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By Woodcock J. T

When an aqueous suspension of pyrite and a manganese ore reacts with oxygen, manganese is dissolved by the ferrous sulphate and sulphuric acid produced in situ by oxidation of pyrite. In the absence of added acid, the optimum conditions are: a molecularratio of Mn02/FeS2 of about 1·0, a temperature of about 1400 C., and an oxygen pressure between 25 and 90 lb./sq. in. Under these conditions, complete extraction of manganese is obtained in six hours leaching. An addition of sulphuric acid enables an Mn02/FeS2 ratio of 2·0 to be used successfully.Manganous sulphate decreases in solubility with increase in temperature above 1000 C., but even when the solubility limit is reached during leaching, reaction to form MnS04 still proceeds, and on cooling the MnS04 redissolves.INTRODUCTIONMany manganese deposits contain secondary manganese oxide minerals which are difficult to concentrate. Considerable attention has therefore been given to their hydrometallurgical treatment. In most manganese oxide minerals, the manganese is quadrivalent and must be reduced to the divalent state for dissolution. Reduction and dissolution can be accomplished in a number of ways, one method being to use aqueous ferrous sulphate solutions.A possible source of ferrous sulphate is pyrite as it is known that ferrous ion is an intermediate product in the aqueous oxidation of pyrite. It was therefore thought possible, that by heating an aqueous suspension of manganese oxide and pyrite with oxygen, the ferrous sulphate and sulphuric acid formed from pyrite would provide the necessary leaching reagents for manganese in situ. There are certain advantages in producing ferrous ion in situ...

Jan 1, 1958

By McDonald G. G

In the deformation of a metal or a single-phase alloy all the crystals composing the metal after their shape in a similar manner as the metal in bulk and to about· the same extent. This is not the case in an alloy consisting of two phases of different resistance to plastic deformation. In such an alloy the two phases take part in the deformation approximately in inverse proportion to their hardness, at least at the beginning of the deformation. (1) The hardness difference becomes less in the course of the deformation and thereby the deformation more equal. The phenomena occurring during cold-rolling of some two-phase alloys have been investigated by H. Unckel who made statistical grain measurements of the degree of deformation of the two phases after various reductions by rolling and also microscopical observations of the flow in the neighbourhood of the grain boundaries. Because of the different relative flow of the two phases, the normal flow is disturbed in the vicinity of their boundaries, and some additional plastic flow must take place in these regions, the disturbance being levelled out at some distance from the boundary. The deformation of the two phases present simultaneously in the material should thus be different from that of each phase separately. The investigation of theimportance and the effects of this interaction of crystals of different phases is the subject of this paper.The deformation of crystals occurs as a gliding of crystal layers following crystallographic laws. In consequence of this slip the crystals composing the material tend to assume a common orientation, i.e. some crystallographic axes tend to become parallel to each other in all the crystals. The type of this preferred orientation depends on the type of the crystal and the working process. Any change in the mechanism of deformation results, therefore, in a change in the preferred orientation. Such a change in kind and degree of preferred orientation will, therefore, also occur if the interaction of crystals in a two-phase alloy gives rise to a mechanism of deformation different from that in the free phases.The present paper describes a study of the preferred orientation, the microstructure and hardness in wires of brass drawn to various extents.The development of preferred orientations in the two phases with increasing reduction was followed up in various layers of the wire.EXPERIMENTAL DETAILSThe experiments were carried out with a commercial 5 S.W.G. wire (0,212 in. diameter) containing: 62·7% Cu, 37·3% Zn, very faint traces...

Jan 1, 1941

Commercially interesting deposits of zeolite rich tuffs and amorphous silica have been discovered recently in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), North Island, New Zealand. This paper reviews them and comments on the potential for further discoveries. Potential markets for these unusual industrial minerals are discussed.

Jan 1, 1997

The Mount Lyell Mining Field is Australia's chief productive source of copper. It is situated near Queenstown, on the western flanks of the West Coast Ranges, about 20 miles from the west coast of Tasmania (Fig. 1).The following observations on the mineral composition of the copper ores of the Mount Lyell Field are based on a...

Jan 1, 1939

Improving Pelletisation of Pyrite Cinder by High Pressure Roller Grinding As an important secondary resource for ironmaking, pyrite cinder is characterised by coarse particle size, low specific surface area, high porosity and poor surface activity, which leads to high bentonite dosage, low strength and too high moisture of green balls and high roasting temperature. In this paper, a study of improving the pelletisation of pyrite cinder containing feed by using high pressure roll grinding (HPRG) was presented, which aimed to improve the quality of green pellets and reinforce roasting performance pellets. It is shown that pyrite cinder is characterised by complicated mineral compositions dominated by haematite and metal sulfides, porous surface and middle class ballability, leading to higher balling moisture, higher bentonite dosage and higher firing temperature for pellet hardening. The pelletisation of pyrite cinder can be improved by high pressure roller grinding and blending with magnetite in the pellet feed. The former is probably ascribed to the increase in specific surface areas of pellet feed from 850 cm2+g to 1690 cm2+g when the pellet feed passes through roller twice. Good quality green balls and fired pellets can be made from feed comprising 40 - 60 per cent pyrite cinder and 60 - 40 per cent magnetite concentrate at small scale under the following conditions: 1.2 per cent bentonite, feed passing through roller twice at 7 per cent moisture at 1.5 ton pressure, balling at 13 per cent moisture for 13 min, preheating at 1050¦C for 12 min and firing at 1300¦C for 8 min. Green balls possess such properties as drop numbers of 6.5 times, compressive strength of 19.1 Newton and thermal shock temperature of 533¦C. Fired pellets are imparted high compressive strength of over 3000 Newton per pellet. Small scale tests have been proven by pilot scale tests that high grade fired pellets are made, assaying 63 per cent Fe and minor other impurities, such as sulfur and phosphorus except for copper content. The fired pellets made of three blends possess excellent metallurgical performance, such as reducibility index higher than 65 per cent, reduction swelling index lower than 15 per cent and low temperature reduction degradation lower than2 per cent. Especially the compressive strength after reduction is higher 719Newton per pellet.

Sep 13, 2010

By Ralph B. S

Bacterial leaching of low grade quartz felspar porphyry copper ore was studied in large-scale laboratory percolation leaching columns.Limitations in the release of soluble copper showed up before fifty per cent recovery, due to occluding precipitates of iron oxides and hydroxides. Precipitates were removed by increasing the acidity of irrigation feed four-fold with respect to sulphuric acid. However, irrigation at low pH (pH 1.5) inhibited copper leaching. Resumption of bacterial leaching at pH2 was achieved by introducing a period of non-irrigation. The results suggest a 'direct' attack by bacteria on the chalcopyrite substrate rather than an 'indirect' ferric-leach mechanism.

Jan 1, 1981

By T Graham

Traditional iron ore wet beneficiation plants are large multilevel structures, often integrated into centralised processing plants. They are characterised by sizeable footprints, substantial water and power consumption, inflexible design and low scalability. Significant design changes that address these issues need to be made before relocatable modular plants become feasible. Firstly, large amounts of processing water are required in standard wet plants, so it is vital that water consumption is reduced to an absolute minimum. Secondly, the process of depositing tailings into tailings storage facilities (TSFs) is environmentally destructive, consumes significant power and requires lengthy approvals to be completed. Thirdly, modules need to be easily and quickly relocatable.The solution to reducing water usage and eliminating TSF requirements is accomplished by providing a tailings dewatering and dry-stacking capability into a separate module. This equipment needs to dewater tailings to a point (typically below 20 per cent moisture) where dry stacking becomes possible – design is mainly driven by material rheology and particle size distribution (PSD). In this respect, a flexible and scalable strategy is employed to dewatering modules, allowing a variety of components such as dewatering cyclone clusters, paste thickeners, fine mesh vibrating screens and filter presses to be used to achieve the necessary moisture level, enabling the final dry stacking to be accomplished by a simple telescopic stacking system. Plant relocatability also requires modules to comply with mass and dimensional constraints, as well as ‘plug and play’ ease-of-use features.For coarse particle upgrade, jigs provide a low-cost and effective solution, whereas fine and ultra-fine Fe units can be recovered using Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separation (WHIMS). Recently, sensor sorting – a dry process using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray transmission, laser or other sensors – has begun to make an impact in coarse particle separation, although capacities are still low. The overall objective of a plant is to provide an Fe upgrade of four to five per cent with a feed of up to 4 Mt/a and a recovery of approximately 50 per cent.CITATION:Graham, T, 2017. Relocatable modular beneficiation creates value from waste, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 167–172 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By J Darbritz

"This paper details the events leading up to a slope failure that occurred at Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) and the remediation method executed using rope access specialists.n January 2016, KCGM Fimiston Pit experienced a double bench wall failure where approximately 80 000 t of material fell from the wall that blocked access to a ramp and caused minor damage to equipment.The event was triggered by heavy rainfall and occurred along unfavourable eastward dipping structures that lead into weaker shale/porphyry bands, which in turn left more material on the face. A remediation plan was formulated that would allow for the continuation of open pit operations while a full geotechnical assessment of the failure area could be conducted. This was accomplished by means of rope access specialists who abseiled down the wall and blasted off the remaining overhang using a portable drill rig and prepackaged explosives.This paper provides a brief overview of the KCGM operations, how the instability was identified and monitored, details of the failure event, outcomes of the geotechnical assessment and details on the remediation work.Citation:Graf, C and Sullivan, R, 2016. The Journey to Steepening the Pit Slope Angle - Advancing the Effectiveness of Wall Control, in Proceedings Ninth AusIMM Open Pit Operators' Conference 2016, pp 104–114 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Nov 15, 2016

Contact Angle Measurements on Lignite Surface

Sep 13, 2010

Antimony ore samples (mean assay 18·7 per cent antimony) from Endeavour Inlet, Marlborough Sounds New Zealand, were tested for upgrading by flotation to a saleable product (60 per cent antimony).The effects of activating agents, collectors, frothers, pH, conditioning time, and particle size on the recovery and grade of a stibnite flotation concentrate were determined using HaIlimond tube and laboratory flotationcell test apparatus. Optimum flotation conditions for the ore were thereby established. A stibnite concentrate grading 63 per cent antimony and an overall recovery of 90 per cent is obtainable in a two-stage process.

Jan 1, 1977

By Y K. Leong

Iron ore tailings typically containing 40 to 50 per cent Fe can be beneficiated to iron ore products containing 54 to 60 per cent Fe. The impurities are comprised of clay, quartz, cristabolite and TiO2. Goethite and hematite are also present. At high concentrations of 55–60 wt% solids, the tailings displayed high yield stress and viscosity and cannot be pumped over long distances. Composite additives comprising of NaOH, phosphate-based additives and sodium metasilicate are found to reduce the viscosity and yield stress very significantly by a few orders of magnitude. The yield stress of 100 Pa can be reduced to almost zero. At this state, dilution of the tailings with its process water to 40 per cent solids causes the coarse and high-density iron ore particles to separate from the colloidal fractions located in the supernatant after a few minutes of sedimentation. Separation by decantation produces a sediment with an Fe content of 54 per cent from tailings with 47 per cent Fe. Another tailings sample with 48 per cent Fe was beneficiated to greater than 57 per cent Fe using NaOH-metasilicate-polyphosphate additives and employing an additional washing step. The use of other composite additives, NaOH and polyphosphates, increased beneficiated product Fe content to greater than 60 per cent from the same tailings. With the current iron ore spot price of more than US$180 per tonne, the cost of this treatment process even including a desalination step, if necessary, is relatively insignificant. This study has given tailings an economic value that should be exploited as soon as possible.

Nov 8, 2021

By Orr D. B

This is a case history of prospec- ting carried out by Comstaff Pty. Ltd. over the Pinnacles Area, part 4 of Exploration Licence 5/63, 9 km north of Rosebery in Western Tasmania. Evidence is presented to show that A 0 soil samp ling is a viable prospecting method for outlining polymetallic sulphide occur- rences in areas where leached organic/ glacial soils are common. Diamond drilling of low threshold anomalies has intersected base metal mineralisation.

Jan 1, 1977

By G Brooks

The control of phosphorus in steelmaking is one of the famous challenges of pyrometallurgy. It is well established that highly basic slags, the presence of FeO in the slag and lower temperatures (less than 1650°C) are favourable for phosphorous removal. The thermodynamics of this reaction have been extensively studied under laboratory conditions and the general trends confirmed through industrial trials. However, in general, phosphorus slag/metal distributions measured in industry are far from equilibrium and quite specific to the oxygen steelmaking technology being used. This variability was quantified by Urban, Weinberg and Cappel (2015), who found that the phosphorus partition ratio measured in plants varied with blowing practice, stirring intensity and even converter life. Some recent kinetic studies by Gu, Dogan and Coley (2017) have shown how the kinetics of these reactions vary with FeO content and dissolved sulfur at the droplet scale. A global kinetic model by Rout et al (2018) provides meaningful predictions of where dephosphorisation occurs in an industrial basic oxygen furnace (BOF) and some recent heat transfer modelling by Madhavan et al (2021, 2022) implies that temperature difference between droplets and slag has a role to play in explaining why equilibrium is not achieved. This paper will review the current state of knowledge and provide suggestions on predicting phosphorous removal for industrial operations and how greater removal could be achieved.

Jun 19, 2024

By A B. Christie

Known epithermal deposits in the Coromandel region belong to the low-sulphidation type, represented by three subtypes: (1) andesite-hosted epithermal Au-Ag, (2) rhyolite-hosted epithermal Au-Ag, and (3) andesite-hosted polymetallic veins. Paleo-depths for a range ofdeposits are estimated using various features including: paleo-surface indicators (e.g. sinters), hydrostatic pressures estimated from homogenisation temperature measurements on fluid inclusions, and alteration mineralogy. Paleo-depth estimates to the base of the ore zone for the rhyolite-hosted Coromandel deposits are in the range 200 to 500 m. Andesite-hosted Au-Ag deposits have more variable paleo-depths, and are deeper (up to 950 m) in those deposits with base metals at depth. The majority of Coromandel Au-Ag deposits have limited depth extents (<200 m) of economic grade mineralisation, although Waihi and Karangahake are notable exceptions with depth extents of 575 m and 700 m respectively. Limited depth extents of economic ore are a feature of epithermal systems worldwide and are commonly attributed to gold deposition from boiling fluids. Under hydrostatic conditions in epithermal/geothermal systems, boiling in an up-flowing hydrothermal fluid is controlled by the boiling point for depth (BPD) curve. From fluid inclusion studies of many low-sulphidation epithermal systems, deposition of electrum in economic concentrations appears to be confined to a temperature window of 260 to 180¦C. This means that for dilute, gas-poor fluids that follow the BPD curve, gold deposition is limited to a vertical depth zone of about 400 m, with its upper boundary at about 100 m below the ground surface. The greater depth extent at Waihi and Karangahake, can be explained by mixing of/a deep, hot (300¦C) fluid with cooler (c. 200¦C) heated ground waters. This has the effect of lowering the 260¦C isotherm by up to 300 m, thereby increasing the depth range of economic grade gold deposition within the 260 to 180¦Cwindow of electrum deposition.

Jan 1, 2000

Study on Oil Agglomeration Flotation for Deinking

Sep 13, 2010

Although most N.S.W. coal mines contain large amounts of combustible materials such as coal and timber, the introduction of mechanisation has extended the range of combustible materials now found underground. The role of combustible material in a fire is not clearly understood and as a result the assessment of these materials for flammability by small and large scale tests is doubtful. Extensive research has been carried out on the toxic and irritating gases evolved during the combustion of plastics. However, most autopsies report death due to carbon monoxide inhalation because the combined toxicity of smoke and fire gases is unknown.

Jan 1, 1981

Neutralization with lime is a simple, cheap, and effective means of treating acid raffinates from uranium processing to' raise the pH, reduce the concentrations of dissolved salts (including heavy metal impurities), and remove amine by adsorption. Two-stage neutralization, using limestone in the first stage at approximately pH 4 and lime in the second, lIlay be advantageous.Lime neutralization of mffinates in the pH range 7 to 8· 5 generally reduced the radium ·concentration to 10 to 200 pCi 1-1, but ·there was considerable scatter in the experimental data. The radium concentration was further reduced to less than 3 pCi 1-1 by co-precipitation of barium (radium) sulphate with 10 mg Ba (as barium chloride) per litre of raffinate. Adsorption of radium on barytes was -also effective in reducing the radium concentration in neutralized raffinate to less than 3 pCi 1-1.The radium concentration of pit water was readily reduced to less than 3 pCi 1-1 when pit water containing 0·01 M sulphate as ammonium, calcium, or sodium sulphate was treated with 20 mg Ba per litre of pit water.Adsorption on barytes was also effective in removing radium from pit water containing 0·03 M sulphate.

Jan 1, 1975

IN this paper it is proposed to present certain features of operating practice at the Port Pirie works of The Broken Hill Associated Smelters Proprietary Limited, in the smelting in a blast furnace of lead ores carrying a high concentration of zinc.The subject matter selected for presentation is:(i) The effect of zinc on lead blast-furnace operations, together with an outline of the methods adopted in actual practice in dealing with the zinc problem.(2) Development of the height of tuyere above the bottom of the jacket, and the extension of the tapping interval and the combined effect of both factors upon the lead content of blast furnace slag.It will later be seen that one phase of the investigation carried out in connection with the effect of zinc on blast-furnace operations was largely responsible for the decision to increase to a marked degree the height of the tuyere above the bottom of the jacket.Due to this interdependence, it has been considered advisable to deal with the two features above mentioned.The high concentration of zinc in the lead-bearing materials smelted at Port Pirie has brought with it those troubles which are associated with zinc in the smelting operation.In the early stages of the history of The Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty. Ltd. the trend towards increasing cost for labour, fuel, and stores, etc., rendered it necessary to increase the lead content of the charge, and reduce to a minimum the quantity of barren flux used.

Jan 1, 1931

In March 1990, Heritage Mining conducted a 2000 line km high resolution aeromagnetic survey of all its prospects in the Coromandel Peninsula. One of the areas covered was the Onemana Peninsula, situated about 5 km north of Whangamata. Details of location and geology are given by Robson and Stevens (this volume).   The detailed helicopter-borne magnetic and radiometric survey over the Onemana area consisted of 163 line kmÆs of flying, and was carried out in order to assist in the definition of hydrothermal alteration and pre- or post- mineralisation structures. The line spacing chosen was 100 m, flown east-west, with a mean sensor terrain clearance of 80 m. Tie lines were flown north-south every kilometre for levelling purposes. The sensor was a Geoinstruments G-813 proton precession magnetometer in a towed bird, with data recorded using a Geoinstruments G-2000 acquisition system.   The Onemana alteration system is at the northern end of a major north-north east trending structural corridor defined by regional aeromagnetic surveys performed by AMOCO in 1980 (Rabone, 1991). T his structure hosts a number of other extinct hydrothermal systems including Karangahake and Golden Cross. In the Onemana contour plot the predominant north-northeast structures form the boundaries of a large area of subdued magnetism in the southern part of the surveyed area that is caused by intense hydrothermal alteration. This area is about 3.5 km long by 1 km or more wide and contains outcropping sinters and hydrothermal eruption breccias, as described in Robson and Stevens. A number of other structures transect this alteration zone, with strike directions ranging from northwest to north. A northwest feature notably truncates the zone to the south, while the northern end seems to be simi1arly bounded; however as data coverage ends at the coast, this feature is less conclusive.    Two distinctive types of strongly magnetic rock were discernible the contoured data. The strong negative magnetic anomalies the north and west are caused by fresh negatively magnetised rhyolites. This was confirmed by ground follow-up work that showed the rocks to be fresh biotite rhyolites with high magnetic susceptibilities.

Jan 1, 1991

Over the past 12 years screening of materials has undergone a dramatic change in both the types and materials used in screen mats and the quality requirements of the finished product. With the main thrust now on quality and a cleaner product a different approach was needed in the operation of sizing screens. New screen mats with many different aperture configurations have been developed using rubber and plastics.to replace the traditional screen mat of woven wire or punched plate.

Jan 1, 1984