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By N Currey, G Corder, G Becker

"The SUSOP« Framework is a new technique that helps incorporate sustainable development principles and objectives into the design and operation of businesses. Developed through the Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing, it brings a design methodology to sustainability, similar to what hazard and risk techniques such as HAZOP did for safety.Metallica Minerals Limited (æMetallicaÆ) adopted the SUSOP« framework to help identify opportunities and risks that could directly improve or affect its flagship SCONI (nickel-cobalt and scandium) project. This project has the potential to become the worldÆs largest producer of scandium oxide (æscandiaÆ) which is used in solid oxide fuel cells and strengthens aluminium alloys. Located northwest of Townsville in Queensland, the plant site will be located within the previously mined and partially rehabilitated Greenvale Nickel Mine. By applying the SUSOP« framework through a series of multi-disciplinary workshops and offline analysis, Metallica was able to identify numerous sustainability opportunities and risks. Opportunities were clustered together to form concepts to develop a more holistic understanding of the projectÆs overall potential contribution to sustainable development as well as determine where key risks could be mitigated. Four key concepts were identified: Waste and Water Workforce Community and Enterprise Development Energy and Greenhouse Gases (GHG). Metallica was able to include a range of initiatives that could deliver enhanced environmental, social and community outcomes into their mine development plan. These included measures to reduce reliance on water, reduce the volume of waste, provide local opportunities for training and skilled employment and create support for local enterprise development. These measures also resulted in a significant reduction in the capital estimate of the project.This paper provides an overview of the SUSOP« framework, details its application to the SCONI project and discusses the outcomes that will help establish the projectÆs strong sustainable development credentials and improved business outcomes.CITATION:Corder, G, Currey, N and Becker, G, 2013. Sustainability, made easy - A business improvement case study, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013, pp 259-271 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jul 15, 2013

Effect of Matching Relationship Between Bubble Size and Particle Size on Kaolinite Flotation

Sep 13, 2010

By A. Tylczak, C. Norman, C. Shook, S. Loif

"There are a lot of good reasons to manage energy use at mining operations. Optimizing process energy use reduces operating costs. Tracking energy use can help identify unplanned process changes or malfunctioning equipment early, which allows problems to be corrected promptly.Sacré-Davey Engineering in Vancouver has performed over 50 Energy Management studies for various industries including: mining, pulp and paper, oil and gas, etc. Energy Management programs can be used to identify energy reduction opportunities, assess project feasibility, complete equipment selection trade-offs, as well as to monitor and manage energy costs. Benefits of energy management programs are reduced energy costs, reduced maintenance, and increased plant automation. Additionally, energy management can provide access to utility incentive funding and quantify savings which can greatly improve the return on investment of potential projects.Energy management studies are funded by many Utility programs across Canada. There are various programs available for existing plants energy audits, project feasibility studies, new plant design reviews and energy monitoring and targeting, etc. There are capital incentives available which can significantly reduce payback period.This paper discusses how energy management can be used to support mill/mine operations groups, maintenance programs, as well as expansion or green field projects. This paper will also provide an overview of Canadian Utility companies programs and how they can assist mining companies.IntroductionThere are a lot of good reasons to manage energy use at mining operations. Optimizing process energy use reduces operating costs. Tracking energy use can help identify unplanned process changes and identify malfunctioning equipment early, which allows problems to be corrected promptly."

Jan 1, 2015

By X. Louw

"This paper examines the change in surface properties of the Polyurea used on spirals at different operational times: unused spiral, 28 months in operation and 58 months in operation. This is being done to investigate the alleged statement that spirals have a decrease in spiral separation efficiency after a certain period of operational time. Observing the surface characteristics under 1.5x and 36x magnification it can be concluded that the surface roughness decreases with increased operational time. This may be explained by a decrease in air inclusions and streak lines as the spiral surface wears. Decreased surface roughness should in theory have a beneficial effect on spiral separation performance. This leads to the conclusion that if a decrease in spiral separation performance is observed after a certain period of operation, it can’t be attributed to the change in surface properties. Uneven wear of the spiral surface, material creep or application of force to the spiral will change the profile of the spiral and could cause an adverse effect on spiral separation performance. The metallurgical test work showed that the best results are obtained at 30 - 35% solids by mass in the spiral feed. The iron recovery was significantly higher in the new spiral in comparison to the 2012 and 2010 spirals. The mass yield to concentrate in the new spiral was approximately three times more than for the older spirals. In conclusion, the yield combined with the grade, which equals the recovery was the best for the new spiral.IntroductionAn investigation was launched to research the common belief that spirals experience a decrease in efficiency, and therefore recovery, after a certain period of operation (a period of seven years has been used in the industry). The properties of the spiral that may have an effect on the efficiency are:"

Jan 1, 2017

By T. Price, H. A. Holl, A. P. Greenough, A

UdIN, Shaler, and ulff' first used wires for the determination of the surface energy of a solid metal. A gage length was marked by tying knots in the wires, which were then suspended in a cylinder of the same metal, heated in an inert atmosphere for the appropriate time, cooled to room temperature, and finally removed from the furnace so that the lengths of the wires could be measured. With iron wires, difficulties associated with deformation during the phase changeszp3 made it necessary to measure the gage lengths at the tem-

Jan 1, 1964

By S. Rivard

"This paper demonstrates the selection of grinding circuit technology for a number of recent projects including discussion of the key drivers and the role of energy efficiency. Decreasing head grades combined with a strong and sustained increase in operating costs has forced miners to examine increased project size, increased equipment capacity and efficiency improvements in order to reduce their unit operating costs and improve overall project economics. Comminution energy consumption, safety and capital cost considerations play a critical role in the success of projects. This paper presents some key guidelines for a successful and cost effective comminution circuit design and includes a case study on three projects, outlining the issues and the drivers which led to the ultimate circuit selection and the critical role that energy efficiency played.IntroductionComminution circuits for minerals processing are selected based on their suitability and efficiency in reducing run-of-mine ore to the desired feed size for the downstream process. The input material (ore) properties and downstream process requirements are the key determinants and there are standard approaches for each circumstance.The minerals processing industry has been a fast adaptor of efficiency improvements based on increasing capacity of equipment (e.g. trucks, crushers, mills, pumps) but less successful in adapting radically new technologies that disrupt incumbent flowsheets or processes.The installed power of grinding mills has increased linearly over the past 25 years (Meka & Lane, 2010) and pumps and classification equipment have kept pace. The autogenous grinding (AG) and semi- autogenous grinding (SAG) mills displaced stage crushing as a dominant method of coarse rock breakage in many applications causing crusher manufactures to increase the capacity of cone crushers to meet the competitive demand.Examples of new comminution technology in the 20th and 21st centuries are the development and adoption of cyclone classification in the 1940s (Newtech, 2016), AG milling in the late 1950s, vertical grinding mills in the 1980s, high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) also in the 1980s and ultrafine milling technology in the 1990s (Meka & Lane, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2017

By Tim O’Neil

Dressed in black tie and Victorian attire, some 200 people came to Leadville, CO, for a September weekend featuring a National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum (NMHF&M) induction banquet and a scenic mountain train trip to Fremont Pass and the Climax Mine. The 18th annual induction banquet on Sept. 17 began with cocktails and a open house. It was a chance for visitors to tour the National Mining Museum including the new Hennebach Wing, opened in February. The new wing is named in honor of Ralph Hennebach, retired chairman of Asarco. Formerly Leadville Junior High School, the Hennebach Wing encompasses more than1,440 m2 (15,500 sq ft) of floor space in two stories. One prominent feature is a 1923 Wills Sainte Claire touring sedan. Climax Molybdenum donated this first all-molybdenum steel motorcar. Docents were available throughout the museum to give banquet attendees directions and answer questions.

Jan 1, 2005

Shaft sinking through an amphibolite-granite rock mass experienced rock bursts on the shaft walls and benches. However, rock burst phenomena was exhibited only in granite, which is e1asto-brittle with ability to store strain energy caused by orogenic and man made stresses. To improve ground conditions, blasting of destressing holes at shaft corners was carried out. By this technique rock burst during shaft sinking was minimized, but not eliminated.

Jan 1, 1982

By Mark R. Svinkin

Construction vibrations may adversely affect surrounding buildings and their effects range from human discomfort and disturbance of sensitive devices to visible structural damage. There is no unique conclusion regarding the effect of construction vibrations at every site. Measurement is usually made to monitor vibrations and control them with the vibration thresholds for disturbance of sensitive objects as well as damage to structures. To prevent potential litigation and mitigate the vibration effects on sensitive devices, people and structures, it is necessary to manage and minimize vibration problems before the beginning of construction activities or installation of vibrating machine foundations, and during construction. Pre-construction damage survey and engineering vibration investigations, including the prediction of anticipating vibrations, have to be made at most construction sites in advance of construction activities. Vibration monitoring and control have to be provided during construction. The instrumentation feedback of vibration prediction, monitoring and control provide the basis for choice of measures to prevent or mitigate vibration problems and settlement damage hazards.

Jan 1, 2002

Characterisation and Processing of Electronic Waste for the Recovery of Metal Values Electronic waste (e-waste), which is a hazardous waste, can indeed be a good source of metal values especially for Cu, Pb, Sn including the precious metals such as Au, Ag, etc. In the present work a protocol for sorting and disassembly of e-waste consisting of computers, TV sets and mobile phones, as well as the characterisation and processing are investigated. E-waste consists of assorted materials consisting of metals, plastics and polymers, ceramics and glass. These components are classified into nine categories. The components, in which metal is embedded into non-metallic base, require complete pulverisation for liberation of the metal. The liberation size is observed to be around 1 mm. Several stages of crushing, shearing and shredding and grinding are required to achieve the required feed size. It is evident from detailed chemical analysis that the pulverised particulate is quite rich in metal values. Computer waste has 23 per cent metal by weight with over six per cent Cu while TV waste has 20 per cent metal with about 4.5 per cent Cu. Mobile phones are much richer in metal content with about 56 per cent metal including 32 per cent Cu in it. Metal content is observed to be more significant in the larger size classes and Pb and Cd are found to be the major contaminants. Morphological studies show that a substantial fraction of the particles is flat or elongated. Based on detailed characterisation, a flowsheet is developed involving dry and wet methods to separate the metallic materials from the plastics physically. It is established that according to this flowsheet a metal rich fraction with over 90 per cent recovery of the metal values can be achieved. Considering the relatively inexpensive unit operations involved in the flowsheet it is envisaged that it would provide a commercially viable scheme for processing large tonnage of e-waste.

Sep 13, 2010

By Donald A. Bruce

The paper reviews aspects of the construction and performance of prestressed ground anchors installed in soils and weak rocks. Attention is focused on good practice for drilling, tendon fabrication and handling, grouting, stressing and testing. Regional variations - not always logically justified - are described. The performance of anchors in a variety of geological conditions is illustrated with reference to recent full scale test programs. 1. Introduction In the United States there has been steady growth in the use of prestressed anchors in materials other than competent or hard rock, in the years since their introduction in the late 1960's. This expansion has to a large extent been driven by specialty geotechnical contractors who both imported foreign developments and conducted their own basic researches, in locally prevailing conditions. With such data and experience, these engineers have had the confidence to promote "alternative solutions" for difficult earth support problems to receptive designers and owners. In turn, being engaged in the details of design and performance monitoring has given these parties the close exposure necessary for the real transfer and understanding of the technological concepts, and this knowledge has generated positive feedback for the contractors.

Jan 1, 1991

By David W. H. Ellis

This presentation will discuss over 2 dozen past, present and future oils sands projects in Alberta. The very early projects as well as the most recent along with the ones that never got off the ground and the ones in production are all included. For each, the following will be given (where known): owners, location, type (mining/SAGD/refinery), production, capital budget, spent to date, status. Some overall impacts will be discussed.

May 1, 2004

By R. Al-Hent, M. Aissa, J. Asfahani

"This paper focuses on determining the favorable geological and hydrogeological conditions for forming uranium occurrences in the Froqlos-Jabal Abou Rabah region, Palmyrides, Syria. Eighty rock samples from this area were analyzed by spectrometric gamma-ray technique to determine the radioactive concentrations of eU and eTh, and of %K. Uranium concentrations in shallow and deep groundwaters were also determined. High uranium concentrations were registered owing to the presence of phosphatic outcrops in the study region. The uranium migration trends and its remobilization were analyzed through the analysis of the behavior of eU, eTh, and their ratio. A positive relationship between eU and eU/eTh, and a negative relationship between eTh and eU/eTh in geological formations of different ages supports the secondary remobilization of uranium. The role of groundwater movement in transportation and redeposition of uranium mineralization is discussed: deep waters are less oxidizing than near-surface waters, and do not appear to have significantly remobilized uranium. This indicates that the source of secondary uranium mineralization is surficial or near surficial, and is mainly related to the leaching of outcropping phosphatic layers.Integration of the results with established radioactive and geological sections reveals four radioactive anomalous zones: north Froqlos, Kherbet Hannora, northwestern flanks of Jabal Abou Rabah (Kherbet Al-Hajar), and the northwestern limit of the Ghuntor depression. The high uranium concentration in north Froqlos is because of its original presence in the phosphate beds and extensive fracturing, which allows groundwaters to penetrate and remobilize the uranium. High uranium concentrations in the other three locations are caused by the presence of evaporites and capillary action, which draws solutions upwards and causes redeposition as surface crusts (gypcrete)."

Jan 1, 2009

By Kouichi Tomisawa

Two bridges were constructed for extension work of Central Hokkaido Connection Road in 2005 at two different sites. Pile group foundations were employed for the foundations of abutments of the two bridges. In order to assess the performance of the constructed piles in the sites and to obtain design parameters for design in future, static alternating cyclic horizontal load test was carried out on one of the open-ended steel pipe piles constructed at each site. The ground at one site was characterised as a thick deposit of volcanic soils, and the ground at the other site was characterised as a very soft peat layer near the surface. In this paper the results of static alternating cyclic horizontal load tests on the piles at the two sites are presented and discussed in detail.

Jan 1, 2006

By Sikko Doornbos

For the extension of the Paper Mill of Parenco in Renkum, the Netherlands, the application of a pile foundation was required. The demands for this pile foundation were very explicit a vibration free and soil displacing pile systems with low allowable settlement. Another important aspect was the total amount of piles (originally over 1600 auger piles) which had to be executed within 3 months, in very difficult and unhomogeneous soil. Based upon these conditions the Tubex Grout Injection Pile was chosen to be used for this project. This system involves the drilling of a steel tube with a conical pile shoe while grout is injected at the point simultaneously, creating a mixed-in-place layer around the tube. INTRODUCTION After extensive marketing, the board of directors of Parenco, decided to a large extension of the production capacity of its paper mill by building a new production building called Paper Mill 1 or PM-1. The new PM-1 extension had to be constructed beside the existing PM-2 because of limited terrain. The site is located right between the Rhine river and Renkum, approximately 15 kilometers (10 miles) west from Arnhem (see figure 1). The construction involved the building of the PM-1 extension of approximately 250 meters (820 ft.) long by 40-60 metres wide (130-200 ft.). The main structure was to be constructed of precast concrete beams and columns.

Jan 1, 1987

By Samuel J. Kosa

The Monotube is a uniformly tapered high-strength steel shell pile manufactured for friction pile applications. The Monotube pile was developed in the early 1920's in Canton, Ohio. Its first commercial installation was an Ohio railroad trestle in 1926. The Monotube has been manufactured in the same Canton plant since its inception. The Monotube is produced in four diameters, 12, 14, 16 and 18 inches, with U. S. Standard Gage wall thicknesses of 9, 7, 5 and 3. The uniformly tapered Monotube section can be manufactured in one of three rates of taper.

Jan 1, 1993

If one can embrace the medical analogue, much of the mining industry currently suffers from a massive bacterial infection. When pyrite-bearing or sulfide-bearing rock formations, tailings, or mine wastes are infected by Acidithiobacillus ferro-oxidans, the likelihood of forming acid rock drainage (ARD) is almost guaranteed. The ?pharmacy? of antibiotics available is extensive, ranging from solid alkaline amendments like limestone to liquid ?medicines? such as sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium thiocyanate, waste milk, and bipolar lipids. Unfortunately, the ?geo-medical? teams of geochemists, microbiologists, engineers, and mine managers lack the tools to surgically apply these active ingredients where they are needed most with a minimum of waste. Distribution of fine grained limestone on the surface of an acidic mine waste dump is analogous to applying a bandage soaked in antacid to treat an upset stomach. The implementation of up-to-date best management practices has not healed the patient; an equivalent combination of hypodermic needle, cyber knife, and arthroscopic probe is clearly needed. Using an engineered, flow-able or pumpable foam or pHoam? as the medicinally analogous ?dextrose delivery solution? for solid and/or liquid ?geo-antibiotics?, the authors have combined off-the-shelf technologies that have been previously applied in solving geotechnical problems in the mining industry. A patent for the innovative process is pending. This paper discusses method concepts and the advantages it could provide over conventional BMPs.

Jan 1, 2012

By T. Hudaverdi

Control of the particle size distribution of a muckpile after blasting is always an important subject for mining industry. Blasting has a significant impact on downstream processes such as loading, crushing and grinding. Improvement of blasting results provides increase in loader and excavator productivity due to increased diggability capacity, and increased bucket and truck fill factors. Suitable and uniform particle size distribution results increase in crusher and mill throughput and decrease in energy consumption in size reduction process. Digital image analysis technique has been used for many years in mining industry in order to determine blast fragmentation. The images of muckpile surface can be used to determine the mean fragment size (x50). The source of digital images can also be haul truck, leach pile, waste dump, stockpile, and conveyor belt. The screening that is conventional method to measure blast fragmentation is time consuming and expensive. Digital image analysis is a cost effective and faster method (1).

Jan 1, 2012

By Guomin Jiang

Potassium ferrate is an excellent multifunctional reagent for wastewater treatment, but its preparation is crucial. The improved hypochlorite oxidation method was used to prepare potassium ferrate in this study. Iron nitrate, the preferred iron source, was added into hypochlorite solution and then the stabilization agent was added during the purification process of product. The influence of available chlorine content, iron molecular proportion, reaction temperature and reaction time on potassium ferrate preparation was investigated. The optimal condition for potassium ferrate preparation is 15% of available chlorine content , 0.6 of iron molecular proportion , 30i of reaction temperature , 45min of reaction time. The yield of potassium ferrate is about 67% with high purity (> 99%). The structure and performances of the product was characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, TG and IR and the results show that the prepared product is consistent with the properties of potassium ferrate(VI).

Jan 1, 2010

By Earl L. Fosse

"Preliminary examination of the Khayyam mine indicated that greater reserves of copper might be found by trenching, sampling, detailed geological and topographical mapping, and diamond drilling. The deposit seemed to be a potential source of sulfur, also, for use in the manufacture of paper pulp.Formal examination of the Khayyam mine by the Bureau of Mines was a follow-up of a preliminary examination made by W.S. Wright and the author on October 19-21, 1944. John Reed and W. S. Twanhofel, of the Geological Survey, visited the property during the summer of 1943 and suggested that the prospect be examined further.Preliminary examination of the Stumble-On claim was made July 1-3, 1945, concomitant with the formal examination of the Khayyam mine 11/2 miles to the west.In its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of lanes has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy, It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon, chief, conducts pre¬liminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report, The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both these branches arc under the supervision of Dr. R, S. Dean, assistant director.Special acknowledgment is due Robert S. Sanford, acting chief, Alaska Division, Mining Branch, for his help in the preparation of this report and during the project work.The Khayyam property is situated at 550 18’ north latitude and 1320 24’ west longitude on Prince of Wales Island in Southeastern Alaska. (see fig. 1.) The mine adit is 2,350 feet above sea level, near the summit of a mountain ridge, and 2.8 miles in an airline southwest of the head of McKenzie Inlet, a southern branch of Skown Arm. Skowl arm is navigable by ocean-going vessels .to the mouth of McKenzie Inlet, where reefs and rocky islands limit the channel width to 50 yards. Beyond this point the inlet widens to nearly half a mile. Coast and Geodetic Survey chart 8142 indicates from 12 fathoms of water at this narrow neck to more than 30 fathoms throughout the remainder of McKenzie Inlet, The old ore bunker and dock at the head. of the inlet are beyond repair. A new ore bunker and dock would have to be built if a large-scale mining operation were established.The mine can be reached by trail along the western ridge that lies on the west bank of Omar Creek. The trail is approximately 4 miles in length. The grade is rather steep to an elevation of 1,500 feet, but the last 21 miles can be traveled over gentle slopes along the crest of the ridge.Ketchikan is 30 miles by air and 42 miles by water from the head of McKenzie Inlet. Feed, hardware, fuel oil, lumber, and explosives can be purchased at Ketchikan and delivered by boat to McKenzie Inlet. By using an airplane, all small equipment and camp supplies could be using an airplane, all small equipment and camp supplies could be dropped with cargo parachutes near the mine."

Sep 1, 1946