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The Department of Mineral Resources has a statutory responsibility for mine site environmental management and control in New South Wales. The Department is focusing on an environmental management systems (EMS) approach, as a management tool to achieve æbest practiceÆ outcomes both within our own organisation and on mine sites. One of the DepartmentÆs tools is environmental risk assessment and management which incorporates the Mining, Rehabilitation and Environmental Management Process (MREMP). The MREMP was introduced many years ago in order to integrate the activities of key stakeholders who may have a material interest in the mine. The MREMP provides an ideal mechanism by which ædue diligenceÆ requirements and environmental management programs can be integrated into mining operations and lead to a sustainable post-mining land use.

Jan 1, 2002

By I Mason, A Wellington, J Hargreaves

Many people are familiar with the use of marine echo sounders which are used by fishermen to monitor water depth and locate schools of fish. Similar technology has recently been used in some West Australian mines to provide detailed maps of ore contacts and other geological structures. Whilst drillhole intersections provide details of the location of a contact at a point, echo sounding can be used to obtain a continuous profile of the contact. A series of profiles together with drillhole intersection data can be used to build a more accurate geological model than can be inferred from drillhole intersections alone. The benefits of this are more complete ore extraction, less dilution and the ability to make more informed financial decisions. This paper presents a case history which demonstrates the successful application of the technology.

Jan 1, 2000

By G Metzner, R Rodriguez, C Savage

OK Tedi Mining Ltd. (OTML) is in the process of optimising the concentrator performance. One aspect that has been recently implemented is an upgrade of the existing expert control philosophy on the grinding circuit and this will be the topic of this paper. Ore grinding in SAG mills is a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) process subject to several disturbances, most typical being quick acting disturbances such as changes in ore characteristics like hardness and particle size and slow acting disturbances such as ball charge variations and liner wear. The OTML SAG mills treat ore from diverse ore bodies and receive fresh feed subject to large changes in particle size. These circumstances make these mills particularly challenging to control. In this paper, a comparative analysis is presented between the performance of the OTML SAG mill #2 before and after the commissioning of a hybrid control strategy. The strategy uses Expert Knowledge combined with advanced disturbance rejection to reduce the variability of the main process variables, especially pressure and power. It further optimises the overall operation by driving the SAG mill #2 against process constraints (e.g. high power, high motor temperature and high scats recycle rate) and maintaining the operation at or near this point. This strategy is implemented by a combination of the manipulated variables (i.e. fresh feed tonnage and % solids) at any given time.The paper will present trends and a statistical analysis of the comparative results of the mill operation over a period of months, showing a 30% reduction in mill power / pressure variability and a 12% improvement in average power drawn. An increase in throughput was also observed, but cannot be conclusively attributed to the change in mill control due to other changes that were made to the SAG mill #2 during the period of comparison. An additional benefit includes better acceptance from the operators with improved consistency of the SAG mill #2 operation across shifts.The paper will also discuss further improvements envisaged in the continued optimisation of the grinding control circuit.CITATION:Savage, C, Rodriguez, R and Metzner, G, 2013. Hybrid process control strategy for the Ok Tedi Mining Ltd semi-autogenous grinding mill #2 - A comparative analysis, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 202-214 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 15, 2013

By R Dwyer, S Rea, W J. Bruckard, N McSweeney, R Holmes

"The innate ability of microorganisms to adapt to changing or inhospitable environments has often been exploited for industrial purposes and forms the basis of many current biotechnological processes. The ability of bacteria to adapt and adhere to specific mineral surfaces ensures that the energetic or nutritional requirements of the cell are met and often serves as a survival mechanism under unfavourable?growth conditions or conditions of stress. In this process, cells may rearrange or modify the macromolecules expressed on the cell surface itself or produce extracellular molecules, modifying mineral surfaces to render them more suitable for growth. The modifications that these molecules produce on mineral surfaces may result in changes to the surface charge and hydrophobicity of a mineral. As a result, these biomolecules may have some potential application as flotation collectors or modifiers.In this work, the effect of long-term exposure of Paenibacillus taiwanensis to goethite and common gangue minerals associated with Australian iron ores on the differential expression of membrane and extracellular proteins was determined. Both groups of proteins play a role in cell adherence to mineral particles. Cells were adapted to grow in the presence of each mineral over time. The proteins expressed on the cell membrane and the extracellular proteins excreted by the cell were isolated and analysed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D gel PAGE). The outcomes of these studies are presented here and potential application of these products for flotation discussed.CITATION:Dwyer, R, Rea, S, McSweeney, N, Bruckard, W J and Holmes, R, 2013. Microbes and their metabolites - potential iron ore flotation reagents, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013, pp 369-372 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Aug 12, 2013

Selective Removal of Arsenic from Acid Mine Drainage Containing Ferrous Ion Using Sulfide Precipitation Method

Sep 13, 2010

By S Morgan, A Jakowetz, S Taylor, B Weekes, S Litson, P Bourke, T L. Do

In the current tough mining environment with lower commodity prices, operators need to improve operational profitability. Optimised equipment asset management is a sustainable way to achieve this objective. The increased efficiency of installed process equipment positively contributes to the circuit performance, affecting metallurgical performance, plant availability and operating costs. Nui Phao Mining Company Limited (NPMC) operates a polymetallic mine located in Vietnam. The circuit produces four main products, tungsten, fluorspar, bismuth and copper. Tungsten is the major revenue producer. The operation experienced the following equipment inefficiencies in its copper and bulk sulfide flotation (BSF) circuits:• lower than expected metallurgical performance - the BSF rougher flotation tails contained coarse (+106 µm) sulfur minerals which affected the downstream tungsten gravity circuit. The unrecovered sulfur competed with tungsten minerals affecting both tungsten recovery and product grade. • structural integrity and safety - the flotation circuit structures experienced excessive vibration beyond the acceptable tolerance levels. The vibration was attributed to the flotation mechanism design and impeller tip speeds. • equipment reliability and wear life issues - the flotation mechanisms were being replaced every six months, with reported failures at three months. This resulted in high operational costs. A mineralogical evaluation of the ore indicated that the coarse sulfur minerals were well liberated and relatively rich in pyrrhotite and pyrite. It was predicted that these particles should be recoverable by flotation under optimum conditions. NPMC worked collaboratively with Outotec to investigate options to improve the metallurgical performance of both sulfur and tungsten. A review of the copper and BSF rougher circuit infrastructure was also undertaken and focused on reducing the structural vibration and improving mechanism wear life. Prior to the circuit upgrade, laboratory and pilot testing was conducted to validate the circuit improvements. The final solution included the installation of Outotec FloatForce® mechanisms in the existing copper and BSF rougher circuits, and a new flash circuit (SkimAir®) treating the rougher tails stream ahead of the tungsten gravity circuit. The flash circuit is unique, as typically these types of cells are installed in grinding circuits. By March 2016, all circuit upgrades were complete, however the initial metallurgical performance was below expectations. NPMC and Outotec worked together to investigate and improve performance through further equipment modifications. Since October 2016, the metallurgical performance has improved significantly. Coarse sulfur mineral recovery has improved, resulting in an overall increase in recovery of sulfur and tungsten of 4.7% and 2.7% respectively. The Outotec FloatForce mechanism has also delivered operational benefits, with a reduction in structural vibration to within acceptable levels (<4.0 mm/s) and an improvement in mechanism wear life by 150%. This paper discusses the BSF circuit upgrades and compares operational data before and after the upgrade to quantify the improvements in metallurgical performance, structural vibration and mechanism wear life. CITATION:Morgan, S, Weekes, B, Jakowetz, A, Litson, S, Taylor, S, Do, T L and Bourke, P, 2017. Nui Phao mine – flotation circuit upgrade, in Proceedings MetPlant 2017, pp 230–253 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 11, 2017

By P Hunger, H Günter, F Heinicke

High pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) have been used for more than 20 years to grind iron ore pellet feed. Besides coarse comminution (crushing), where HPGR are installed upstream of the ball mill, there are numerous flow sheets where HPGR are used after ball milling and dewatering for re- or finish grinding.There is a clear growing interest in grinding of pellet feed with HPGR during the last few years. In addition to their known advantages of low specific energy consumption, high availability, low steel consumption and improved pelletising processes the lower environmental load (reduced or no water consumption) became a strong driving factor for the application of HPGR in pellet feed grinding.This growing demand increases the interest in better understanding of the HPGR grinding process with fine iron ore concentrates. One of the most important process parameters is the moisture content of the feed material which influences the performance of the HPGR enormously. The HPGR can react to fluctuations of the fresh feed properties to a certain degree by adjusting grinding force and roller speed. Nevertheless, there are limitations by the physics of the compression process and the capability of water absorption by the concentrate. The capability varies for different concentrates and different specific surface areas. This fact has to be considered during engineering of the beneficiation plant.The paper focuses on the influence of feed moisture content on the HPGR performance in view of throughput, increase of Blaine number and process stability on the basis of numerous pilot plant tests, modelling results and industrial experiences.CITATION:Heinicke, F, Günter, H and Hunger, P, 2017. Influence of feed moisture on high pressure grinding roll pellet feed grinding, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 187–194 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

The mining industry is the largest source of foreign income for South Africa. It is also the main source of employment in the country and, as an industry; it is also one of the largest. Due to the labour-intensive nature of the industry, labour costs in South African mines make up nearly 50 per cent of the total mine cost. It is thus imperative to have optimum labour planning and labour management systems in place.The focus of this study was to investigate current underground labour-planning models. It is shown that there are serious limitations. The range between an oversupply and undersupply of labour can be as high as ten per cent. A new system was therefore developed to ensure a constant labour demand and supply on a daily basis. One of the main objectives was to determine the existing labour supply range and thus the requirements to fill the undersupply. For this purpose, a specific methodology was designed to capture and process all the relevant information. Mine personnel was involved throughout the entire process to ensure ownership of the new model. This buy-in was achieved through planning workshops, interactive presentations and discussions. The improved frequency of daily blasts validated the new system by providing the correct amount and mix of the labour force. The new labour-planning model was then extended to optimise revenue. Implementation on a mine resulted in increased income of R95 million.

Dec 6, 2010

Japan is the largest coal importer in the world, importing from Australia, China, Indonesia, Canada, Vietnam, etc. In Indonesia, most of the produced coal is extracted from open cut mines. More open cut coal mines will be developed to fill the demand for coal in Indonesia and the world. Many surveys and projects for developing new coal mines and transferring mining technology are being conducted in tropical counties such as Indonesia and Vietnam with the aid of the Japanese Government. It has, however, been pointed out that excessive and precarious development of mines in tropical areas will damage the environments around the mines including cultivated lands, and reduce the precious rainforest. This would undoubtedly exacerbate the instability of the global climate and the food crisis in the world. This paper describes the effects of flyash on the control of acid mine drainage in order to avoid potential negative impacts on the environment caused from open cut coal mines.

Dec 6, 2010

By S Jokanovic, J L. Mauk

The Taharoa ironsand deposit covers approximately 16 km2 and is located 144 km south of Auckland on the west coast of the North Island, New Zealand. The heavy mineral-rich sands predominantly contain titanomagnetite, ilmenite and hematite, along with lesser amounts of amphiboles, pyroxenes, and feldspars. Throughout the Taharoa mine site 142 samples were collected of which approximately 25 samples were used in mineralogical analyses of the magnetic, heavy non-magnetic and light non-magnetic fractions. Mineralogical and petrographic analyses confirmed the high abundance of homogeneous magnetite and magnetite containing ilmenite exsolution lamellae which have oxidised to hematite. A limited number of sand samples were collected from Taranaki beaches. Petrography reveals exsolution textures of magnetite and ilmenite (now hematite), and homogenous magnetite grains similar to those observed at Taharoa. Petrographic analyses from previous research projects were also closely investigated in order to make mineralogical comparisons from along the west coast of the North Island and with other potential source areas. The origin of detrital magnetite grains along the west coast of the North Island is generally presumed to be the eroded volcanic cones of the Egmont volcanoes and active and dormant volcanoes of the central North Island. Electron microprobe analyses of magnetite grains from Taranaki beach samples reveal TiO2 values of between 1.5 and 120 per cent. MgO and A12O3 contents also vary widely from 0.75 to 6.5 per cent. This large variability may reflect different volcanic eruptions, the presence of exsolution textures or alternative source areas for these magnetite grains. Geochemical results from the Taharoa mine site correlate with the Taranaki beach samples suggesting that the Egmont volcanoes are certainly one source area. Variability in XRF results, especially Fe and Ti contents (9.04 - 59.22 and 0.80 - 4.64 respectively), from the magnetic and heavy non-magnetic fractions likely reflect the detrital nature of this deposit.

Jan 1, 2003

By S Adamson

Morphological analysis of alluvial gold recovered from the same segment of a placer by four common commercial methods indicates that gold shape and the presence of quartz intergrowths or sulphide overgrowths substantially influence the recovery efficiency of each method. The amount and types of gold saved by each method varies according to the different hydrodynamic conditions under which each of the methods operates. Reverse circulation drilling has the lowest efficiency and preferentially loses moderate-high flatness gold and intergrown or overgrown gold particles with relatively low density. Gravity riffle, hydraulic riffle, and jigcentrifugal concentrator systems respectively save progressively more of these problematic gold morphotypes, but still lose significant and sometimes substantial amounts (of profit) to the tailings. Because of the differences in recovery efficiency, reverse circulation drilling probably underestimates the grade of most placers and may have resulted in bypassing several economic deposits. Losses to tailings by commercial recovery plants arise from inadequacies in fundamental plant design features. These inadequacies compromise plant efficiency by limiting the ability of plants to simulate the wide range of hydrodynamic conditions necessary to operate effectively throughout placer systems. Incorporation of sand pumps and multiple recovery methods into the more sophisticated plants only partly overcomes these inadequacies. At best, efficiency will be maximised in a few segments of the placer determined by individual plant design, and will decrease progressively upstream and downstream of those segments. Without prior knowledge of the morphological characteristics of the gold to be mined, it is difficult to choose the most appropriate plant design, or to estimate what proportion of the gold will be recoverable by any given plant. If the relevant relationships are not considered beforehand, the recovery plant is likely to lose a significant proportion of the gold, and sacrifice maximum profit.

Jan 1, 2001

EARLY in 1911 the Public Service Board of New South Wales suggested the advisability of inaugurating a School of Mines at Broken Hill, arid made inquiries to determine how such an institution should be conducted. He, the author, believed the Board, as a result of the inquiries, was in favour of the project being worked in conjunction with the Technical College, and hoped to be ready to receive students at the commencement of 1912. That the inauguration has not yet taken place is probably due to the vast amount of consideration and preparation that a new departure of the sort would require. At the present time New South Wales or, to speak more broadly under the same denunciation, Australia is not at all suitably catering for the technical training of young men to provide the increasing demand for officers to work the valuable mines within its territory...

Jan 1, 1912

By D A. Cuello, G B. Sharrock

The Prince Lyell orebody at Mount Lyell Mine has a rich mining history commencing with the open pit in 1935, which transitioned underground in 1972. Between 1972 and 2014 a total of 64 Mt was mined underground as the mine extended from 210 m to 1100 m below surface. As the depth increased, three separate transitions in the mining method occurred to meet the changing geotechnical conditions, ore grade, mining costs and metal prices. The first was open stoping with pillar recovery in 1972, followed by front caving and longitudinal sublevel caving (1995), and finally transverse sublevel caving (2004 to 2014). This paper provides an overview of key geotechnical and planning milestones relating to the evolution of the mining method including underground stability, gravity flow, cavability and subsidence. Key aspects of the mine design, geotechnical parameters and rock mass response are described and critiqued with reference to observational, numerical and empirical methods.CITATION:Sharrock, G B and Cuello, D A, 2016. Geotechnical milestones at Mount Lyell Mine, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 427–438 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

Recycling and Recovering Fine Particles from Auto Shredding Residue (ASR/SR) to Conserve Raw Materials and Protect Environment

Sep 13, 2010

By E Westthorp

Final mine sealing of BMA’s Crinum North mine, near Emerald, Queensland was undertaken in December 2015. Due to the benign atmospheric environment at Crinum North, the Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) Górniczy Agregat Gasniczy (GAG) unit was utilised to reduce oxygen levels throughout the underground atmosphere as part of the final sealing process.The GAG was utilised by way of a vertical borehole from the surface to seam to successfully reduce oxygen levels throughout the underground mine workings. Application of the GAG unit enabled the underground mine to be classified as stable and inert within days of the GAG operation, and subsequently cease gas monitoring at Crinum North. The data and information obtained from this activity provides valuable information to the underground coal mining industry on successful application of the GAG in realistic situations.This paper discusses the strategy used for sealing, the assisted inertisation and the results obtained from the application of the GAG unit. It discusses both the overall results and gives a detailed review of the gas monitoring data obtained via the tube bundle and real-time system, both during and following the use of the GAG unit.Gas monitoring results obtained and the strategy used are critical to share with the industry to obtain a better understanding of how the GAG unit works, and how it can be applied for emergency preparedness, emergency response or planned inertisation.CITATION:Westthorp, E, 2017. A review of the strategy and gas monitoring results obtained during the use of Queensland Mines Rescue Service GAG unit at Crinum North mine, in Proceedings Australian Mine Vent Conference 2017, pp 309–318 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 28, 2017

Coal mining in New Zealand is principally a State-owned and controlled operation where the State produces 70 per cent of the coal in New Zealand and 65 per cent of coal mined in the Waikato. The State's flexibility in production quality and price makes them tough competition. Coal in the Waikato varies in quality considerably throughout the region making the high quality coal deposits as in the Huntly district a highly sought after commodity. The high quality of coal is often offset against transport costs as, for example, Maramarua coals can compete effectively in the Auckland market and dollar per calorific value basis.

Jan 1, 1984

By R L. Brathwaite

The epithermal gold-silver deposits wall poster is one in a series of posters on different mineral deposit types being produced by GNS Science to raise awareness of the characteristics of New Zealand mineral deposits and their prospectivity. Epithermal deposits consist of quartz veins, quartz vein stockworks and hydrothermal breccias that are mainly hosted in subaerial andesitic or rhyolitic rocks of Tertiary age. The deposits were formed at depths of typically less than 1 km and at temperatures between 180¦ and 320¦C, although ore grade mineralisation was generally deposited at less than 270¦C.   In New Zealand, epithermal deposits occur in association with late Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the Northland, Coromandel and Taupo volcanic regions. All of the past and present gold production, estimated at greater than 380 t (along with 1300 t Ag) comes from the Miocene-Pliocene Coromandel Volcanic Zone, where about 50 epithermal gold-silver deposits occur over a 200 km long belt. In Northland, silver and mercury have been produced from hot spring type epithermal deposits, and several gold-silver prospects have been identified. Ore grade gold-silver mineralisation is currently being deposited in several active geothermal fields of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, and extinct geothermal systems occur on the western side of the zone. The active systems have provided natural laboratories to help understand the processes of epithermal mineralisation.

Jan 1, 2005

In 1961, West Australian Petroleum's Eneabba No. 1 bore encountered 22 seams of coal totalling 40 ft in thickness between the depths of 6373 ft and 6441 ft. On analysis, this coal had a similar calorific value (8000-HOOO B.T.U./lb, assuming 20 per cent water) to the coal from the Collie Coalfield, Western Australia's only known area of commercially exploitable coal. Being buried to depths in excess of 6000 ft, the coal at Eneabba had developed weakly-coking properties, and thus, although much younger than the Permian coals of Collie, gave promise of being a major potential source of power for Western Australia.West Australian Petroleum undertook a programme of stratigraphic drilling and shallow test drilling to determine whether this coalhorizon persisted into the outcrop of the Lower Jurassic sediments in the Hill River district, 140 miles NNW. of Perth, and, if it was present, if the quality and quantity of the coal would warrant development of the deposits by open cutting. The coal horizon was identified in the near surface, but the poor quality of the coal and the complexity of the structure made development (in the area examined) uneconomic at the time.A strong seismic reflection in the Eneabba area occurs at the same depth as the Jurassic coals. This event originates within the upper beds of the Lower Jurassic and it is probable that the velocity contrast between the higher velocity siltstones and the very low velocity coals enhances this very strong, distinctive seismic reflection.This event can be followed on continuous seismic data over a large area of the northern Perth Basin, from 13 miles SE. of Dongara to 20 miles SW. of Coorow. It can be followed from a depth of 4000 ftnear Dongara to over 17,000 ft to the SE., so development of thisvast potential source of power will depend on the economics ofprocesses being developed for the production of power from theburning of coal seams in situ.INTRODUCTIONThe discovery of 22 seams of economically useable coaltotalling 40 ft in thickness in the Lower J urassic sedimentsof the Eneabba No. 1 bore (Fig. 1) led to the search forthese seams at economically workable depths. The Ministerfor Mines in Western Australia granted to West Australian1. Supervising Geologist, West Australian Petroleum Pty. Ltd.Manuscript received at The Institute, 25th May, 1964. and presented to the 1964Annual Conference.

Jan 1, 1964

The Effect of Molecular Weight on the Adsorption and Efficacy of Polysaccharide Depressants

Sep 13, 2010

Geometallurgical Study of Copper Oxide Mineralisation Hosted in Gravels of Different Physical Quality

Sep 13, 2010