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A spectrochemical procedure applicable to the determination of iron, manganese, and magnesium in titanium metal and to the determination of alloying constituents in three types of titanium alloys is presented. Acid solutions of samples and standards are excited with a spark-type discharge and porous-cup electrode arrangement. The method is particularly applicable for analyzing samples for which a self-electrode method cannot be used. Calibrations are accomplished with synthetic standard solutions, resulting in a primary method that makes calibrations based upon results of other analytical methods unnecessary. Replicate determinations are reproduced to within 5 percent, and the average percentage deviations from reliable chemical values are less than 6 percent. The method can be extended readily to determine additional elements that are similarly soluble and have similar spectral sensitivities. It also can be used as a starting point to establish standards for a direct sparking procedure for analyzing titanium alloys. In view of the absence of established reliable analytical methods in the titanium industry, the spectrochemical method described here should prove to be a timely contribution.

Jan 1, 1956

By A. Delgado-Jiménez, O. J. Restrepo-Baena, G. Aristazabal

"Mining industry as a source of raw material is essential to society however, it lacks of good reputation due to the type of management historically applied to many of its social and environmental impacts. It is argued that this situation has hampered the obtaining of social license to operate of a lot of mining projects around the world. The last considerations are very common in Latin American countries. As a result, the mining sector has understood that the viability of the business long term is associated with more profit for the shareholders but also with activities that improve the livelihoods of local communities, enhance the capabilities of local governments and preserve the ecosystems around the projects. Nevertheless, recent studios have shown that most of the current advances to incorporate sustainability concepts in mining have been mainly focused on control and the prevention of environmental and social impacts of extractive activities. Thus, contributing to the development of territories around mining projects constitutes a fundamental aspect of the business competitiveness through reducing cost and risks of stopping projects, innovating new ways of relationship with stakeholders, improving the level of reputation of the industry as well as its position in the market. However, this contribution requires formal strategies and models that enable companies understand the different resources in the territories where their mining activities are developed and those resource transformations, in order to establish the best way to articulate the project with the territory, pursuing an effective contribution to its development, truly sustainable over time even after the mine closure. CONTEXT Currently in the world but especially in developing countries such as Latin Americans, different stakeholders are increasingly vigilant of how mining companies carry out their activities in terms of socio-economic and environmental management of territories, not only for its impact on the livelihoods of the communities that inhabit them, but also because many demanders of raw materials -both countries and companies- have set sustainability standards as a prerequisite to establishing business relationships with mining companies, such as the recently declared Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 (UN, 2015). Accordingly, decide underinvest or not to invest in sustainability issues carries risks for mining companies. However, invest much in the wrong way may involve the same risks. Managers are concerned to ensure profits, and therefore they decide carefully how to invest in the areas of production, R & D or marketing. Likewise, they should think strategically about investing in initiatives related to sustainability. This if they really want that those investments in fact help to improve the competitiveness of the company. The mining industry benefits from natural capital that extracts, so it should implement strategies that lead to remunerate such benefit to the territories (Almaguer, 2007). One option is through the transformation of natural capital in other types of non-existent capital or poorly developed in their areas of influence. In this way, the value generated by the extraction of underground resources is shared and additionally contributing to improving the quality of life of the communities. Historically, mining industry has been into several problems to achieve this, which represents one of the aspects that has most influenced the current reputation of mining industry in some regions of Latin America. Many communities, local governments and civil society organizations continue to associate this activity with the destruction of the social fabric and ecosystems in the territories, and their opposition against companies working in the areas has led to affect the operational continuity of many projects (Hamann, 2003; Prno and Scott, 2012; Slack, 2012)."

Jan 1, 2017

By Teixeira

An experimental investigation on the kinetics of oxidation of As(III) with H202 in synthetic effluent solutions followed by precipitation of Fe/As (V) compounds was carried out. The variables investigated were: As concentration (200 -3000 mg/l) , oxidation pH (2.0 -11.0), oxidation temperature (25 -800C) , H202 stoichiometric excess (50% -100%), precipitation pH (5.0 -7.0), precipitation agent (Fe2+ -Fe3+). Fixed conditions were, Fe/As molar ratio (6:1) and stirring speed (560 rpm). The results were empirically modelled. The precipitates obtained were amorphous. The precipitates were checked upon their environmental stability according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.E.P.A.) Toxicity Test, and were considered to be adequate for deposition in impermeable waste dumps. The combined Fe/H202 detoxification process, in selected conditions, was able to reduce the As contents of effluents containing 1600 mg/l As to 0.1 mg/l, in about 2 1/2 hours of total processing time.

Jan 1, 1990

"Cash flow modelling during project evaluation is enhanced when probabilistic methods are applied to the inputs. One of the important inputs is the quarterly production profile. Typically, the steady-state production profile provided to project evaluation practitioners is deterministic, with each quarter the same as every other quarter. This is unrealistic as actual production profiles from existing mines exhibit a range or quarter-on-quarter variance. Monte Carlo stochastic simulation of the production profile can be used to provide a range of possible outcomes, but how are these ranges selected? This paper describes the use of quarterly production variance from a large database of mines worldwide as a benchmark to inform the appropriate selection of ranges. The coefficient of variation is used to rank the production from mines, with quartile analysis applied to indicate industry best, median and worst variation. Due diligence of existing mines and evaluation of future production performance can be quantitatively assessed using this approach. Examples of the effect on value are provided.CITATION:Stewart, C A, 2016. Production variance benchmarks and their use in project evaluation and due diligence, in Proceedings Project Evaluation 2016, pp 201–213 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 8, 2016

By R. C. Keaney

The metals industry is in complete chaos with mines being shut down, profits becoming non-existent, and continual losses to imports from other countries. Yet the raw material supplier to the glass industry has many opportunities to grow and to produce profits. Fortunately, the cost of most glass raw materials are low enough that competition from imports is not anywhere as critical as it is in the metal industries, such as copper, aluminum, lead, and others. But the glass raw material supplier must develop new products, both chemically and physically, to effectively compete in the future. The purpose of this paper is to point out generally where these opportunities exist and to suggest how they may be further developed. As the glass industry looks for energy saving materials, they look once again towards finer materials. A glass furnace is now approximately 40% efficient. Glass engineers are constantly striving for energy savings and it is well known that finer materials melt easier so that the manufacturer can operate his furnace either at lower temperatures for the same production or he can produce more material at the same temperature. The old 20 mesh sand specification is no longer sacred and as the mesh size for sand changes so do the specifications for all other raw materials used in the melting process. Highly instrumented glass furnaces can now measure quite accurately the energy needs to produce glass and can also measure the energy loss in each furnace. Glass technologists desire today a sand with a top size of 40 mesh while some would like to have the top at 60 mesh. This becomes more difficult to accomplish as a raw material supplier without .grinding. As you well know, grinding develops fines. Yet the same technologists will tell us that we can have nothing passing a 140 mesh screen. Therefore, we must develop processes which allows us to produce a finer screen size without increasing the amount of fines passing through the 140 mesh screen. To counteract this, different and changing industries are now demanding much finer products so possibly there will be markets for the fines which are currently separated out of the products. Methods that are practical and low cost must be found to develop different products with different screen specifications. What works for sand can be carried over to the other raw materials used in melting. Among the answers to finer products, of course, are pellets. Aglomeration or pelletizing has been looked at in the past and will be looked at in the future. Considerable work has been done in the glass container industry on this and must be carried out more extensively. By using aglomerated material or pellets, the glass producer will gain the benefits of melting fine materials without suffering from handling or dust problems. Pelletizing, particularly where using basic glass melting materials such as burned lime or sodium silicate, will not only produce a good pellets but will add desirable minerals to the glass batch.

Jan 1, 1986

By Paul Culvenor, Brad Gyngell

Large language models (LLMs) have generated a lot of hype since ChatGPT was released in early 2023. In essence, they allow people to interact with computer systems through natural language and have the ability to generate highly complex text, images and videos (Patil and Gudivada, 2024). It is clear that this technology has significant potential, however most mining companies have not yet found practical applications for it within their operations. In this paper, we present a range of such applications along with the tactical considerations associated with developing and implementing them. We have identified use cases across a variety of operational and functional areas within the mining industry and evaluated them based on their potential business value and ease of implementation. Firstly, we provide an overview of how LLMs work and a review of how LLMs are being applied in other industries to provide best practice inspiration for mining. Next, we present a list of possible applications in mining and a critical assessment of each use case. This section also includes a technical deep dive into the different methodologies for developing the technologies as well as an analysis of barriers to adoption within mining organizations. Finally, we share a discussion of the potential path forward for LLMs in mining and the impact they could have on the industry. We analyze the potential differences between early adopters and laggards in the artificial intelligence (AI) space. This research draws on interviews and surveys with artificial intelligence experts as well as mining subject matter experts to connect cutting edge thought leadership with the specific problems faced by our industry.

Feb 1, 2025

By S. Steinlechner, G. Schneeberger, J. Antrekowitsch

The recycling of steel mill dusts is getting more and more important. The costs and requirements of land filling are rising and companies are interested in new recycling strategies. The rising of sustaina¬bility hand in hand with the high rate of valuable metals in these residues supports new research activities on the recycling sector. Especially zinc but also iron and lead are economical factors due to the treatment of steel mill dusts. This paper gives a small overview of fundamental studies concerning the chemical and physical composition of these dusts. Furthermore aggregates for the reduction of these dusts in the liquid phase are introduced and compared. The Flash-Reactor, the TBRC-Technology (Top Blown Rotary Converter) and submerged arc furnaces and there use for melting and treatment of these dusts are in the center of interest of this paper. The final conclusion gives an overview of possibilities for reduction of filter dusts in the liquid phase.

Jan 1, 2011

The Aluminum Company of America announced a temporary reduction of the operating rate at its primary aluminum plant at Palestine, TX where it is developing a new process to produce aluminum metal by electrolysis of aluminum chloride, Output will be reduced by half to about 7,500 tons per year while some improvements are being made on the chemical segment of the plant. The modifications were expected to take 3 to 4 years to complete. Alcan Alumininum Ltd., a major U.S. supplier of aluminum, reported declaration of force majeure on aluminum ingot shipment commitments following the shutdown of its primary aluminum plants at Arvida, Isle Maligne, and Beauharnois, Que. The shutdowns, which began early in June, resulted from management and labor differences.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. M. Kleine

In the fall of 1968, Sheridan Geophysics leased the Renzy Mine property 50 miles northwest of the town of Maniwaki, Quebec. A 500-tpd flotation mill was dismantled at Belleterre, Quebec, trucked into the mine over a winter road and re-erected during extreme winter conditions. Approximately one billion gallons of water were removed from Renzy lake to expose the orebody. A 3,000-hp diesel generating plant and a self-supporting community were set up during the early part of 1969. This was a remark-able achievement considering that most of the work, including the pouring of foundations and the draining of the lake, had to be done during the winter months. Despite this, the project was completed ahead of schedule and one million dollars below budget. The mill is now treating an average of 800 tpd.

Jan 1, 1970

By A. S. Usrnani

Due to both turbulence and the highly variable geometry of castings, a realistic numerical simulation of the metal flow is prohibitvely expensive with current technology. However, when the chief purpose is to achieve realistic thermal fields a precise How simulation is not necessarily required. In this paper we assume a laminar flow regime and obtain the flow field by solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations using a velocity-pressure segregated semi-implicit finite element method. The free metal surface is predicted by advecting a pseudo-concentration function via the computed How field. This involves an explicit finite element solution of a pure advection equation. The thermal field is calculated by solving the convective-diffusive energy equation by an explicit finite element method using the computed flow field and the location of the free surface. All the advection terms are discretized using a Taylor-Galerkin method. The interface between the metal and mould is modelled using special interface elements. The model is demonstrated by solving practical example problems. The results show that a sharp thermal front is maintained during the course of filling without excessive diffusion. The heat diffusion in the mould can be controlled by varying the metal mould heat transfer coefficient.

Jan 1, 1994

By James K. Richardson

STATISTICAL evidence shows that continued efforts made by Government and industry to make mining safer during the last two decades have had most favorable results. In the copper-mining industry an accident frequency of 146 per million man-hours worked in 1925 dropped 71 per cent by 1945 to 43. This downward trend was relatively consistent except for a high period in 1937 which was probably due to a resumption of large-scale operation with many untrained miners. The iron-mining industry showed a similar trend, but at the relatively lower accident frequency of 66, which dropped to 24 in 1945. The close relationship between the steel and iron-mining industries may be one reason for the lower accident frequencies, because the steel industry is noted for its greater recognition of the fact that safe working conditions are an important part of labor-management relations.

Jan 1, 1948

By E. Chiyangwa, L. Schoeman

The commercially successful electrowinning and refining of metals typically requires the optimization of the electrolyte composition and operating parameters to produce high quality compact electroplated metal. The prediction of the effect of the electrolyte composition on the structure and morphology of the plated metal remains a challenge. Initial work on the use of polarization measurements to predict and control plating behaviour in electrowinning plants involved potentiodynamic polarization but proved unsatisfactory as accurate and repeatable predictions could not be achieved. The aim of the present work was to develop a reliable galvanodynamic technique specifically applicable to the plating of zinc from sulfate electrolytes with which plant operation may be controlled and optimized. Initial results indicated that plating and nucleation potentials could be measured accurately and repeatably and that the relationship between the two could be used as a predictive tool for the effect of electrolyte composition on the quality of zinc electrodeposits.

Jan 1, 2014

By Thomas J. Fisher, John J. Sammarco, Gary L. Mowrey, Edward F. Fries

This report (Safety File 3.0) is the fourth in a nine-part series of recommendations addressing the functional safety of processor-controlled mining equipment. It is part of a risk-based system safety process encompassing hardware, software, humans, and the operating environment for the equipment’s life cycle. Figure 1 shows a safety framework containing these recommendations. The reports in this series address the various life cycle stages of inception, design, approval and certification, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning. These recommendations were developed as a joint project between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. They are intended for use by mining companies, original equipment manufacturers, and aftermarket suppliers to these mining companies. Users of these reports are expected to consider the set in total during the design cycle. • 1.0 Safety Introduction.—This is an introductory report for the general mining industry. It provides basic system/software safety concepts, discusses the need for mining to address the functional safety of programmable electronics (PE), and includes the benefits of implementing a system/software safety program. • 2.1 System Safety and 2.2 Software Safety.—These reports draw heavily from International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard IEC 61508 [IEC 1998a,b,c,d,e,f,g] and other standards. The scope is “surface and underground safety-related mining systems employing embedded, networked, and nonnetworked programmable electronics.” System safety seeks to design safety into all phases of the entire system. Software is a subsystem; thus, software safety is a part of the system’s safety. • 3.0 Safety File.—This report contains the documentation that demonstrates the level of safety built into the system and identifies limitations for the system’s use and operation. In essence, it is a “proof of safety” that the system and its operation meet the appropriate level of safety for the intended application. It starts from the beginning of the design, is maintained during the full lifecycle of the system, and provides administrative support for the safety program of the full system. • 4.0 Safety Assessment.—The independent assessment of the safety file is addressed. It establishes consistent methods to determine the completeness and suitability of safety evidence and justifications. This assessment could be conducted by an independent third party. • 5.0 Safety Framework Guidance.—It is intended to supplement the safety framework reports with guidance providing users with additional information. The purpose is to assist users in applying the concepts presented. In other words, the safety framework is what needs to be done and the guidance is the how it can be done. The guidance information reinforces the concepts, describes various methodologies that can be used, and gives examples and references. It also gives information on the benefits and drawbacks of various methodologies. The guidance reports are not intended to promote a single methodology or to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject material. They provide information and references so that the user can more intelligently choose and implement the appropriate methodologies given the user’s application and capabilities. [ ]

Jan 5, 2002

By E. J. Murphy

The Bureau of Mines developed a fast, reliable modification of the Griess-Ilosvay procedure suitable for field analysis for NO2 in the fumes from explosives. Known concentrations of NO2-air mixtures were analyzed for the nitrous acid or nitrite formed in the reaction with three Griess-Ilosvay-type reagents by diazotizing and coupling. Comparison was made of the Rider-Mellon, Saltzman, and Patty-Petty procedures; the three procedures are in agreement if sufficient time of contact between NO2 and the reagents is allowed. In experiments to obtain an accurate factor for converting NO2 to nitrite, overnight contact was allowed in order to be sure conversion was complete. The factor was found to be 75 percent with a standard deviation of ±3.2. Low and erratic results were found using either the Saltzman or Patty-Petty reagents as absorbing liquids unless several hours' contact was allowed. If dilute NaOH solution was used as the absorbing liquid instead of a Griess-Ilosvay-type reagent, 92 percent of the overnight conversion factor was found after a 3-minute shaking time and a la-minute standby time. The Saltzman reagent was preferable for fieldwork with the dilute NaOH solution as the absorbent because of its easy application, rapid reaction, and intense color even at low NOB concentrations.

Jan 1, 1967

By Eugene McAuliffe

THE heavy shrinkage in the production of bituminous coal has reflected adversely in the matter of tonnage produced by stripping arid mechanical loading machinery. The purchase of stripping and underground loading equipment has likewise been circumscribed. How- .ever a growing percentage of bituminous coal is being loaded by stripping and mechanical loading machinery. This situation is due to the fact that numerous strip pits were able to operate in Illinois and Indiana when under- cover mines were subjected to labor interference, a further advantage gained by their ability to produce and market coal at a price below that of the undercover mines. The mines equipped with mechanical loading. apparatus have enjoyed more continued operation for the double reason that the companies using coal-loading machinery are, generally speaking, more substantial and in better financial condition than many of the smaller properties who maintain hand-loading methods, and the market advantage due to lower production costs also reflects to the advantage of the undercover mines using mechanical loading equipment. Where a number of mines are con- trolled by one company, those not equipped with loading machinery and suffering from higher producing costs have often been closed, with the available tonnage concentrated in the more modernly equipped mines.

Jan 1, 1933

By Charles E. Munroe

At the outset of the war the uncontrolled production and possession of explosives obviously became a serious menace to the safety of persons and property and the successful conduct of military opera- tions. Even in the years immediately preceding the entrance of the United States into the Great War explosives were employed in attempts to wreck munitions plants as at Eddystone, Pa., or to inter- rupt transportation and conveyance by demolition of munition-laden cars as at Black Tom Island, N. Y., or by attacks on ships, bridges, and viaducts. Outrages with explosives, such as that which Holt inflicted on the Senate reception room, United States Capitol, were not infrequent, and often caused serious loss of life and injury to persons as well as destruction of property. The regular manufacturers of explosives were keenly alive to this menace and early took such steps as lay within their power to meet it as is shown by the following letter:

Jan 1, 1921

By J. Diao

In order to understand the flotation kinetic behavior of coal and associated mineral matter, a detailed investigation was conducted in a 2-liter Denver flotation cell using three high sulfur coals at three feed sizes, minus 28. 100 and 200 mesh. Subsequently. the flotation products were sieved into different size fractions and analyzed for their ash and pyritic sulfur content in order to delineate the effect of particle size on the rate at which each constituent floats. The results were tested with several different flotation kinetic models and the best model for coal was then chosen. The flotation rate constant and the ultimate recovery calculated from a kinetic model were used to delineate the effect of particle size, collector (dodecane) and frother (MIBC) dosages on the flotation kinetics of coal, ash and pyrite.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. F. Adams, V. G. Papangelakis

Chemical modelling is becoming increasingly useful in the development, analysis, design, and control of hydrometallurgical processes. The paper presents the development of reliable databases for chemical modelling of selected hydrometallurgical systems using state-of-the-art software, such as OLI. The modelling strategies are also demonstrated. The high pressure acid leaching (HP AL) of laterites, oxygen solubility in the oxidative leaching process of zinc sulfide, gypsum solubility and lead chemistry in mixed sulfate-chloride solutions are presented as case studies. This on-going work attempts to bridge the gap between theoretical research and industry needs. Computational Analysis in Hydrometallurgy 35th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting held in conjunction with the 44th Annual Conference of Metallurgists ofCIM Calgary, Alberta, Canada Edited by

Jan 1, 2005

By James O'Brien, Lyman Frost, S. Elangovan, J. Stephen Herring, Joseph Hartvigsen, Carl Stoots, Anthony Nickens

"Carbon dioxide recovered from concentrated sources, such as metallurgical reduction furnaces, cement kilns and fossil power plants can provide a valuable feedstock for a synthetic fuels industry based on energy from nuclear, solar, wind and hydropower sources. High temperature co-electrolysis of CO2 and steam to produce synthesis gas has been demonstrated using reversible solid oxide fuel cell technology. Where a source of high temperature process heat is available, such as from an advanced high temperature nuclear reactor or solar dish concentrator, the endothermic electrolysis reactions can utilize both thermal and electrical inputs in such a way that the conversion efficiency within the cell is 100%. Synthesis gas produced in a coelectrolysis cell has been further reacted over a catalyst to produce conventional hydrocarbon fuels. Widespread implementation of synfuel production from CO2 will enable a much larger reliance on intermittent renewable energy than can be accommodated by conventional electric demand profiles.IntroductionFor the past several years, Ceramatec, Inc and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), have been studying the feasibility of high temperature solid oxide electrolysis for large-scale, nuclearpowered hydrogen production under the U.S. DOE’s nuclear hydrogen initiative (NHI) as an alternative to the thermochemical process. Parallel to this effort, the INL and Ceramatec have been researching high temperature co-electrolysis of mixtures of steam and CO2 to produce syngas:"

Jan 1, 2008

By Franz Xaver Spachtholz

K+S Potash Canada GP (KSPC) is part of the K+S Group, one of the world's leading suppliers of standard and speciality fertilizers and the world?s leading salt producer. Globally, the K+S Group employs more than 14,000 people. The K+S share ? the only commodities stock on the German DAX index ? is listed on all German stock exchanges. Legacy, K+S Group?s most recent project, is a greenfield solution potash mine and production plant in the south of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Therefore K+S will invest 4.1 billion CAD. With the expected commissioning in summer 2016 the company projects to reach the two-million-tonnesmark of production capacity at the new location at the end of 2017. The gradual extension of the annual capacity to 2.86 million tonnes of potash products will occur afterwards. The Legacy Project will be Saskatchewan?s first new potash mine in nearly 40 years. It is one of the world?s most economically attractive potash projects. The project will contribute to Saskatchewan?s growth through employment, tax revenues, utilities, and local partnerships. Located in the southern part of Saskatchewan?s potash belt, the deposit is too deep to be mined conventionally due to rock mechanics and high temperatures. Legacy will therefore be a solution mine. Proximity to the urban centers of Regina and Moose Jaw is imperative, with their workforces and economy, as well as access to highways, railway carriers and, most importantly in the prairies, water. With this unique project setting and mining technique, we are convinced that Legacy will be one of the most efficient, economic, sustainable and safe potash facilities in the world.

Aug 1, 2013