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By E. C. Westman, W. R. Thomas, W. J. Conrad, A. J. R. Russell

"Understanding ground control problems continues to remain a focus of the mining engineering community. To aid mine operators and engineers in identifying and responding to ground control issues, the Ground Observation System (GOS) is being developed. The GOS is an integrated, web-based graphical user interface that displays ground response data collected wirelessly from an underground mine. It presents data in an intuitive manner to assist mine personnel, who are on- or off-site, in quickly identifying hazardous areas. Geotechnical instrumentation will be connected to wireless transmitters that will relay data in real-time to a surface computer that stores the information in a database. The GOS website will then display the geotechnical data in graphical and tabular forms, as well as in conditionally formatted mine maps. Data from each measurement device will be able to be viewed in its entirety or within a time interval, and can be downloaded for further analysis. The ability of the GOS to quickly interpret and communicate mine hazards to personnel of varying technical ability should prove to be a useful tool in understanding ground control and thus improving mine safety.INTRODUCTION Computer-based data information centers that convey operating parameters and conditions are prevalent in modern underground mines. Today’s systems are popular in showing ventilation controls and monitoring equipment performance (Jyothi & Meena 2013). In ground control monitoring, Conover, Ross, and Bigby, 2010 have installed a wired telltale roof monitoring system that sends roof displacement data every ten minutes to a computer on the surface. The computer receives, stores, and displays the data in real time. Data can also be viewed remotely through a password protected internet connection. Additionally, an internet connection allowed for remote updates to the system which streamlined software development and maintenance by eliminating travel (Conover et al., 2010). Currently, no such system beyond Conover et al.’s design has been accomplished. The Ground Observation System (GOS) is being developed to fill the void of real-time geotechnical monitoring in underground mines. A wide array of data will be transmitted wirelessly and broadcasted to on- and off-site mine personnel through the internet. The GOS will incorporate geotechnical data from roof deformation, borehole scratch testing, photogrammetry, and seismic monitoring into one interface, all while achieving permissibility for the use in gaseous mines. As a result, a comprehensive view of rock movement due to mining will be available. The overall purpose of the GOS is to deliver warnings; to ensure reliable data is relayed to personnel for the identification of potential ground failures, provide mine engineers information to design more stable mines, and assist with further geotechnical research."

Jan 1, 2015

By G. I. Mathieu

Research and development studies were carried out at the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology to produce a synthetic forsterite sand from asbestos tailings for Les Sables Olimag Inc. The National Research Council of Canada also supported and collaborated to the project. Theoretically, the technological approach consists of a heat at over 1300°C; however, the process without additive would result in the production of an enstatite-rich product (MgSiO3) having a fusion temperature less than 1600°C. The purpose was to foster the formation of forsterite (Mg2SiO4), a more refractory compound. The fabrication of the forsterite product requires pre-agglomeration of serpentine-MgO with a binder, which is stable at high temperature, to prevent the loss of the powdered magnesium oxide as dust in the kiln off gases and to maintain the mixture homogeneous during the process. Characterization of the end products with respect to mineral composition and thermal resistance are described. The synthetic forsterite in sand form was tested with success under a bath of liquid steel maintained at 1700°C for up to two hours. The advantages of the new sand and its potential applications will be reviewed.

Jan 1, 1992

Sailing westward from the Society Islands in the fall of 1774, England's noted explorer Captain James Cook discovered New Caledonia-that long, linear island that has played such an important and varied role in the history of nickel. Upon his return to England the following year, Cook's announcement of this uncharted island generated governmental interest, but its distance from the Island Empire, the troubles in the colonies, and the difficulties with France combined to keep English interest indirect and in the background of the then-current events.

Jan 10, 1968

By E. Pallumbo, N. Szwedska, R. Asselin

"This paper highlights the results of collaboration between geology, mining and mineral processing teams during the restart of the North American Lithium Project, located near La Corne, Quebec, Canada. This collaboration was central in ensuring a cross discipline harmonization of design parameters and key inputs, all of which allowed for the development of an optimized life of mine plan suited to the particular needs of the operation.INTRODUCTION In July 2016, North American Lithium Inc. (NAL) began the process of restarting operations at the former Quebec Lithium Mine, located in the municipality of La Corne, Quebec, Canada. The North American Lithium Project (the Project) as it is known today, is the latest chapter in the history of this property. In order to provide a robust foundation for the project, multidisciplinary collaboration was instituted between the geology, mining and metallurgy teams. Despite the intrinsic link between these departments, in many instances their work is completed separate from one another; in silos. This collaboration highlighted specific drivers in the mining value chain that could be exploited to ensure that a saleable product could be produced effectively. This paper explores some of the concepts and strategies that were developed during the feasibility study that supported the project restart (excerpts from the study technical report have been used throughout this paper). PROJECT HISTORY In 1942, prospectors identified the presence of numerous spodumene-bearing pegmatite dykes on the Property. This led to additional interest and exploration drilling campaigns. In 1955, Quebec Lithium Corp. (QLC), who had acquired the property, began construction of an underground mine with mill facilities located on the surface. Operations began the following year at a production rate of 1,100 tonnes per day. A historical cross-section view of the underground mine is shown in Figure 1. In 1959, QLC began the construction of an on-site lithium refinery to produce lithium hydroxide. The refinery was finally operational by 1963. Mining and processing operations continued until 1966 when activities were halted due to a labour dispute. The property was sold and a few years later attempts to resume production were unsuccessful. Property ownership changed several times again until being acquired by Cambior in 1987. In the early 1990’s the existing mine and mill facilities were sold and the mine site rehabilitated"

Jan 1, 2019

By Pati±o A

The Argentine pyroclastic loess arevulcanogenic deposits, which have their sources in the circumnpacific rim. The object of this work is to realize a de-tailed mineralogical characterization of this sediments, to use it like a geo logic outline which regiters discordance or similarity in them, The sampling zone extend from 714N-4125 to 622W-339S. The descriptions of these sediments was considered like basic, mesobasic or acid rocks. The basic sediments, looking like andesite-basaltic composition, are fill-ing the andean valley. The mesobasic one have a similar composition with a pyro-clastic dacite rock, and have been found in marshy pleistocene sediments in the intermountain valley and in the pampeana prairies. The acid ashed conform rhyoda-cite-rhyolite sediments which form the pampeana loess covers in the prairie.

Jan 1, 1990

By Zhihao Yue, Honglie Shen, Yahui Teng, Ye Jiang

"In this paper, manganous nitrate [Mn(NO3)z] was used to assist the etching of silicon wafer in hydrofluoric acid (HF) for the antireflective application, and alumina (Al2O3) layer was deposited on the surface of the etched sample by atomic layer deposition method for further antireflection. The surface morphological and compositional studies of these samples were performed by scanning electron microscopy attached with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The surface reflectance measurements were carried out using UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. Binary structures of pyramids and nanopores were obtained by etching the alkaline textured monocrystalline silicon wafer in HF and Mn(NO3)z mixed solution for not more than 15 min. But excessive increase of etching time of up to 30 min resulted in the whole destruction of pyramids. The average reflectances of the 5-min-etched sample before and after being coated with 75-nm-thick Al2O3 layer are 4.62% and 3.47% in the range of 200-1000 nm, respectively.1. IntroductionAs we know, the reflectance of silicon wafer after being sliced is so high that the maximal photoelectric conversion efficiency of silicon based solar cells is limited. Therefore, alkaline texturization process was used for silicon solar cell in industrial production. But the reflectance of this alkaline textured wafer is still greater than 10% and this process can only be used for monocrystalline silicon solar cell."

Jan 1, 2013

By Alice V. Peter

Meerschaum or sepiolite is employed principally in tobacco pipes and cigar and cigarette holders, although a few other uses of minor importance are Down. The unique value of a meerschaum pipe is derived from the owner's pleasure in watching the color deepen with smoking and in having the color "set" at the desired shade. The name "meerschaum" (German for "sea foam") is applied because the material, when pure and dry, will float on water. Owing to its resemblance to the porous, bonelike structure of the cuttlefish, or septa, it is also known as sepiolite. There are a few scattered deposits of meerschaum in. the United States which have yielded a small product ion, but the world's supply of the' material is obtained fined principally from Asia Minor, Meerschaum deposits near Eski-Shehir, Turkey, are said to have been worked 2,000 years ago, but commercial exploitation is a development of the last hundred years DESCRIPTION AND PROPERTIES Meerschaum is a hydrous magnesium silicate (H4Mg2Si3010) having the following theoretical analysis: Si02, 60.8 percent; MgO, 27.1 percent; H20, 12.1 percent. It is a soft. (H.2 - 2.5), fine-grained, earthy, white, gray, or yellow material. It is very light weight when pure (specific gravity, 1 to 2) and is highly absorbent. Because of its porosity the proportion of water present in the mineral is affected by the humidity'of the atmosphere. In a moist atmosphere the water content may be as much as 21.7 percent. Then wet the material is soft and somewhat plastic. When dried again it becomes lard and tough. The toughness is especially apparent in some forms that have a fibrous or leathery texture.

Jan 1, 1934

By M. Piche

The western part of the Hauy Formation of the Opemisca Group, occurring near the town of Chapais, is described in this paper. As it has been defined previously, the Formation is composed of a succession of subaerial andesi tic lava flows with some interbedded proximal volcaniclastic sediments. Towards the East, these volcanics yield to coarse grained fluviatile sediments having similar composition to the interbedded lavas. Further east, the composition of these sediments is more arkosic with dioritic and tonalitic fragments. It is proposed that these arkosic sediments are a part of the Stella Formation which has been described by Dimroth et al. (1982).

Jan 1, 1984

By R Zhang, J Xu, X Lv, C Bai, S Zhang

This paper studies the grinding behaviour of vanadium-titanium magnetite concentrate in a ball mill. The grinding kinetics, surface morphology, lattice distortion, wettability and moisture capacity were analysed. Grinding kinetics equation was established based on population balances model with the size distribution data from a laser diffraction technique. The SEM photos of the ground concentrate showed that the surface gets rough with increasing grind time. Agglomeration of fine particles was enhanced when the grinding time reached 30 minutes. X-ray diffraction results showed that a loss in crystalline occurred with increasing the grinding time. The peaks of the X-ray diffraction patterns are significantly broadened with increasing grinding time. Wettability, characterised by contact angle between the material and water, improved due to the fact that the surface roughness increased with increasing grinding time. Moisture capacity of concentrate ascends abruptly in the first three minutes and then changed slowly with increasing grinding time. The water transfer coefficient in the particles increased rapidly in the first six minutes and then decreased quickly until grinding time reached 12 minutes.CITATION:Zhang, R, Lv, X, Bai, C, Xu, J and Zhang, S, 2013. Wet grinding of ?vanadium-titanium magnetite concentrate in a ball mill, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013 , pp 511-518 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 12, 2013

By Xuefeng She, Qingguo Xue, Jingsong Wang, Guang Wang

Iron nugget could be got at high temperature using carbon composite pellet, which were made by the mixture of ludwigite and reducing agent. In order to reduce sulfur content in the nugget, effects of additives on the desulfurization was investigated. The sulfur content could be dramatically reduced if the CaO was introduced into the pellet and the sulfur content was as low as 0.046wt.% when the addition amount of CaO was 5wt.%. However, the melting separation of pellet became increasingly difficult and the yield of iron decreased when CaO content in the pellet gradually increased. Na2CO3 could also reduce the sulfur content in the iron nugget and made the iron and slag separate difficultly as well. When 6wt.% Na2CO3 was added into the pellet, the pellet was too difficult to melt separation and the sulfur content in the nugget was 0.084wt.%, which didn’t meet the need of steel making.

Jan 1, 2015

By Roger Storry, Donald Bruce, Arnaud Hochart

"INTRODUCTIONThe Port of Miami Tunnel (POMT), designed and constructed by Bouygues Civil Works Florida between 2009 and 2014, was a Public Private Partnership between the Miami Access Tunnel Concessionaire, Florida Department of Transport, Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami. The project comprises dual 11.3m internal diameter, 1.27km long, twin lane road tunnels running between Watson and Dodge islands and under the main shipping channel in Biscayne Bay (Figure 1).The POMT was a unique project which embodied many technical firsts and involved the first large diameter tunnels constructed through Florida’s challenging sedimentary carbonate strata. At the outset, a comprehensive ground investigation was performed, using both conventional and less conventional investigation techniques, to characterise the highly heterogeneous ground conditions.The findings of the investigation had a major impact on the tunnelling methods, triggering a series of mitigation works to ensure that the tunnels could be excavated safely and effectively. The mitigations included modifications to the already designed Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), to facilitate an innovative excavation process, and a unique grouting campaign (Storry et. al. 2013a). The project was completed and opened to traffic in August, 2014 and has significantly alleviated traffic congestion in Downtown Miami.GEOLOGICAL CONTEXTThe geological conditions at the project site consist of carbonate sediments which can be divided into distinct geologic units; the Miami Limestone Formation (Layers S3, S4), the Fort Thompson Formation (Layer S5), the Anastasia Formation (Layer S6), the Key Largo Formation (Layer S7) and the Tamiami Formation (Layer S8). Multiple changes in sea level over a relatively short geologic time scale have resulted in a heterogeneous profile consisting of interbedded sedimentary rocks and sediments, which vary widely, both vertically and laterally (Figure 2)."

Jan 1, 2016

By G R. Ballantyne, M S. Powell

A comprehensive Australia-wide survey of comminution energy consumption at copper and gold mines was presented by the authors at the 11th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2012. The database has been extended to include major overseas mines and used to benchmark comminution energy consumption across the industry. The mines included in this study now represent 15 and 24 per cent of the total global gold and copper production respectively, and almost all Australian production. The comminution energy intensity per unit of saleable metal has been presented in a graphical form similar to a cost curve used in economics. The graphical method has been developed to assess the competitive advantage that can be achieved by reducing comminution energy intensity.This benchmarking tool has been applied to three published case studies to assess its applicability. The first case study indicated that a large reduction in size-specific energy (kWh/t -75 µm) was achievable by converting standard semi-autogenous and ball mill circuits to include high pressure grinding roll and stirred mills. The second case study investigated the metal-specific energy reduction historically achieved by Bougainville with the addition of a preconcentration screening plant. The final case study was conducted by Barrick Gold Corporation and involved incremental efficiency upgrades at three of its gold mines: Cortez, Cowal and Mara North. The application of the benchmarking tool to each of these case studies successfully demonstrated the scale and competitive advantage that was achieved by reducing energy intensity.CITATION:Ballantyne, G R and Powell, M S, 2014. Benchmarking comminution energy consumption for improved efficiency, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 95–100 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By McHenry Mosier

The Anson Bette manganese mine, with two prominent manganese-bearing outcrops in schist, has attracted considerable attention for its variety of manganese minerals and its possibilities as a potential source of manganese. Little mining was done prior to 1925, when the present owner acquired the property, and operations since that date have been intermittent. Mine workings are open cuts with a maximum depth of 35 feet. The two outcropping ore deposits are irregular, pipelike bodies about 500 feet apart. As nothing was known of the grade or extent of mineralization in depth, four holes totaling 1,072.5 feet of bore Were diamond-drilled by the Bureau of Mines in the summer of 1943, with the results shown in figures 3 to 6. In.1945 a geophysical survey was run to map the magnetic anomalies in the manganese-bearing belt as a means of determining the locations of manganese deposits. Positive correlation of magnetite and manganese ore was not obtained.

Jan 1, 1949

By Huimin Lu, Lian Zhou, Panpan Wang

"For the low concentration C02 exhaust gas from coal-fired power plant, steel plant emission trapping and recycle problem, a pressure swing adsorption process was studied, using a porous imidazolate framework materials (ZIFs) as adsorbent, separating carbon dioxide from fuel gas mixture. In the carbon dioxide reduction condition by electrochemical method, using ionic liquids as electrolyte, the oxygen and carbon products could be obtained, including carbon nanotube, nano carbon fiber and amorphous carbon. At last, a new C02 collection, recycling and reuse technology was formed.IntroductionDuring the combustion of fossil fuel in coal-fired power plant or steel plant, large amount of carbon dioxide has continuously emitted into the atmosphere. The phenomenon has resulted in the melt of arctic glacier and the frequent emergence of abnormal climate. How to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and protect human living environment has become a worldwide challenge. Recently, there are three routes to resolve this problem: The first one is to adjust the energy structure and develop new energy, such as solar, wind, hydrogen; the second one is to improve energy efficiency and avoid waste; the third one is to research capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide (CCS). But many researchers have come to realize that the recovery and utilization of carbon dioxide are more important than the sequestration of it. Because the captured carbon dioxide just buried under the earth maybe cause secondary pollution if carbon dioxide leak out from the adsorbent."

Jan 1, 2013

By Subagyo

The condition of slag in a pyrometallurgical reactor is vital to ensuring control of the process. A new technique based on multivariate image analysis (MIA) of digital images has been developed to provide an online measurement of important slag characteristics, such as the presence of exposed metal, the presence of solid phases, and temperature. This paper shall describe the technique and provide some results from analysis using industrial plant data.

Jan 1, 2003

By G.A Subagyo

The condition of slag in a pyrometallurgical reactor is vital to ensuring control of the process. A new technique based on multivariate image analysis (MIA) of digital images has been developed to provide an online measurement of important slag characteristics, such as the presence of exposed metal, the presence of solid phases, and temperature. This paper shall describe the technique and provide some results from analysis using industrial plant data.

Jan 1, 2003

By G. J. Allen

Kennecott Copper Corporation's Nevada Mines Division initiated a program to stabilize the inactive portions of the tailings disposal area and perimeter dikes in 1946. To date, approximately 1,000 acres have been stabilized with vegetation and ground cover.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. Letsaole, H. Mabowa, J. Sehat, J. Tshilongo, T. Rampfumedzi, N. Ntsasa, A. Mkhohlakal1

This study explores the use of co-collectors to enhance the recovery and determination of rhodium during fire assay with lead collection, followed by acid dissolution using conventional hot plate methods. Rhodium, a critical platinum group metal, poses analytical challenges due to its low natural abundance and complex chemistry. Among the co-collectors tested, palladium and tellurium demonstrated significantly improved rhodium recoveries, ranging between 100% and 120%, whereas silver resulted in poor recovery and higher error margins. These findings highlight that co-collectors can enhance the efficiency and sensitivity of platinum group metal analysis, although their effectiveness is dependent on the chemical interaction with the target element. Acid dissolution was essential to ensure complete digestion of prills prior to analysis, enabling accurate quantification of rhodium. Overall, the findings suggest that palladium and tellurium are effective co-collectors for rhodium determination in fire assay, while silver and lead flux alone are unsuitable. This work provides important insight into optimising fire assay procedures for reliable rhodium analysis, with potential benefits for platinum group metals recovery and economic evaluation.

Mar 6, 2026

By Patrick Cahill, Jacob Miller, Nolan Mundwiller, Catherine Johnson

"The Experimental Mine at the Missouri University of Science and Technology is undergoing major developments. The underground workings are being expanded to include a ramp down to a second level which will comprise of larger opening and room sizes to better simulate modern mine layouts. Thisexpansion will enable the Experimental Mine to be utilized for many more generations. In addition, the new 15,000 sq. ft. Kennedy Mine Building is being constructed and will house the mine office,classrooms, and three laboratories to accommodate the mining and explosives engineering programs’ ever-increasing enrollment. With these new developments come an increasing need for safety and awareness in regards to explosives and blasting. This paper will utilize the Institute of ExplosivesMakers Safety Analysis of Risk (IMESAFR) software tool, to assess current magazine compliance withthe increased personnel limits and mine building location. Furthermore, this paper will assess theimplementation of a wireless blast warning system consisting of warning beacons and a centrally located siren which will be integrated with the construction of the Kennedy Mine Building. This warning system will provide the necessary precautions to safely conduct blasting-related experiential learningopportunities and research projects, and will enable facility staff to more efficiently oversee blastingoperations at the Experimental Mine. "

Jan 1, 2017

By Yuanbo Zhang, Huanpeng Mi, Guanghui Li, Binjun Liang, Zhiwei Peng, Tao Jiang

Ludwigite ore has not yet been utilized on an industrial scale due to its complex mineralogy and fine mineral dissemination. In this study, sodium salts were employed to enhance the separation of iron and boron by reductive roasting-magnetic separation. It was found that the separation of iron and boron as well as the iron grade and recovery were significantly improved b y the addition of Na2SO4 or Na2CO3. Under the reduction temperature of 1050 °C, reduction time of 60 min and magnetic intensity of 0.1T. Compared with the inexistence of sodium salts, the iron grade and recovery of the magnetic concentrate increased from 83.3% and 88.6% to 93.2% and 95.1%, respectively, by adding 6% Na2CO3. The XRD and microstructure analyses indicated that the iron oxides were transformed into metallic iron and the average metallic iron grains were grown to over 40μm which was beneficial for separation of metallic iron from gangue.

Jan 1, 2016