntroductionTHE PURPOSE of this paper is to discuss in a general way the heavy oil situation in Western Canada, and particularly to acquaint those in the oil industry who have not participated in the heavy oil end of the business with past and current developments. The author has covered •briefly the location of the heavy •and asphalt-base oil fields, their geology, current drilling and production practice, the location of the •refineries capable of handling heavy crude, their products and markets, and the problems and future prospects of the industry.Location and Description of FieldsThe term heavy oil is generally used to denote crude of 20.9° gravity and under. Since the products from heavy oil are also to a lesser extent obtained from asphalt-base crudes of higher gravity, some mention will be made here of the latter; but in general the emphasis of the paper is on heavy oil as such.In the order of their production to date, the heavy oil fields and those light oil fields which produce asphalt-base crudes are : Lloydminster, Taber, Vermilion, Conrad, Princess, and Wainwright.The Lloydminster oil field has not only produced most of the heavy oil, but also is currently the largest producer, supplying at the present time about 80 per cent of the heavy and asphalt-base crudes produced in Western Canada."

Jan 1, 1952

By James J. Fallon

Last summer Larry Miller of Roberts & Schaefer told me that his AIME committee would like me to present some thoughts on the marketing of industrial mineral fillers and pigments to this illustrious group in Las Vegas. Shortly after, Brian Coupe of "Industrial Minerals" (the magazine) notified me that I would be presenting a paper to the Fourth International Industrial Minerals Congress in Atlanta this June. It seems to me now it might have been more appropriate to reverse the papers. Las Vegas, a town based on risk, might want to hear what we have to say in Atlanta. The subject for June is "Risk Philosophies of U. S. Industrial Minerals Companies". However, upon reflection, marketing of industrial minerals reflects risk philosophies to a considerable extent, so we'll cut the deck and deal on the subject of marketing.

Jan 1, 1980

By T. Koulomzine, R P. Jaeggin

The claims now held by Mount Wright Iron Mines Co. Limited were acquired by staking in 1956, 1957 and 1958, i.e., some time after the major deposits of the Quebec Cartier Mining and Normanvi!le Mining Co. (formerly Quebec Cobalt & Exploration Ltd.) were already discovered and partly outlined. The choice of the location of the Mount Wright hold-ings was governed simply by the -availability of ground still open to staking and by its proximity to properties held by major iron companies. Mount Wright Iron Mines had no previous knowledge of the geology and no aeromagnetic results were available to it to guide the choice of areas to be staked. In order to explore the newly ac-quired claims it was decided to make a grid of widely spaced magnetic profiles on the ground rather than use aeromagnetics. This afforded the possibility of making some geological observations simultaneously with the geophysical measurements.

Jan 1, 1961

By Jennifer Abols

In July of 2013, Lundin Mining acquired the 2,000 tpd Eagle nickel and copper project from Rio Tinto. The project had been put on hold earlier in the year and construction was approximately 50% complete. Lundin immediately accelerated project activities and by September of 2014 the project was constructed, commissioned and ramping up. The newly commissioned facilities went on to reach design throughput, recovery and product quality targets by the end of the year. This was accomplished ahead of schedule and below budget despite numerous obstacles including the worst winter on record in the past 50 years for the area. What led to the success of the project, and in particular the commissioning phase of the project? This paper takes a high level look back and provides an overview of the methodology used, key issues encountered and lessons learned to answer this question.

Jan 1, 2015

By Winton Gale

"The aim of this paper is to summarise the results and conclusions of Australian Coal Association Research Project (ACARP) Report Cl3013 which relate to water inflows into a mine which occur through the overburden above and adjacent to longwall panels. The study assessed available data of inflows into underground coal mines and utilised computer simulation of water flow through fracture networks. The study concluded that flow into mines is typically via an interconnected network of pre-existing and mining induced fractures. The height above the coal seam that mining induced fractures extend is typically related to the width of the panel. However the potential for those fractures to form a connected network which can facilitate flow, is related to the amount of subsidence and the depth of mining. The study compares model simulations with measured data and provides guidelines to estimate the average hydraulic conductivity of the overburden above extracted longwall panels in Australia.INTRODUCTIONWater inflow into coal mines has been a design issue for many years. Guidelines as to the potential for water inflow have been developed in many countries based on local experience and the form of mining being undertaken. In most instances, the guidelines relate to inflows which would endanger underground personnel and operations.In more recent times, water inflow criteria for mines has been widened to include lesser inflows which may not impact on mine safety or operations, but have the potential to reduce water flow within streams and surface aquifers. For the purpose of this paper the larger inflows which are readily measured in a mine or may impact on mining safety are defined as mine inflow and the lesser inflow relating to aquifer water loss as environmental inflow.The water losses referred to are those which enter the mine from the surface or from near surface aquifers.The empirical relationships developed as mine design guidelines or regulations typically relate to high flow (mine inflow) situations and in this paper, these have been reviewed as to their application to environmental inflow. In many cases environmental inflows were unlikely to have been noted or recorded in many mining operations in the past."

Jan 1, 2010

By Farnham. G. S.

It is difficult co know how to deal with this subject before a group having such mixed interests. The mining man is not coo concerned with the problems of alloy research. The engineer is more interested in properties of materials than how these properties can be achieved. The business man feels that scientific history and prognostication are not for him, predicting trends or possible developments in the economic field being a more than sufficient occupation. Yet the application of physical metallurgy research to industry is of importance to miner, engineer, and business man, for only through such application can the continuing existence of industries manufacturing or consuming metals be assured. History shows that hard work does not guarantee industrial survival. For instance, the Bessemer method of steel making superseded puddling operations; it, in its turn, has been largely displaced by open-hearth processing; later, steels made in electric-arc furnaces displaced open-hearth products in the quality field; and now, very specialized steels are being made in high-frequency rather than in arc furnaces. It is apparent then, if industry is co remain healthy, complacency must give way co imaginative planning, based on a thorough knowledge of production technique, a knowledge supplied by efficient research.

Jan 1, 1947

By Hylton R. Brown

Advertisements and articles in technical and trade journals announce the approach of a new age, in which plastics, light metals, laminated wood, and numerous other products or byproducts will be used in the construction of automobiles, airplanes, and furniture and equipment used in our factories, offices, and homes. Undoubtedly, after the war there will be many such developments which will introduce new manufacturing methods and new hazards to challenge the safety engineer. Already we know, from experience in laboratories and pilot plants where these new products are being tested, that there will be many fire and explosion hazards to be overcome. The danger of dust explosions may be one of the principal hazards, because thetic resins and other materials used in the plastics industry, as well as metal powders, wood dust, and other finely divided substances, are capable of forming explosive mixtures in air. Heavy losses of life and property have been caused by dust explosions in flour and feed mills, starch factories, and grain elevators, and it will be well to consider the possibilities that such losses may occur in any new industry and to provide all possible safeguards against hazards. Fortunately, we have learned something about the behavior of dust explosions and know something about the ease of ignition, limits of Explosive concentration, end pressure developed. Our efforts should now be directed toward the application of this knowledge in the development of safe operating practices.

Jan 1, 1945

By J. William Ganser

This paper is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines describing mining and milling methods and costs at cement-plant quarries throughout the United States. These papers are designed to disseminate technical information regarding the methods used. The cost tabulations represent local operating expenditures only and not total production costs. It is recognized that publication of total production costs may in some instances cause embarrassment to individual producers as well as to the industry as a whole. On the other hand, operating costs are essential to the technical discussion and study of methods employed. The attention of the reader is specifically called to this differentiation in order that no misunderstanding of the scope of the cost tabulations shall ensue.

Jan 1, 1931

By Hans E. Tausig

The economics of transporting minerals by sea in less than full cargo lots encompasses an analysis of production costs, sale and inventory calculations and a careful comparison of ocean freight costs all of which when pieced together will usually definitively indicate which of the ocean freight alternatives is the correct one for the economic factors involved. To illustrate: Let us assume that a production to be marketed yields 60,000 metric tons of copper concentrates over a twelve month period. Shipment is geographically viable through Vancouver, B.C. The production has been sold to a Japanese Smelter and the mine produces at a rate of 5,000 metric tons of concentrates per month. The copper has been sold CIF FO. The Seller has carefully investigated ocean freight rates Vancouver, B.C./Hibi, Japan and finds that he could obtain a twelve month freight contract at $15.00 per metric ton FIGS based on a loading/discharging speed of 4000/ 2000 metric tons per WWDSHEX (weather working day, Sundays and Holidays excluded) this freight rate being predicated on shipping in lots of minimum. 15,000 tons. A further freight investigation reveals that to ship at the same terms and conditions but in lots of 5,000 tons, and shipping each month (in accordance with the mine's actual production) would cost $20.00 per metric ton FIOS. The calculation that is now made is whether it is more desireable to pay a higher ocean freight by shipping in 5,000 ton lots or to pay the lower freight where here the ocean freight involves a difference of some $300,000.00.

Jan 1, 1979

Thank you for your introduction and the opportunity to speak at such an important forum. I feel honoured to be the Tas McKee speaker for this yearÆs conference. I can honestly say that Tas McKee typified the spirit that has ensured the survival of the mining industry despite the modern-day challenges that we encounter. He was one of the most influential people in the New Zealand minerals industry. In 1938, with his father and brother, Tas established Lime & Marble Limited. Over its history, this company evolved from its original base of marble mining to diversify into gold mining and exploration for other industrial minerals, uranium, precious and base metals. He was truly a pioneer that persevered against the odds.   That leads me to the subject of my discussion today. I am going to delve into todayÆs challenges as they apply to gold companies. While we gold miners should be generating record returns, the gold industry shareholder return performance in this buoyant market has barely equalled that of the gold price. It is a dilemma but one that can be resolved with the right strategy.

Jan 1, 2006

By John Gross

The modern practice of grinding ores so that often 80 per cent or more of the product is finer than 200 mesh makes it desirable to supplement sieve sizing so as to extend considerably the range of sizing. Moreover, the fact that the material finer than sieve size represents the major part of the work done in grinding emphasizes thick need in can investigation of crushing efficiency. A method based on the settling rate of particles in grater appeared to be most practical for sizing; finely ground ores. There are two possible methods of utilizing this principle: one based on free settling or sedimentation; and the other on separation by means of a rising; current of water, or elutriation. In sedimentation, mechanical entanglement causes material at the start to settle in a mass, and this persists throughout. As this feature is largely eliminated by elutriation, which permits a comparatively clean separation of the various sizes, the elutriation method was adopted.

Jan 1, 1929

By E. R. Bauer

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) continues to be a concern of the mining industry. A new noise standard (30 CFR, Part 62) is aimed at reducing NIHL in mining through engineering and administrative noise controls. However, the difficulty and expense of implementing engineering controls can make administrative controls an attractive alternative for reducing worker noise exposure. Over the last three years, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has conducted worker noise exposure surveys in underground and surface coal mines and in coal preparation plants. The surveys revealed numerous possible administrative controls and an approach to implementation and analysis. The surveys have shown that worker dosimetry, time-motion studies and equipment noise profiling are important aspects of effectively utilizing administrative controls. A description of the approach for selecting, implementing and evaluating administrative controls and a list of possible administrative controls are reported.

Jan 1, 2007

By R. Gilges

The implementation of effective techniques for meeting the maintenance requirements of the new Utah Copper Division smelter, one of the largest in the Western Hemisphere, is a goal of the smelter management and supervisory personnel. Kennecott's Metal Mining Division Computing Center has been working with smelter personnel to implement a computer program to provide instantaneous access to equipment specifications, maintenance and cost histories, spare parts, preventive maintenance scheddes, etc. for several hundred pieces of equipment. This information will be available to all smelter personnel via visual display terminals. The system will dramatically reduce the time now spent in search of pertinent information required in effectively performing the maintenance functions. It will also be used to analyze practices, detect trends, prepare budgets, and substantially reduce the paper work normally associated with the running of a large and complex maintenance organization.

Jan 1, 1977