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By M. F. Goudge

THE present century has witnessed an amazing transformation in the uses of limestone. From being mainly a structural material, a role it has played since the beginning of civilization, it has become one of the in-dispensable raw materials for use in the great chemical and metallurgical industries that play such a vital part in the economic life of the nations today. Its uses have become so diversified and numerous that it enters, directly or indirectly, into nearly every phase of modern life. In this introductory paper it is proposed merely to outline the general usefulness of limestone and to point out some of its salient features, and to leave any detailed discussion of uses to the papers that follow. The term limestone as herein used embraces all kinds from the variety known as high-calcium limestone, which is composed almost entirely of calcite, to the dolomitic variety, composed largely or entirely of the mineral dolomite. Lime is simply calcined limestone and, in considering the uses of limestone, the uses of lime should also be included, particularly in view of the fact that, in many processes, it is possible to use limestone in either the raw or the calcined state.

Jan 1, 1939

By M. E. Hurst

SINCE 1934 there has been a marked revival of interest in the Porcupine district, especially in the eastern portion of the area, where exploration on the property of Pamour Gold Mines has indicated the presence of extensive gold-bearing deposits. Owing to the prevalence of overburden and the limited amount of exploratory work that has been done, little information is available as yet concerning the distribution and structural relationships of the rocks in the area to the east of Porcupine lake. In order to throw some light on the structural conditions in this section, a brief discussion of the sequence and character of the formations in the better known, producing section of the camp has been included. It should be emphasized that this paper is a preliminary study and that, consequently, the conclusions expressed should not be regarded as final. The writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to P. C. Benedict, whose study of the geological relationships on the Foley-O'Brien property has made possible a fuller understanding of the structure in the central portion of the area. The writer also wishes to express his appreciation of the information and facilities placed at his disposal by R. M. Macaulay and C. D. Stevenson, of Pamour Gold Mines, and by A. Bell, of Noranda Mines, Limited.

Jan 1, 1936

By Jean-Louis Robert

Field work inaugurated in 1962 in the townships of Lemieux and Lesseps, in the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, has permitted the author to delineate the lithologic units of the area, to elucidate a few stratigraphic problems and to outline several zones of alteration. Certain features of these zones and the numerous mineralized showings in the area merit the attention of prospectors and exploration companies.

Jan 1, 1966

By G. McIsaac

This paper discusses the formulation of a linear program with the objective of maximizing the cash flow of the long-term plan of an underground operation. A mine is split into eleven independent ore zones, each characterized by its reserves, required development, and mining method. Based on practical considerations, maximum rates are set for each zone?s development and production capacity. For the total mine plan, a minimum daily production rate is set along with a minimum feed grade to the mill. A maximum daily development capacity is set based on the equipment and labour available. Proven and probable ore is mined preferentially over possible ore in the early years of the plan. Also, the fixed cost of operating the mine is taken into consideration whenever mining activities take place. Once the linear program is solved, it can be critically reviewed, and unrealistic results can be identified. Some resource allocations constraints can then be changed in certain sectors, and new results can be analyzed. ?Whatif? scenarios can also be examined, such as determining the impact of hiring a contractor to develop a given sector, or dropping an ore zone completely from the plan.

Sep 1, 2005

By J. C. Ingles

"A survey of possible methods for controlling cyanide concentration indicated that the simplest method would involve the use of a potentiometric technique. Such a method was suggested by a paper from the laboratory of Mines Safety Appliances, which described a method for determining hydrogen cyanide in air. In this application, the cyanide was absorbed in caustic and a silver electrode immersed in the caustic solution provided a measure of the cyanide concentration. However, our attempts to use the silver electrode in this simple manner to measure the cyanide concentration of solutions were not very successful. A study of the mechanism by which a silver electrode responds to cyanide concentration made it evident why this simple procedure is not satisfactory.Basically, the silver electrode provides an indication of the free silver ion concentration of a solution, and generally speaking, ignores the other ions' present. It can be used to measure an anion if this anion complexes silver. This technique has been used in complexing studies to determine the activities of such anions as acetate, citrate, oxalate and chloride. To do this, the electrode has to be placed in a solution which initially contains a known concentration of free silver ions. Addition of the complexing anion causes a drop in the free silver ion concentration and hence a change in the potential of the silver electrode. The change in potential can be expressed in terms of the concentration of the complexing anion, and used to indicate its concentration in the solution being analysed. The determination of chloride-ion by a silver-silver chloride electrode is an example of an application of this technique. The solubility of the silver chloride with which the electrode is coated provides the initial free silver-ion concentration. Depression of this free silver-ion concentration by the presence of the excess chloride ion of the sample solution results in a change in the potential of the electrode which is proportional to the chloride-ion concentration."

Jan 1, 1965

By J. Zollinger, J. R. Kennedy, J. H. Park, D. Daloz

"In order to improve the properties of cast Ti-Al alloys to replace Ni-based superalloys past the low pressure stages of aircraft engines investigations into inoculation for grain refinement were carried out. Previous work showed isomorphic self-inoculation using Ti-Al-Nb particles was effective for grain refinement, however the relatively fast diffusion of Nb in Ti-Al make it difficult to observe the mechanism of nucleation. An alternative alloy was developed in the Ti-Ta system for isomorphic self-inoculation, maximizing the Ta content to improve the particles survivability in the melt. The powder processing produced comparatively small inoculant particles which dissolved, however larger particles were seen to survive solidification. The density difference between the inoculant particles and melt resulted in an inhomogeneous mixing of the particles and the melt with larger particles found near the outer edges of the ingots. Variations on particle size and interaction time between the inoculants and the melt resulted in the Ti-Ta inoculant reducing the as-cast equiaxed grain size by a factor of two compared to non-inoculated samples as well as increasing the equiaxed fraction in the ingot.INTRODUCTION Lightweight metals are of particular interest in aerospace applications. The hot sections of turbines are dominated by blades made of nickel based superalloys. Recently the GEnx turbine introduced TiAl blades in the last low pressure stage of the turbine to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency (Kim & Dimiduk, 1991). In order to carry these benefits deeper into the turbine the high temperature (>800oC) properties of the alloys must be improved. Current grain refinement methods to improve properties rely on boron additions which may not be applicable for all blades as brittle precipitates may be formed during processing (McCullough, Levi, Mehrabian, & Hyman, 1991). A novel grain refinement process was previously introduced called “isomorphic self-inoculation” using Ti-Al-Nb particles to successfully grain refine TiAl (Kennedy, Zollinger, Bouzy, & Daloz, 2016). In order to better understand the mechanism of this process an investigation was carried out using the same process but with a Ti-Ta alloy which is more stable in the TiAl melt than the Ti-Al-Nb."

Jan 1, 2017

By V. ?. Chanturiya, G. P. Dvoychenkova, ?. Ye. Kovalchuk

"Several mineralogical investigations have revealed the composition of modified kimberlites and the mud generated during treatment of diamonds, which contains up to 50% clay minerals (e.g., talc, talcsaponite, chlorite-saponite, Na-saponite) and X-ray amorphous phase. We investigated the composition of the natural diamond surface in relation to the diagnosed minerals and established the sequence and conditions for mineral formation on the crystal surface under kimberlite processing conditions. This article suggests a method to destroy and further dissolve minerals on the crystal surfaces using water system electrolysis products, which makes it possible to restore the diamond hydrophobic properties. The application of chemically treated water in the foam separation cycle under the conditions of high recovery of diamonds made it possible to increase the content of the factory concentrate by 8.0%.INTRODUCTIONThe high content of the modified minerals in the kimberlite ore results in the formation of hydrophilic slicks on the surface of the crystals which decreases the diamond’s hydrophobic properties and increases the losses thereof in the process of grease and foam separation to 20-30% (Kurenkov, 1957; Chanturiya et al., 1998, 1999, 2005; Duikarev et al., 2000).The previous researches have revealed the fact that the prospective way of solving the problem of intensity of mineral impurities formation on the surface of the crystals and the increase of concentration parameters is reached due to application of physical and chemical stimulation techniques on the solid and liquid pulp (Stricland-Constable, 1971; “Improvement of the technology…”, 2006; Makarskii, Adodin & Tarasova, 2011; Chanturiya, Dvoychenkova & Trofimova, 2012). However, the main task of investigations to stipulate the objective achievement is the studying and justification of the reasons of the diamond surfaces covering by the mineral slicks"

Jan 1, 2016

By B. MohammadSadeghi, S. Bakhshivash, M. Haghshenas, F. Rahimi

"Constrained groove pressing (CGP), as a severe plastic deformation (SPD) technique, is one of the applicable methods for sheet metal forming capable of producing ultra-fine grained materials (UFGMs). In CGP, processing and die design parameters can significantly affect the deformation response of sheet metal specimen. Having said this, in the present research the effects of die design variables and processing parameters (i.e. shear angle and friction) on the deformation behaviour of an Al-Mg-Si Alloy are studied thoroughly. Finite element analysis (FEA), was used to evaluate the effectiveness of mentioned parameters on the deformation homogeneity, strain distribution and pressing load variations. Also, mechanical properties of the deformed sample in term of micro-hardness was analyzed. It is observed that with increasing the shear angle, effective stress, strain and pressing load are enhanced. Moreover, by increasing the coefficient of friction, pressing load enhances. The color coded micro-hardness measurement showed a good agreement with the strain distribution obtained from FEA (higher hardness for the zones associated with higher shear plastic strain values).INTRODUCTIONWork hardening results in enhanced mechanical properties upon cycles of deformation (Hosford & Caddell, 2007). However, the formability of the processed products are affected by work hardening reducing the possibility of processing in subsequent deformation cycles. Therefore, many industrial processes cannot be performed on sheet metals to produce products with desired mechanical and physical properties (Valiev, Islamgaliev, & Alexandrov, 2000). Severe plastic deformation (SPD) is an effective grain refining technique which can impose large plastic strains through cold working on a metallic specimen (Bisadi, Rastgou, Payganeh, Zeynali, & Ghahremani, 2010). SPD techniques are mainly categorized into three types; sheet, bulk and tube forming. Among SPD sheet forming methods, Constrained Groove Pressing (CGP) (Shin, Park, Kim, & Park, 2002), Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) (Saito, Tsuji, Utsunomiya, Sakai, & Hong, 1998) and Repetitive Corrugation and Straightening (RCS) (Zhu, Lowe, Jiang, & Huang, 2001) possess potential applications in manufacturing industries."

Jan 1, 2016

By K. Forsberg, A. Rasmuson, R. Rodriguez Varela, J. Martinez De La Cruz

"This study analyzes the separation of rare earth elements by means of a supported liquid membrane (SLM) with the final objective of recovering REE from an apatite concentrate (Alemrajabi, Forsberg, & Rasmuson, 2015; Mohammadi, Forsberg, Martinez de la Cruz, & Rasmuson, 2015). In this study, the feed phase consists of an aqueous phase containing REE, the membrane phase contains the organic solvent and carrier (D2EHPA and EHEHPA), and the stripping phase is a hydrochloric acid solution. An evaluation of mass fluxes, separation efficiency, and membrane performance is conducted. In order to analyze the suitability of liquid membranes in the extraction of REE, a deeper insight into the mechanisms causing instability is needed. In this study, surface tension is considered as the key factor of Marangoni instabilities and spontaneous emulsification.INTRODUCTIONThe demand of REE and their compounds has increased considerably due to their special physicochemical features that make them crucial elements for numerous high-tech applications, including wind turbines, hybrid cars, mobile phones, and defense technologies. They are also extensively utilized in traditional industries such as nuclear energy, petroleum, metallurgy, agriculture, and textiles (Xie, Zhang, Dreisinger, & Dyole, 2014; Zhang, Wu, Bian, & Zeng, 2014).Solvent extraction is widely used for the separation of REE (Xie et al., 2014; Zhao, Huo, Pan, Li, & Liu, 2014). Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (EHEHPA) are two of the most effective extractants for the separation of rare earth elements among organophosphorus extractants (Gupta & Krishnamurthy, 2005). However, the difficulty in stripping loaded D2EHPA extractant, especially for heavy REE, has limited its utilization. Yttrium can be stripped at lower acidities in EHEHPA systems compared to D2EHPA systems (Gupta et al., 2005), but the extraction efficiency is lower. Conventional solvent extraction by mixer-settlers is restricted by its large solvent inventory and loading limits, and suffers from phase disengagement, emulsification, loss of solvent, and flooding problems (Swain, Jeong, Lee, & Lee, 2007). In this context, supported liquid membranes (SLMs) present a potential alternative due to their advantages, being low solvent inventory, process simplicity, low energy and operational costs, great enrichment ratio, and combination of extraction and stripping into one single step. A SLM is a system in which two aqueous phases are separated by an organic liquid membrane suspended in the pores of a porous support by capillary forces. One of the aqueous phases is the feed solution with the solute and the other is the stripping or receiving solution. The solute diffuses through the liquid membrane and then is extracted into the stripping solution (Kislik, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2016

By D. G. Sediako

Chemical composition and the casting/rolling production routes determine the cost and properties of the wrought material. For example, the coarse-grained structure frequently associated with DC casting requires complex rolling schedules to refine the grain size. Hot forming (rolling/forging/extrusion) results in a strong crystallographic texture, which is responsible for the tension-compression strength asymmetry frequently exhibited by magnesium alloys. Understanding the influence of alloy composition on texture evolution during forming provides useful practical information to optimize industrial hot-forming technologies for magnesium alloys. In this study, a series of Mg-based alloys containing varying combinations of Al, Rare Earths, Zn, Ca, and Sr were subjected to identical casting and extrusion processes in order to isolate the effects of alloy composition on texture evolution. Textures were measured by neutron diffraction at the NRC Canadian Neutron Beam Centre. The ability of neutrons to penetrate deeply into materials allowed information to be retrieved from all regions of the bulk specimens without destructive and time-consuming sectioning operations, thereby providing true bulk texture data. {1010} , (0002), {1011}, and {1012} pole figures were generated for all of the as-processed alloys, from which Orientation Density Functions were obtained. The were then used to reconstruct the pole figures and to extract semi-quantitative texture data showing how the (0002) and {1010} planes align themselves with respect to the extrusion axis. It was found that varying the concentration of aluminum (3-4 wt%) and Rare Earths (2-3 wt%) in AE alloys had a weak effect on texture development. All of the alloys showed similar magnesium extrusion textures, in which the (0002) poles align themselves preferentially with the extrusion axis. The substitution of Sr for Rare Earths also did not have a significant impact on texture development. On the other hand, while the presence of small amounts of Zn and Rare Earths did not have a strong effect on texture development, alloys with higher concentrations of these alloying additions (in combination) showed an enhanced tendency for the {1010} poles to align themselves with the extrusion axis. The addition of Ca also enhanced the alignment of the {1010} poles with the extrusion axis. These textures can complicate further processing and introduce a significant anisotropy that could influence creep properties.

Jan 1, 2007

By Meifeng Zhi, Yuqing Niu, Xixin Chang, Fengqi Zhao, Weimin Qiu, Hao Wang, Zhenqian Wen, Zujun Shu

An applicable Eluex process was developed for acid in-situ leaching (ISL) uranium mine in Bayanwula. In this process, uranium was adsorbed with strong base anion resin from the pregnant solution, then the loaded resin was eluted by sulfuric acid. After D2EHPA extraction, the concentrated eluate was enriched, and the loaded organic phase was stripped by sodium carbonate. The yellow cake was obtained by sodium hydroxide precipitation at last. The uranium concentration in the loaded strip solution was 52.8 g/L. Parameters of the process were determined, and the impact of the Eluex process in underground leaching was also investigated. In industrial design, 95% of raffinate went back to elution and 5% back to in-situ leaching. No significant effect on uranium leaching or resin adsorption was found.

Jan 1, 2020

By Yi Yang, Mark Zoback

"We report laboratory studies of the time-dependent deformation of core samples from four different formations in the Williston Basin - the Lodgepole formation, the Middle and Lower Bakken formations and Three Forks formation. The laboratory tests reveal varying amounts of viscoplastic deformation in response to applied differential stress. The time-dependent deformation is generally greater in rocks with higher clay and organic content, and can be described by a power-law function. Because the magnitude of the creep strain is linearly proportional to the applied differential stress, we can utilize viscoelastic theory and geophysical logs to estimate the degree to which tectonic stress is affected by viscoplastic stress relaxation. We suggest that viscoplastic stress relaxation results in the Upper and Lower Bakken Formations act as frac barriers during hydraulic fracture stimulation in the Middle Bakken, but the Lodgepole and the Three Forks Formations are not frac barriers.INTRODUCTIONHorizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing in shale reservoirs are critical for successful exploitation of ultra-low permeability shale gas, tight gas and shale oil reservoirs. Characterization of the mechanical properties of the reservoir rocks is essential to understanding the behavior of rocks during drilling and completion. Previous laboratory studies have shown that the timedependent deformation in clay-rich shales can be characterized as linear/viscoelastic deformation (Chang et al., 1997; Hagin and Zoback, 2004a, b; Sone and Zoback, 2013b, 2013c). Sone and Zoback (2013c) showed that laboratory measurements of time-dependent deformation in various gas shale reservoir rocks, and demonstrated that the viscoplastic deformation of these rocks can be characterized by a power-law function. They interpreted the results in the framework of linear viscoelastic theory to quantitatively assess the geomechanical effect of viscous time-dependent deformation over engineering and geological time scales. (Sone and Zoback, 2014) further extended the theory and proposed a viscous relaxation model that can be applied to predict the continuous differential stress magnitude using the geophysical logs. They tested the validity of their model by comparing the stress prediction with the occurrence of drilling induced tensile fractures (DITFs) and the vertical hydraulic fracture penetration observed from microseismicity."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. B. McKenzie

Since connnencing underground prcxiuction in 1979, the Ruttan Mine has been prone to secon:iacy sulphide dust explosions. Al though infrequent during the early years of prcxiuction, these occurrences did result in major damage and lost time injuries. 'As the mine exparrled and developed to further depths, sulphide dust explosions occurred on a more frequent basis. Incomplete ventilation se:rvices, required to exhaust the affected areas, caused frequent delays resulting in lower prcxiuction rates due to the time required to ventilate the affected areas of the mine. CUrrent procedures to minimize the effects of secon:iacy dust explosions evolved from practical suggestions arrl examining methcx:ls other mines have developed to cope with the problem. Procedures and regulations to protect errployees from exposure to hazards of sulphur dioxide are time consuming, expensive and counter prcxiuctive in their present fonn. This paper describes the history of secon:iacy sulphide dust explosions at the Ruttan Mine and the methcx:ls and proced.ures currently in place to minimize and contain the effects of dust explosions.

May 11, 1988

By Adam Jordens

Along with gravity separation and froth flotation, magnetic separation is one of the most common techniques for separating minerals. Minerals are separated by a magnetic force that is dependent on a combination of the applied magnetic field, the magnetic field gradient and the magnetic properties of the minerals themselves. Minerals may be classified as diamagnetic, paramagnetic or ferromagnetic based on the way they interact in a magnetic field. The magnetic susceptibility of a material may be determined by using a vibrating sample magnetometer to determine the magnetic moment of the material in an applied magnetic field and then converting this measured moment into the material?s magnetic susceptibility. In the case of rare earth minerals, magnetic separation is commonly used to remove ferromagnetic iron-bearing gangue minerals and to concentrate paramagnetic valuable minerals such as monazite and xenotime. These magnetic separation steps are frequently preceded by a gravity separation step as many iron oxides and rare earth minerals have specific gravities that are much larger than those of typical gangue minerals. By varying the magnetic field intensity it may be possible to use magnetic separation to selectively separate the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic minerals that report to the concentrate after gravity separation. Test work on a Canadian rare earth ore has shown that a gravity concentration step using a Knelson concentrator was able to selectively concentrate heavy magnetic minerals as evidenced by increased recoveries, relative to the Knelson tailings and fresh feed, after processing through a wet variable intensity magnetic separator. Mass pull to the Knelson concentrate was 4.5 % and the magnetic recovery of this concentrate, at 0.94 T, was approximately 40 % higher than the magnetic recovery from the Knelson tailings (70 % versus 30 %). The products of the wet high intensity magnetic separation were also analysed using a vibrating sample magnetometer to determine the magnetic susceptibilities of the various concentrate and tailings products.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. G. MacGregor

At this, the opening meeting of the Western Quebec Branch of the Institute, it seems fitting that the first paper presented should embrace a survey of the known mineral deposits occurring in the area, and also a review of ?the exploration methods that have brought about their discovery. And since the study of geological structures must always be the guiding principle of an intelligent exploration campaign, it also seems to be the appropriate occasion to review the geological situation from the economic angle, in an attempt to arrive at a re-statement of the known facts governing the deposition of the mineral bodies . . It is not my intention to confine my remarks entirely to the geological problems involved, but rather to pass under review the exploratory methods that have been employed in the past and that are presently being used, and to offer a forecast of the type of exploration campaign that will be largely adopted in the future search for ore.

Jan 1, 1929

By M. Lytle

"The Corbin area of southeastern British Columbia has been a coal mining area since 1908. Byron Creek Collieries Ltd. Has operated its Coal Mountain Mine in this area from 1974 until the present. In February 1981, this company was purchased by Esso Resources Canada Ltd.Coal Mountain is structurally complex and standard computer algorithms are not applicable to model the overturned synclinal structures and faulted bedding surfaces. This paper discusses two approaches used by Esso Resources staff to model the geology of Coal Mountain.The first approach projects digitized cross-section data along trend to develop a large data base which correctly approximates the shape of the structure. The spatial orientation of the structure is corrected by merging the generated data set with drill-hole data. The second approach uses digitized cross-section and bench-plan geology to generate a block model of the coal reserve.HistoryThe Coal Mountain Mine, also known as the Corbin Mine of Byron Creek Collieries Ltd. is located 24 kilometres south of Highway 3 in southeastern B.C.In 1905, two American businessmen recognized the coal potential of the area during a horseback tour. The two businessmen, D.C. Corbin and E.J. Roberts, formed the Corbin Coal and Coke Co. to mine and market coal from their newly acquired 6075 hectares of coal licenses. By 1908, the town of Corbin was under construction, a 22.4-km rail spur was constructed from the mine to the main CPR line and the first underground mine began to produce coal. An open-pit operation was also developed at the 1828-metre elevation using a steam shovel loading into rail cars. The company operated continuously until 1935, when a lengthy strike forced suspension of operations.In 1943, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company Ltd. (now known as Cominco Ltd.) operated two surface mines to produce coal for its smelters at Kimberley and Trail, B.C. This operation ceased in 1948."

Jan 1, 1982

By Nathan Deisman

Coupled reservoir geomechanical simulations have become a key component of caprock integrity assessments for SAGD operations. This work demonstrates the differences of stress evolution when considering coupled versus uncoupled reservoir simulation. Coupled simulation involves the use of a reservoir and a geomechanical simulator with feedback to each simulator to update reservoir or geomechanical variable (permeability, porosity, relative permeability, pressure, temperature, saturations). Uncoupled simulation only passes the pressure and temperature to the geomechanical simulation with no reservoir simulator updating. Therefore, it is possible to complete uncoupled simulations exclusively with no knowledge of geomechanical flow property evolution. However, it is important to understand the differences between the stress evolution in each model for caprock integrity analysis. A single geological model was selected and parametric analysis was completed while varying the geomechanical the production injection pressures (1600 kPa, 1900 kPa, 2200 kPa) for a reservoir with an initial pressure at the injector of 1300 kPa. The results of the six uncoupled and coupled models are compared through the changes in mean stress, shear stress, and strength with focus on geomechanical assessment of caprock integrity.

Jun 1, 2012

By H. J. H. Pieterse

Agitation requirements in oxidation autoclaves can vary widely depending on the mineralogy of the feed material and the specific process selected. Before selecting an agitation system it is important that the client specify the desired throughput, mineralogy, chemistry, kinetics, compartments, overall retention time, and the desired oxygen utilization. In selecting the agitation system, the factors mentioned above as well as oxygen solubility, oxygen mass transfer coefficients, and specific power are evaluated. Much research effort has been directed toward open tank systems for fermentation and oxidation processes. However, for high pressure autoclave oxidation processes little information is available. In this review the author's experience in the autoclave industry and some of the available literature are utilized to compare the installed power per unit volume with some of the methods proposed for open tank oxidation. Equations that appear to give results close to that experienced in the industry have been identified. Further work is required in this area to develop a higher degree of confidence in the ability to predict the power required for any given case.

Jan 1, 2004

By X. Shi

Magnesium, the lightest structural metal, has not yet been considered as a serious contestant for automotive use due to its weaknesses in corrosion. Electroless nickel-boron alloys are well known for their corrosion resistance and hardness. An electroless nickel-boron layer was successfully deposited first on the chemical conversion pre-treated AZ31 alloy and also on the Ni-P coating which was deposited on the conversion coating. The electroless bath contained nickel sulphate and dimethylamine borane (DMAB) as main salts and the samples were activated by a 5 g/L AgNO3 solution before the electroless plating process. The presence of the conversion coating between the nickel coating and the AZ31 substrate acted as a barrier and prevented corrosion of the alloy. The morphology of the nickel-boron layer was studied using SEM. The crystal structure and the composition were examined by EDS and the hardness was measured. The corrosion behaviour of the nickel-boron layer deposited on the conversion coating and on the Ni-P coating was studied using potentiodynamic polarization in a 0.5M NaC1 solution. A saturated standard calomel electrode was used as a reference electrode. The results show that the nickel-boron coatings had a significantly better corrosion resistance than the AZ31.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jae-Chun Lee, Sadia Ilyas

We investigate the technical feasibility of bioleaching of metals from low grade sulphidic ore. Experiments were conducted with an adapted consortium of Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans and Thermoplasm acidophilum in batch bioreactors (1.5 L), small columns (10 kg ore load, 8 % S0 sludge) and large columns (80 kg ore load, 12 % S0 sludge). Approximately 83 % Ni, 85 % Cu, 55 % Fe and 81 % Zn was leached out in batch mode while 93 % Ni, 89 % Zn, 81 % Cu and 65 % Fe was leached out in column reactors. Bioleaching potential improved by acid pre-leaching, adaptation of microbial consortium and periodic bleeding of effluents.

Jan 1, 2014