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By P Elliott, D Pershke

In a minerals processing context, sustainability is about using natural resources more efficiently to achieve maximum economic benefits with minimal environmental impacts. It embodies five overarching themes, which the paper will illustrate with practical examples from Australian minerals processing plants. These are:resource utilisation and materials efficiency,process waste reduction and enhancement of co-product values,reduction of water use and impacts,reduction of energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions, andenhanced control of minor elements and toxic materials. Sustainability could be embedded profitably in minerals plant design in three dimensions: 1.technology,2.design, and3.operations. This presentation discusses a set of principles that could be applied to minerals processing technologies and provides an outline of sustainability assessment and opportunities evaluation tools. The application of the tools is illustrated through a case study by analysing a suite of nickel processing technology routes. The analysis reveals that current generation of nickel processing technologies do possess real potential to emerge as sustainability champions in integrated processing of nickel ores and concentrates, if they are designed, engineered, and operated for sustainability and adapted effectively to site specific constraints and opportunities. The paper will address data gaps and uncertainties regarding the impact of scaling up of pilot-plant performance, and provides strategies to overcome them.

Jan 1, 2006

By G. E. Wood

THE INSTABILITY of copper prices and their low levels since late 1974 are of great concern to both producers and, to a lesser degree, consumers of copper. The price levels portrayed by the "neutral long-term" price trend are assumed to have been enough to encourage sufficient investment to provide adequate world production capacity and yet not so high as to encourage development of excessive over capacity. The identification of the present level of this trend has taken on special importance for governments and for corporations active in the world copper industry. One approach to the possible determination of such a price is through the use of moving averages. In this way, the effects of relatively short-term price movements can be dampened, as can those related to business cycles. From such averaged price data, long-term trends can be sought over a selected time period. The choice of the past time period for which a price trend is sought may have a major effect on the result'. For example, in the period 1885-1973, the long-term price trend for copper in constant dollars showed a decline, whereas in the period 1919-1973 it was rising. For the purposes of discussion, an appropriate choice of period might be a relatively short and recent one so that the majority of the present cost factors would be present throughout. It should also be long enough to cover a number of full business cycles.

Jan 1, 1977

By F. T. Selleck, H. H. Reamer, B. H. Sage

An experimental investigation was made of the effect of temperature upon the three-phase pressure associated with the propane-water and propene-water systems when hydrates were present. In addition, the characteristics of the propane-propene-water system were established over a limited range of ternperatureo under conditions such that hydrate was formed. The hydrate phase for this system may he a solid solution and the distribution of propane and propene in it is similar to that found in the coexisting hvdrocarhon liquid phase. INTRODUCTION A knowledge of the characteristics of hydrates of the hydrocarborrs encountered in industrial practice is of importance in connection with the design of process equipment. Villardl.1,2 carried out early studies of hydrates, and de Forcrand1 con-sidered the more probable compositions of the hydrates of hydrocarbons. Hammerschnid1 presented information about the propane-water and the isobutane-water systems. Scheffer5 studied the hydrate of hydrogen sulfide in detail, and de For-crand reported on the hydrates of krypton, argon, and xenon.1 Roberts and co-workers1,2 determined the nature of the hydrates formed in the methane-water and ethane-water systems. Carson and Katz10 studied the methane-propane-water, methane-pentane-water, and the methane-hexane-water systems in the four-phase region. The results of this rather extensive investigation indicated that the paraffinic hydrates formed solid solutions. The experimental evidence now available does not Support the existence of hydrates of the pentanes-antl-heavier hydrocarhons but it cannot be stated with certainty that such hydrates are not formed. Stackelherg. 11,12,13 made extensive studies of the crystal structure of paraffinic hydrate; by means of x-ray techniques and found that hydrates poses; a definite structure and composition. The existence of such a Structure does not preclude the firmation of Solid solutions of hydrates in aqueous systems containing two or more hydro-carbon~. Wilcox, Carson and Katz" reviewrd the information on the hydrates of importance in the processing of natural gas and presented data concerning their formation from natural gas. Kobayashi and Katz1' made studies at high pressure of the Hydrate of methane. and Unruh and Katz"' investigated hy-drates in mixtures of carbon rlioxide and methane. Frost and Deaton contributed to the knowledge of the composition of the paraffinic hydrates The irregularities in the experimental results were several times the expected uncertainties. This experience confirms the behavior encountered by other investigators indicating that hydrates tend to occlude water during their formation, thus rendering difficult the direct measoremeut of their composition. Miller and Strong2 investigated a number. of paraffinic hydrates from the standpoint of their possible application to (, the industrial storage of gas. Powel1 studied the effect of solutes upon the decomposition temperature of paraffin hydrates. Marked lowering of the decomposition temperature at a given pressure may he obtained by the use of such additive agents as ethylene glycol, urea. and sodium chloride. APPARATUS AND METHODS Two method* were here employed to study the behavior of hydrates. The first involved a glass capillary within which the hydrocarbons and water were confined over mercury. The second made use of a double-ended weighing bomb technique." The glass capillary equipment has been described elsewhere.'" A schematic drawing of it is presented in Fig. 1, where the arrangement of the agitator and mercury reservoir is shown in some detail. The lower part of the glass capillary, D, was enlarged to afford space within which the fluids used in the investigation could he stored at low pressures after their introduction through the valve. G. The temperature of the capillary was controlled by the circulation of a hydrocarbon oil of low viscosity from the agitated bath, B, through the vacuum jacketed column. C. The pump, A, was employed for the circulation of this oil. A relatively clear view of the capillary tube, D, was obtained through the vacuum jacket. Mercury was introduced into the lower part of the vessel, E, from

Jan 1, 1952

By an Slo, J. J. Forbes

"INTRODUCTION This is the first of a series of information circulars dealing with the control of roof and the prevention of accidents from falls of rock and coal. These circulars are being published to focus attention of the coal-mining industry on this most prevalent source of fatalities and injuries and to present factual information that should be helpful in reducing loss from these causes.Records of fatal accidents in the coal mines of the United States, from all causes, have been kept since 1906; during this period approximately 30,000 men have been killed by falls of rock and coal in the bituminous-coal mines, and more than 7,000 men have lost their lives in the Pennsylvania anthracite mines from the same causes. From 1906 to 1930, about 900 men were killed annually by falls of rock and coal in bituminous-coal mines, and about 200 men were killed annually in anthracite mines during the same 25-year period. From 1931 to the present time, the number killed annually from falls of rock and coal has averaged more than 500 men in bituminous-coal mines and about 125 men in Pennsylvania anthracite mines.Numerically the record of accidents from falls of rock and coal shows improvement, but on a percentage basis and on a million-man-hours-of-exposure basis little, if any, improvement has been made during the past 40 years. The cold fact is that, year after year, about 50 percent of all those killed in coal mines in the United States lose their lives from falls of rock and coal."

Apr 1, 1948

By Fidelis T. Suorineni

The conditions for rockburst occurrence are traditionally identified as: high stress, high extraction ratio, strong brittle rocks, folding, faulting, and unfavourable excavation geometry. Based on a critical review of case histories, this paper identifies oblique loading of orebodies by the major far field principal stress as a cause of rockbursts. Orebodies subjected to this loading condition are termed orebodies in shear. Orebodies in shear are subjected to compressive and shear loads. The case histories presented unambiguously show that the magnitudes of the far field principal stress alone, and a knowledge of the conventional rockburst causing factors are not sufficient for mine planning and design. The orientation of the major far field principal stress, or for that matter the driving stress relative to the orebody axis, should be recognised as one of the causes of rockbursts. It is suggested that since stress orientation is an important factor, and orientations from stress measurements are so variable, orientations from stress measurement data be complemented with underground observations from borehole and excavation breakouts to determine the actual in situ stress orientation, whenever possible. Also stress modelling for the design of critical elements (pillars) should include a sensitivity analysis on the relative critical field stress direction. The paper emphasises that special attention should be paid to or

Jun 1, 2012

By H. E. Harris

It has long been recognized that one of the principal ways of combating dust in coal mines is by means of water sprays. However, spray systems, currently in use, clog or plug frequently, thereby reducing the effectiveness of dust control aid, in turn, possibly increasing the health hazard to mining personnel. Moreover, the maintenance and replacement of spray system components, e.g., nozzles and filters, can be expensive in terms of direct costs of labor and material, and the consequent loss of production. Recognizing these problems, the Bureau of Mines sponsored a research project on the "Development of a Non-Clogging Water Spray System"; this project was carried out by Eastern Associated Coal Corp. The overall objective of this project was to develop a non-clogging water spray system suitable for use in underground coal mines. Since most of the dust formed is at or near the working coal face, emphasis was placed on face equipment such as a continuous mining machine. To accomplish this objective, a two-phase project was carried out. The first phase involved determining the causes of spray nozzle and spray system clogging, determining the availability of spray nozzles or systems that could be modified to be non-clogging, and developing a non-clogging water spray system. Phase two was concerned with the fabrication and the laboratory and field testing of a non-clogging system. In each phase, there were both laboratory and field investigations, and the results of these investigations are presented in this report.

Jan 1, 1975

By O. Hoover, M. Herman, V. V. Damiano

The Jetter and borie' teclznique of determining textures using a spherical specimen has been applied to tlze study of compression-rolled beryllium sheet. Snzall spheres the order of 1 mm in diam cut from the beryllium sheet were autotnatically rotated about tz41o axes using the G.E. single-crystal goniometer. Quantitative pole figures were obtained without tke need to apply absorption corrections. Compression-rolled beryllium exhibited peak intensities ,for (0002) planes of positions tilted 10 deg to the rolling plane and a near random distribution of (1010) planes about the nornal to the rolling plane. TECHNIQUES for determining textures of rolled sheet material are amply described in the literature. The techniques are found to be variations of two basic methods. One due to Decker, Asp, and arker, referred to as the transmission method, utilizes a thin-sheet specimen in which the X-ray beam enters the specimen from one side and the intensity of the beam which emerges from the opposite side is measured. The second method due to chulz,3 referred to as the reflection method, utilizes a thick specimen and the intensity of the beam emerging from the same side is measured. The two rotations of the specimen in the beam are designated a and 8. In order to completely determine the texture of sheet material, it is generally necessary to use a combination of the two methods. The calculations involved in correcting the raw X-ray data for absorption effects and the combining of the data obtained by the two methods are very laborious and time consuming. To avoid the intensity corrections which arise as a result of the changing diffraction volume and path length within the sample other methods have been proposed. The Norton method utilizes a cylindrically shaped specimen cut from the sheet material. Since the rods have rotational symmetry, the absorption correction is constant for rotations about the sheet texture. Jetter and Borie' employed a spherical specimen to analyze the fiber texture of extruded aluminum rods. The spheres were rotated rapidly about the fiber axis to include a large number of grains in the X-ray beam and changes in intensity with respect to tilts of the fiber axis were measured. The absorption correction was constant for all angles and was neglected. The Jetter and Borie' technique finds excellent ap- plication to very fine-grained low-absorbing metals in which the entire sphere volume can contribute to the diffraction volume. In the case of low-absorbing metals, however, serious limitations on specimen thickness occur as demonstrated by Braggs due to de-focussing effects. Peak shifts may occur which negate the assumption that integrated intensities are proportional to peak intensities. These limitations in sphere size to the order of 0.5 to 1 mm for beryllium require that the grain size be sufficiently small to include a large enough statistical sample. The present paper describes the application of spherical specimens less than 1 mm in diam to the quantitative determination of pole figures for compression-rolled beryllium sheet having a grain size the order of 10 p. EXPERIMENTAL 1) Specimen Preparation. Two techniques for spark-machining beryllium spheres were tried. One involved the use of a hollow cylinder as a cutting tool. The tool was fed into the rotating cylindrical specimen as shown in Fig. l(a). The hollow cylinder was carefully aligned such that the axis of the cylinder and the axis of the specimen lay in the same plane and were 90 deg to each other. As the hollow cylinder was fed into the rotating cylindrical specimen, a spherical shape was formed as shown in Fig. 1. Alignment was very critical. Slight misalignment resulted in the formation of a barrel-shaped specimen instead of a sphere. A second technique involved the use of a cutting wheel shaped as shown in Fig. 2 with a groove of the desired radius. A section of the sheet specimen was first turned into a cylinder on the left part of the cutting wheel. It was then shifted to the right and a spherical specimen was turned as shown in Fig. 2. The axis of the cylinder lay in the plane of the sheet. Flats corresponding to the rolling plane of the sheet were used to grip the specimen during the machining operation and these served to identify the rolling plane of the sphere. 2) Rotation of Spec=. The spherical specimen is shown mounted on the G.E. single-crystal goniometer in Fig. 3. The knob A of the goniometer shown in Fig. 3 rotates the specimen about the pedestal axis. These angles have been designated as @ angles. The knob B rotates the specimen about an axis perpendicular to the pedestal axis. These angles have been designated as p angles. A device was made to automatically drive the single-crystal goniometer by means of two flexible shafts connected to the A and B knobs as shown in Fig. 3. The motor system was designed to rotate the knob A, thus rotating the specimen through angles of $I while the B knob remained stationary. After one complete

Jan 1, 1967

By A. F. Henderson, C. F. Cornell, A. F. Dunyon, D. A. Dahlstrom

IN processing magnetic taconites several steps of crushing, grinding, classification, and magnetic separation are required to produce a 60' pct Fe concentrate. Usually the final concentrate is in a slurry form of 55 to 70 pct solids by weight and is further characterized by a particle size of 60+ pct —325 mesh. In taconite plants already completed or under construction the conventional method used to obtain pellets suitable for blast furnaces is to filter the concentrate slurry, ball the filter cake, and then harden the green pellets in a traveling grate or in a vertical shaft furnace. Large tonnages must be handled in minimum floor space, with reduced maintenance and lowest possible operating cost. Filtration must therefore achieve two objectives: I) high filtration rate—in terms of pounds of dry solids per hour per square foot of filtration area—at a low filtrate solids concentration, and 2) a filter cake moisture that will always permit efficient balling within the normal fluctuations of ' plant operating conditions. If moisture contents are too high, balling may be impossible or result in a mushy ball .without enough green strength for the firing operation. Development work has met these objectives. At low investment and operating costs, filtration rates of 250 to 600 dry lb per hr per ft2 have been attained for concentrates of 60' pct —325 mesh. By combining the disk-type continuous filter with proper agitation, the Agidisc filter produces a homogeneous filter cake, easily discharged from the disk sectors. This application provides the lowest initial cost per square foot of filtration area, minimizes floor space, reduces down time for changing filter media to a negligible factor, and simplifies process control and maintenance for the operator. It is now possible to predict very closely the taconite concentrate filtration rates for a wide variety of conditions—either by experience or with a few simple leaf tests. When balling and pelletizing operations began on a continuous basis, it became apparent that moisture content of the filter cake was a critical factor and must always be controlled by the filter operator below some maximum allowable value. Accordingly the Reserve Mining Co. and the Eimco Corp. joined in a study of the many variables affecting filter cake moisture content. The study was conducted at the Reserve Mining Co. taconite plant at Babbitt, Minn. To process plant tonnage the Babbitt plant utilizes a 6-ft diam Agidisc filter with six disks and an 8-ft diam drum filter with 10-ft face. However, most of the plant filter investigations were made on the Agidisc because of its superior performance. A considerable amount of small-scale test work was first carried out to study more closely the individual variables and ascertain their effect on filter cake moisture content. A general correlation method was then developed which allowed reasonable prediction of moisture content at any operating conditions. This step was made necessary by the fact that in full-scale filtering, operating variables usually interact to produce a combined rather than a singular effect. Studies were then made on the full-scale filters to prove the validity of the correlations developed, and past operating records were examined to ascertain whether or not significant variations could be traced to any single factor or to a combination of factors.

Jan 1, 1958

By G. H. Alani, H. T. Kennedy

One of the major difficulties in predicting the performance of oil reservoirs from their early pressure history lies in the uncertainty of estimating the volume of the liquid hydrocarbons contained in them. As a first step in filling this need, an equation was developed to determine the Inolal liquid volume of pure hydrocarbons over a wide range of temperature and pressure. The second step consisted of adapting the equation to apply to mixtures, with the heary hydrocarbons expressed as c The equatious are similar in form to van der Waals equation. hut the constants a and b tire considered as furnctions of temperature. In addition to the gas constant R, there are four constants characteristic of each hydro- When comptired with experimental values jound in the literal the. the average absolute deviation in the calculated molal volumes is found to be a Maximum of 0.33 per -cem for any of the pure liquid hydrocarbons studied. This maximum deviation was that found when comparing the calculated and observed values over a temperature range of 86° to 482°F and a pressure range from the bubbl-point ro 10,000 psis. The equations expressing the correlation for. mixrurrc were developed from 647 experimental measure-rilents of volume on 47 bouom-hole samples covering ; temperature range of 72" to 250°F and a pressure znge from bubble-point ro 5,000 psig. The average absotute deviation was found to he 1.6 per cent with the maximum for any measurement of 4.9 per cent. INTRODUCTION Accuratc information of the pressure-volume-temper-iiture behavior of hydrocarbon liquids is of considerable importance in the field of both applied and theoretical science and, especially, in the solution of petroleum reservoir engineering problems. These PVT relationships can be expressed graphically, in tabular form or as equations of state. Equations of state for gases have been developed based on the ratio of pressure, temperature and volume to the pressure, temperature and volume at the critical points of the hydrocarbons. These equations have been successful in yielding values fairly accurate for reservoir engineering purposes. For liquids, however, relations of this type are more complex and have not yielded useful results. The composition of reservoir liquids is normally expressed in terms of the moles of hydrocarbons C,? C,. C,. elc, per mole of mixture. The composition must include the fraction of a mixture such as C,,, which cannot be separated with reasonable time and effort into specific hydrocarbons. Although there are several equations of state having variable degrees of accuracy applicable to pure liquid hydrocarbons, none includes a means for estimating the volume of mixtures as a function of temperature. pressure and composition expressed in this manner.

By John W. Vanderwilt

THE fluorescence of scheelite has been an important aid in recent years in the discovery and development of scheelite deposits. The use of fluorescence of synthetic compounds in industry, particularly in advertising, also has expanded greatly during the past decade. As a result, a number of new and convenient units for producing ultraviolet energy have become available, which have led to a greater application of fluorescence in the study of minerals. Studies have shown that the fluorescent color of a mineral may vary: (I) with the kind and quantity of trace elements, and (2) with the particular wave length of ultraviolet energy used. The wave length is dependent first on the type of generating equipment used, and finally on the filter employed to remove the visible light that may be present. A number of so-called ultraviolet lamps are listed and described, together with suitable filters known to be available. Scheelite fluoresces brilliantly with wave lengths of 2200 to about 3000Å., but not with longer wave lengths. The most convenient and efficient sources of ultraviolet for scheelite fluorescence- are portable and laboratory units designed particularly for use with scheelite. So-called ultraviolet light globes of the photo-flood type emit wave lengths too long to cause scheelite to fluoresce. Attention is called to the minerals that fluoresce in a manner similar to scheelite, which necessitates a check test by means of characteristic physical properties. Chemical tests are the final authority both for identity and content of tungsten in scheelite ore.

Jan 1, 1946

By Nick Barton, Harald Hansteen

The deformations resulting from excavation of very large openings are compared using two-dimensional F.E. continuum analyses and discontinuous physical models (20,000 discrete blocks). Both the joint orientations and the model horizontal stress levels were varied. Some models were dynamically loaded to simulate earthquakes (0.2-0.7 g). Model deformations were recorded using photogrammetry. The changes in deformation when increasing the simulated spans from 20 m to 50 m were of particular interest. High horizontal stress caused surface heave when joint orientations were favourable for arch stability. Joint orientations also determined whether the pillars between parallel openings were in a state of compression or tension. INTRODUCTION The engineering performance of large rock caverns has traditionally been learned from mining and hydro power projects, where the depth below surface is often many times greater than the span of the openings. Deformations measured in the walls and roofs of hydro power caverns generally range from about 5-50 mm, though there is a documented case where a wall moved in 126 mm (1), and another where the arch moved down 147 mm (2). The chief objectives of the present studies of large near-surface openings were threefold: (i) to provide deformation data to compare with monitored data from planned engineering projects involving large span near-surface excavations, e.g. underground sports complexes, civil defense shelters, nuclear power stations,

Jan 1, 1979

By Richard H. Ross

A broad definition of' "Mill Design" might cover everything from the first tentative choice of general process to the final structural details for construction. The first phases are mainly concerned with metallurgy and economics and the final stages with the mechanics of putting the selected equipment together into an integrated plant. It is the purpose of this article to discuss only data, derived from laboratory testing, that contributes directly to design of the milling plant itself, and only the plant design phases that are influenced by laboratory testing. Most ore beneficiation testing is devoted to determining recoveries, grades of products, elimination of impurities, reagent and supply requirements, etc. having little to do with physical plant design although these factors are of prime importance in the evaluation of a mining project.

Jan 3, 1964

By R. J. Sweigard

Many states are considering the need to establish or modify policy relating to the disposal of coal ash. One of the primary concerns is the impact of leachate from the ash disposal sites upon groundwater and nearby bodies of surface water. A detailed site investigation was conducted at a coal ash disposal facility associated with a power generation station. The disposal site is situated alongside a major river. Monitoring wells were installed and soil samples were taken for characterization. Groundwater models were used to simulate migration of leachate from the disposal site toward the river. Such models have the potential to be used to verify regulatory compliance. This paper addresses the validation and adaptability of these models to this case and their usefulness as possible tools to be used in future environmental audits.

Jan 1, 1993

By Carl H. Samans

THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE on the rolling characteristics of the precious metals-gold, silver, the platinum metals and their alloys-is incomplete and mostly from scattered sources. In the present paper an effort has been made to assemble and correlate it and to fill in some of the gaps that exist. GENERAL ROLLING CHARACTERISTICS SOME EFFECTS OF IMPURITIES Gold and its alloys are generally considered to be hot short and hence are usually rolled cold. Cold rolling of the yellow, green, and pink gold alloys. Which customarily contain gold, silver, copper and zinc and frequently some nickel as well, introduces no new problems since reasonable reductions are quite feasible and the alloys show little tendency to fire crack in subsequent annealing. The white gold alloys. which usually contain little or no silver and 10 pct or more nickel, are very susceptible to fire cracking1 and hence wrist he given relatively heavy reductions, i. e., 8-10 pct or more per pass with a total reduction of about 50 pct between anneals, to minimize this tendency. In addition, it is preferable to keep the bar as flat as possible during rolling. Although no comprehensive study appears to have been made of the effects of impurities on the cold rolling characteristics of gold alloys, the observations of Nowack2 on the effects of small

Jan 1, 1948

By E. S. Geskin

New material processing tools should be developed and reduced to the practice in order to meet the challenges facing the contemporary material production industry, One of such potentially important tools is supersonic liquid projectiles. It was shown that at the speed of 1500-1750 m/s the water projectile are able to demolish reinforced concrete plates, forge, to pierce and weld metals, to destroy with no explosion non dischargeable mines, etc. These projectiles are generated by simple, low cost launchers run. It is obvious that these projectiles can be applied to the ore mining and comminution. Thermodynamic considerations show feasibility of the use of these projectiles also for smelting, refining and forming. The presented paper discusses the results of the experimental study of supersonic liquid projectiles as well their potential metallurgical applications.

Jan 1, 2006

By Chen Z, Dong H

This paper describes the autogenous carrier flotation of 0 - 20 ¦m ilmenite using 40 -- 80 }tm ilmenite as carrier. Investigation is made of the influence of main technological parameters on autogenous carrier flotation. The mechanism of autogenous carrier flotation is discussed using extended DLVO theory. The main conclusions are as follows: 1. the smaller the fine particles the more easily they adhere.to carriers; 2. the selectivity of autogenous carrier flotation depends on the selectivity of adsorption of collector. In the autogenous carrier flotation of ilmenite/plagioclase mixture assaying 15.35 per cent TiO2, a concentrate containing 47.17 per cent Ti02 can be obtained by primary separation with a recovery of 93.05 per cent. KEYWORDS: Autogenous carrier flotation, extended DLVO theory, ilmenite, styrylphosphonic acid.

Jan 1, 1993

By A. A. Sirkeci, M. Tarkan, N. Acarkan, O. Kangal, G. Bulut

This investigation deals with the evaluation of the tailings of the Kirka Borax Plants. In this respect boron in the tailings was recovered and the utilization of the clayish fraction was investigated. There are five tailings ponds in Kirka four of which are used for the tailings of the borax concentrator and the remaining one is used for the tailings of the sodium penta-borax plant. Experiments were conducted with samples taken from ponds containing coarse fraction and fine fraction. Coarse fraction of Borax Concentrator were screened through a set of sieves. The fraction above 1 mm was removed with 41.5% recovery and 33.3% B203 content. Scrubbing was applied above 0.1 mm and products containing 32 to 34% B203 were obtained with recoveries around 35%. The tailings of sodium penta borax plant was also screened and it was found that 15% of boron reported to +1 mm size fraction with 35% B203 content. Sample containing fine tailings was treated by cycloning. The cyclone overflow was found to be below 6µm and it was separated to be used in the subsequent tests. The usage of cyclone overflow in paper, ceramics, glass, pigment and drilling industries was investigated. Since this fraction is mainly composed of carbonate minerals rather than clay minerals it was suggested that it may be used for construction and moulding purposes. Furthermore, the B203 content of the cyclone overflow was reduced to 2.4%.

Jan 1, 2004

By C. E. Jordan

Domestic cobalt resources are relatively large, but low grade. The full potential for cobalt production from domestic sources is at least 19.4 million lb of cobalt per year exclusive of offshore resources. A summary of the cobalt processing technologies for the major domestic resources is presented in this Bureau of Mines report. The processing technologies for the Blackbird, Madison Nine, Duluth Gabbro, iron ore pyrite, laterites, and manganese sea nodules are nearly complete, but the economics are not favorable. Research on these resources should be limited to approaches that promise to cut the total processing costs by at least 50 pct. The most promising sources of cobalt are the spent copper leach solutions and siegenite from the Missouri lead ores. Research on cobalt processing from these two sources needs to be completed.

Jan 1, 1988

By R Hughes

"Spring Creek Mine uses high pressure water to extract the thick Main seam in the Upper Rewanuicoal measures. The extraction method results in the creation of large voids which collapsespontaneously. This can result in the displacement of large volumes of methane, which may create a signifi cant hazard if not correctly managed. A system of automatic dilution doors is employed to mitigate this risk. This paper describes the evolution of the system and gives some examples of its eff ectiveness."

Jun 1, 2012

By R. T. Mishler

Silver-gold. mine, in northern Mexico, with arrow veins in rhyolite. One fourth area developed has been ore. Deposits average 20 in. wide and 73 oz. silver per ton; diluted in mining to 40 oz. per ton. Developed by drifts and raises at 100-ft. intervals. Samples cut every 5 ft. Ore and waste sampled separately to make combined stoping width 3 or 3 1/2 ft. Ore reserves figured to sloping width; high assays not modified. Tonnage and assay of ore extracted higher than estimates. Ore stoped principally by cut and fill method. Cars from each stope counted and sampled. Cars check tonnage to concen¬trator within 1 per cent.; silver assay 9 per cent. high. Tonnage and assay from scopes corrected to agree with feed to concentrator. Profit or loss for each slope estimated monthly. THE Lucky-Tiger mine is a silver-gold property, situated at El Tigre, in the northeastern part of Sonora, Mexico, at, an elevation of 6000 ft. in the Sierra Madre Mountains. It is 30 miles by wagon road from the Esqueda station on the Nacozari railroad. Since its discovery in 1903, the mine has produced forty million ounces of silver. The ore has averaged 40 oz. silver and 0.25 oz. gold per ton. Copper, lead and zinc have been of minor importance, having averaged 0.4 per cent., 1.1 per cent., and 1.5 per cent., respectively. The richness of the ore,, combined with its occurrence in narrow veins, required the use of the more expensive methods of mining.

Jan 2, 1925