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By G. T. Adel

The selective recovery of fine particles by flotation has been a long-standing problem in the mineral processing industry. Fundamental studies carried out at Virginia Tech since 1980 have suggested that many of the problems encountered in separating fine particles can be alleviated by using significantly smaller air bubbles than those used in conventional flotation processes. The main advantage of using smaller bubbles is found in an increased recovery rate, which can be attributed to an improved bubble-particle collision efficiency. This concept has been applied in column flotation as a means of improving flotation kinetics. A computer simulator has been developed to better study the effects of various parameters on flotation column performance. The simulation results suggest that the use of small bubbles and tall columns improves the recovery of fine particles while a judicious use of wash water greatly improves product quality. Information collected as a result of this analysis has been applied in developing scale-up relationships for column flotation.

Jan 1, 1989

By K. H. McDaniel, K. G. Wallace

This paper describes the development of a Windows-based interactive mine ventilation simulation software program at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). To enhance the operation of the underground ventilation system, Westinghouse Electric Corp. developed a program called WIPPVENT. While WIPPVENT includes most of the functions of the commercially available simulation program VNETPC from Mine Ven- tilation Services Inc. and uses the same subroutine to calculate airflow distributions, the user interface was completely rewritten as a Windows application with screen grap-hics. WIPPVENT is designed to interact with WIPP ventilation-monitoring systems through the sitewide central monitoring system. Data (e.g., air quantity and differential pressure) can be continuously collected from the underground ventilation remote-monitoring and control system and from the mine's weather stations (psychrometric data). Furthermore, WIPPVENT incorporates regulator characteristic curves specific to the site. The program utilizes this data to create and continuously update a real-time ventilation model. This paper discusses the design, the key features and the interactive capabilities of WIPPVENT.

Jan 1, 1998

By K. H. McDaniel

This paper describes the development of a Windows-based interactive mine ventilation simulation software program at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). To enhance the operation of the underground ventilation system, Westinghouse Electric Corp. developed a program called WIPPVENT. While WIPPVENT includes most of the functions of the commercially available simulation program VNETPC from Mine Ventilation Services Inc. and uses the same subroutine to calculate airflow distributions, the user interface was completely rewritten as a Windows application with screen graphics. WIPPVENT is designed to interact with WIPP ventilation-monitoring systems through the sitewide central monitoring system. Data (e.g., air quantity and differential pressure) can be continuously collected from the underground ventilation remote-monitoring and control system and from the mine's weather stations (psychrometric data). Furthermore, WIPPVENT incorporates regulator characteristic curves specific to the site. The program utilizes this data to create and continuously update a real-time ventilation model. This paper discusses the design, the key features and the interactive capabilities of WIPPVENT.

Jan 1, 1997

By B. Farshadi, B. Asi, M. J. Habibian

"In this paper, the most significant environmental aspects that are identified in the Taft Copper Project (TCP) are the quality and quantity of water, pollution of the existing watercourses and post-mining land use, matters such as air and noise pollution are deemed to be of less significance. Analysis has been performed for Do Nothing Alternative, Pre-stripping Phase, Mining Phase, Closure and After-use Phases. Analysis of the environmental assessment of TCP was carried out in three stages. In the first stage, the general negative and positive aspects of the project were identified. In the second stage the intensity, magnitude and significance of the environmental impacts of the project were identified. The third stage is related to the final conclusions of the assessment team and the relevant reasoning. A modified Leopold Matrix was adopted for evaluating the significance and magnitude of the environmental impacts. For this project, the matrix was modified to allow the assessor to take account of negative and positive numbers."

Jan 1, 2011

By F. W. Metzger

Coal quality control in mining and mine planning has always been important and has become even more essential in recent years due to environmental considerations. The primary consumers of the sub-bituminous coals found in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming are electric utilities that require low sulfur coals to meet government air quality regulations. Electric generating plants are designed to burn coal of a specific quality, and the supplier of that coal must be able to guarantee shipments within specified quality tolerances. Over the past several years, Exxon Coal USA and, more recently, The Carter Mining Company, a division of Exxon Coal USA have established an evaluation and development program to accurately define the geology and quality of their coal properties. This requires an adequate drill hole density so that detailed correlations of the coal seam and the lithologic sub-units, of the coal seam can be made. These units must be recognizable in the core and also on geophysical logs.

Jan 1, 1981

By A. F. Barsotti

Apart from jewelry, holistic apparel, and special collections of color and sometimes rare crystal specimens, the average layperson has little or no appreciation of the omnipresence of minerals or mineral derived products in the home. From concrete in the driveway to aspirins in the medicine cabinet, minerals, especially industrial minerals, play a major role in day to day living. For a better appreciation of this let's look into the a day of the life of a fellow named John, and see how much we depend on industrial minerals. The sounds of soft violins nudged John from his sleep. The melodic sounds of Beethoven's Pastoral coming from his radio alarm clock brought him out of his dreams. He reached for the reading light switch, then checked his watch--6:30 a.m., and another day of work. As he got up, the darkness outside reminding him of winter coincided with the soft voice of the all night disk jockey forecasting the fall of four inches of snow. Warm beads of water beating on his face removed all remnants of sleep and, like a stimulant, the morning shower brought thoughts of yesterday and plans for a new day. These carried over as he looked himself in the mirror while shaving and brushing his teeth.

Jan 1, 1993

By S. W. Cavender

The analysis of the results of metallurgical experiments is often complicated by experimental errors and uncertainty, the complexity of the system being studied, and the confusion of correlation with causation. Consequently, comparative statistics are used to determine if a difference exists between the outcomes of tests, an estimate of this difference, and the precision of the estimate. This paper reviews the use of significance tests and confidence intervals for the comparison of results from two tests, the use of reference distributions, and blocking and randomization techniques to reduce unavoidable sources of variability. These techniques are demonstrated using plant and laboratory data.

Jan 1, 1993

By Francisco J. Sotillo

Using new ecological-natural-organic depressant for gangue and pyrite with antibacterial properties (control of acid mine drainage) with new improved xanthate collectors using rheology additive not chemical reacting with xanthate resulted in better sulfide flotation. Rougher-scavenger lead flotation tests were conducted increasing the concentrate grade from 7.07% Pb to 13.44% Pb, enhancing selectivity. Lead recovery increased from 64.08% to 79.38% and 80.40% using only the new depressant, and improved xanthate Z-11 and Z-4, respectively. The results demonstrated that the new depressant was selective and efficient, and the new improved xanthates stronger more selective collectors.

Feb 22, 2026

By X. P. Zheng, H. K. Lin

Barium fluorophlogopites were synthesized in the laboratory to investigate the effects of composition and crystal parameters on surface properties and floatability. The negative surface charge of mica is determined by the barium content, the crystal cell volume, the distance between the layer structure and the Ba-O bond length. The higher the barium content, the larger the cell volume and distance between the layer structure, and the longer the Ba-0 bond, the more negatively charged the surface is, and, hence, the more easily adsorbed are cationic collectors. When an anionic collector (sodium oleate) is used, barium oleate forms on the mica surface and hence chemical adsorption occurs.

Jan 1, 1995

By R. R. Klimpel

Over the last six years, several new commercial families of sulfide mineral collectors have been developed. This paper summarizes some plant data and use experiences gained with each of these product families. The first is a series of products (F-series) based on a chelation mechanism of attachment. The second of these families is a series of products (S-series) based on an electrochemically controlled mechanism of attachment. The major advantage of the F-series collectors is the very high metal recovery capability in complex ores involving Au, Pt, Zn, Ni, and mixed Cu minerals. The major advantages of the S-series collectors are the very high pyrite rejection capability along with reduced lime requirements in Cu/Mo plants.

Jan 1, 1995

By C. St. J. Lowe

Weir Minerals ? Linatex has developed a new approach to the dewatering of fine solids, particularly mine and process plant tailings and wastes. The Weir process, patented in 2009, uses standard process equipment in a standard flow sheet, but applies this approach to materials previously thought to be too fine to be dewatered with this type of equipment. The process can be applied to a wide range of materials, making lower moisture products that can be re-used elsewhere or sent to disposal. It has already been tested successfully on a small scale in Australia on coal fines, zinc mine tailings, red mud, iron ore tails, and copper/gold tailings. The principal factors affecting the solids recovery have been established as: 1. The % solids in the slurry feed to the process ? a higher % solids provides a higher recovery. 2. The particle size of the feed solids ? coarser feeds provide higher recoveries. The key factors affecting the % solids in the dewatered product have been determined to be: 1. The particle size of the dewatered product - coarser materials produce a higher % solids in the dewatered product. 2. The height of the discharge weir on the dewatering screen - a higher discharge weir on the dewatering screen also yields a higher % solids. 3. The angle of the dewatering screen. Setting the screen horizontal increases the travel rate, reduces the bed depth and reduces the % solids in the dewatered product. Back-sloping the screen up to 5° reduces the travel rate and increases the % solids in product. Eight plants ranging in size from 3 t/h to 40 t/h have been sold to a range of customers in China, for coal and iron ore tailings treatment. Australia has one plant, a small unit rated at 30 t/h of sand fines, and has recently completed test work on iron ore tailings for a dewatering plant rated at 135 t/h. Additional tests are under way with clients around Australia, to demonstrate the capabilities of this process on specific applications and to provide confirmation that materials can be processed successfully, before moving on to larger scale tests or full size plants. The advantages of the Weir process include - lower moisture in products, uses proven equipment, lower capital and operating costs, lower maintenance costs, reduced power consumption, compact footprint, can be used in parallel or in series with existing equipment, modular design to facilitate redundancy or expansion, efficient water recovery and simpler water management, reduced cement in backfill mixes, smaller tailings disposal footprint, reduced earthworks requirements, much lower seepage losses, more stable tailings mass, progressive site rehabilitation, reduced impact on local wildlife, reduced risk of dam wall failure, and reduced environmental monitoring and compliance costs.

Feb 23, 2014

By H. Russell, N. DePriest, J. D. Quaranta

Valley-fill structures built of blasted rock overburden from Appalachian mountaintop surface mines pose many reclamation challenges. The steep mountainous terrain, short valley lengths, and straight stream channel profiles create significant challenges to implementing fluvial geomorphic landform design in terms of both form and function, and from a safety and constructability perspective. The fluvial geomorphic landform design approach balances erosive and resistive forces by considering long-term climatic conditions, soil types, slope profiles and vegetation types. Commercial geomorphic landform design software tools do not specifically analyze the stability and factor of safety for the computer-designed landform slopes. This research investigated slope stability parameters and factors of safety between a traditional valley-fill design with a geomorphic landform alternative. Slope stability assessments were performed on two profile geometries. Finite-element modeling of a permitted valley-fill and a geomorphic design alternative indicated that slope angle and internal angles of friction associated with the gradation of the overburden greatly affected the designed factor of safety for both designs. The geomorphic designed slopes yielded the highest factors of safety out of 14 models analyzed with all cases having factors of safety over 2.0. The high factors of safety are attributed to shallow slopes and beneficial surface and internal drainage.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. Hakan Morcali, Onuralp Yücel, Haldun Gürcan, Serdar Aktas, Semih Özbey, Alper Keskin

"This work presents a method for the precipitation of cobalt sulfate by alcohols, specifically ethanol and methanol. The effect of the initial concentration of cobalt, the volumetric ratio of alcohol to cobalt sulfate solution, the addition of sulfuric acid and ammonia, and the effects of common ions on the precipitation percentage were investigated. The performances of ethanol and methanol were compared in terms of the precipitation percentage of cobalt sulfate, and explanations for different performances are offered. In the sulfate-based solution, the alcohol was shown to displace water ligands from the first coordination sphere of the cobalt(II) cations, which led to the precipitation of the cobalt ions as cobalt sulfate heptahydrate. SEM analysis revealed that the particle sizes of the powders produced by this method are smaller than those of commercially available cobalt sulfate. The scientific literature contains no data on the solubility of cobalt sulfate in ethanol. In this study, the solubility product constant (Ksp) for cobalt sulfate was experimentally calculated to be approximately 1.15 x 10-5.IntroductionCobalt sulfate, which is one of the most important compounds of cobalt, is used in the electroplating and electrochemical industries. The addition of cobalt sulfate to nickel-plating baths makes the treated metals brighter, harder, smoother and more ductile (Armstrong et al., 1988). It is also used as a desiccant for lithographic inks, varnishes, paints and linoleum, as well as in storage batteries, e.g., nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries (Kang et al., 2010). Cobalt sulfate is employed as a coloring agent in ceramics, enamels and glazes to prevent discoloration and as a copigment for the decoration of porcelain. In addition, cobalt sulfate has been used in animal feeds as a mineral supplement (Budavari et al., 1996; Kirk and Othmer, 1999).In the past, brewers used cobalt sulfate to prolong the life of beer foam (Kesteloot et al., 1968). Ranchers have dosed livestock with cobalt sulfate or used fertilizer enriched with this mineral to ensure that their animals obtained sufficient amounts of the trace mineral, which is essential to the production of vitamin B12. Cobalt sulfate has also been used in veterinary medication to prevent and treat cobalt deficiency in ruminants, which causes a reduction in feed intake and body weight, accompanied by emaciation, anemia and debility.Cobalt sulfate is a water-soluble bivalent cobalt salt. Cobalt sulfate heptahydrate dehydrates entirely at 420° C, and the dehydrated salt forms red monoclinic crystals."

Jan 1, 2015

By R. L. Nielsen

The thematic mapper (TM) aboard Landsat II records image data at seven wavelength intervals or bands. Three record the visible region; three record reflected IR energy. A false color image combining bands 7, 4 and 2 rendered as red, green and blue respectively provides maximum discrimination of rock types in arid regions. Structural analyses and interpretation defines regional structures, large volcano-tectonic features intrusive complexes, all which localize mineralization. Special digital processing using the ratio: Band 3 / Band 1 can identify limonites and other iron minerals. The ratio: Band 5/ Band 7 identifies clays and alunite. These ratio images show features and patterns of hydrothermal mineral systems: ?patterns of sulfide and alteration zoning in large porphyry systems, and zones of strong silica, quartz-alunite-illite, and pyrite-sericite in epithermal centers. Thus, digitally processed Landsat TM images are a cost effective and rapid means to recognize altered areas and define targets for large mineralized systems.

Jan 1, 1995

By M. Li, J. K. Thompson, A. S. Azman

Powerful mining systems typically generate high-level noise that can damage the hearing ability of miners. Engineering noise controls are the most desirable and effective control for overexposure to noise. However, the effects of these noise controls on the actual hearing status of workers are not easily measured. A tool that can provide guidance in assigning workers to jobs based on the noise levels to which they will be exposed is highly desirable. Therefore, the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division (PMRD) of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a tool to estimate in a systematic way the hearing loss due to occupational noise exposure and to evaluate the effectiveness of developed engineering controls. This computer program is based on the ISO 1999 standard and can be used to estimate the loss of hearing ability caused by occupational noise exposures. In this paper, the functionalities of this software are discussed and several case studies related to mining machinery are presented to demonstrate the functionalities of this software.

Jan 1, 2016

By Hal McVey

There are thousands of industrial minerals occurrences in the world. The existence or nonexistence of a market for the minerals from these deposits dictates whether or not they will be developed. Therefore, a market srudy is an integral part of the evaluation and development of an industrial minerals property. Some of the factors to be considered in a valid market study are: Supply & Demand; Transportation; Specifications; Competition; Substitutes E Alternatives; Price and Market Structure. Of these, Transportation and Specifications are of particular importance to market evaluations in the field of industrial minerals. The market researcher, working closely with technical personnel in geology, mining and processing, can determine the technical and economic acceptability of the product to be produced from the prospective property and can often create areas of opportunity for marketing of industrial minerals.

Jan 1, 1980

By S. W. Thomas

One of the most difficult tasks associated with placer mining is the sampling of the deposit. More placer projects have failed due to inaccurate assessment of the reserves than to any other reason. Within the realm of placers, those containing valuable minerals with a high unit value .are more difficult to sample than those with larger bulk, lower unit value minerals. Some items to consider when sampling a placer deposit are as follows: A) A relatively large size sample is needed for accurate valuation of the ground being tested. Placers are composed of many sizes of gravel which makes a representative sample difficult to obtain. B) When sampling placers for high unit value minerals such as gold, any error in mineral content of the sample will be magnified in the calculation of reserves.

Jan 1, 1985

By M. B. Haggerty, R. J. Sheets, F. Abbasy

To address coal refuse tailings storage needs for a mine operation in western Canada, a feasible solution was to convert excavated open pits into tailings cells. A slope stability investigation and design study were completed to determine the necessary width and slope geometry for in-situ native plugs as the impoundment embankment. The native plugs separate the previous open pit from the current active open pit. This configuration allows for the deposition of refuse tailings in the previous pit while allowing mining to safely continue “downstream” of the temporary impoundment. As mining progresses, each subsequent pit will be filled with refuse tailings; thereby, buttressing the upstream slope of the previous native plug. Although these cells are excavated, and the timeframe for downstream exposure is relatively limited, the native plugs are classified as dams and must be designed to meet applicable safety of dam standards since they impound water and tails above mining personnel in the subsequent open pit. The presentation and paper will discuss the investigation and analysis conducted to develop the geotechnical and hydrogeological design recommendations.

Mar 2, 2022

By Rennie B. Kaunda, Robert J. Sterrett

Some people in the mining-engineering field mistakenly believe that mine-water management primarily revolves around the treatment of mine waters that fail to meet applicable water-quality standards. While water-quality control is undoubtedly important, it represents only a fraction of what constitutes comprehensive site-wide, minewater management. A more holistic perspective recognizes that it also involves mine dewatering to maintain safe and workable conditions, securing sufficient water supply for operations, strategically handling surface water within and surrounding the openpit to prevent issues like flooding, developing robust post-closure plans to mitigate long-term environmental effects, and proactively minimizing any adverse impacts on local communities and ecosystems. This article provides a brief overview of topics that fall within the concepts of mine-water management. The focus is on openpit mines, as they are generally larger than underground mines. The management of mine water is highly dependent on local and regional climate such as tropical, desert or temperate climate. Each climatic setting has its own unique challenges, but there are also commonalities.

Jun 1, 2025

By Ashma Singh, Nichole Maistry

Due to declining iron ore grades, low-grade ores with complex mineralogy — namely, banded iron formation (BIF) — are being explored to maximize iron ore resources and increase the life of mine. Flotation is the standard global process used for the beneficiation of BIF ores, as it is a complex ore reserve, and liberation is typically achieved below 1 mm. This study focuses on the flotation of a South African BIF, evaluating its response to different collectors, as well as effect of grind. As flotation is an expensive process and South Africa ranks high on the production cost curve, preconcentration by gravity or magnetic separation is performed prior to flotation. Thus, flotation was also performed on a gravity concentrate to determine if a grade suitable for steelmaking (approximately 63 percent) is achievable. The results indicate that the use of an alkyl ether amine-based collector partially neutralized with acetic acid is suitable for separation of hematite from illite and quartz at high pH values. Further optimization tests are being pursued to improve overall recovery and grade.

May 1, 2025