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By A. K. Verma

Several longwall faces in India have collapsed due to adverse geological conditions and/or inadequate capacity of powered supports. Thus it is imperative to access the capacity of a powered support and its interaction at longwall faces of varying geomining conditions in advance with lots of confidence. To achieve this, an index has been developed to ascertain the front leg pressure (FLP) of chock-shield support and roof-to-floor convergence (RFC) at longwall faces. The index called ?Longwall Face Stability Index? (LFSI) has been developed using statistics and Finite Element Modelling (FEM). The front leg pressure (FLP) and roof-to-floor convergence (RFC) predicted from the LFSI are validated with the field monitored data from two longwall panels. In this study, an attempt is also made to incorporate various geomining conditions into the finite element models typical of longwall mining practice. The index has taken into account the wide variations of geomining parameters like thickness, young?s modulus and friction angle of main roof (small, large), coal type (soft, hard), powered support capacity, and depth of coal seam. Thus, LFSI can be thought of as an index representing combined effect of roof type, geomining conditions and powered support capacity.

Jan 1, 2008

By T. E. Gray

This report describes the preparation characteristics of the most significant coal beds in Wise County, Va. It is one in a series of reports planned to determine coals suitable for the production of metallurgical coke, either as mined or after beneficiation. Wise County produced approximately 6,600,000 tons of coal in 1955, of which about 2,110,000 tons was cleaned mechanically. The Federal Geological Survey has estimated that 1,341 million tons of measured and indicated coal reserves remained in the county as of January 1, 1951.

Jan 1, 1958

By I F. Wood

Planning for flooding and assessment of flood impacts are important requirements for mining projects, as they are also for other types of development. With more intense development and concern from the community, supported by government regulatory requirements, assessment of flood concerns and impacts has become of increasing importance. To ensure that flooding issues are fully understood and results presented in an appropriate format, advanced hydraulic analysis procedures have been developed and are beginning to be applied. These procedures must be rigorous in an engineering context but the results must also be readily understood by the community and government agencies. Advanced two-dimensional hydraulic modelling is becoming accepted as an important means of assessing flooding issues for mining projects. With presentation of results from hydraulic models with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), flood impacts can be analysed rigorously and presented clearly. This paper discusses the application of advanced hydraulic modelling in the planning and impact assessment of a major mining project located on a floodplain where there is extensive inundation. The analysis provides for both input to the planning of the project and for detailed assessment of potential impacts. This case study illustrates some important aspects of the application of hydraulic modelling using a two-dimensional modelling to a critical flood design.

Jan 1, 2003

By G. A. Deitz, J. Halpren

The kinetics of dissolution of silver in cyanide solutions under oxygen pressure have been investigated over a wide range of conditions with a view to establishing the reactions involved and the factors which influence the rate. The results indicate that the rate is determined principally by the transport of reactants in solution to the silver surface. The thermodynamic features of the reaction with particular reference to the influence of pH and CN- are also discussed and summarized in the form of potential-pH diagrams. METALLIC silver is readily attacked and dissolved by cyanide solutions in the presence of oxygen. This reaction has long been recognized and extensively applied1 in the well-known cyanide process for the extraction of silver from its ores. While this process has been subjected in the past to a number of investigations2,3 both of a practical and fundamental nature, some features relating to the chemistry of the reactions involved, the role of oxygen, the nature of the rate-controlling step, and the effects of pH and certain reagents such as lime, are still not fully understood. It was felt that this situation justified a further investigation of the reaction, made with a view to obtaining a better understanding of its kinetics and mechanism. In the present investigation rate curves for the dissolution of silver were determined over an extensive range of carefully controlled reaction conditions. By carrying out the reactions in a pressure vessel, the partial pressure of oxygen, and hence its concentration, could be varied widely. The influence on the reaction of other variables including temperature, pH, and the concentrations of cyanide, peroxide, and other salts was also examined. The results of these kinetic studies are presented and discussed in this paper, together with a summary of available thermodynamic information relating to the possible reactions which can accompany the attack on silver by aqueous solutions of cyanide and oxygen. Chemistry and Thermodynamics of the Reaction The chemistry of the reactions of gold and silver with aqueous cyanide solutions has been the subject of several recent reviews.'." It has been proposed' that the following reaction occurs when silver dissolves in cyanide solutions in the presence of oxygen: 4Ag + 8CN- + 0, + 2H.0 -t 4Ag(CN); + 40H- [la] An equation of this form, for the corresponding dissolution of gold, was first suggested by Elsner." Bodlaender5 proposed a similar overall reaction, but suggested that it took place in two steps, 2Ag + 4CN- + O2 + 2H2O ? 2Ag(CN),- + 2OH- + H2O2 [2a] followed by 2Ag + 4CN- + H2O2? 2Ag(CN); + 20H- [3a] On the other hand, Janin- suggested that the dissolution of gold can occur with the liberation of hydrogen, rather than by reduction of oxygen. The corresponding equation for the dissolution of silver is 2Ag + 4CN- + 2H20 -t 2Ag(CN); + 20H + H2 [4a] All these reactions represent oxidation-reduction processes and may be resolved into the corresponding separate oxidation and reduction components. The oxidation step involves the formation of the argentocyanide ion and is the same for all the reactions, i.e., Ag + 2CN? Ag(CN)2 + e [51 However, reactions la, 2a, 3a, and 4a differ in the nature of the reduction steps which are, respectively, O2 + 2H2O + 4e ? 4OH- [lb] O2 + 2H2O + 2e ? H2O2 + 2OH- [2b] H2O2 + 2e ? 2OH- [3b] 2H2O + 2e? 20H- + H2 [4b]

Jan 1, 1954

By Chengguo Zhang, Bruce Hebblewhite, Faham Tahmasebinia, lsmet Canbulat

"Coal burst is a dynamic release of energy within the rock (or coal) mass leading to high velocity expulsion of the broken/ failed material into mine openings. This phenomenon has been recognised as one of the most catastrophic failures associated with the coal mining industry, which can often lead to injuries and fatalities of miners as well as significant production losses. This paper aims to examine the mechanisms contributing to coal burst occurrence, with an emphasis on the energy release concept. In this study, a numerical modelling study has been conducted to evaluate the roles and contributions of difference energy components. The energy analysis presented in this paper can help to improve the understanding of energy release mechanisms especially under Australian conditions.INTRODUCTIONCoal burst is one of the most hazardous problems encountered in underground coal mines, which occurs at different locations in a variety of mining systems and operations. This phenomenon always involves a violent and dynamic energy release with large rock mass/coal deformation and ejection that can cause severe damage to openings, equipments and may result in fatalities and injuries.The first coal burst occurrence was reported in Britain in 1738 (Dou 2001). Since then, international experiences are available in Canada, South Africa, USA, former Soviet Union, China, India, France, Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Rice (1935) classified coal bursts as two general types, namely excessive pressure bumps and shock bumps and he further mentioned that pressure bumps are caused when pillar stress exceeds bearing strength. Shock bumps are induced by the breaking of thick, massive strata at a considerable distance above the coal-bed, causing the immediate roof to transmit a shock wave to the coal."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. I. Jaffee, H. R. Ogden, D. J. Maykuth

Phase diagrams for the Ti-W and Ti-Ta systems were determined. The Ti-W system is characterized by a wide, two-phase region of ß plus tungsten which is derived from a peritectic reaction between the liquid and tungsten solid solutions. The ß field terminates in a eutectoid reaction between a titanium and tungsten terminal solid solution. Tantalum and ß titanium form a complete series of solid solutions. Other features of this system are the extensive a-ß field at low temperatures and an appreciable solubility of tantalum in a titanium. BOTH tungsten and tantalum were first thought to form ß-isomorphous systems with titanium as a result of early work' using powder-metallurgical techniques. Later work2 on arc-melted Ti-Ta alloys, made using a commercial titanium base, showed that, in the range of 0 to 10 pct, tantalum was soluble in ß titanium and that the a solubility extended to between 2 and 5 pct Ta at 790 °C. The present investigation covered the entire alloy range in both systems and was chiefly concerned with high-purity alloys at the titanium-rich end. The constitution of titanium-rich alloys made with a commercial titanium base was reported by Holla-day, Kura, and Jackson.3, 4 As will be shown in detail later, the early prediction of a isomorphism was true for the case of the Ti-Ta system, but not for the Ti-W system. The results of this investigation will be presented first. The experimental methods used are described in the Appendix. Ti-W System The entire Ti-W phase diagram is shown in Fig. 1. Details of the titanium-rich side are shown in Fig. 2. The chief features of the system are a ß eutectoid and a high-temperature peritectic between liquid and tungsten solid solution. Melting Range: Examination of cast structures of low and medium-tungsten-content ingots showed cored ß phase as the primary constituent. Fig. 3a illustrates a typical cast structure for alloys in the range of 20 to 30 pct W. From 30 to 72 pct W, coring was very severe. Alloys containing 72 through 88 pct W, however, showed definite evidence of a peritectic reaction between the liquid and a terminal solid solution of titanium in tungsten. Fig. 3b shows the cast structure for an 80 pct W alloy. A 95 pct W alloy, shown in Fig. 4, consisted primarily of primary tungsten solid solution plus a small quantity of ß probably rejected during cooling. Incipient-melting experiments located the peritectic temperature between 1850" and 1900°C and indicated that the reacting phases are liquid containing about 25 pct W and tungsten terminal solid solution containing about 8 pct Ti. Figs. 5 and 6

Jan 1, 1954

By T. Knuutinen, M. Klemetti, P. Mörsky

This paper presents a comparison study done at VTT's new pilot plant facilities in Outokumpu, Finland, for chromite ore. The ore was ground in a rod mill -, a ball mill - and high pressure roller mill - ball mill circuit in the capacity range of 0.5 - 3.0 t / h. The main grinding characteristics are discussed and the quality of the products are compared from the mineralogical point of view. The benefits of high pressure roller mill comminution for further mineral processing of chromite is also discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

By G. J. Shiflet

This paper will review work done in our laboratory on the formation, thermodynamics and crystallization of aluminum based metallic glass with the addition of rare earth elements. The results demonstrate that the metallic glasses are truly amorphous and not microcrystalline and that they are unusual in their formation because the alloys contain 90 at. % aluminum and there is no deep eutectic present in the phase diagram. Tensile strengths that exceed 900 MPa are obtained for several of the compositions and exceed 1000 MPa after partial crystallization.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. E. Matta

The Bureau of Mines has developed a tracer gas method for measuring leak-age through permanent mine stoppings. In this method, a temporary brattice is erected in the same entry as the leaking permanent stopping. Leakage was evaluated from concentration measurements of a tracer gas introduced into the space between the stopping and brattice. Stopping leakages ranging from 15 cfm to 265 cfm were simulated in an underground coal mine. Leakage values determined by the new method were within 10 pct of the known values.

Jan 1, 1978

By A. P. Herring, M. Hoover, D. W. Fuerstenau

The dissolution of nickel, copper, and cobalt from five different samples of well-characterized deep sea manganese nodules was measured as a function of temperature, pH, leaching time, and particle size. Nickel, copper, and cobalt extraction each respond to these variables in a different manner. The results of this investigation indicate that copper and nickel can be selectively dissolved from iron and manganese at moderately low pH, provided the reaction is given sufficient time. A high dissolution of cobalt with dilute sulfuric acid can only be achieved from nodules that have a low iron content (<5%). The most probable rate-controlling step for copper and cobalt dissolution is diffusion through the pores of the nodules, and for nickel dissolution chemical reaction appears to be rate-controlling.

Jan 1, 1974

By Daryl E. Radcliffe

Ninety-seven roof bolts were instrumented with strain gages and resin-grouted in three areas of the Bear coal mine, Somerset, Colo., by the Bureau of Mines. Measurements taken with these instruments indicate roof support is achieved through a combination of point suspension and resistance to vertical and horizontal stresses caused by localized shearing in the roof. The localized shearing results in bending of the bolts, yielding due to high vertical stresses, and the transfer of high loads to the bolt head or plate.

Jan 1, 1980

By H. E. Swanson

A description of the field apparatus has been published by D. G. Brubaker. Data from laboratory model studies of the in-line and broadside methods of operation are detailed. The conductor models include a single sheet conductor at several strike and dip angles and a schistose-type conductor. In addition, data on the effects of the strike length and of the depth of the conductor are presented for the broadside method of operation. All of the data show that the inclintion reverses direction over the top edge of dipping single sheet conductors. Differences between anomalies over conductors dipping between 90" and 30" are subtle,but flat-lying sheets can be readily distinguished from steeply dipping sheets. Schistose conductors are easily distinguished from single sheet conductors, and a procedure is given for determing the direction of schistosity. The depth of penetration under ideal conditions is 0.7 of the coil separation. In 1950, The New Jersey Zinc Co. (of Pa.) developed a lightweight apparatus for electromagnetic prospecting. A description of this apparatus has been published by D. G. Brubaker.1 It consists of a small, battery-powered vertical source coil and a direction-finding receiving coil. Source and receiver are kept a fixed distance apart and move as a unit along the survey lines. At each receiver station the inclination of the magnetic field created by the source is measured. Two methods of operation are used, in each of which measurements are taken with a constant source-to-receiver distance and with the plane of the source oriented to pass through the receiver station. In one procedure, called the in-line method, source and receiver travel in tandem along the same line. In the other procedure, called the broadside method, source and receiver move along adjacent lines, with the source-to-receiver direction oriented parallel to the assumed strike direction. The data recorded in either case are the inclinations, measured in degrees from the horizontal, of the magnetic field created by the source. These data are plotted at the receiver stations on a map. Scale-model studies of both methods of operation have been conducted in the laboratory and are reported in this paper. APPARATUS Small source and receiving coils wound with many turns of fine copper wire were used to produce and measure an alternating magnetic field in the same manner as the field apparatus. The model source coil was mounted in a vertical position and oriented so that the receiving coil was in the plane of the source. The receiving coil was mounted in a frame so it could be rotated to obtain the inclination measurements. The source coil was excited by a 100-kc signal generator. A tuned amplifier and a voltmeter were used to detect the null position of the receiving coil. The coils used in the field apparatus are usually spaced about 400 ft. The coils used in the model work were spaced from 4 in. to 4 ft apart. Thus the scale of the model work ranges between 1/1200 to 1/100 natural size. The model conductors were aluminum-coated building paper supported on wooden frames. The conductivity-thickness product was measured using a four-electrode system and was found to be about 300 ohms-&apos;. CONDUCTIVITY CONSIDERATIONS The electromagnetic response from a thin sheet conductor is a function of the product of the conductivity of the sheet times the thickness of the sheet times the frequency of the alternating electromagnetic field times some linear dimension of the system such as the coil separation which indicates scale. The secondary electromagnetic field produced by the conductor increases in amplitude from zero at zero conductivity to a maximum value for infinite conductivity, while the phase of the secondary field with respect to the primary field shifts from 90" at zero conductivity to 0" at infinite conductivity. Several authors2-&apos; have shown that most of both the increase in amplitude and the change in phase of the secondary field takes place over a three-decade range of the conductivity-thickness-frequency product. Only small changes in the amplitude and

Jan 1, 1961

By Richard L. Bullock

INTRODUCTION TO COAL MINE PRACTICES To illustrate the trends and the proportions of the various methods used to mine coal underground, Fig. 1 is useful. However, of all the underground coal mining practices in the US, room-and-pillar mining still accounts for 96.5%. This percentage is divided as follows: conventional, machine cut-33.0%; conventional, hand cut -1.7% : and continuous mining-61 .8%. As was stated in Sec. 1, Chap. 7, the term "development" means different things to a coal miner and a metal miner. Though some of the ideas and concepts presented in the first two chapters of this section are valid for all types of mines, they apply particularly to mines using noncoal methods. In coal mines (and many other mines using coal mining systems) development refers to that phase of the mining cycle which advances several entries through the virgin seam, forming pillars by cross- cutting between the parallel entries. Because in the past, coal seams (as well as seams of potash, trona, oil shales, gilsonite, salt, and some uranium) have been much more uniform in their thickness, continuity, and quality, and because they often cover large areas, it has been possible to develop the room-and-pillar mine completely from a preplanned, systematic approach with a minimum of surface drilling information. As the better coal seams of the midwest and east are being depleted (or eliminated because of high sulfur), seams of poor quality and continuity will have to be mined. Also, seams that are not nearly so well known at greater depth will have to be taken as well as some of the steeply pitching and folded seams of the west. The American coal miner is only now feeling the need to do a much more complete job of prospecting the geology of the coal seams than he has ever done before. This is the only way that the risk of unknown rock conditions can be minimized. In many ways, surprises in the rock or coal seams are much more of a disaster to the coal miner developing a room-and- pillar mine than to his metal mining counterpart. Be- cause of the multiple entries, the complex set of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety regulations, and the totally dedicated design of coal mining equipment, coal mining systems do not have the flexibility to easily overcome changes in the seams mined or the rocks around them. Thus, if a wide parting of rock shows up unexpectedly in the middle of a coal seam entry being milled away by a continuous miner, it will either have to slowly "chew" through it, convert to a conventional mining system, or stop that particular entry. Likewise, if suddenly the coal disappears completely and in its place are the remains of an old creek bed, the "want" or "wash out" as it&apos;s called will usually have to be mined right along with the coal, by the same methods and with the same soft rock equipment, or the entry will have to be abandoned. For reasons such as these, coal seams today should be drilled from the surface just as thoroughly as the ore bodies in metal mines. Having once determined a more precise location of where the coal seams are located and which are suitable for mining, the engineer must still take a systematic approach to planning the mine as completely as possible. The initial series of entries must be planned to be driven either from the side hill portal or from the bottom of the shaft or slope. In either case, they should usually intersect the area close to the midpoint of the mass to be mined.

Jan 1, 1982

By Wallace W. Roepke, Jon I. Voltz

"The Bureau of Mines determined coal-cutting forces and primary dust generation of four styles of radial gage bits as used on end rings of continuous mining machines. Direct comparisons for reference were made with two widely used conical plumb-bob types having 60° and 90° (nominal) included tip angles. The cutting forces for all of the gage bits were similar to those of the 60°-tip plumb-bob bit. All bits except the RAD-3 gage bit generated similar amounts of primary total dust at shallow cutting, but during deeper cutting, the amounts varied and the gage bits produced as much as 2-1/2 times the dust produced by the 60° bit. This seems atypical since past experience has always shown differences in dust generation at shallow cutting. The specific energy was more like that found previously with other bits, since the values were spread at shallow cutting but became nearly similar at deeper cuts. The 90° bit and the RAD-3 gage bit are not recommended for use except in extremely difficult cutting conditions where dust and forces are of secondary importance. The choice among the remaining four bits can be made on the basis of dust, energy, forces, or cost, as circumstances dictate. INTRODUCTIONThe Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, with revisions in 1977, was enacted to ensure more healthful and safer working conditions for miners. The Bureau of Mines coal-cutting research facility at Twin Cities (MN) is examining fundamental aspects of the cutting system, including generation of primary dust causing pneumoconiosis in miners and ignition of methane by the frictional impact of cutting bits used on continuous mining machines (CMM's). The cutting system is defined as the cutter-mineral interface area with all its variables, e.g., forces, speed, cutter geometry, bit-mounting geometry, and wear. It has become obvious over the past several years that the cutting system directly affects the economics and design of the ""total system,"" which is defined as all areas of the operation, from the mine face to the preparation plant, which support the mineral recovery by cutting tools to obtain a salable product."

Jan 1, 1983

Ocean engineers and technologists will assemble in Houston, Texas, during May 3-6, 1976, for the Eighth Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) . More than 50,000 members of industry, government, and academia from 94 nations will participate in what is generally acknowledged as the offshore industry&apos;s show-of-shows. A well-diversified 280-paper technical program has been divided into 42 general sessions that range from seafloor surveying and offshore mining to navigation systems and environmental issues. In addition, the largest technical- educational exhibition in the conference&apos;s eight-year history will augment the OTC &apos;76 program.

Jan 4, 1976

By Todd Nottingham

Channel deepening of major ports is challenging designers to explore innovative solutions to ensure stability of bulkheads, such as for the Oakland Inner Harbor. This particular challenge was met with the use of the SPIN FIN® Tension Pile for restraint of an HZ combination wall along the Oakland Inner Harbor Shoreline in Oakland, California. A SPIN FIN pile is a pipe pile with welded plates at the pile tip that increase pile capacity. A brief history of the project will be provided as well as results of pile load tension tests, pile strain gauge, and wall deflection under construction loads. Tension pile load deflection results will be discussed with recommendations toward establishing deflection-based ultimate load criteria. A discussion of predicted wall loads and field observed wall loads will be provided.

Jan 1, 2008

By Peter G. Bellairs

The traditional concept of Optimum Drill and Blast is that it is achieved when ore is produced at the lowest unit cost and due to the complexities of most mining operations represents a band which extends either side of an overall cost minima. The above definition implies that Optimum Drill and Blast is static and once blasting is within the band around the cost minima then the process is optimised. However mining operations are not static with many events both long and short term impinging on the cost structure and productivity.

Jan 1, 1995

By S. R. Sankaranarayanan, T. Sowmya

Slags and fluxes used in metallurgical processes are typically made up of oxides (especially silicates), with additions of fluoride and carbonaceous matter. Despite the efforts made towards understanding the role of slags in various processes, little information is available on the structure of these slags. Tools such as X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, and electron microscopy could be used for this purpose. This paper is based on an ongoing spectroscopic and structural investigation of slags and related materials. Spectroscopic studies of various commercial slags (predominantly ferrous), ores, glass and related materials, covering a wide range of compositions, have been carried out to understand the structure. The infrared spectra were recorded, predominantly, using FTIR spectrometer (Bruker IFS 66U) spanning 4000 to 100 cm-1using the KBr pellet method. The resolution was typically 4 cm-1. The spectral outputs have been compiled in terms of bands present (corresponding to different bonds) and then compared with the typical bands expected for such bonds. Efforts are in progress to identify the trends with respect to the chemical composition?for example, the effects of SiO2, Al2O3, and non-bridging oxygens. Data obtained so far indicate some trends such as (i) a shift in the Si-O band (969 to 1099 cm-1) towards a higher wave number with increasing silica content (almost 2 to 92 weight percentage) and (ii) further strong shifts as a function of the alumina content. These are being further investigated structurally and in terms of chemical composition/parameters. Keywords: slags, silicates, structure, spectroscopic analysis, shifting of bands

Jan 1, 2004

By J. T. Liu, G. H. Han, W. C. Chai, Y. F. Huang

"In beneficiation process, metal ions could adsorb onto clay mineral surfaces or interact with flotation chemicals, and then result in the flotation behavior changing of desired minerals. Al(III) is the dominating ion existing in the bauxite flotation system. In this research, the adsorption behaviors of Al(III) on two silicate clay minerals (including bentonite and kaolin) were investigated by means of UV-Vis spectra, zeta potential testing and scanning electron micrograph analysis. The adsorption experiment results show that the adsorption capacity of clays for Al(III) ions increases with the initial Al(III) concentration, contact time and solution pH. There are some different adsorption behaviours for two clays. Increasing the clay concentration decreases the adsorption capacity of bentonite, while increases first then decreases for kaolin. Higher temperature favours the adsorption of Al(III) on bentonite but goes against for kaolin. The adsorption capacities of bentonite and kaolin for Al(III) respectively reach 12.48 and 0.875 mg/g at initial solution pH 5. Zeta potential results show that the adsorption of Al(III) on two clays is characterized by electrostatic attraction mechanism.INTRODUCTIONIn beneficiation process, there is inevitably a wide variety of metal ions generated from mineral crushing, mineral dissolution and water chemistry conditions. Metal ions adsorb on the mineral surfaces or interact with the beneficiation agents, affecting the flotation efficiency of desired minerals (DiFeo et al., 2001; Parolis et al., 2008; Shackleton et al., 2012; Shengo et al., 2014). Therefore, it is necessary to have a detailed investigation on the adsorption behaviour of metal ions on clay minerals.Having good ion exchange capacity and negative surface charge, the clay minerals could take up various metal ions from the mineral-water system. Bentonite and kaolin are very common aluminosilicate clays in the mineral processing system. These two clays both hold a permanent negative charge, =X- on the basal surfaces, and a smaller variable charge, =SiOH on the mineral edges (Gu & Evans, 2008; (Gu et al., 2010). Adsorption experiments are usually used to study the adsorption affinity of metal ions for clay minerals (Sen & Bhattacharyya, 2012). The adsorption of Zn(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II) onto natural bentonite showed that the adsorption amounts of metal ions increase with contact time, solution pH and metal ion concentration, but decreases with adsorbent concentration and system temperature (Sen & Gomez, 2011; Melichova & Hromada, 2013). Cr(III) adsorption on bentonite was significantly pH dependent. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order model and the equilibrium adsorption was consistent with Freundlich isotherm (Lollino et al., 2015). The adsorption behaviours of Pb(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) onto kaolin indicated that increasing pH favoured the adsorption of metal ions (Jiang et al., 2010). The adsorption of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) onto kaolin showed that an ion-exchange reaction occurred at pH<7.0 and inner-sphere surface complexes were prone to form at higher pH (Srivastava et al., 2005)."

Jan 1, 2016

By F. Dehghani, B. Rezaie, T. Ghosh, A. Sachan

Comminution is an integral part of the mineral extraction process. However, the influence of the comminution method (ball and rod mills) on silica and magnetite particle shapes has not been substantially investigated. Shape parameters for fractions of -250+212, -150+125, and -106+75 μm sizes were examined utilizing a scanning electron microscope and a Clemex vision PE image analysis system. The silica particles displayed higher elongation and flatness parameter values for rod mill products, but roundness and relative width parameter values of rod mill products are less than that of the ball mill products. Magnetite particle elongation and flatness parameter values of ball mill products in fraction sizes of -250+212 and -106+75 μm are larger than rod mill products, but roundness and relative width parameter values of ball mill products are smaller than rod-mill products, but for the -150+125 μm size range the result is converse. Furthermore, particle elongation and flatness increased with decreasing particle sizes of silica, whereas, roundness and relative width decreased for both Ball and Rod Mills. In case of magnetite, ball mill products displayed an increase of flatness and particle elongations with decreasing particle sizes but flatness increased and roundness and relative width decreased. Similarly for rod mills, magnetite fractions of -150+125 μm were found to have the largest values of elongation and flatness. INTRODUCTION Comminution alters the size and shape, causes lattice distortion, changes chemical composition, surface area, surface-free energy, and polymorphic transformation of all materials. The quantity and quality of such changes depend on specifications of the material feedstock, the type of mill being utilized, the specific energy input, ambient temperature, and environmental pressure [1]. The shape difference between the milled products depends on different grinding mechanisms and the respective breakage principles that these mechanisms depend on [2, 3]. With decreasing particle sizes, the nature of the particle surface become crucial [1]. The influence of the breakage technique has been found to be non-trivial and heavily dependent on the type of grinding mill used for particle size reduction [4]. Shape is an important industrial parameter for predicting particle behavior in downstream processes. The shape parameter affects the way particles burn, compact, are recovered, flow in fluids, sinter, float, agglomerate, fluidize, interact with pulmonary tissue, cut, abrade, react with chemicals, form structural materials, and retain and permit fluids to flow [5, 6]. The distribution of particle sizes and shapes are important for mining, civil and chemical, pharmaceutical, and various other industries with interest in the population modeling of atmospheric dusts, smoke, and grit [1, 3, 6]. The shape parameter not only affects the chemical, physical, surface properties of particles but is also important for downstream processes [5, 6]. Image analysis has been found to provide detailed information about size and shape of the particles and can be used for the control of product quality [4].

Jan 1, 2019