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By E. Emami, J. Valencia, J. Sattarvand

The knowledge of the final location of a drillhole is critical in obtaining the expected blasting results. This paper proposes a new methodology to control the drilling accuracy in open-pit mines using aerial images and machine learning. Specifically, it investigates how support vector machines (SVM) and convolutional neural networks (CNN) are useful for automatically detecting blastholes over drone images captured in blasting patterns. Several datasets were obtained from different mines in Nevada (USA) and were used to train and test models. We then processed those images to create orthomosaic and digital elevation representations of the patterns. Thousands of patches were then extracted and augmented to develop SVM and CNN models. The results demonstrate that machine learning is useful for drillhole detection and, in this way, to control the drilling accuracy and use the explosive energy more efficiently.

Sep 1, 2021

By H. Mulder, M. C. Bekker

The objective of this paper is to describe the research followed in creating a generalized, readiness assessment tool for mining projects. We start by highlighting the need for the assessment tool and then progress towards explaining the methodology followed during the study. The selection and finalization of the list of elements, sections, and categories that make up the unweighted values are described, followed by a summary of the weighting process applied. The outcome of this process is a weighted readiness assessment tool for mining project studies. The main benefits of the tool are that it will guide decision-makers and project managers through the definition phases of the project and improve the likelihood of project success.

Jul 2, 2022

By B. Genc, V. J. Mahadeo, S. Ramparsad4, U. Govender

The study was intent on assessing the socio-economic impact of a zinc mine in South Africa through the application of people-centric digital tools using a case study research methodology. The global mining industry is undergoing significant technological shifts to modernize, improve operational sustainability, and align with the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda. While the case study mine is a more modernized mine, continuous improvement around the ‘social’ pillar becomes critical, and to this end application of people-centered digital tools presented as the vehicle to understand community needs and impacts. Despite considerable annual corporate social investment by mines annually, the overall impact or social return on investment is marginally understood. Towards contributing to addressing this gap, digital ESG ‘social-related’ data gathering tools for mines decision-making were developed, including the training-needs assessment tool, community-social needs assessment, small, micro, and medium enterprise (SMME) communications and engagement tool, digital leadership competencies gap assessment tool, and change management blueprint, which further allowed for customization to the mining context. Hence, the novelty of this paper relates to applying digital tools to provide real-time information of the needs of a community, both socially and economically. The findings suggested that these digital tools enabled gathering of information for the establishment of regional and operational baselines towards enabling of social investment returns in relation to socio-economic transformation development interventions. These tools have been applied to a zinc mine context, with lessons and experiences obtained through this study, invaluable to the application of these digital tool in other mines in South Africa. The study was conducted in September 2023 across five host communities, surrounding the zinc mine, in the Northern Cape region, with 120 participants involved in the application of three relevant community-related digital tools, which included the training needs, community-social needs, and SMME communications and engagement tools. It was evident that the digital ESG tools could be used for data gathering for the mine’s informed decision-making and allowed for securing of insights on community needs in near real-time, and further proved practical for community use.

Dec 11, 2024

By C. B. Carelse, M. Manuel, D. Chetty

Automated mineralogical analysis of platinum group minerals (PGM), using the mineral liberation analyser, provides information used to understand flotation efficiency, primarily from a PGM liberation and association standpoint. To date, however, there is no consistent understanding regarding PGM speciation and its impact on floatability. Previous studies of PGM from UG2 ores concluded that a larger dataset is needed from which the various parameters can be modelled. Parameters on telluride, arsenide, sulfurarsenide and alloy species need to be integrated to fully understand the impact of PGM speciation on flotation, and for this, ores other than PGE-sulfide-rich UG2 must be assessed. Flotation rougher rate tests were performed on feed samples from two Platreef ores to determine the flotation response of individual liberated PGM species. This was achieved through automated mineralogical analysis of feed, rougher concentrates and tails. Based on 1529 liberated PGM grains assessed over the circuit for two Platreef ores, preliminary results show that PGM speciation, species grain size and competition from gangue appear to influence floatability in an ‘optimised’ laboratory environment. Keywords: PGM, PGM species, flotation, liberation

Jan 1, 2020

By L. Roux

This review was initially motivated by the author’s own experience in attempting to reconcile run-of mine production tons with the Coal Resource and Reserve estimation of mineable, in-situ tonnages. The primary scientific measurements and observations that are collected during exploration at the beginning of the value chain will have a profound effect on the future of the mining operation. Due diligence must be exercised during the planning of a new mine and during the life of an existing mine. The comments provided by the technical and economic assessment group of Venmyn Deloitte confirmed the need for this critical review. They found the reporting of Coal Resources in South Africa to be inconsistent. This was particularly problematic in the Waterberg Coalfield in Limpopo Province. In this coalfield there are two types of coal deposit present. The first is comprised of the thick intercalated, cyclic coal and shale/mudstone sequences of the Volksrust Formation. This overlies multiple coal seams within the Vryheid Formation, each of which is thick enough to be extracted as an individual raw coal unit. On the other hand, the interbedded coal and shale seams of the Volksrust Formation require beneficiation to separate the coal from the shale. The review examines practices and methods, investigates alternatives, provides checks and balances, and tests these against actual production reconciliations. In conclusion, the best estimates of the mineable, in-situ tonnage will be obtained from the air-dry raw material density. These estimates should be adjusted afterwards to allow for free moisture content. The adjustments are derived from reconciliation data. The greatest contributing factor to the over-estimation of Reserve tonnages is the moisture content of the raw material. This fluctuates significantly under varying conditions in situ, as well as upon exposure to the natural environment. The air-dried density of the raw material includes inherent (structurally bound) moisture within the matrix. It provides credible tonnage estimations of raw material available while also providing an indication of voids within the volume of material being assessed. The calculated solids percentage can be used to adjust the specific gravity, which is determined via the Archimedes principle. This will supply a representative estimate of the material to be mined.

Nov 1, 2021

By D. C. Oliver

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B.Sc. (Eng.) (Metallurgy and Materials) degree Corrosion in exhaust systems can occur on both the interior and exterior surfaces. Chloride-containing de-icing salts on the roads in colder countries greatly increases the rate of corrosion on the exterior surfaces. This paper investigates the relative exterior corrosion resistance of three alloys?two ferritic stainless steels( AISI Types 409 and 441) and an aluminized mild steel. The exhaust system is split into two categories?the hot end and the cold end. A test for each of these ends was designed?the standard ASTM G85test was modified to create a simulated driving cycle. The cold end test samples were exposed to ten driving cycles, and the hot end test samples were exposed to five driving cycles. A driving cycle constitutes the car being started from cold, driven until the operating temperatures are reached, and switched off and allowed to cool. Pitting corrosion is the primary corrosion mechanism occurring at the cold end of the exhaust system. The aluminized mild steel was the most resistant alloy in this test, and Type 409 the least. However, once the protective aluminium layer degrades, corrosion will occur rapidly. At the hot end of the exhaust system, spalling of the surface oxide layer is the primary corrosion mechanism occurring. Type 441 was the most resistant in this test, and the aluminized mild steel the least resistant. Potentiodynamic tests were performed on the alloys?the results agreed with the results obtained in the exposure tests.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. G. Senyur

This study aims at investigating the structural characteristics of backfilling material. In this regard, spatial arrangement of solid particles and associated voids in a unit mass of coal mine refuse as backfilling material were tested. The materials were produced from coal mine refuse of Zonguldak Colliery, Turkey. The experimental procedures were developed to determine their void ratio (or its equivalent porosity), bulk density and the shape properties of constituent particles. The orientation fabric and the co-ordination number were the other two fabric elements determined. The filling materials were sieved and their particle size distributions were found. The results obtained by experiments were related to the particle size distribution parameters, namely, the coefficient of uniformity and the effective size. It was concluded that mean value of void ratio is correlated with coefficient of uniformity. The standard deviation of porosity as an index of fabric heterogeneity is clearly correlated to effective size. By an original experiment, the frequency distribution of coordination number was observed as binomial in uniformly graded materials. Also, the co-ordination numbers of test mixtures were calculated by the Marsal method and results obtained showed a good correlation between the minimum particle size and number of contacts per unit area.

Jan 1, 1998

By H. E. James

Much has been said and written about the need to reduce South Africa's dependence on gold. To compensate for the decline in the country's foreign-exchange earnings resulting from the phasing out of gold, which must inevitably occur at some future date, a far higher priority will have to be placed on the mining, beneficiation, and export of the 59 other mineral commodities produced in South Africa. The basic strategy of the mining and metallurgical industries should be to move from the traditional approach of establishing a resource base to the establishment of a market base; to turn from production orientation to market orientation; and to rely less on exploration and economies of scale and more on process innovation and product development. The enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment of the leaders in the mining and metallurgical industry will clearly be of decisive importance in the establishment of new industries for the beneficiation and export of added-value mineral-based products. The State can make a significant contribution by the provision of a welldeveloped and efficient infrastructure, including rail and harbour facilities, communications and health services, roads, and of electricity and water supplies. In our search for a new development strategy for the beneficiation and export of South Africa's minerals, we need to recognize that no one nation has all the mineralresources that it needs. Commercial and strategic manipulation of mineral supplies should no longer be tolerated. The future of the human species lies in international cooperation and in a greater understanding of the limitations of the world we live in.

Jan 1, 1985

By D. F. Malan, R. P. Els

The limit equilibrium model, used in displacement discontinuity codes, is a popular method to simulate pillar failure. This paper investigates the use of physical modelling to calibrate this model. For the experiments, an artificial pillar material was prepared and cubes were poured using the standard 100 mm × 100 mm civil engineering concrete moulds. The friction angle between the cubes and the platens of the testing machine was varied by using soap and sandpaper. Different modes of failure were observed depending on the friction angle. Of interest is that significant loadshedding was recorded for some specimens which visually remained mostly intact. This highlights the difficulty of classifying pillars as failed or intact in underground stopes where spalling is observed. The laboratory models enabled a more precise calibration of the limit equilibrium model compared to previous attempts. Guidelines to assist with calibration of the model are given in the paper. The limit equilibrium model appears to be a useful approximation of the pillar failure as it could simulate the stress-strain behaviour of the laboratory models.

May 3, 2023

By H. Wagner

The paper points out that bord-and-pillar mining is the most important method of coal extraction in South African underground coal mines, and advocates that pillar design procedures should be refined to make more rational allowance for the differences in strength properties between various coal seams and roof and floor strata. However, any deviations from well-established design procedures must be based on sound engineering principles and reliable data on the strength properties of the seams and strata concerned. Recent information indicates that practices for the protection of surface structures against underground mining should be revised.

Jan 1, 1980

Bateman Engineering managed the establishment of a second diamond treatment plant at the Letseng Mine in the Mokhotlong District of northern Lesotho, about 100 km from the town of Buthe Buthe. Letseng Diamonds Proprietary Limited, is owned 70 % by Gem Diamonds and 30 % by the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho. The second plant, which commenced construction in late 2006, doubled Letseng Mines' hard rock processing capacity from 2.6 million t/yr to 5.2 million t/yr, making it the worlds' seventh largest diamond mine by throughput. Bateman Engineering provided the engineering design, procurement and construction management of the new plant.

Jan 1, 2010

By B. Leong, H. Joubert

Keywords: Pyrometallurgy, furnace, auxiliary equipment, copper slag launders Pyromet has designed copper launders for tapping slag. What makes Pyromet?s launder design innovative and safe is that it does not have any cooling water channels underneath the launder runner, whilst achieving effective cooling of the runner. If matte burn-throughs were to occur through the launder runner, the risk of damaging water channels and the risk of explosions are reduced. In addition, since the cooling water channels are not harmed, the launder is easily repairable and reusable. Pyromet makes use of Finite Element Analysis to optimize the launder geometry to ensure that sufficient energy is removed from the centre of the launder. Factors considered during the launder design include the suitability of the geometry to the client?s needs, experience from existing installations, and ease of fabrication. Pyromet goes so far as to develop procedures for fabricators to ensure that fabrication issues do not compromise the functionality of the launder. When launder orders are received by Pyromet, the entire fabrication process and the functioning of the launders during operations are monitored to ensure that the launder designs are continuously improving with every installation.

Jan 1, 2006

By A. Engelbrecht, B. North, B. Oboirien

"There is large electricity generation potential in discard coal, both in stockpiles and current arisings. Power stations with a combined capacity of up to 18 GW electrical (GWe) could be fuelled by discard coal. Modern circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) boilers, with capital costs comparable to equivalent pulverized fuel (PF) boilers, are capable of utilizing discard coal at a high efficiency while reducing sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions though the use of limestone sorbent for ‘in-situ’ capture.A detailed economic assessment of the feasibility of electricity generation from discard coal, comprising material and energy balances and the construction of a discounted cash flow (DCF) table, shows that it is also potentially attractive from an economic perspective. A base case analysis shows positive net present values (NPVs) and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 21.4%. Sensitivity analyses on critical parameters show that the economic viability is heavily dependent on parameters such as coal cost and the value of electricity. The project becomes unattractive above a coal price of approximately R300 per ton and at an electricity value below approximately 59c per kilowatt-hour (kWh).Site- and project-specific information such as the delivered cost of coal, location and efficacy of sorbents, and effective value of the electricity produced can be used as input to the economic analysis to evaluate siting options and sorbent source options for such a power station."

Jan 1, 2015

Abstract : The computation of reliability index or failure probability of slopes can be transformed into an optimisation problem. In high rock slope engineering, it is usually a multimodal optimization problem. The traditional optimization techniques are difficulty to find out the global optimal solution because of their easily falling into local optimal value. Recently, a new kind of bionic algorithm - ant colony algorithm (ACA) - has been used to solve this problem. In this paper, the structure of ant colony algorithm and the transfer probability of ants are modified to evaluate the failure probability of complicated slopes. A new adaptive ant colony algorithm (AACA) is proposed to determine critical slip surface and its corresponding failure probability of complicated slopes. A case study is given to verify the proposed approach. The results show that the presented method has obvious advantages compared with traditional methods. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Die Rechnung des Zuverlaessigkeitindexes oder der Zerstoerungswahrscheinlichkeit kann sich in einer Optimierungsfrage umwandeln, im Bauprojekt an hoehe Gebirgehang, handelt es sich meistens um eine Optimierungsfrage ueber Multi- Spitzenwert. Mit der traditionelle Optimierungsmethode ist es schwer eine umfassende Loesung fuer die Optimierung zu finden wegen des leichte Verfallens in Beschraenkung der Teiloptimierungsloesung. Mit dem neue Bionik- Algorithmus —— Ameisen - Kolonie- Algorithmus wird dieses Problem geloest. In diesem Text hat man eine Strukturverbesserungsloesung fuer das Ameisen- Kolonie -system und die Wahrscheinlichkeit der Ameisenkolonie erwaehnt, und damit wird man die Zerstoerungswahrscheinlichkeit des komplizierte Hangs feststellen. Mit dem neuen Ameisen- Kolonie- Algorithmus kann man die gefaehrlichste Gleitflaeche und die entsprechende Zerstoerungswahrscheinlichkeit herausfinden. Die in diesem Text beschriebene Methode wurde durch Praxis geprueft. Durch die Pruefergebnisse wurde es gezeigt und bestaetigt, dass der neue Bionik- Algorithmus vorteilhafter als der traditionelle Algorithmus ist. Résumé : Le calcul de l’indice la fiabilité ou de la probabilité de ruptures peut être transformé en un problème de l’optimisation. Pour le cas du génie des pentes de haut rocher , le problème se pose en général en l’optimisation de multi-crêtes. Les techniques traditionnelles conduisent facilement à la solution optimal partielle au lieu de celle globale. Récemment un nouveau type de bionique algorithmique a été appliqué pour la solution de ce genre de problèmes, c’est l’Algorithme Colonie de Fourmis. Dans l’article il est proposé de modifier la structure du système de la colonie de fourmis et la probabilité de transfert des fourmis en vue d’évaluer la probabilité de ruptures des pentes de haut rocher complexes, par ailleurs un nouveau algorithme adapté de colonie de fourmis est formulé pour déterminer la surface glissante critique et la probabilité de ruptures correspondante. Les techniques proposées dans l’article sont vérifiées à travers des expérimentations dont les résultats ont prouvé que les techniques présentées dans l’article sont évidemment meilleures que celles traditionnelles.

Jan 1, 2003

By Xiang-nan Zhu, Hao Zhang, Lin Li, Jun Qiu, Yue-xian Yu, Chun-chen Nie, Xian-jun Lyua

Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) are excellent metal resources. Mineralogical characteristics of different components in WPCBs were analysed in this study. Organic-enriched particles, fibreglass-enriched particles, associated particles and metal-enriched particles were obtained by density gradient method. Subsequently, the elemental composition, morphology, dissociation characteristics, functional group composition and phase composition of different components were analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM+EDS), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Elemental analysis results show that Cu is mainly contained in metal-enriched particles. SEM+EDS analysis results demonstrate that ideal dissociation can be achieved when the WPCBs are broken to -1 mm. Organic matter particles are enriched with carbon and oxygen elements, while fibreglass particles and associated particles mainly contain Al and Si elements, verified by XRD analysis. FT-IR results show that hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups exist widely in all components, caused by widespread organic matter. This study reveals the important properties of different components in WPCBs, which is of great significance for the subsequent separation process. Key words: Waste printed circuit boards, mineralogical analysis, elemental composition, dissociation; phase analysis, functional group composition

Jan 1, 2020

By R. A. Wildenboer, R. F. Sandenbergh

Rare earth elements (REE) are present at concentrations of approximately 0.36 % in phosphogypsum stacks located in Phalaborwa, South Africa. The REE are present in the phosphogypsum in solid solution in the gypsum and as fluorine and aluminium rich precipitates. Recovery of the REE offers opportunities for valorization and reducing the environmental impact of the phosphogypsum waste. This paper presents the results of investigations into the leaching behaviour of rare earth elements and other impurities from phosphogypsum using aqueous sulfuric acid. The effects of acid concentration, temperature, residence time, and the influence of impurities were evaluated for their impact on the solubility of rare earth elements in a sulfate medium. It was found that a significant fraction of the REE can be leached from the phosphogypsum in a range of conditions much less severe than traditional hard rock rare earth processing conditions. The REE were leached at a sulfuric acid concentration of 110 g/l, temperature of 30°C – 40°C and a residence time of approximately 8 hours.

Nov 6, 2024

By C. Musingwini

The South African mining industry continues to be a major source of employment at a time when at least 25 per cent of the working age population is unemployed. At the same time the industry faces a skills shortage in many of the disciplines necessary for its future health. The University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg, and University of South Africa have historically produced mining graduates for the South African mining industry with any shortfall being met by the recruitment of overseas graduates. More recently, the global shortage of engineers and other mining industry professionals has seen a reversal of this trend and a very significant emigration of well-educated and highly skilled personnel. The traditional career path for mining graduates is in production and mine management. However, there is the parallel (and possibly more pressing) need for specialized skills in such fields as ventilation, rock engineering, mine planning, mineral resource evaluation, and mineral asset valuation. Chronic shortages in these essential areas continue to hamper the development of the industry and may well frustrate its ambitions to be safe, healthy, and profitable into the future. The permeability of skills across sectorial boundaries within the mining industry requires that skills shortages in the platinum sector are not looked at in isolation, but within the context of the entire industry. This paper reviews the efforts being made by the universities, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, to meet the needs of the South African mining industry in terms of the required numbers and the range of specialized skills.

Jan 1, 2013

The aim of this research was to study the absorption characteristics of thermally dried fine coal from South African collieries. After milling to ?150 µm and pressure filtration, the samples were subjected to either air drying or thermal drying at 150°C. The samples were then put into a climate box at 28°C and at three different relative humidity levels, namely 30, 60 and 94 per cent. It was found that the equilibrium moisture content of thermally dried coal at a specific relative humidity was lower than that of air dried coal. The relationship between the equilibrium moisture content and relative humidity is described by 1 ? RH = exp (-KTMen). There was no relationship between the volatile matter content and equilibrium moisture content, but there was an increase in the equilibrium moisture content of the coal with an increase in mineral content. The moisture uptake rate increased with an increase in temperature and a decrease in particle size. A model is discussed that fitted the experimental data and gave a good prediction for changes in the conditions. There was no evidence of greater moisture absorption by thermally dried coal. Keywords: Fine coal, thermal drying, drainage, South Africa, drying

Jan 1, 2002

By B. P. Watson

The first crush pillars on the Bushveld platinum mines were introduced at Union Section in 1978. Before the introduction of crush pillars, serious problems were experienced when stoping advanced to a point 30 m to 40 m on both sides of the centre gully. At least three to four stopes were collapsing per month. The introduction of the pillars stopped the stope collapses in the mining area where they were introduced. The residual stresses of these pillars were never measured; however, the successful elimination of the ?back-break? problem suggests that the original pillars had a residual strength of at least 8 MPa. Apart from back analyses, very little work has been done to determine the residual strength of crush pillars and only very recently have any measurements been made. The lack of knowledge in this field has resulted in pillars being designed based on experience. Concerns about stope collapses, similar to the Coalbrook disaster, have led to larger pillars being cut in more recent times. If such pillars were cut in brittle quartzites they would always fail violently but the ductile nature of the Merensky Reef generally allows large pillars to fail without bursting. Occasionally, however, one would burst in a working area. Increased incidence of bursting has been reported on some mines at deeper levels but most of these bursts occur in the back areas. Nevertheless, the incidence of bursting increases the risk of falls of ground in already dangerous areas, and the larger pillars decrease the extraction ratio. This paper describes the evaluation of stress measurements conducted in two boreholes over a crush pillar with dimensions 2.5 m x4.0 m, and a height of 1.2 m. Boussinesq equations for vertical and shear stress were used to analyse the original measurements and provide a stress profile across the pillar as well as the residual strength of the pillar. The results showed an unexpectedly high peak stress of 280 MPa at the centre of the pillar and a residual strength of 48 MPa. The reason for the high residual strength is suspected to be the result of the stiff environment under which the pillar failed and the small height of the siding on the up-dip edge of the pillar. More measurements should be conducted on several mines to establish a range of residual strengths for narrow crush pillars.

Jan 1, 2008

By F. Bornman

Ore quality is declining, and the current spirals in mineral sands extraction is deemed inadequate to efficiently extract the valuable minerals. A new spiral was developed, the 117HM with the aim to extract the total heavy minerals in the order of 4.0% - 6.0% and the economic heavy minerals in the range 1.0% - 2.2% from the feed. An important measurable in the gravity concentration of mineral sands is recovery. Recovery measures how effectively the separator has extracted the valuable mineral contained in the input stream. The number of turns on the spiral trough influences the residence time of the feed slurry. A further optimisation followed with the development of the twelve-turn 117HM spiral. Four more turns were added for better recovery. The paper quantifies the effect of residence time on recovery.

Mar 30, 2026