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By Jeffery Denit, Steve Hoffman, Van Housman

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the early stages of developing a national mining waste program. Our goal is to develop a mining waste program that will be state implemented, multimedia in nature, flexible, utilize and enhance existing state programs, and protect the environment. The Agency appreciates the cooperation the mining industry is providing through its participation in the Policy Dialogue committee on Mining and by providing the Agency with technical data. The following is a discussion of what led to the development of a national mining waste program, the agenda initiative to evaluate Toxic Substances Control Act authority in phosphate manufacturing, and the important steps being taken through the Policy Dialogue process to frame and discuss issues. EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION OF ORES The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) and subsequent amendments created a framework for the regulation of hazardous wastes under Subtitle C and nonhazardous waste under Subtitle D. In 1978, initial regulations were proposed for hazardous waste management units under RCRA. These identified a universe of special wastes that were large volume, low hazard and less amenable to Subtitle C control techniques. EPA noted that waste materials from the "extraction, beneficiation and processing of ores and minerals m fit these criteria. In October 1980, Section 3001 of RCRA was amended. This Bevill amendment excluded solid waste from the extraction, beneficiation and processing of ores and minerals from regulatory control under RCRA's hazardous waste Subtitle C. This was done pending a report to Congress and a regulatory determination regarding the Subtitle C status of these wastes. Thus in November 1980, EPA published an interim final amendment to the RCRA Subtitle C regulations to reflect the Bevill amendment. RCRA requires EPA to perform studies and make reports to Congress regarding the management methods and potential hazards of managing waste. RCRA also calls for a regulatory determination regarding whether Subtitle C (hazardous) or D (non- hazardous) controls are warranted for these wastes. In December 1985, EPA submitted a report to congress entitled, “Wastes from the Extraction and Beneficiation of Metallic Ores, Phosphate Rock, Asbestos, Overburden from Uranium Mining and Oil Shale." In that report, EPA found that some mining wastes exhibit hazardous characteristics, that the range of risk from mining waste is broad, and that waste management practices have caused environmental damage. In July 1986, EPA published a regulatory determination based on information gathered in the 1985 report to Congress and comments from interested parties. In the report, EPA concluded that RCRA Subtitle C regulation of extraction and beneficiation wastes was unwarranted because mining wastes tend to be disposed of in arid climates, waste volumes are high, and facilities and wastes are located in sparsely

Jan 1, 1992

By Neil D. Donnell, O&apos

Bituminous sands of the Lower Cretaceous McMurray Formation in northern Alberta constitute the ore for the surface mining operation at Syncrude Canada Ltd. These sediments represent a complex succession of fluvial, estuarine and marine depositional environments. Grade prediction is realized through a combination of geological interpretation, computer modeling, and reference to past mining experience. Accurate forecasts of feed grade permit reliable predictions of volumes for removal to meet budgeted synthetic crude oil production. This planning facilitates efficient allocation of mining equipment and resources. The feed grade to the Extraction Plant is monitored at various points along the delivery system.

Jan 1, 1984

By Todd Minoski, KRISTIN FLOYD, Michael Murphy, VASU GANGRADE, Gamal Rashed, DYKE MARK VAN, Brent Slaker

Underground stone mines frequently operate on multiple mining horizons or are required to undermine or overmine old workings. In these situations, the effects of pillar columnization and interburden thickness on the stresses surrounding mine workings are poorly understood. Many old workings were not designed to consider the effect on future undermining or overmining and, as a result, are laid out on irregular patterns and with pillar sizes that are difficult or impossible to replicate on adjacent levels. Additionally, as depth increases, even a consistent gridded mine layout may result in poor columnization due to the need to increase pillar sizes. Rules of thumb and past practice for designing multiple levels may often be effective. This paper explores the effect that multiple-level stone mining has on stress redistribution through the discussion of two case-study mines and associated numerical modeling to provide additional insight into situations which may cause concern.

By Guangyao Si, Ismet Canbulat, Xun Luo, Yi Duan

Routine analyses of seismicity and event locations are essential for coal burst risk management, especially in the presence of unfavorable and complex geology. In an Australian longwall coal mine, a small-scale seismic monitoring network was installed to monitor a section of a major dyke intersected by the roadway, which was classified as a coal burst prone zone. The Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) technique was adopted for automatically discriminating seismic events to assess seismicity in this zone. The discriminated seismic events were located with the Shortest Path Method based on the Boundary Discretization Scheme (BDS-SPM) for temporal-spatial seismic event distribution analysis. The results demonstrate that the seismic events are discriminated with an average accuracy of 94%. Moreover, the seismic events are more accurately located using the BDS-SPM with a 3D heterogeneous velocity model compared with results obtained with a homogeneous velocity model. The temporal and spatial variances in seismic activities identify that the rock fractures in the dyke zone are closely related to the longwall mining process and a local dyke has a controlling influence on the stress concentration in its vicinity.

Apr 26, 2022

By F. Hassan, M. A. Arafa

At El-Gedida iron ore deposits there is a block of about 30million tons neglected due to its higher sulfur content due to the presence of barite gangue minerals. From this bluk by magnetic separation dual concentrates of high grade iron concentrate (~65%Fe and total Sulfur of 0.26%) and the second concentrate is barite of (60.87% BaO and total impurities of less than 3%).

Jan 1, 1999

By Liguang Wang, Roe-Hoan Yoon

The thin film balance (TFB) technique was used to measure the equilibrium film thicknesses (H3 between two air bubbles in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and electrolyte (NaCl) solutions. The results were used to determine the magnitudes of the hydrophobic forces (K232) using the extended DLVO theory. The Km values determined from He measurement allowed us to predict disjoining pressure isotherms, which were found to be in excellent agreement with those obtained experimentally using a bike-wheel film holder. The rate of film thinning was measured at low SDS concentrations with varying amounts of electrolyte (NaCl) added. In general film thinning was controlled by the capillary pressure during the initial stages, while it was controlled by the surfaces forces during the later stages. At low NaCl concentrations, it was possible to predict the rate of film thinning using the Reynolds equation, provided that the driving force was corrected for the contributions from the hydrophobic force, which in turn were determined from the KZ32 values obtained from the He values measured experimentally. At high NaCl concentrations, where it was difficult to measure the equilibrium film thicknesses, the contributions from the hydrophobic forces were determined by fitting the film thinning data to the Reynolds equation. The K232 values obtained using both the equilibrium film thickness and the film thinning measurements showed that hydrophobic force deceased with increasing surfactant and salt concentrations. It was found that the hydrophobic force in foam films was very sensitive to the added electrolyte concentration.

Jan 1, 2005

By D. G., Bosse&apos

Equipment choices for ultrafine grinding encompass several different types of dry and wet size-reduction devices. These need to be put into functional perspective for systematic analysis of capabilities and limitations versus processing requirements of the materials to be satisfactorily ground. Particle strengths plus maximum and average sizes are the primary variables controlling grinding action requirements and equipment options for efficient processing. These are fairly well understood and provide the starting point for decisions. Particle space requirements under dynamic processing conditions vary with particle shapes and size-distributions by as much as 30X. This additional major variable is not widely appreciated and does need adequate description to provide a firm basis for selecting processing compositions and procedures.

Jan 1, 1983

By Geo. A. Wells

Abstract The consumption of barytes in certain paints polyurethane foams, seamless, flooring, glass, brake linings, plastisol caskets for food containers and in fluids used for gastrointestinal X-ray examinations rely on tie unique properties of barium sulfate, There are no readily available mineral substitutes. Barytes are also the essential raw material for the manufacture of industrially important barium chemicals. High quality barite ore has become scarce throughout the world. Processing ore into quality end products is both capital and energy intensive. These factors have tended to limit availability and increase prices which have encouraged the use of alternates and restricted market growth.

Jan 1, 1980

By Donald I. Bleiwas

The U.S. Bureau of nines evaluated the potential availability of tungsten from 57 tungsten mines and deposits in 19 market economy countries (1). The 38 properties that were producing at the time this study was performed contain approximately 375,000 tons1 of W03 (tungsten trioxide). The total estimated recoverable resource from all properties studied, both producers and nonproducers, was 1.2 million tons W03 (demonstrated level). Approximately 143,000 tons of W03 is recoverable from producing properties with costs at or below the January 1983 market prices. The study indicates that by 1990 production from currently operating mines in market economy countries will decrease as their demonstrated resources become exhausted. Some of this potential decline may be offset by lower than anticipated levels of market demand, discoveries of additional resources at producing mines, development of other known deposits, and/or discoveries of new deposits. Development of new tungsten resources in market economy countries will likely result in costs higher than exist at currently producing properties. The People's Republic of China has been steadily increasing production and export of tungsten in various form and currently supplies about 25 pct of U.S. imports. China's tungsten mines are large, high-grade operations capable of producing at relatively low cost. These factors, coupled with China's apparent need for foreign exchange, could lead to further expansions of production and exports from China, with a consequent increased dependence by market economy countries on China for tungsten requirements and a threat to the survival of the market economy countries' tungsten industries.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. A. Rychkun

Mining and environmental objectives have traditionally been in conflict. This conflict reflects a delicate balance between the need to spend money to protect the environment, and the need to save money by extracting minerals efficiently. In an increasing number of cases, profit margins diminish rapidly with new environmental regulations and reactionary measures. Forced cleanups and increasing restrictions are unwelcome expensive processes. A practical solution lies in planning rather than reacting. This requires the ability to precisely quantify and qualify environmentally sensitive problems by providing effective engineering tools to model, visualize and analyze subsurface conditions. Prevention of environmental conflicts, and effective cost control are both rooted in the mining company's ability to construct accurate models, monitor changes, assess contamination risks and to design effective remediation plan. This paper presents a case study where these issues are addresses through the application of a new and innovative technology.

Jan 1, 1993

By C. K. Kocsis, S. Hardcastle

Mine ventilation, requires electricity to operate the fans and fossil fuel for heating. Typically, this accounts for approximately 40% of the overall underground energy consumption. This is considerable, and one of the major causes of this expense is that most mine ventilation systems are designed for the "worst-case-scenario" with respect to ventilation demand, which is commonly dictated by diesel equipment usage. Once designed, mines tend to operate their ventilation system at this peak level despite their exceeding day-to-day development and production needs due to lack of appropriate ventilation controls. In underground metal mines, TeleminingTM, which includes the tele-remote operation of mobile development and production equipment from surface, will change the mine design criteria including its support infrastructure such as the ventilation system. With the removal of machine operators to surface control rooms, conventional ventilation systems designed to dilute and remove pollutants can become redundant. Depending on the ultimate need for ventilation, its cost in automated mines with tele-remote equipment operated from surface will be lower than the cost of ventilation in conventional mines. These cost savings, which could be significant, would not only come from the ability to reduce the amount of ventilation in the mine, but also through the capacity to automate its distribution. This paper provides an indication of the new airflow requirements in stopes and dead-end developments for the tele-remote and automated mining processes based on climatic modelling. Furthermore, this paper makes a cost benefit analysis by comparing the ventilation system operating cost of a conventional underground metal mine based on the mobile diesel powered equipment design criteria with the newly redesigned ventilation system operating cost of an automated mine based on the "heat management" design criteria.

Jan 1, 2002

By Bruce Hern

The last 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in the requirements for product coal quality control. This has led to electric utility sulfur scrubbing, metallurgical blast furnace optimization and coal producer blend and yield optimization. To achieve this improved level of control, coal producers are designing facilities that emphasize new technology. New facilities will be designed and existing facilities will be retrofitted with state-of-the-art technology to meet quality control standards that are dictated by the market. The first step in designing for process control requires the identification of those parameters to be controlled and the upsets that can cause variances in the final shipped product quality. The most common parameters that require control are the surface moisture (%), ash (%), pyritic sulfur (%) and gross calorific value (Btu). Total moisture is that moisture that exists on the surface of the particle and is inherent in the particle itself. For the purposes of control, the total moisture is monitored, while surface moisture is controlled. Ash is the inorganic residue remaining after all other constituents are burned away at 75O°C( 1382°F)(ASTM, 1992). Sulfur is the amount of total sulfur that exists either as pyrite (FeS2), inorganic sulfate (FeS04), or organic sulfates (C4H4S) (Leonard, 1979). Currently, pyrite is controlled and total sulfur is monitored. The gross calorific value is the amount of heat produced when a unit quantity of coal is ignited under specified conditions. In this case, a l-g (0.03-oz.) sample of coal is ignited in an isoperibol waterbath and the temperature rise of the water bath is observed. The moisture and ash-free (MAF) Btu is relatively constant for a given seam, resulting in the whole calorific value being a function of the moisture and ash levels (Leonard, 1979).

Jan 1, 1994

By M. Deutsch

A common casualty of modern open pit mine optimization is the assurance that the resulting design is actually achievable. Optimized mine plans that consider value and a bare minimum of precedence constraints do not, in general, translate into practical, operational mine designs that can really be used in the field. Ultimate pits may come to a sharp point at the bottom. Schedules may require taking small parcels of material from many disparate areas of the pit in a single period. And grade control polygons may be ragged, narrow, and not minable with realistic equipment. In this paper all of these problems are addressed by encoding these three fundamental open pit mine optimization problems as maximum satisfiability problems. Maximum satisfiability provides a useful framework for problems that are non-linear and may guarantee the optimality that metaheuristics cannot. INTRODUCTION Open pit mines are large and complicated operations, which require significant initial and ongoing investment. A single mine may employ hundreds or thousands of people and creates substantial benefits for both the surrounding and global communities. Planning an operation of this magnitude requires a lot of effort and cannot be done optimally by hand. Mining engineers today rely on many techniques from operations research to guide decision making, and to maximize the value of the mine. Techniques including linear programming, metaheuristics, and network algorithms are all used to solve different problems throughout mine design and optimization. However, techniques based on Boolean satisfiability, including the optimization extension of maximum satisfiability, have not seen much use in mining despite being used in many other fields including electronics design, scheduling, and artificial intelligence. We claim that maximum satisfiability is a useful and meaningful way of expressing and solving optimization problems in mine planning. However, this technique does not come without challenges; the problem is NP-hard, and modern techniques for solving these problems can struggle with the number of variables and clauses that a typical mining problem requires. Also, some of the constraints that mining must contend with do not fit nicely into the satisfiability paradigm. Despite these challenges, we believe that maximum satisfiability provides a useful framework for considering operational constraints and expressing some problems that other techniques can't easily express. Maximum satisfiability can be solved exactly, yielding the true optimal answer which metaheuristics cannot guarantee. In this paper we show the applicability of maximum satisfiability to mining by specifying three fundamental problems in open pit mine optimization. We show how these fundamental problems can be formulated and how they can be extended within the framework of maximum satisfiability. For the remainder of the paper we first give a brief background on common elements between the three problems and an introduction to satisfiability. Then we tackle the three problems; the Ultimate Pit Problem, the Block Scheduling Problem, and the Grade Control Polygon Problem. In the Ultimate Pit Problem we specifically show how to extend the problem to support a minimum mining width – a coveted result for many mining engineers. We then discuss some of the complexities and shortcomings of this framework and possible research directions.

Jan 1, 2019

By Enrique Levy

The publication from which this paper was abstracted is the first at-tempt to correlate all the metallogenic deta compiled by the author for the preparation of the 1:2,000,000 Metallogenic Map of Central America. It is not a treaty of metallogenic theories but rather a careful effort to postulate metallogenic provinces and epochs with the intention to stimulate other geologists and mining companies familiar with the area to criticize and improve on the ideas proposed. The sole purpose being to find new mineral deposits for the betterment of our people.

Jan 1, 1971

By K. Short

Over the past several years, the mining and minerals market was overloaded with discussions around reviving mature terminologies like distributed control systems (DCS), programmable logic controllers (PLC), and the ?new comers?: hybrid control systems (HCS) and programmable automation controllers (PAC) and, in parallel, which technologies would be more appropriate for mining and mineral processing applications. Ten years ago, a careful comparative analysis would make more sense. Control approaches had very distinctive differences where users needed to choose the right approach.

Jan 1, 2012

This international symposium was convened to assess the current state of knowledge concerning the health hazards that might be associated with the ingestion and inhalation of fibrous particles produced from the processing of taconite ore. Concern about fibrous particles in taconite arose from their similarities to amphibole asbestos minerals that are known to be human carcinogens. The mineralogical characteristics of asbestos fibers are reviewed and compared with the fibrous particles known to be present in taconite ore from the eastern end of the Iron Range. The epidemiological and experimental animal studies for asbestos-related disease (including gastrointestinal cancer from asbestos in dinking water)were critically evaluated andcompared to those of the fibrous minerals in the taconite. The focus was on the amphiboles in the cummingtonite?grunerite and tremolite?ferroactinolite series and other fibrous particles in both the Iron Range and the Duluth Complex. This included examination of the reported occurrence of any asbestiform ferroactinolite, crocidolite asbestos, chrysotile asbestos, etc. In addition, an effort was made to provide a scientific framework to address fibrous minerals, which may be associated with nonferrous mineral deposits in the Duluth Complex. State-of-the-art risk assessment models for asbestos were presented. Risk assessment scenarios were developed for taconite-derived fibers at environmental exposure levels related to the operation of the Silver Bay taconite processing facility. These calculated risks were found to be trivial even after it was assumed that all mineral fibers were as carcinogenic as amphibole asbestos.

Jan 1, 2008

By W. Jacobi, B. Haider, D. Regulla, J. Huber

[Introductory Remarks] Thermoluminescence (TL) detectors are widely used for the dosimetry of X- and[ y]-rays. Also filter devices for radon daughter monitoring have been developed in which the a activity on the filter was measured with TL-detectors (Breslin et al., 1977). For this purpose normal LiF-tablets with a thickness of 0.4 - 1 mm were used. However the lower detection limit of such TLmonitors for radon daughters is relative high, especially in areas with a high [y]-background, due to the low [a /-y]-sensitivity ratio of such thick LiF-detectors. This [a/y]-sensitivity ratio can be increased if TL-detectors are used whose thickness is comparable with the range of [a]-particles. On the basis of this consideration we have developed a simple light weighted and sensitive TL-monitor for the measurement of the cumulative radon daughter exposure in air. [Description of the "Monitor] The monitor consists of two parts: The sampling pump with the accumulator, and the sampling probe which contains the air filter and TL-detector system. Both parts are connected with a plastic tube. For operation in mines a light weight, portable air sampler with a built-in accumulator (DuPont model 125 and 200, 400 g) is used which enables an adjustable, constant flow rate in the range of 7.5 -12 1/h. These air samplers allow a sampling period of 10 hours before recharging is necessary. For radon daughter measurements in houses this pump is replaced by a larger, netoperated pump with a flow rate of 180 1/h. Figure 1 shows a schematic cross section through the sampling probe whose weight is 40 g. The radon daughters are collected on a hydrophob membrane filter (Sartorius) with an effective filter diameter of 11 mm and a pore diameter of 3 µm; its collection efficiency for radon daughters is [>] 95%. Above the filter the detector system is mounted. It consists of two thin Tm-activated CaSO4-TL films of 8 mm diameter on a Al-carrier foil manufactured by Matsushita Inc., Japan. The thickness of the TL-film is 6 mg/cm2, which is comparable with the range of a rays. The first detector is faced in 3.5 mm distance above the filter; in addition to the ambient y background this detector is exposed to the [a] and ß radiation from the radon daughters on the filter. Between the first and the second TL-detector is an Al-absorber of 0.5 mm thickness which shields this detector against the [a] radiation and partly also to the ß radiation from the filter. Both detectors have the same [y] shielding. After air sampling both TL-detectors are read-out with a commercial, hot-air reader (Matsushita Inc. / Japan, Model 505 A). The glow-curves are identical for [a and y] rays (Regulla et al., 1980). The integral TLsignal from both detectors is displayed in mR-units (or mR-equivalent). The difference between the response of the unshielded TL-detector above the filter and the shielded TL-detector is proportional to the time-integral of the filter activity, integrated over the sampling period. Calibration and Intercomparison Measurements] The linearity of the a response was checked with a 241Am-source for an [a] fluence on the detector surface of 5400 [a's/cm2•s] in the range of 102 -105 mR-equivalent. Within the experimental error of 15% the response function is linear. The TLD-monitor was calibrated for radon daughters in air by comparison with a calibrated integrating, monitor (WLM-meter) equipped with a Si-surface barrier detector and a direct electronic read-out; this instrument was developed by us for area monitoring some years ago (Haider et al., 1976). The results of simultaneous measurements with the TL-monitor and the electronic WLM-meter in mine areas and in indoor air of houses are shown in figure 2. On the abscissa the mean potential [a] energy concentration (in WL) during the sampling period is given which was derived from the measurements with the electronic WLM-meter. On the ordinate the corresponding response of the TLDmonitor to radon daughters (difference between both TL-detectors) is displayed, expressed in terms of mRequivalent per liter sampled air. It follows from this comparison a linear relationship over the whole range of 0.005 - 5 WL with a standard deviation of 10%. The resulting calibration factor for the TLD-monitor is 18± 2 mRequiv per WL • 1.

Jan 1, 1981

By S. C. Libby

The amount of fine material (minus 60 Tyler mesh) generated during calcination and/or handling of calcined abrasive grade bauxite from Alcoa's operations at Moengo, Suriname, has recently increased relative to past production experience. Bulk samples of raw abrasive grade bauxite from three deposits in the Moengo area have been studied in order to determine the factors controlling the generation of fine material samples from the Jones IC and Tapira deposits, which generate excessive amounts of fine material, have been compared with reference samples from the Begi Gado deposit, which does not generate excessive fine material. Additional type samples of abrasive grade and marginal abrasive grade bauxite from deposits in the Moengo area which represent different bauxite textures found in the Jones IC, Jones I, and Begi Gado deposits have also been studied. Field observations in the Moengo area have indicated that abrasive grade bauxites with a dull, earthy appearance generally do not generate excessive fines. On the other hand, excessive fines are generally associated with coarsely crystalline bauxite in which the gibbsite crystals appear to sparkle in sunlight.

Jan 1, 1980

By A. Founie

The United States continues to be the world’s leading producer and consumer of diatomite. Production of diatomite in the United States during 2005 was estimated to be 653 kt (720,000 st). This was a 5-percent increase compared with 2004. The value of processed diatomite in the U.S. was about $179 million in 2005. Production was from six companies with 12 processing facilities in four states. California and Nevada were the principal producing states. They accounted for about 70 percent of U.S. production in 2005. U.S. diatomite exports were about 144 kt (159,000 st). Imports were negligible. The internal structure and chemical inertness make diatomite an excellent raw material for filtration, absorbent and filler applications. Filtration, especially the purification of beer, liquors and wine and the cleansing of greases and oils, continued to be the largest end use for diatomite. Other applications include the removal of microbial contaminants, such as bacteria, protozoa and viruses in public water systems, and the filtration of human blood plasma. The use of diatomite as fillers and in pharmaceutical applications, including the filtration of human blood plasma, continues to increase as has its use as an insecticide base and as pozzolan. The relative rank of end uses of diatomite were filter aids, 75 percent; fillers, 11 percent; absorbents, 7 percent and other (mostly cement manufacture), 7 percent.

Jan 1, 2006

By James M. Barker

Marketing is the linchpin of the industrial-mineral (IM) industry. Without markets and consumers for IM products, all other associated IM activities are superfluous. The simple existence of an IM deposit does not mean that it can be exploited. A dynamic interaction between exploration (geology), mining, processing, transport, marketing, sales, and consumers is required for profits. Geology dictates the existence of a deposit, but markets dictate its development, and transportation provides the connection. This is true to such an extent that marketing commonly is called the exploration phase of IMs. Marketing is strategic and includes long-range market-development and planning activities, whereas selling is tactical and more focused on day-to-day consumer interactions. Each will help the other when properly done. Many producers of IMs have failed because of inadequate marketing skill, information, and practice. Over many years at the Montana Bureau of Mines, the many developers seeking technical assistance to find an IM deposit, but who had no marketing plan, always failed. In contrast, the few who sought assistance first on marketing, with the IM deposit to be found later, always succeeded (Richard Berg, personal communication, 1998). Marketing has many facets helped by geologists who must be aware of what marketing is attempting to do. A geologist needs to understand many aspects of IMs: location (deposits, plants, consumers), processing (specifications), transportation (truck, rail, barge, ship), competition (local, regional, national, international), substitutes, pricing, and new developments and market forces of all kinds. Some needed skills are not taught formally to geologists, so well-rounded self-education and on-the-job training are the way a geologist normally enters into IM marketing. The IM geologist generally is associated with marketing either by helping to prepare a market study or by acting on the results of one. Preparing a market study is a two-part process. The first part is relatively simple but requires a time-consuming collation of data into an IM survey (mostly past-and present-oriented). The more difficult and much more important second part entails expanding the IM survey into a market evaluation (mainly future-oriented) that emphasizes forecasting, timing, location, and specific products. A market evaluation generally boils down to formulating the right questions to ask of the right persons. One very good question to ask is, "What could be the market for this specific IM?" while thinking for yourself without excessive recourse to gossip, rumors, promoters, developers, or (at times) IM experts. The evaluation must prove that market potential exists and suggests a marketing plan. Effective marketing is an ongoing process, with the initial marketing plan modified over time, using wide and continuous input to avoid tunnel vision. Industrial-mineral markets are based either on commodity (lower-priced, basic-processing) minerals or specialty (higher-priced, value-added) minerals. IM marketing methods are either product-driven (commodity minerals), a more traditional approach, or market-driven (specialty minerals), but these are neither mutually exclusive nor is one always better than the other. Focusing too much on specialty minerals can lead to problems. A blend of commodity products with specialty products commonly lowers risk and enhances long-term profits. The highest profits occur in specialty minerals at the cost of higher risk and complexity and require intelligent marketing, versatile technical services, and creative research and development. Industrial minerals are best served by an industrial-marketing approach rather than a consumer approach. Modern industrial marketing emphasizes the consumer using the "marketing concept." The marketing concept focuses all management and operational activities on total consumer management and satisfaction similar to the total quality management approaches to excellence.

Jan 1, 1999