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By T. D. Chatwin

Acid rock drainage (ARD) is one of the most serious and potentially enduring environmental problems of the mining industry. High liability costs carried by many mining companies to cover potential obligations of ARD are a clear indication of the gravity of the problem. Unchecked, ARD can result in water quality impacts that could well be the industry's most significant financial and credibility risk. Effectively preventing acid drainage is a formidable challenge that requires the total commitment of the mining industry throughout the entire life-cycle of a mine. To achieve this commitment a strong business case for ARD prevention must be developed. This paper will address the elements of acid prevention and discuss their importance not only to the company but the entire industry as well. The International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP) is an industry-led group created to help meet this challenge. In 2009, INAP published the GARD Guide (www.gardguide.com), a web-base best practices guide for the prevention of ARD [1]. In this paper, the GARD Guide will be used to identify preventative actions for all mining industry stakeholders. It will, in turn, be used to estimate ARD management and mitigation value accrued to the company from ARD prevention, which will be used in developing a business case for acid prevention.

Jan 1, 2011

"A simple approach to optimizing the performance of an operating carbon in pulp (CIP) or carbon in leach (CIL) plant is presented. It is possible to reproduce the performance of an operating CIP or CIL plant in the laboratory, in small scale batch tests in which the rates of gold leaching and carbon adsorption are determined, coupled with mathematical models that translate the batch kinetic data into predicted steady state profiles of gold in solution and on the carbon across multi-stage adsorption circuits.Once the performance of the commercial plant has been mimicked by the model, the plant operating parameters can be varied systematically in the model, and the likely response of the plant to the stepwise change can be determined. In this way it is possible to inexpensively optimize the design of both greenfields CIP or CIL circuits and plant expansions, or optimize the operating parameters of an existing plant, with no disruption to plant operations and no economic risk to the mining company.This approach has been adopted by IAMGOLD Corporation, to the immediate benefit of two of their existing gold operations. The methodology adopted and the results achieved are presented.INTRODUCTIONThe carbon in pulp (CIP) and carbon in leach (CIL) processes became firmly established in the gold mining industry in the 1980s, initially in South Africa and Australia, from where they spread rapidly to all the gold producing regions of the world. The percentage of annual global gold production by activated carbon-based processes grew from zero in the 1970s to almost 70% by the turn of the century, which represented a phenomenal rate of acceptance of a new technology by a traditionally conservative industry. The main reason for this rapid acceptance of the new technology was the fact that the first few large plants built in South Africa convincingly demonstrated better gold recoveries than the traditional filtration/Merrill Crowe process, with lower capital and operating costs. And as the plants developed an operating track record over their first few years of life, they proved to be remarkably robust mechanically, and highly tolerant of plant upsets, changes in feed composition and solution phase contaminants that had caused problems in Merrill Crowe plants."

Jan 1, 2011

By Michel L. Bilodeau, Brian W. Mackenzie, Dallas W. Davis

"The paper formulates an evaluation procedure for examining the effects of location on the economics of developing mineral deposits. This methodology is applied to assess locational aspects of Nova Scotia's competitive position f or mine development relative to other Canadian regions and provinces. The appraisal concerns two representative mine development opportunities, a medium-size open-pit tungsten deposit, and a small underground gold deposit. The influence of regional economic conditions is initially assessed. Then, the consequences of taxation are isolated. Finally, the combined impact of regional and taxation conditions is examined. SettingThe economic potential of mining may be assessed in a number of ways. One approach, increasingly used for both corporate planning and government policy purposes, is to evaluate the competitive position of an actual or potential mineral producer in the international marketplace relative to other suppliers.Such examinations of competitive position vary from cost league comparisons of breakeven costs for operating mines, through the assessment of medium-term costs associated with developing new mine capacity, to long-term evaluations of the economics of mineral supply from the start of exploration. The complexity of the analysis increase s with the scope and timeframe of interest. Many factors are involved. One component of competitive position is the quality of the mineral resources available. Other key factors include existing technology, wage and salary rates, labour productivity, the cost of capital, infra structure requirements, distances from sources of materials supply an d to mineral markets, management attributes, organizational efficiency, government mineral policies (particularly taxation), and inflation and exchange rates. The paper fits within this competitive position framework.The variable economic conditions which exist within Canada have a direct bearing on the viability of mine development and, thereby, on mineral exploration potential. The paper examines locational aspects of Nova Scotia 's competitive position."

Jan 1, 1986

The mining industry has generally been slow to apply ion exchange processes to hydrometallurgical applications even if ion exchange offers an ideal solution for a particular problem. Two notable exceptions are in gold and uranium recovery. The largest application of ion exchange in the metals processing industry has been the use of resin-in-pulp (RIP) for gold recovery as an alternative to activated carbon. Iron is a ubiquitous impurity in hydrometallurgical solutions. In many cases, bulk removal of iron from the process solutions is accomplished by precipitation. However, precipitation for iron control is often accompanied by losses of base metals by co-precipitation. Increasingly, the option of ion exchange for removal of smaller amounts of iron from process solutions has been favoured. A number of applications have been developed and proven at the commercial scale for the removal/control of iron from a range of metal processing solutions. This paper provides an overview of the application of ion exchange for iron removal from a range of metal processing operations, including Cu, Ni and Co solutions. A number of case studies are provided which review operational and resin regeneration strategies and the impact upon the commercial operation of metal processing with improved iron control.

Jan 1, 2006

By Webber. G. R.

Variation in content of some of the major and minor elements in the Lake Dufault granodiorite near Noranda, Quebec has been studied. The element variation and specific gravity data show a pattern consistent with the concept of a concentrically zoned intrusive on the western side of Lake Dufault with a potassium-rich core and a calcium-rich inner zone. The part of the intrusive on the eastern side of Lake Dufault is of more problematical origin, but the suggestion is made that it has resulted from assimilation of volcanic rock by the intrusive. THE purpose of this investigation was to test the application of x-ray fluorescence analysis to the study of variation in chemical com-position of the Lake Dufault granodiorite. The Lake Dufault granodiorite is an intrusive body approximately six miles long by three miles wide located four miles north of Noranda, Quebec. This intrusive is of particular interest because of its -

Jan 1, 1962

By Edgar Stansfield

Introduction First, I should define more closely the vague term 'recent work' that appears in the title of this paper. Following the period of depression that was an aftermath of the first Great War, the Research Council of, Alberta carried on for ten years without a Council and without a financial yote by the Legislature. In November, 1942, a new Council was formed, under the chairmanship of the Hon. N. E. Tanner, Minister of Lands and Mines, and a vote was granted by the Legislature early in 1943. By 'recent work', I mean work during the present regime. The Council is now going full steam ahead, or would be if it could get suitable technical assistance and required apparatus and materials. Lack of these has so far made unnecessary my responsibility for seeing that we do not exceed our estimates. The Annual Meeting of the Research Council will be held in November (1945), and at that meeting the programme of work for next year will be discussed. The present time is therefore the correct time for any of you who may have ideas as to work which might profitably be undertaken by the Council, to submit these ideas for consideration. I propose to discuss my subject under several headings, and to give enough of these to show that the Council has wide interests.

Jan 1, 1946

The topic of the relationships between energy and particle size has had two very active periods -the first in the early thirties, when the relative merits of Rittinger's and Kick's proposals were vigorously debated; the second in the early fifties, when Bond's Third Theory was published. This second stage has produced several contributions that have provided a clearer picture of energy /size correlations in comminution. Derivations of a general relationship have been made from single-fracture experiments and from the rate of comminution, and both methods arrive at an equation of the type E = AK-11? The constant A in the equation may be regarded as a grindability parameter. In some respects, an understanding of the phenomena associated with comminution is still lacking, and research in this field should therefore be expanded. T HE SEARCH for a relationship between the energy consumed in comminution and the size of the broken product has been long and varied, and many

Jan 1, 1964

By Lorne Roberts

"This paper describes: how Falconbridge's fire protection system meets the needs of the Lockerby Mine; why the system was chosen over other alternatives; how it is unique, but can be applied to any underground situation; details of the system; how it was installed; the role of a fire protection company; and general considerations when choosing afire-suppresant system.IntroductionIn May 1981, after about three years of searching for the best fire protection system for the re-opened Lockerby nickel mine at Whitefish, near Sudbury, Ontario, Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. installed an AFFF type of fire suppression system. It was designed and supplied by the Fire Protection Systems Division of Levitt -Safety Ltd.The system protects against loss of life, equipment and/or production, and it complies with legislation should fire occur in a fuel storage area and/or scooptram garage and service bay at any or all of the three levels near Shaft No.2.About 18 months after Levitt-Safety began working with Falconbridge, the system was designed and installed at a cost considerably less than that which would be incurred if fire damage caused the loss of two days of production.The fire protection system, which overcomes a limited water supply, is a self-contained balanced pressure proportioning system. It senses the flow and automatically determines the correct concentration of foam to water. It is triggered by a release mechanism which operates a bank of nitrogen cylinders, which in turn pressurize a pressure vessel to expel the foam concentrate and water from the tanks. This solution is piped to sprinkler heads in the specific area."

Jan 1, 1982

By R. Walker

This paper deals with the selection and design of a belt conveyor handling steam coal between a mine and a barge loading terminal, and extending for some 5 ¼ miles over some of the most rugged terrain in the state of West Virginia, U.S.A. After a thorough analysis by consulting engineers and the owner's engineers, a single-flight cablebelt conveyor was chosen as representing the alternative of greatest reliability and lowest over-all cost. The value analysis and design features of the system are covered in this paper along with an updated report on the performance of the system since its start-up in the spring of 1969.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. W. Bruce, K. W. Downes

"IntroductionSULPHUR production in Canada from all sources for the year 1953 amounted to about 375,000 tons. Except for 16,000 tons of elemental sulphur derived from natural gas, this production was in the form of by-product pyrites, liquid sulphur dioxide, and sulphuric acid. In the same year, Canadian industry imported 359,000 tons of elemental sulphur from the United States. The cost, including transportation charges, to Canadian consuming plants ranged from $35.00 to $45.00 per long ton, depending upon location.Although most of the sulphur consumed is used in the oxidized form it is often most convenient to buy sulphur in the elemental form, and convert it to sulphur dioxide or sulphuric acid in situ as required. This is because elemental sulphur is easily shipped and stored, weighs only half as much as an equivalent quantity of sulphur dioxide and one-third as much as the corresponding quantity of sulphuric acid, and is readily converted to these forms in a sulphur burner. A process, therefore, which could economically recover elemental sulphur from sulphide ores would be most attractive.Since the turn of the century, notable improvements have been made in extractive metallurgy, but until recently only limited attention has been paid to the possibilities of elemental sulphur recovery. This has been due to the plentiful supplies of cheaply mined Frasch sulphur which have been available on the world markets."

Jan 1, 1955

By Selwyn G. Blaylock

There is no more important problem today than industrial relationship, and probably none that is receiving more thought. But in these days of Epie and Utopia, one has to be rather careful in speaking on this subject. Consequently, for fear that my plea for taking the working man into the family might be misconstrued, by some, as a step towards communism or socialism, I would like to say at the outset that I believe that, so long as we have human individualism, human ambitions, human hopes and fears, straight socialism is as far off as the Millennium. The same applies to communism, which only differs from socialism in that the communist realizes that his ideals can only be attained by massacring millions and destroying all that we hold sacred. Each still looks to Russia for inspiration and guidance, totally disregarding the Soviet swing-back to individual contract work and differential wage scales. They seem to be oblivious of the tyranny and repression in the present Russian system, and get very restless when reminded of it. In spite of the fact that the standard of living in civilized countries has improved tremendously and is still improving, we find that, every seven or eight years, production in many lines has outstripped consumption, and we have had panics or depressions of greater or less magnitude, accompanied by extensive unemployment. It is evident to every thinking person that there must be no little inefficiency in the control of industry. For four long years, governments and industrialists have striven to find the key to solve the present problem. Many countries are getting back to a position approaching normal-Canada probably more so than most. None, however, can feel assured that they have actually cured the situation. All kinds of schemes have been developed; tariff barriers have sprung up over-night where none existed before; currencies have been inflated to gain added security in the home markets and to try to gain advantage in export trade; and each country watches the movements of the others with fear and mistrust. I am not prepared to formulate a full solution of our troubles, but I hope to be able to demonstrate the feasibility and wisdom of the type of industrial relationship I advocate, and also that it may be a large, and possibly an essential, step towards the solution of our difficulties.

Jan 1, 1935

By S. Manning, W. Morris

Mineral exploration assessment file information has long been considered a useful resource for developing mineral exploration strategies, and one of the most common data sets fled in assessment reports is ground magnetic surveys. The new Earth Resources and Land Information System database (ERLIS) now provides a method for rapidly accessing all references to a specific area through a series of raster images. The ERLIS provides access to the Assessment File Research Imaging (AFRI) database which comprises geo-science mineral exploration assessment file data, Mineral Deposits Inventory (MDI), together with provincial aeromagnetic data from the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines(MNDM). Conversion of the raster images of ground geophysical data to vector data files together with the concatenation of grids from adjacent claims provides a method for constructing high resolution magnetic regional images. The value of this resource is demonstrated through the construction of a single composite magnetic image derived from eight assessment file grids for an area south of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, within Pacaud and Catharine Townships. The composite grid of magnetic data provides a map with resolution that is not achieved by currently available Ontario Geological Survey airborne data sets. Details contained within the new high resolution image, permit the differentiation of lithologies and their boundaries, fault orientations and the location of alteration zones with magnetic response.

Jan 1, 1997

By A. S. Baillie

THE subject of taxes appears to engage our attention altogether too lightly. At least it would seem that, notwithstanding the increase in the cost of government, and its concomitant increased taxation, little constructive work is being done with a view to solving the problem of increased taxes. I believe that the inattention of the public generally to the subject of increased taxation is due largely to the fact that shareholders are not advised of the amount of taxes paid by industry. Were companies to advise their shareholders the amount of monies paid or payable out of each year's earnings for taxes in one form or another, and were such amounts compared with the amounts available for distribution to shareholders, the effect would be a general demand for more equitable taxation methods. While I am not unmindful of the burdens and inequities in taxation confronting industry generally, I believe that the mining industry in this Province does not fully appreciate the burden represented by the costs of taxation. My reason for this belief is based partly upon1the fact that no serious effort has so far been made to devise some means By which the mining industry in British Columbia might protect itself against the ever-increasing burden of taxation. In addition to this fact the widely diverse nature of mining in British Columbia makes the accumulation of comparable data a problem which, so far as I can ascertain, has never been attempted in a manner which would be authoritative. It should not be necessary to cite the effects of this burden upon any one mining company or upon any branch of the mining industry, such as coal mining, placer mining, base-metal mining, or the precious-metal mines. In my opinion, the operation of our mines by large corporations is conducive to the payment of taxes with much less protest than would be the case were the taxes being taken out of the earnings of just a few partners or a very few shareholders. We appear to be too unmindful of the taxes, paid by mining companies, of a kind that are not so prominently brought to our attention as are the taxes which are calculated upon the taxable income of the company at the end of its fiscal year. British Columbian mining companies pay many other taxes besides those which are calculated upon taxable income. Among these are school taxes, property taxes, gasoline taxes, mineral taxes, coal royalty, to say nothing of fuel-oil tax, sales tax, and excise taxes.

Jan 1, 1935

By Karl J. C. Harries

"5.1. INTRODUCTIONThis chapter is intended as a general overview of the subject of royalties between private parties – royalties extracted by governments are not dealt with. This same subject is covered in detail in Volume II, which critiques many sample provisions taken from agreements, giving both pros and cons. If you find something that interests you in this chapter, check Volume II for extra information. Detailed cross-referencing to Volume II has not been attempted, however, most subjects mentioned in this Chapter will also appear in Volume II, usually in greater detail. Reference should be made to the Index.A Brief History of Royalties1In the early days of mining in Canada, the tendency was to sell a claim for cash and to move on, using the stake to look for and stake more prospects. As prospectors became more sophisticated and Canada’s North opened up, the market for properties and the number of mining properties available increased dramatically. Speculation and the practice of consolidating several small properties into one large holding entity became common. In “hot” areas, the speculators2 could far outnumber the prospectors, many of the former having little or no prospecting expertise but lots of market and promotional savvy. However, to consolidate a number of small parcels into one large project can be expensive, and many of the parcel owners became interested in keeping a share in the project, rather than giving up everything. Speculators who were trying to consolidate small parcels wanted to minimize cash payments to parcel holders (usually they did not have much cash and preferred it flowing in their direction rather than away from them). Accordingly, non-cash transactions were developed to meet the aspirations of both owners and speculators."

Jan 1, 2003

By Larry A. Morris

The environmental impacts of industrial activities have become very serious concerns of the public over the past few decades. Not surprisingly, governments have responded with legislation and regulations to force industry to operate in a more environmentally responsible manner and, more recently, have prompted industry to initiate voluntary measures in response to specific environmental issues. The concept of Product Stewardship has evolved as a system or vehicle for the industrial sector to demonstrate an active concern about the environmental impact of their products, services and processes.

Jan 1, 1996

By Larry A. Morris

The environmental impacts of industrial activities have become very serious concerns of the public over the past few decades. Not surprisingly, governments have responded with legislation and regulations to force industry to operate in a more environmentally responsible manner and, more recently, have prompted industry to initiate voluntary measures in response to specific environmental issues. The concept of Product Stewardship has evolved as a system or vehicle for the industrial sector to demonstrate an active concern about the environmental impact of their products, services and processes.

Jan 1, 1996

By G. E. Wittur

"The twenty-one members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, comprising eighteen western European nations plus Canada, the United States and Japan. account for two-thirds of world steel production. The Special Committee for Iron and Steel was formed by the OECD to study trends and problems in the steel industries of member countries. The paper begins with a summary on the Organization, including an historical sketch, its structure, member-ship and objectives. The steel industry of the entire OECD is briefly described before proceeding to a more detailed discussion of various aspects of the steel industries of European OECD members, emphasizing practices and conditions that differ from those in North America. Benefits to Canada of representation at meetings of the OECD Special Committee for Iron and Steel are described."

Jan 1, 1967

By A. D. Misener, L. G. D. Thompson

"IntroductionIt was shown by work previously reported that reliable geothermal gradients representative of various regions of the earth's, surface could he obtained from extended surveys of the rock temperatures in operating mines. These surveys showed the presence of anomalies in the isothermal levels and the existence of regions of regular behaviour. Below about 3,000 feet the temperature gradients became quite regular over the areas stud1ed. It is these regular gradients which are taken as representative of the region, wherever possible.The present paper describes the extension of this work which was undertaken to obtain further temperature gradients with a view to correlating them to other geophysical properties determined for the same regions. The additional data obtained have indicated possible reasons for the temperature anomalies. The experimental procedure was similar to that already described and was again made possible through the wholehearted co-operation of the management and the assistance of the personnel of the mines concerned. The research was entirely supported by a grant from the Research Council of Ontario.The equipment was a distinct improvement over that previously used and made it possible to take many more accurate temperature readings in a given time. Thermistor resistance thermometers were used, encased in silver sheaths and protected against damage by heavy copper casings. These were calibrated with a standard platinum resistance thermometer.The bridge used with these thermometers was one of a number designed and built by the Meteorological Service and designated M.S.C. Thermometer Indicator Type C-3. This very convenient and portable instrument operated from batteries in the instrument case. Multiple thermometer connections were provided so that rapid readings• of a number of thermometers was possible to accuracy of the order of 0.1°F. All electrical connections on the panel are covered with Dow-Corning ignition compound to prevent; electrical leakage due to moisture condensation. This, together with the high resistance of the thermometers and components of the bridge, gave much more reliable results than previously obtainable."

Jan 1, 1950

By R. L. Stanton

"The present contribution is complementary with a preceding one on the field association of the conform-able ""pyritic"" deposits. It considers the more important features of their mineralogical constitution and their microtextures, re-examines the present interpretations of these, and of-fer-some alternative explanations. The term ""pyritic"" for these de-posits is m many cases a misnomer, as two quite distinct ore types are inuolve. One is a banded pyritic sphalerite-galena-chalcopyrite ore (for which the term '•pyritic"" is in-deed quite suitable), while the other is non-banded and is composed essentially of pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. In addition to these constitutional differences, each is distinctive in general appearance and texture. The occurrence of two such consistent but clearly distinguishable ore types is attributed -rather than to difference in source material and pressure-temperature conditions of deposition -to the contribution of similar source material to dissimilarly oxygenated environments of sedimentation. Textures in the banded ores generally thought to be indicative of replacement or of high-temperature exsolution are explained by slow, law-temperature segregation in situ during compaction, folding, and regional metamorphism."

Jan 1, 1960

The Cooperative Research Centre for Mining Technology and Equipment (CMTE) is funded by the Commonwealth Government, by its mining research members Ñ the Universities of Queensland and Sydney and the CSIRO1, and by its industry members Ñ BHP Coal, RioTinto R&TD, Hamersley Iron, Mining Technologies Australia, Pasminco, Shell Coal, WMC Resources, Advanced Mining Technologies, and Aberfoyle. The Centre conducts work aimed at improving the competitiveness of the Australian mining industry. The current work is focused in four areas: new mining and drilling systems, geological sensing, automation, and equipment maintenance and reliability. This paper describes much of the work in these program areas that relates to metalliferous mining.

Jan 1, 2001