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By G MORRIS

The mining industry has been rightly proud of its environmental achievements and it would be fair to say that in some areas the Australian mining industry is at the forefront of world practice in environmental management and mine rehabilitation. The `environment' has certainly been a growth area over the past three decades with growing awareness in the 1960s, some large battles and the of significant legislation in the 1970s. The most important period however has been the 1980s and so far the 1990s where, in addition to the of some more rigorous legislation, we have seen the practical application of environmental management/rehabilitation Techniques.

Jan 1, 1992

By S Nowosad, O Langefeld

The mining industry has undergone a profound and transformative shift in recent years, driven by the rapid advancement of emerging technologies such as automation, digitalisation, and electrification. These technological innovations have not only revolutionised operational efficiency and productivity but have also introduced an imperative need for new and innovative approaches to conducting mining activities. Specifically, the mines of the future face a new series of complex challenges when planning and developing greenfield or brownfield mining projects in the 21st century. These challenges include greater operational depths, higher seismicity levels, higher rock temperatures, increased environmental constraints and sustainability requirements, a higher degree of interoperability, lack of skilled workforce, and the need for sustainable and eco-friendly mining practices. Consequently, there is an essential need to formulate novel strategies and robust planning methodologies that re-evaluate how mines are planned, executed, and managed, from the early exploration stages to the post-mining era and the consequent uses of mine sites. This research focuses on identifying the factors influencing the implementation of modern technologies, such as autonomous machinery in mining operations, and their impact on mining method selection and longterm mine planning. The findings underscore a crucial need for a paradigm shift in how mines are planned and developed, going beyond mining method selection, which primarily focuses on geological and economic factors, and must evolve to incorporate the multifaceted implications of modern mining operations.

Sep 1, 2024

By A F. Cropp, D J. Bradshaw, W R. Goodall

Mineralogy and critically the texture of both the ore and gangue phases are of paramount importance in the flotation recovery of copper from porphyry ores. Mineralogy and texture will define the theoretical grade recovery curve for a feed ore. Actual grade-recovery falling below this may be due to texture and gangue influences, whilst desired grade-recovery above this line will not be possible unless the characteristics of the feed are altered.This review discusses examples of porphyry copper deposits where process mineralogy has been used to characterise these textural and gangue influences on recovery by flotation. More specifically, the influence exerted by grain size, liberation, association and elemental distribution is explored. The implications of these on overall plant philosophy and operation are highlighted, along with the subsequent potential impact on recovery.CITATION:Cropp, A F, Goodall, W R and Bradshaw, D J, 2013. The influence of textural variation and gangue mineralogy on recovery of copper by flotation from porphyry ore - a review, in Proceedings The Second AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2013 , pp 279-292 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 29, 2013

By D Cliff

Despite advances in technology, the Australian underground coal mining industry continues to have incidents involving spontaneous combustion. Managing these incidents relies heavily on understanding the state of the event as it develops and controls are applied. Gas analysis plays a major role in aiding this interpretation. This interpretation is based upon laboratory testing of coal samples under conditions very different to those found in an underground coal mine. This paper will explore the links between laboratory data and actual events. It will highlight the difficulties of using laboratory data. It will outline the relevance of laboratory data and how it can be usefully applied to manage spontaneous combustion events as well as in establishing relevant trigger action response plans to facilitate early detection and control of such events. The paper will identify some of the factors that need to be applied when adapting laboratory data to apply to the underground coal mine. It will outline the need for comprehensive knowledge of the local conditions and gas concentrations to be expected at all locations in an underground coal mine. Further, it will demonstrate the need for mine environment monitoring to go beyond simply measuring gas concentrations but also to include reliable atmospheric pressure, temperature and air velocity monitoring.CITATION:Cliff, D, 2013. Gas analysis - Linking the laboratory with reality, in Proceedings The Australian Mine Ventilation Conference , pp 277-282 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 1, 2013

In most States of Australia it is a legislative requirement for underground mines to have a separate means of egress from the normal means of ingress to permit the safe evacuation of workers to the surface in event of an emergency. Such egress may be in the form of a ladderway equipped shaft/underlie or trafficable incline/decline. Additionally, there is a general requirement to have one or more airways, separate to the main shaft or other principal entrance of an underground mine, extending to the lowest level to permit ventilation to all parts of the mine. Fulfilling these requirement is difficult in the development phase of a mine when access underground is achievable by only a shaft or decline in the process by being sunk. What is frequently practiced in Australia is for production to then commence, sometimes in association with continuing development, in the same configuration without the establishment of this separate method of egress to the surface nor additional airway/s with reliance on refuge chambers to cater for back up in any emergency. Not only, could this jeopardise the health and safety of workers in case of an underground emergency it could be construed as a statutory breach of legislation. While recognising that refuge chambers are often used throughout underground operations nowadays their equipping and the criteria for their location needs to be bought into focus. This presentation discusses how such legislative requirement can be met alongside the use and appropriateness of refuge chambers.

Jan 1, 1998

By A Markham

Stream diversions are a common feature of mine sites worldwide. From an operational perspective, a fundamental requirement of a stream diversion is that it should convey water flows between two points in a safe, controlled and predictable manner. On the other hand, rivers and waterways are naturally dynamic systems, and many of their natural values are achieved through their ability to alter their forms and processes over time in response to flow events - often in a potentially unsafe, uncontrolled and unpredictable manner. In order to ensure that diverted river reaches achieve the dual objectives of short-term operational stability and longer term physical equilibrium with surrounding landscapes, alteration of form and process must somehow be understood and incorporated into the design process. However, performance targets for waterways are not always easy to define and assessing what is good and bad in such variable systems can be difficult. This paper discusses the role of the stream diversion from the operational, environmental and regulatory/relinquishment perspectives, and how stream diversions must achieve physical stability in the short-term, but dynamic equilibrium in the long-term.CITATION:Markham, A, 2012. Mine site stream diversions - A balance of competing objectives, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2012 , pp 215-218 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 10, 2012

By Marton A

The Readymix Group have a Quarry Improvement Program - 'Building in Quality (BIQ) which has many parallels to the ICI Explosives' total quality management - 'Quality Improvement Program' (QIP). Both companies have for some time recognised that the 'do it right first time' principle means less wasted effort and materials, that efficiency breeds profitability and so actively promote the quality culture. To install the principles and generate the culture requires considerable commitment and effort from the top down and invariably spreads to the suppliers and sub-contractors. Understanding the component processes involved with the quarry operation, analysis of those processes and gaining a breakdown of the cost of non conformance then allows the astute quarry operator to make the necessary changes to improve the process to realise profits. This paper outlines the steps in such a process and the profitable outcomes of the commitment to continuous improvement at the Nickol Bay Quarry.

Jan 1, 1994

My purpose here today is to introduce an element of democracy into this seminar. In my experience, the mines of Australia can be divided into two categories; those that pay and those that don't. As far as I can ascertain, every other paper being delivered at this seminar concerns mines which come into the first category, or at any rate are close enough to it for the promoters to be able to afford an expert's valuation.

Jan 1, 1989

By T Walsh, S R. Mudnuru

The development of lithium-ion batteries, coupled with the global trend towards electrification of transportation, has led to a dramatic increase in the demand for lithium. The production of lithium from hard rock ores is increasing, and flotation has proved to be an effective means for the beneficiation of many pegmatitic lithium ores. Clariant Mining Solutions has developed a range of novel collectors for the flotation of spodumene and other lithium ores, and this paper presents examples of some of the most recent developments. Fatty acids are the typical collectors for lithium flotation, however the grade and recovery achieved with these collectors is often below the desired level. There are also some significant drawbacks associated with the use of fatty acid collectors, such as the formation of calcium soaps which give rise to filtration problems and the need for acid washing. Several FLOTINOR products have been developed as alternatives to fatty acids. These products offer equivalent or better metallurgical performance at significantly lower dosages than fatty acids. This offers benefits to the flotation circuit as well as potentially reducing the issues associated with downstream processing of the concentrate.

Aug 24, 2022

By D L. Head

Critical risk management (CRM) has become one of the latest safety buzz terms in mining. Everyone seems to be doing it, everyone seems to know about it, yet we are still having fatalities in our industry from well understood hazards such as mobile equipment amongst others.

May 5, 2022

More and more coal in Australia is extracted by underground mining methods especially by longwall mining. These methods can be particularly sensitive to relatively small-scale structural discontinuities and variations in roof and floor rock character. Traditionally, information on these features has been obtained through drilling. However, this is an expensive process and its relevance is limited to the immediate neighbourhood of the boreholes. The geological uncertainty remains. Seismic surveying, especially by 3D seismic, is an alternative tool for geological structure delineation with growing credibility. In fact, it is one of the most effective geophysical methods available for identification of geological structures such as faults, folds, washouts, seam splits and thickness changes which are normally associated with potential mining hazards. Seismic data even can be used for stratigraphic identification. The information extracted from seismic data then can be integrated into mine planning and design. In this paper, we demonstrate computer aided interpretation techniques for maximising the information from seismic data and illustrate the ability of seismic reflection methods to resolve localised geological features. Both synthetic and real seismic data obtained in recent 2D and 3D seismic surveys from Australian coal mines will be used. Compared with results obtained with drilling programs, the structural definitions from seismic are of unprecedented quality.

Jan 1, 2002

By T W. C Stambolie

Longwall mining is a form of underground mining and the principal extraction method for underground coal mining in Australia. The method is used in the mining of both thermal and metallurgical coal. The primary market for thermal longwall mines is that of the export market where price is governed against the Newcastle Thermal Benchmark index (globalCOAL, 2016).Australia’s thermal coal export outlook is considered moderate due to slower demand from major importing countries, as well as slowing domestic production. However, ‘Australia is projected to increase its share of world thermal coal exports and become the world’s largest exporter over the medium term as lower prices, increased domestic use and infrastructure constraints limit growth from other key suppliers’ (Office of the Chief Economist (OCE), 2016, pp 25, 58). On the contrary, and as a result of current global coal price trends, the basic economic principles of underground longwall coal mining are heavily stressed. From a life-of-mine perspective, influencing return on investment is at its greatest during project evaluation and execution. Appropriate and realistic economic assessment is paramount to ensuring the right outcomes are achieved under the current economic challenges.CITATION:Stambolie, T W C, 2016. Thermal coal industry – is longwall mining currently a life-of-mine option in Australia?, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference, pp 57–61 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 28, 2016

For the mineral industry, sustainability seems to mean socially positive and ecologically neutral mineral extraction. Mines are financed and developed in response to demand for their products. The purpose of my paper is to indicate the potential dimension of demand. As part of an unrelated study which I undertook ten years ago, it became apparent that there is a persistent relationship within communities between infant mortality and mineral use; greater mineral use corresponds to a lower rate of infant mortality. This comes as no surprise; sufficient potable water, a reliable supply of food, hygienic waste disposal, hot water and refrigeration all improve the chances of survival of the more vulnerable members of any community. The predictable provision of these facilities requires the application of minerals. This relationship is supported by a table (Appendix 1) included in the UNICEF publication, æThe State of the WorldÆs Children 2001Æ. This table lists regional infant mortality rate (IMR) statistics from around the world, including a listing for æindustrialised countriesÆ. Such countries experience an IMR lower by an order of magnitude than any other region. æIndustrialisedÆ inevitably involves the use of metallic and energy minerals. The principal use of copper is in the generation and distribution of power; it is fundamental to any industrialisation. IMR is a valuable connection because it quantifies caring for the young, a vital strategic driver of human behaviour independent of time, place, fashion or economic circumstances. I have tabulated the population, IMR and the copper demand per head of population for countries containing over 99 per cent of the population of the world in the years 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1989, and 1999. These countries have been consolidated into four groups, Very High, High, Medium and Low rates of infant mortality (UNICEF has used this terminology; the Low group includes all the æindustrialised countriesÆ). The purpose of this consolidation was to reduce the volume of work, to dampen out the impact of regional wars and business cycles, and to dampen out the variable quality of information. Based on the pattern of the copper demand, population and IMR over the last 50 years, I have projected the likely copper demand in 50 years time. A dominant feature of my tabulation is the increase per decade in copper use per head and a corresponding reduction of the IMR. The word æuseÆ is preferred to æconsumptionÆ because it is estimated that over 80 per cent of all the copper ever mined is still in circulation There are two major influences at work; one is the absolute increase in population (UN estimates for 2050 are updated periodically) and the second is the movement of countries into a higher pattern of use and lower IMR. For example the Medium group in 1989 had an infant mortality rate approximating that of the Low group in 1960. With the population of the Medium group (which includes Russia and China) forecast to reach 2.6 billion in 2050, the world copper demand in that year will be significantly greater than the present figure. Nevertheless it will not be as great relatively as the increase of over 300 per cent in the last 50 years.

Jan 1, 2002

This paper summarises the current status of the mining sector in Poland in terms of vertical transport system safety. Selected results of research programs conducted at the AGH-UST relating to mine hoist system safety are reviewed. The conclusions support the notion that the costs of vertical transport systems can be reduced, while at the same time maintaining the required safety and reliability levels. Novel solutions: movable fender beams HWR, linings modar« and the integrated shock absorbers PHH for conveyance guiding systems fully confirm this hypothesis.

Jan 1, 2005

By N Bianco, D Drinkwater

The professional skills shortage is intensifying, and commentators are predicting a shortfall in supply of qualified professionals for the mining industry, ranging from thousands to tens-of-thousands by 2020 (Tuckwell, 2011; Scoble, 2011; Laurence and Hebblewhite, 2011). Human resources are already stretched, and university graduates arriving in the workplace are often moved rapidly into management positions where there is limited scope to develop their engineering proficiency. This process may well be developing excellent young managers, but our industry is producing fewer excellent young engineers (Munro and Tilyard, 2009). Many believe that it is engineering excellence that is likely to be the key to our industryÆs success in the decade to come. An innovative in-house graduate development program has been created by specialists at the JK Centre in partnership with two mining companies. This program, known as MetSkill«, has been running throughout 2012. Groups of graduates have had to identify a process plant optimisation opportunity and embark on a structured program of data collection and analysis, facilitated by a æteaching teamÆ of researchers and consultants from the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) and JKTech. This group project culminates in a report-back session to senior company officials. Along the way, a series of short workshops and other activities provide opportunities to work on specialist skills, and support is also offered by senior technical specialists from the companies involved.This paper outlines key features of the MetSkill« program, along with a report-card on progress in 2012 and plans for further program development in 2013.CITATION:Drinkwater, D and Bianco, N, 2012. Developing minerals industry leaders by encouraging metallurgical excellence, in Proceedings 11th AusIMM Mill OperatorsÆ Conference, pp 287-290 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 29, 2012

The Australian Mineral Industry has to compete on world markets, so its mineral research has to be aware of overseas developments, it must be of world class, and it must utilise as many ideas as possible in order to solve those problems that uniquely affect Australian minerals processing. North American mineral and resource research may be taken as a guide to world government, industrial, contract, and entrepreneurial research trends and ideas. A number of interesting findings are noted that may guide Australian developments and strategies for the future, in minerals research and exploitation.

Jan 1, 1986

By J Safarian, M K. Kar

Bauxite residue is one of the most important by-products from the alumina industry with no commercial use till now. The utilisation of bauxite residue through pelletising with different lime additions, hydrogen reduction, and smelting has been studied in this work. Three different types of green pellets were made with varying calcite-to-bauxite residue ratio and subsequently sintered at elevated temperatures. The sintered pellets were isothermally reduced at 1000°C under hydrogen gas followed by smelting of the reduced pellets in argon at 1500°C. Smelting of the reduced pellets leads to the recovery of metallic iron and the formation of a leachable calcium aluminate slag. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to characterise the phases and microstructural analysis. The iron produced in the smelting process has a high purity, above 99.5 wt per cent. While the iron content of the slags is quite low, and the slags shows variations of krotite (CaAl2O4), gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7), and perovskite (CaTiO3) phases based on the variation of calcite addition. It was found that the more calcite addition in pelletising yields higher percentage of krotite phase as compared to lower calcite-containing pellets. Employing quantitative XRD analysis, the krotite phase fraction was found approximately 85 wt per cent for higher calcite-added pellet, and around 74 wt per cent for lower calcite-added pellet. FactSage™, ver 8.1 (Thermfact and GGTTechnologies) thermodynamic software was used to evaluate the obtained experimental data, they both revealed that the

Jun 19, 2024

By K L. Silversides, A Chlingaryan, A Melkumyan

Multiple data sources can be fused to improve boundary modelling in stratified deposits such as the banded iron formation (BIF) hosted deposits in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. Accurate boundaries are essential to produce high quality geological models. Initial models are based on the widely spaced exploration hole data. This creates a high level of uncertainty in areas between the holes, with different interpretations of the boundary equally probable. Including directional information collected in these holes in the models can reduce the number of possibilities. Including data collected during mining, such as blastholes and bench measurements, can further guide the model. This research demonstrates a Gaussian Processes based method of fusing these disparate data sources to better inform the boundaries. Our results demonstrate that when only exploration points are used the model creates a smooth boundary with minimal variation between the holes. Each additional data source refined the model and added additional detail to the boundary. For the blast data, the new detail projects down to the bench below the current bench to allow for a better prediction before mining commences on that bench.

Mar 22, 2022

The adoption of new technologies is accompanied by risks that the stakeholders will wish to understand and minimise. The process of developing a dynamic simulation and the plant it will be used in provides a discipline and attention to detail that highlights and provides an opportunity to mitigate risks that will exist in a production environment. The simulations will enable investigation of what the outcome of process failures will be and the impact maintenance. Enumerating this information will enable designs to be optimised and operating and control strategies to be tested.The success of new technology is dependent on the operators and their understanding of it and the machines that use it. In this context dynamic simulations can provide training and experience without risk to personnel, equipment or production. This experience will include situations that would not be induced in a production plant for training purposes. This paper outlines a generic template for a dynamic simulation that can be used to evaluate the introduction of an emerging technology into an operating environment. It includes process flows and surge capacity, breakdown and maintenance, operator interactions and availability, push and pull production scheduling and system control.

Sep 26, 2011

By K Muller, T Oosthuizen

Blast exclusion zones are instrumental in protecting equipment and personnel. When there is no constraint in footprint, the exclusion zone can be enormous, practically eliminating the hazard of flyrock. Unfortunately, this may not always be the case and in many circumstances the blast design needs to be altered to suite such scenarios. When a conservative design approach is taken, it could completely eliminate any form of ejection, whether it is from the free face or the bench itself. The degree to which typical flyrock models describe fragment motion through air with ballistic flight equations are not justified when such a high level of control is applied. This paper examines various methods of risk analysis and suggests an approach to be used for controlled blasting.The outcome of principles discussed in this paper can be seen in video form (Mavmedia, 2014).CITATION:Muller, K and Oosthuizen, T, 2015. Should the blast exclusion zone be based on a qualitative or quantitative analysis? A practical implementation conundrum, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 425–428 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015