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Mineral Processing Education in China

Sep 13, 2010

Adsorption Isotherm Measurement of Sodium Oleate on Haematite Using Differential Thermal Analysis

Sep 13, 2010

Rather like the mythical "Economic Man" "an employer" in this context must necessarily be an abstraction, and the views possessed by such an abstraction, a composite of many views known to have been expressed. Not even the complex Conciliation and Arbitration legislation in this country provides any helpful specifications, except in one peculiar particular. The Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Act provides an almost totally tautological definition, except in that one oddity referred to above. It is this : "An employer means any employer in any industry, and includes any person who is usually an employer in an industry, and also includes a Club." No doubt there is some perfectly justifiable reason for such specific and unique particularity in an otherwise meaning- less definition. That need not trouble us in this exercise.

Jan 1, 1982

By G P. Bates

The rationale for the design of the Emergency Egress (escape andentrapment) strategy for one underground metal mine has beenpreviously described (Brake, 1999). Two of the key conclusionsfor this mine, which is equipped with 30 minute oxygen-generating self-contained self-rescuers (SCSR), were the need to ensure no person is ever more than 750 m from an emergency refuge station (ERS) and that it could take up to eight hours to rescue workers from undergroundå. These conclusions were based on a number of considerations including the non-availability of a credible, æpersonalÆ entrapment procedure at the workplace, the duration of self-contained self-rescuers when used for travel, the need for rapid æclearingÆ of mine personnel to effectively and safely target mine search and rescue resources and the maximum time to either put a fire out, or to rescue affected personnel. As there is no Australian standard for refuge stationsç (or for self-rescuers), this paper follows with guidelines for the location and specification of both fixed (permanent) and relocatable Emergency Refuge Stations (ERSs) that may be applicable to other underground Australian metal mines.

Jan 1, 1999

ILZRO sights are locked securely on the targets of the expanded applications and ever-improving quality in the major market for zinc-coated steel. A wide range of ILZRO-sponsored research projects examine issues of formability, paintability, and corrosion resistance for traditional hot-dip galvanising, electrogalvanising, and ILZRO's own proprietary zinc coating, Galfan. Recent research has focussed on the on the interaction between Galfan and different substrate steels to determine optimum combinations for different applications. ILZRO enjoys an evolving role in providing the connection between research laboratories and marketing divisions through supporting research and services for the Galfan Technical Resource Centreò(GTRC) and the recently formed North American Galfan Development Authority (NAGDA). GTRC has just produced a new problem-solving manual that provides a comprehensive source of hands-on solutions for the many Galfan licensees throughout the world, and should contribute substantially to the reputation of Galfan as a consistently top-quality steel-coating product. Meanwhile, NAGDA is advancing the market with new advertising for Galfan based on superior corrosion-resistant qualities proven through ILZRO-sponsored research. Practical manufacturing issues remain at the forefront of ILZRO priorities, with research emphasis on cutting and welding zinc-coated steel to provide direct assistance towards improved product quality and a more secure market. Moving to the arena of die casting, when the specifier looks to zinc to fill a design need, ILZRO-sponsored research projects provide comprehensive documentation on metallurgical characteristics for every zinc alloy under almost any imaginable application. On-going ILZRO-sponsored research is integrating this wealth of data with sophisticated computer programs that model die-casting designs with ever-increasing accuracy, as other ILZRO projects lay the market groundwork for zinc in applications ranging from vibration damping to electromagnetic shielding.

Jan 1, 1993

By D Laurence, L Ge

This paper demonstrates use of remotely sensed imagery in promoting sustainable mining. Remote sensing technology can be used during all phases of a mining project û from evaluating the resource, to making extraction more cost-effective, through to monitoring, mine closure and remediation. Use of the new generation of satellite platforms with the capability of acquiring satellite data with higher spectral and spatial resolution have the capability to emerge as essential indicator for sustainable development in the minerals industry. A life cycle approach to satellite imagery is discussed. The use of an imagery of the site prior to mining activity establishes the environmental baseline, guides mitigation measures and eventual help in suggesting remediation. Remote imagery provides the cost-effective means of monitoring reclamation, including the growth of planted vegetation, of the mine site and surrounding area. The latest advancements in satellite remote sensing are highlighted to meet the newer challenges of sustainable mining practices. Some of the worldwide successful remote sensing applications for the measurement and evaluation of the sustainable development impact of mining operations are described. Presently available source of imagery and its comparative advantages and disadvantages are provided as a guide. Finally, the limitations of this tool are indicated.

Jan 1, 2009

By J Joy, A Bye, G V. Kizil

This paper demonstrates an application of a recently developed Risk-Cost-Benefit (RCB) Framework to environmental risk management in the mining industry. The environmental application of the RCB Framework as part of an ACARP project (Kizil, Bye and Joy, 2012) involved a thorough selection process with site visits and in-depth discussions with the case study siteÆs environmental management team. Under their guidance, the highest risk of environmental impact at the case study site was identified as æroad subsidenceÆ at the time when the project work was undertaken. This paper presents the unique application of the RCB Framework to examine the risk of mining-induced subsidence and its impact on one of AustraliaÆs busiest highways, with a traffic volume of 38 000 vehicles per day (NSW RTA AADT, 2008). The RCB Framework was employed to assess the optimum group of controls for road subsidence risk management to ensure highway availability while mining occurs. Whilst this paper focuses on road subsidence, the methodology employed can be directly applied to other environmental concerns including preparation for mine closure, rehabilitation planning and waste management. The RCB Framework incorporates mathematical modules which were developed to enable complex yet tightly integrated RCB calculations. The process integrates the risk-control effectiveness assessment to determine that the selected safety initiative is financially beneficial to the mine site and company. This concept has been applied to a number of high-risk mining areas targeting safety, productivity and environmental issues. This paper introduces the five-staged RCB Framework, incorporating the RCB tools RCBGEN (Risk-Cost-Benefit Generator) and RCEMETHOD (Risk-Control-Effectiveness Method), and demonstrates its practical application to the risk management of a road subsidence case study. The case study looks at potential pavement damages, in particular, the occurrence of pavement stepping on the surface of the highway as a result of vertical subsidence. This type of road damage was previously experienced at another major inter-city route while underground mining occurred in the region where the case study site is located. The RCB Framework has been successfully applied to the analysis of the road subsidence case study and determined the risk reduction and financial benefits of implementing a range of risk-controls. User-friendly RCB Charts to provide an aid for decision-making were produced. The value of using the RCB charts to achieve balance between risk, cost and productivity in the decision-making process for risk management has been explained. The case study determined that pavement slots and fibre-optic cable monitoring were relatively low-cost and effective controls applied in the mining industry for the first time at a global level.This paper supports the industryÆs ongoing efforts to manage risk to ALARP (as low as reasonably practicable) and achieve æzero harmÆ by providing a new Framework to more effectively establish the adequacy of controls.CITATION:Kizil, G V, Bye, A and Joy, J, 2012. Application of risk-cost-benefit analysis to highway subsidence due to mining, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2012 , pp 197-206 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 10, 2012

By S Hapugoda, J R. Manuel, M J. Peterson, A Poliakov, E Donskoi

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Aug 12, 2013

By I P. Hodkinson

SMC Resources Limited is implementing a selective mining approach at the Hadleigh Castle mine, formerly operated by Aurora Gold Limited. The main ore zone has a length of 250 metres and dips at 40 - 45¦ to the south. Gold mineralisation occurs in a variety of quartz-sulphide lodes in sericitised granodiorite. Shallow dips, alteration intensity and mineralisation style combine to make mining relatively difficult. Previously unworked, high-grade, shallow dipping (30 - 45¦), narrow quartz-sulphide lodes within the hanging-wall of the deposit are also being selectively exploited. Annual production of 35 000 oz Au is forecast from 185 000 tpa ore grading 6.5 g/t Au over a currently envisaged mine life of six years. Operations completed to-date include deepening the decline and access development of the first two levels beneath the previous workings. Longhole stoping operations have commenced in the main ore zone with air leg stoping also underway in the hanging wall lodes.

Jan 1, 1998

By JSrvinen A, Yll÷ E

At Cominco's Zinc Refinery at Trail, British Columbia impurities are removed from zinc sulphate electrolyte by a two-stage purification process using zinc dust. Copper, cadmium and thallium are removed in the first stage whereas cobalt is removed in the second stage. Cobalt removal kinetics are affected by soluble antimony and copper additions to the electrolyte. This study was focused on the kinetics of cobalt removal by zinc powder cementation. Experimental variables included copper and antimony concentrations, pH and temperature. Common organic additives employed in zinc plants were studied to determine potential interactions with the cobalt removal process. Cementation products obtained from laboratory experiments and plant practice were studied using SEM. A number of significant results were obtained: 1. Copper and antimony ions were sustantially removed from solution during the early stages of the cementation reaction (within the first 15 minutes). Cobalt cementation kinetics are slow and follow a first order kinetic regime. 2. A drop in the cobalt removal rates can be correlated with a rise in the Eh of the slurry. 3. Ligninsulphonate, Percol 351 and animal glue at levels of 2 mg/L significantly impede cobalt cementation.

Jan 1, 1993

The modern resource extraction enterprise is a complex capital intensive business operating in a world of constantly evolving social, environmental and economic scrutiny. Investors, government, media and special interest groups expect to see business environmental and social performance respond and deliver increasing corporate responsibility and sustainability.   Thorough interrogation of business performance using a multi-disciplinary due diligence approach presents a more sophisticated review and benefits beyond the traditional compliance/conformance 'audit' style assessment.   Using a due diligence approach allows assessment through a comprehensive lens which examines potential short- and long-term risks including sometimes less tangible environmental and social liabilities, and informs management, investors and regulators of broader business performance. This approach provides information in a form that business can measure performance in a repeatable and enterprise wide sense.   This paper provides an outline of the due diligence process applied in this way, drawing from lessons learnt and industry based experiences in the due diligence process and the benefits and tools that can  be applied in an environmental and social due diligence business performance assessment

Jun 1, 2010

CHAPTER 1 - GENERALIn the introduction to this chapter a general account is given of the growth of the mining industry in Western Australia from J88G, when the output of gold for the whole State was only £1148, to 1908, when: the output had risen to £6,999,885. In 1903 the output reached £8,770,719.It is quite evident that the discovery of gold in Western Australia was the means of opening up the road to broader industrial expansion, and it is doubted if any other portion of the British Empire more clearly exemplifies the nation-building forces of metalliferous mining than this State.The chapter includes an account of the following situation and history of the field.CHAPTER 2 - GEOLOGYIn this chapter the classification of the rocks of Kalgoorlie, but particularly those on the Golden Mile, is considered. Each rock is described in detail, and microphotos are shown to indicate the most important features in each type. As far as the Golden Mile is concerned, it is held that, notwithstanding the general chemical and more or less dynamical metamorphism which the rocks have suffered, it is possible to divide them into six groups...

Jan 1, 1912

Flotation testing has been done at laboratory scale on hematite mineral and ore samples using stage additions of various hydroxamates. Chemisorption of hydroxamate species onto the hematite surface was inferred from the results, possibly involving both the undissociated hydroxamic acid and hydroxamate ion as maximum recovery occurred close to the pKa of the hydroxamic acid. Flotation testing on a specular hematite ore containing 40 per cent Fe and 42.5 per cent silica gave highest iron grades in concentrate at pH 6, in contrast to published data which suggested pH 9 as the optimum value for ore processing. Using octyl hydroxamate, a rougher concentrate assaying 67 per cent Fe at 51 per cent recovery was obtained using four stage additions of 50 g/t at pH 6. For lower grade concentrates still meeting the chemical analysis for pigment grade micaceous hematite (minimum Fe assay 60 per cent) iron recoveries of 80 per cent were possible for stage additions of 50 g/t octyl hydroxamate in the pH range 6-8.

Jan 1, 1999

By Reichman J. P

Extensive use is made of a small scale computer (IBM 1130), in the calculations of ore reserves for Western Mining Corporation's nickel mine at Kambalda, W.A. All surface drilling data such as assays, density and location information, are stored on disk files at the Company's Technical Computing Centre at Perth, W.A. The computer is used to search through the data, select significant ore intersections, calculate the area of influence of each intersection and perform the necessary calculations to arrive at an estimate of the ore reserve. Comparing the computer-assisted ore reserve calculation with an entirely manual operation, it is estimated that a saving of 40 percent in time is achieved together with

Jan 1, 1973

By A Deakin

It has been almost a decade since the release of the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM) Health and Safety Critical Control Management: Good Practice Guide (2015a). During this time the ICMM member companies, along with many others across industry, have been busy designing, deploying and enhancing their own critical control management (CCM) programs. So, what have we learnt? This paper discusses the scope, application and learnings from the implementation of CCM within the mining industry. What’s going well? What are the common challenges? What are the opportunities to strengthen the approach? What are the threats to successful implementation? The paper draws on the author’s experience as one of the key contributors to the development of the CCM Good Practice Guide and an adviser to many mining companies, including six of the ICMM members. The paper focuses on the practical (operational) application of CCM and the cycle of identifying, defining, implementing, verifying and improving critical controls at the frontline. The paper also includes a discussion on the safety performance of the ICMM member companies over the past decade and provides a recommendation for how CCM can be incorporated into a more proactive model to measure safety performance. The paper concludes with practical recommendations that mining companies, regardless of their CCM maturity, can consider as they look ahead. They are supplemented by three additional recommendations for consideration at the industry level.

Apr 16, 2024

Technology is playing an increasingly large role in the operations of our mines. There is a temptation to regard the implementation of technological systems as the objective itself when, in reality, systems are used to support a business process. Only when the process succeeds will the systems be seen to succeed. Understanding the distinction between system and process is critical. This understanding, together with the resultant holistic approach, is considered to be critical to successful implementation and operation of Mine Control process. This paper examines the critical factors essential to success in establishing and sustaining a Mine Control process that maximises benefits to an operation. These factors have been developed during the author's experience of nearly 30 years in Mine Control projects across over 50 sites. Each factor is discussed in relation to real world examples at well-known mines.

May 1, 2010

The mining industry continues to faces significant challenges due to increasing resource constraints (quality of ore bodies, water, energy, human resources) and increasing license to operate requirements (safety, health, environment, location) from society, employees and shareholders. Technology advancements and hence research are necessary to ensure that the industry remains viable in this changing environment. Collaborative research is an important part of a company's research portfolio and offers the opportunity for the industry to work on generic issues that it is facing. Obvious benefits include the reduced cost to individual companies by sharing the costs, the opportunity to leverage government funding and the opportunity to conduct longer term projects resulting in skills development (PhD and MSc). Limitations of collaborative research include the reduced focus on company specific issues and the loss of competitive advantage from owning the outcomes of the research. The challenge for researchers and research managers is for them to demonstrate the value derived from longer term, pre-competitive collaborative research. The competitive advantage is not necessarily derived only from the outcomes of the research but rather from the company's ability to direct the research, translate the generic research outcomes to address company specific issues and to implement improvements at its operations. Implementation remains the greatest challenge. In this paper, case studies of selected collaborative research projects are presented to demonstrate key success factors required for implementation of research outcomes. This is an ABSTRACT ONLY. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Sep 13, 2010

Large mining operations need equipment that consistently performs as expected. The most effective way of ensuring this is to have a defined life cycle with an optimised maintenance strategy. The determination of this life cycle is an economic decision, influenced by the construction and utilisation of the equipment. An effective life cycle costing (LCC) tool must be able to process the many variable factors involved.Many factors influence the costs that are associated with a machine over its life. The most variable of these are the costs of maintaining the equipment. Maintenance costs are dependant not only on the utilisation of the machine, but also on the strategy that has been developed to support the machine through its life. A combination of supplier support, component changes, regular servicing and unscheduled maintenance needs to be modelled, based on a variety of drivers. Traditionally spreadsheets have been used to model these factors, but the increasing complexity of the situation can make spreadsheets unwieldy and difficult to manage. A database solution that breaks each activity into its constituent components, links them to an associated mine plan driver and then aggregates the result is the ideal tool to provide a time based cost profile. The evaluation of a number of scenarios, representing different maintenance strategies/life cycles can be rapidly undertaken. Auditability through inbuilt tools is required to provide easy tracing of data. Use of the host company's account structure allows for reporting against the standard chart of accounts.

Dec 6, 2010

By K Akiro

Volcanogenic massive basemetal sulphide and gold mineralisation of predominantly low sulphidation style has been located within Lower Tertiary basaltic and felsic volcanic and sedimentary sequences at Ufuo, in the Left April River area, northwest Papua New Guinea. The four discrete massive sulphide bodies, which have been so far identified, occur within a 3 +5 km area situated within a north west trending structural corridor. The sulphide bodies are all localised on the margins of the corridor where the bounding major through going faults are transected by regional faults. Mineralisation is characterised by massive pyrite-bornite-sphalerite-barite-quartz-anhydrite deposition with later galena-tennantite-chalcopyrite. Minor phases include enargite, goldfieldite and bismuth sulfosalts. Jasperoidal silica lenses and bioturbated sediments are closely associated with the massive sulphides. Basemetal sulphide mineralisation is also closely associated with phyllic-style quartz-sericite- altered host rocks underlying the massive sulphide lenses. This mineralised phyllic alteration is localised to fractures, veins and breccias that cross-cut propylitic style alteration characterised by quartz, epidote, chlorite, adularia and zeolite. The mineralised system possesses several hydrothermal features consistent with a copper-rich submarine exhalative volcanic hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) system, ie discrete massive sulphide bodies with abundant barite, associated jasperoidal silica and bioturbated sediments. However, exploratory drilling of the alteration zone underlying each of the massive sulphide bodies has not identified a well-defined zoned alteration pipe that is characteristic of such systems. The alteration is also similar to that of a porphyry-related low sulphidation system in which phyllic alteration has overprinted a regional propylitic style assemblage. The presence of sporadic enargite (and ?tennantite/tetrahedrite) suggest there were intermittent pulses of acid fluids in the system probably derived from exsolved magmatic SO2 which flowed directly to the surface along reactivated faults. The occurrence of tellurium and bismuth minerals is also consistent with a magmatic contribution to the metalliferous hydrothermal fluids. It is proposed that the VHMS orebodies are the products of submarine exhalative deposition generated by a crystallising magma emplaced within crust of on-going tectonism. Ufuo mineralisation is similar to many VHMS deposits elsewhere in that it is unclear whether the metals are derived from the magma directly, or via seawater leaching of the wallrock. Additional studies such as oxygen isotope analysis may assist in resolving this issue. If the metals are shown to be of direct magmatic origin then there may be good prospects for discovering economic-grade porphyry-related mineralisation at depth below the massive sulphide deposits.

Jan 1, 1999

By L Lorenzen, H Muller, L Bernard

Australian companies and consultants are becoming ever more involved in projects in African, South American, East European and Middle Eastern countries. However, significant differences in culture and approach to projects sometimes make these projects challenging for reasons that are not purely technical. Often the challenges are rather related to how the project owner and local authorities perceive the reality. These perceptions and sometimes unrealistic expectations regarding project costs and potential outcomes need to be addressed by the æWesternÆ project developer and consultant.This paper will discuss the specific experience of Snowden in studies commissioned by companies from such countries for the development of very large, low-grade gold deposits in some of the most inhospitable areas in the world. The paper will further review similar projects undertaken in other ænew worldÆ countries and compare these to the initial Snowden experience.As the process operating costs of operations in many of these countries are extremely competitive when compared to the typical Australian operating costs, the paper will review the operating costs and the factors which may be pertinent to a large project of this nature, both in the Australian and the ænew worldÆ context. Will Australian-based operations be able to compete in the global gold market when the gold price softens again, as it will do at some stage in the possibly not-so-distant future?CITATION:Muller, H, Lorenzen, L and Bernard, L, 2013. Challenges of developing low-grade deposits in ænew worldÆ countries from a mining consultantÆs perspective, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 307-314 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013