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By Paul M. Tyler

FULLY a decade ago, demand for ground mica began to exceed supplies of scrap mica from manufacturing operations and of waste block from feldspar and sheet mica mining in the United States, with the result that in recent years the market has absorbed larger and larger quantities of mica recovered as a by-product from clay washing,1 as a joint product with kyanite12 and by grinding schists. So far, only schists that contain a large percentage of mica have been utilized for making ground mica, but already there has been a good deal of wishful thinking with regard to recovering mica as an aid to the prospective working of low-grade gold ores and ores of certain base metals. With wet-ground mica selling at $60 to $100 a ton and even dry-ground mica worth over $20 a ton, many ores that could not be considered as otherwise workable under present conditions will show commercial possibilities if they can be made to yield even a relatively small percentage of salable mica. An interesting paper might be written on the coming role of industrial minerals as joint products of metal mines. It is largely a matter of markets. Many years ago I watched the mess left behind the gold dredges in the mountains of Colorado and thought of the Denver sand and gravel operators who prided themselves upon their canniness in providing devices for catching gold merely as an incident to their regular business of selling what we miners classed as "tailings." Nowadays almost every milling or mining operation near settled communities finds use for at least part of its waste for road material or concrete aggregate and several eastern iron mines have gone into the crushed-stone business. Promoters now mention fertilizer "filler" as potentially salable at all the way from $1 to $10 a ton, or whatever is needed to cover costs of mining and treating the "ore" and leave the metal values as "clear profit." In emulating the pork packers in their efforts to utilize "everything but the squeal,"

Jan 1, 1938

By Satayev IS, Shepelev DV

Various ways for applying the X-ray fluorescent method to process lump-by lump separation of secondary aluminium raw materials (scrap, slags, waste) as well as ferrosilicon and ferrochromium are being considered and physically demonstrated. A commercial X-ray radiometric sorter has been developed for processing secondary raw materials. Marketable quantities of aluminium scrap with appropriate copper and zinc content have been produced for smelting with a minimal additional of pure aluminium. An industrial complex for scrap processing, incorporating two X-ray radiometric sorters from the Hammermils company is successfully operating at one of the works in Russia.

Jan 1, 1993

By V. W. Lumadi, S. Nyasha

The mining industry has yet to fully accept and embrace the strategic role of technology and innovation in successful business planning and execution. In this study, we empirically determine the factors that influence acceptance of technology solutions in the mining industry in South Africa, assess critical success factors influencing adoption of advanced technology in the South African mining industry, and explore challenges faced by the mining industry in South Africa in adopting advanced technology in its operations. Thematic content analysis is employed in the data analysis. Results show that critical success factors to the adoption of mining technology include learning culture, knowledge sharing, high labour costs, and behaviour of other firms in the industry; commonly identified challenges include inadequate engagement with external stakeholders, uncertainties, the cyclical nature of the sector, and high risk related to the adoption of unproven technology and performance systems focused on volumetric production. The study encourages mining companies to implement usage of technology. This can be properly done through regular engagement with the Minerals Council South Africa.

Apr 14, 2024

By R. P. H. Willis

For technology transfer to be successful a process, from research to full scale application, has to be followed. This paper describes such a process and how it is applied in practice. Some of the ?do?s? and ?don?ts? are highlighted. Recommendations are made on how to communicate existing knowledge and to ensure that a framework exists to effectively plan future projects with final technology transfer objectives firmly in place. The Impact Ripper System is used as a case study to illustrate lessons learned. Key words: Technology transfer, implementation

Jan 1, 2002

By X. Cao, H. Huang, Z. Dai

"Crystal phase of copper-containing slag regulation by the slag viscosity, cooling speed and cooling method, where the slag viscosity is related to the temperature and alkalinity. According to the mineralogy properties of a copper-containing slag, experiments of crystal phase regulation and flotation were conducted. When the copper-containing slag that adding a small amount of calcium oxide was cooled slowly at a rate of 3°C/min and about 1050°C n a cinder inclusion system, the viscosity of slag can be remained under 0.25 Pa·S and more than ??% of copper particles that the grain size is larger than 20 ?m in slag. The whole flow of flotation experiment was carried out to recover copper from the copper-containing slag with crystal phase regulating and the copper concentrate grade was ?????%, the recovery efficiency of copper was 94.18%.INTRODUCTIONChina's annual output of copper slag is more than 6 million tons, the current total has reached 80 million tons. It is equivalent to 640 thousand tons of copper metal with the copper grade of 0.82%. Most of the smelting slag were storage. It is not only occupy the land and pollute the environment, but also make a huge waste of resource (Alp, Deveci, & Süngün, 2008; Carranza, Iglesias, Mazuelos, Romero, & Forcat, 2009; Gorai, & Jana, 2003), therefore, it is good way to achieve copper slag resources by the effective recovery of valuable component from copper smelting slag, which is an important measure of the current process of copper smelting slag and implement the central authorities to vigorously develop the circular economy, improve the recycling of resources, increase copper production of intensive development (Zhou, et al., 1994; Zhang, Zhang, & Wang, 2005). Currently, researches on comprehensive utilization of the coppercontaining slag made a much progress (Wei, 2004; Liu, Gai, Yang, Sui, Li, & Fu, 2008; Liu & Zhu, 2008; Zhang, 2010; Sun, Chen, & Tang, 2012; Qin, Wang, Ren, Wei, Peng, & Gu, 2012). Flotation is one of the most effective method to recover the copper from smelting slag, which has the features of low cost and high efficiency (Song & Liu, 2001; Zhang, Wang, & Li, 2012). But the copper particles in the copper smelting slag distribution is very uneven, and the thickness of the material is very serious. The copper content in the micro level is higher, the size of copper sulfide ore is less than 0.043 mm, which leads to the difficulty of the monomer dissociation (Tossavainen, Engstrom, Yang, Menad, Lidstrom, Larsson, & Bjorkman, 2007; Moustakas, Mavropoulos, Katsou, Haralambous, & Loizidou, 2012). In this study, according the process mineralogy of a smelting copper slag, the crystal of smelting copper slag was optimized by controlling the temperature, alkalinity, cooling rate and cooling method, which makes the fine copper mineral particles in the copper slag crystal further, and can be used to meet the particle size requirements of flotation, thereby enhancing the flotation of copper."

Jan 1, 2016

By M. J. Marinigh

Increased safety requirements, higher operational costs, greater environmental restrictions, and new competitive processing techniques are the challenges smelter operators must confront in order to remain economically viable. In converting furnaces which have tuyeres such as the Noranda Reactor and the Teniente, Peirce Smith and Hoboken converters, efficient tuyere line management is critical to optimizing blowing rates, increasing refractory life, and improving safety. This paper will describe recent improvements made to equipment used for tuyere punching, tuyere silencing, tuyere pyrometry and refractory drilling of tuyeres and how the proper application of the equipment can lead to operational and safety improvements.

Jan 1, 2007

By Michael J. Marinigh

"Increased safety requirements, higher operational costs, greater environmental restrictions, and new competitive processing techniques are the challenges smelter operators must confront in order to remain economically viable.In converting furnaces which have tuyères such as the Noranda Reactor and the Teniente, Peirce- Smith and Hoboken converters, efficient tuyère line management is critical to optimizing blowing rates, increasing refractory life, and improving safety.This paper will describe recent improvements made to equipment used for tuyère punching, tuyère silencing, tuyère pyrometry and refractory drilling of tuyères and how the proper application of the equipment can lead to operational and safety improvements."

Jan 1, 2009

By R. C. Emmett, R. P. Klepper

The industrial practice of concentration of solids and production of clear solution by gravity sedimentation is an old technology. Through the years, many devices have been designed and built to aid this process One of the more significant developments was a revolving rake mechanism to convey settled material to a central discharge point of a circular tank, patented in 1907 (Dorr). In recent years, clarification systems employing parallel inclined plates have appeared on the market; the original device utilizing this principle was patented in 1886 (Gaillet, et al.) Numerous other methods have been invented, tested, discarded, and sometimes reinvented, all with the specific intention of improving the capacity of a particular settling area. Sedimentation theory, as expressed in Stokes' Law, shows that the rate of settling of a panicle is directly proportional to the difference in density between the particle and the surrounding liquid and, more significantly, proportional to the square of the panicle diameter. While this latter effect is less pronounced with larger particles, anything that can increase the diameter will greatly assist sedimentation and, as a result, flocculation always has been an integral part of sedimentation. Most materials suspended in aqueous media are naturally flocculent to some degree and, hence, are readily concentrated by sedimentation, although sometimes very slowly.

Jan 1, 1981

By Joel Darmstadter

The position of the coal industry in America’s fuel and power picture remains one of prime importance. Measured in Btu terms, the industry is the country’s leading energy producer and an important exporter. Foreign coal sales yield annual proceeds of about $4 billion. Coal’s one-fifth share of the nation’s energy consumption is nearly as high as that of natural gas. Coal is the electric utility sector’s principal fuel supplier. It accounts for about55% of the electricity generated at power stations.

Jan 1, 1999

By A Singleton, J Busfield

World coal producers have been under constant pressure in recent years because of falling export prices arising from oversupply and the Asian slowdown. This has resulted in a dynamic market place, a sharpening of focus on bottom line costs and some rationalisation of participants. Productivity has increased dramatically as many inefficiencies, typical of the coal industry, have been eroded through workplace reform. This is true for the both open cut and underground sectors of the industry. At the same time, the technology of underground mining is undergoing dynamic change. Mine operators are implementing better exploration and planning tools and are also starting to make gains against chronically low equipment availability and utilisation. æStep-changeÆ improvements in output are imminent. As the statutory environment shifts to a æduty of careÆ regime, it is hoped that mine safety performance will improve, particularly with regard to fatalities. The focus of the paper is on the Australian coal sector, although references to international benchmarks are made. Despite environmental threats to the future of coal, it is concluded that the next ten years will see impressive performance results from underground coal mines which will assist coal to maintain its position as the preferred fuel of lowest cost.

Jan 1, 2000

By Knut L. Sandvik, Erik Larsen

"Estimated global solar energy demand in 2001 required approximately 5,500 tons of silicon feedstock. This required 65,000 tons of quartz. If the trend continues, the solar energy demand in 2010 would require approximately 30,000 tons of silicon feedstock and 350,000 tons of quartz, although the need for quartz probably will be lower than this due to higher solar cell efficiencies, larger and thinner wafers, more extensive recycling of waste material and new routes for the production of silicon feedstock. The raw material requirements for the production of metallurgical-grade silicon are most likely to change. This may favour increased beneficiation of primary raw materials in the future solar cell production chain.SOLAR CELL PRODUCTION CHAIN SCENARIOSThe major problem concerning solar cells is the production costs. Electricity produced from fossil fuels and hydropower plants are currently much cheaper than the electricity produced from solar cells. Also, limited availability of silicon feedstock for the production of crystalline silicon solar cells is considered a major threat to the further growth of the PV industry. The present route for solar silicon feedstock goes from quartz, through metallurgical-grade silicon (MG-Si) and to electronic-grade silicon (EG-Si). The reject from the EG-Si production are further processed into wafers and solar cells. This situation is not satisfying, however, because it has created a silicon feedstock shortage and a PV energy price that is not competitive in a large scale.Crystalline silicon solar cells are the most important solar cells manufactured today. This will most probably remain the situation the next decade. Also, the future silicon ""feedstock"" is most likely not reject from the production of electronic-grade silicon, as it is today. There will probably be a more direct solargrade silicon route, excluding the very expensive electronic-grade silicon ""detour"". Quartzite has been regarded as the most suitable primary raw material used in the silicon solar cell production chain. This may change as the raw material requirements for the production of metallurgical-grade silicon are most likely to change. In addition, quartz or other silica-containing minerals from other rocks may be of a higher purity or contain lesser amounts of the most harmful elements. This favours increased beneficiation of primary raw materials in the future solar silicon feedstock production chain"

Jan 1, 2003

By Knut L. Sandvik, Erik Larsen

Crystalline silicon solar cells are the most important solar cells manufactured today. This will most probably remain the situation the next decade. The future silicon feedstock is most likely not reject from the production of electronic-grade silicon. There will probably be a more direct solar-grade silicon route, excluding the electronic-grade silicon "detour". Estimated global solar energy demand in 2001 required approximately 5,500 tons of silicon feedstock. This required 65,000 tons of quartz. If the trend continues, the solar energy demand in 2010 would require approximately 30,000 tons of silicon feedstock and 350,000 tons of quartz, although the need for quartz probably will be lower than this. Quartzite has been regarded as the most suitable primary raw material used in the silicon solar cell production chain. This may change as the raw material requirements for the production of metallurgical-grade silicon are most likely to change. In addition, quartz or other silica-containing minerals from other rocks may be of a higher purity or contain lesser amounts of the most harmful elements. This favours increased beneficiation of primary raw materials in the future solar silicon feedstock production chain.

Jan 1, 2003

By Surendra K. Mishra

Recent land ban act has put pressure on industry to decontaminate the waste streams before they could be discharged. However, for both metal and organic contaminated wastes, there are commercial incentives to recover usable resources. Recent technology developments have helped meeting such objectives. This paper reviews developments in treatment technologies for industrial wastes. Major chemical groups used in waste treatment are summarized.

Jan 1, 1994

By C. Sartain

In recent years market pressures have been building on companies to develop the next era of mining projects to follow the previous boom in copper projects of the mid 90's. However the response from the industry has been slow in coming, and somewhat muted. It is clear that there simply have not been the obvious quality projects waiting to be rapidly developed. Many of the known undeveloped copper projects have particular characteristics that have previously prevented their development, including mineralogical complexity in the ore bodies, environmental challenges or particularly difficult geographic locations. This paper describes how the Copper Division of an international mining company, Xstrata plc, is preparing to progressively develop an impressive pipeline of projects, armed with an array of proprietary technologies and with a strong approach towards sustainable development and community engagement. The approach being taken is enabling Xstrata to complement its acquisitive corporate philosophy with a management emphasis on project development and operational optimization and enhancement.

Jan 1, 2007

By R. Philip Hammond

MONAZITE has had a Cinderella-like history. Although nearly go per cent pure rare-earth compound (rare-earth phosphate) it was sought at first not for the rare earths but for the sake of a minor constituent-thorium. The thorium, essential for the Welsbach gaslight mantle, was present in only small quantities and the principal constituents, the rare earths, were largely discarded. Gradually, however, the rare earths have developed uses of their own and today have left the thorium far behind in value. OCCURRENCE Monazite was first produced commercially about 1886, in North Carolina, where it was collected in small sluices by farmers who found it in stream beds on their land. The deposits were later exploited on a larger scale, but were mostly abandoned in a few years, when monazite from Brazil came upon the market in far larger quantities. Domestic production ceased entirely in 1906. The Brazilian source is still active, together with Indian, Dutch East Indies, and Australian deposits. Several other localities in the United States have yielded monazite, but none of these has produced commercially as yet. Monazite occurs originally in pegmatites and gneisses, through which, unfortunately, it is scattered in highly dispersed form. All commercially useful deposits consist of transported monazite sands liberated by erosion and concentrated by the action of water, which has sluiced away lighter materials and concentrated the heavy (D = 5.0 to 5.2) grains of monazite, together with ilmenite, zircon, garnet, and other dense minerals. The Carolina deposits were in stream beds; most of the other deposits mentioned are on or near the seashore, where the action of the waves has served to concentrate the monazite. In most cases today, the sands are worked to obtain the ilmenite and zircon, as well as monazite. The minerals are separated by means of sluices, dry tables, and magnetic separators, and each is finally obtained nearly pure. No crushing or grinding is necessary. The concentrates are shipped in fiber bags. COMPOSITION OF MONAZITE As Table I illustrates, monazite is the anhydrous orthophosphate of the cerium [ ] group of rare-earth elements. A small amount of yttrium and terbium group phosphate is also present.* All the rare-

Jan 1, 1946

By Lar Liljeblad

"As demands upon the earth's natural resources continue to grow, exploration companies, mining organizations and others face the problem of the need to tackle increasingly more difficult strata to open up new reserves. Innovations in materials technology and tool design have steadily improved this capability, but none perhaps so drastically as a recently introduced cemented carbide in which tool wear resistance and/or toughness can be tailored precisely to the user's drilling needs.Introduction Until about forty years ago, the bulk of rock-drilling operations had to be carried out with hardened steels. Short life between re-grinds was common especially in abrasive rock formations. Shortly after World War II, Sandvik, Sweden, pioneered the development of sintered (cemented) carbide-tipped steel tools as a means of improving drill tool life. The new material was a composite of tungsten carbide and cobalt, the latter acting as a 'cement' to bind the wear-resistant carbide grains together, and the composite, in turn, was brazed to the steel. The immediate effect was a 100-fold increase in the service life of the tool.Intractable ProblemsWhile the carbide-tipped tools served the mining and quarrying industries admirably there were, nonetheless, some seemingly intractable limitations. The greater the wear resistance of the material - the quality for which it is selected - the more brittle it is. Also, rocks vary widely in hardness and abrasiveness and no single tool, either in terms of material or shape, meets every need. Specifically, for fast penetration of non-abrasive rock, toughness must be combined with a relatively sharp tool prome. Highly abrasive rock, on the other hand, demands a substantially broad area of extremely wear-resistant material on the tool if long bit life is to be assured. Between these extremes there are innumerable variations in rock"

Jan 1, 1991

By Markus A. Reuter, Antoinette van Schaik

"Product design engineers select from a wide range of materials and combine them into multimaterial product designs. These include various materials (metals and non-metals) which are complexly integrated (e.g. welded, glued, alloyed, layered). The recycling/recovery rate of consumer products are determined by the different materials and alloys used, but also by the particle size and multi-material particle composition after shredding (combination of materials due to design). Eco-design (for recycling) and Design for Recycling (DfR) can only be conducted if the interconnectivity of material/metal in various unliberated materials is accounted for and its effect on material and energy recovery can be linked back to design. This paper will discuss the basic principles of these DfR models and it is shown how these tools (i) are linked Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software, (ii) affect conceptual design specifications of products, (iii) integrate the complex detail of the recycling system and recyclate quality and hence (iv) make recycling an integrated part of the product system. Furthermore, it is shown how these assessment tools and models can be applied for benchmarking of the recyclability and environmental damage created by the recycling of end-oflife consumer goods in order to e.g. (i) provide the (original) equipment manufacturer with knowledge and solutions to support product stewardship and Extended Producer Responsibility; (ii) create awareness of the consequences/benefits of design, products and recycling systems to manufacturer, designer, legislator, recycler etc.; and (iii) assist the consumer in their choice of consumer goods from an end-of-life point of view.IntroductionA first-principles basis is required in order to be able to simulate and predict the recycling/recovery behaviour of products facilitating Design for Recycling (DfR) and Eco- Design. This links recycling technology and the environmental consequences of recycling directly to product design."

Jan 1, 2008

The minerals industry focus over much of the past twenty years has been on cost reduction and production growth supported, but not driven, by technology improvements. Mergers and acquisitions, and the demands of financial markets, have been high priority items whereas research and development and technology based innovation have received less attention and have been cut back in many companies. Technology improvements will be critical if the industry is to make progress on the stated aims of improving energy efficiency, reducing water usage and maximising recovery from deposits. They will also be important for improving capital efficiency and in treating difficult deposits. However the role technology based innovation will play both in the overall industry, and within individual companies, during the next decade is quite uncertain. There are major challenges in progressing technology based innovation in an industry with limited technical resources which is dominated by long life high capital operations. Specific opportunities for energy and productivity improvements exist but face significant technical and structural barriers that need to be overcome if the industry is to significantly improve performance. Current evidence suggests that changes in approach will be needed for these improvements to be realised. Recent studies in the United States and Canada have highlighted the wide range of energy performance across the industry and the scope for marked improvement from both incremental improvements and increased research and development. Comminution, material transportation and underground mine ventilation were identified as high priority areas. Opportunities within these areas are discussed both in respect of specific technologies and in how they may change performance. The role of open innovation as a source of new technology is also discussed. This is an abstract only. No full paper was prepared for this presentation.

Sep 13, 2010

By J D. Pease, J M. I Tuppurainen, P D. Munro

This paper examines how legislation and regulation can be external drivers of technical change in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy and how the industry can respond. Two examples are considered; the production of copper metal from concentrates and the cyanide process for gold production.The Clean Air Act (1970) in the USA initiated a wave of attempted innovations in the extractive metallurgy of processing copper sulfide concentrates to meet forthcoming standards on sulfur dioxide emissions. Interestingly, a satisfactory technical solution existed (flash smelting and gas capture) but had not been widely adopted.Nearly fifty years later the primary copper industry finds itself with new challenges. One major challenge is how to deal with the increasing level of arsenic in copper concentrates. Most countries impose an upper limit on arsenic in imported concentrate; typically, 0.5% As or less. Higher arsenic concentrates can be blended with cleaner ones to meet the limit, but this tactic cannot be used indefinitely as the average arsenic level of global concentrates rises inexorably. Further, smelters (often in urban locations) cannot be expected to deal with both ever-increasing arsenic in the feed and stricter restrictions on emissions and disposal. A rising “inventory” of primary copper deposits are already constrained from development by high arsenic concentrate. These deposits will need to be developed if future copper demand is to be met. An economic and technical solution to arsenic is needed. The gold industry may also face challenges in the use of cyanide, by far the dominant lixiviant used in gold and silver production. Public perception has driven restrictions on the use or transport of cyanide in some jurisdictions. History suggests that such pressure is only likely to increase. While there are several alternative lixiviants, none can yet match the utility and economics of cyanide.Such important issues will not be resolved by incremental change or new equipment items. They require development of new process technology - a tectonic event rather than an incremental change. It requires sustained effort (and expenditure) over decades and is very unlikely to result from “business as usual” for producers, suppliers or academics. Past major process developments were driven by a dire need for economic survival or by legislative change. What will drive the future changes?CITATION:Munro, P D, Pease, J D and Tuppurainen, J M I, 2017. Technology change by regulation – a cresting wave?, in Proceedings MetPlant 2017, pp 45–58 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 11, 2017

By A G. L Pratt

Change and its relationship with the introduction of new technology is a constant of human history. The mining industry has many examples of this relationship. This record contrasts with its present day struggles to move beyond a public perception of being just ‘dirty, dumb and dangerous’. The drivers for the introduction of new technology are frequently listed as the occupational health and safety of people working in the mines, reductions in direct operating costs, and increases in productivity.This paper discusses the issues that a mining business needs to deal with to implement new technology with the best possible conditions for success. It comments on how the strategic and tactical components of technology planning relate to and interact with change management. The central discussion is directed at the role that people play in the successful implementation of new technology. The introduction of autonomous underground haulage equipment provides a background for the discussion of this topic.The paper uses case study references, equipment supplier information and research findings. The aim is to offer a high-level view of the issues a mine operator needs to consider when approaching the introduction of new technologies for underground mining.CITATION:Pratt, A G L, 2017. Technology change in underground mining – things to consider, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2017, pp 103–114 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 16, 2017