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By Michael J. Messel

OF the various minerals that occur in fibrous form known as asbestos, chrysotile is the variety most in demand for commercial uses, and, last year, over 683,000 tons of the various grades were produced in Canada and United States, exclusive of African and Russian production, which figures are uncertain. Production has not been able to keep up with the increased demand, and an acute shortage exists. Canada, Russia, and Africa are still the most important producers. However, Russia consumes most of its production at home and exports very little. The United States consumes over 60 pct of the total production and produces only about 4 pct of the total from deposits in Vermont and small quantities from Arizona. This paper will review mainly, some of the more recent developments concerned with the extraction and processing of this fibrous mineral for various industrial uses, such as textiles, insulation, building materials and brake linings.

Jan 1, 1949

Addressing community concerns in relation to an economic activity, particularly when it causes significant community impacts, is especially important for the development of extractive industry projects. Pipelines comprise an integral part of many hydrocarbon developments, which may cause different effects on local economic development, communities and the environment compared with open cast mines. This paper explores community impacts associated with a case study of the oil pipeline æEastern Siberia-Pacific OceanÆ in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia. Based on semi-structured interviews, conducted in 2006 - 2008 in Russia, the paper investigates claims of local communities about potential impacts of the pipeline development of their environments and economic activities as well as community claims for greater involvement in sharing the benefits from this major infrastructure project. A community of Indigenous people, Evenk, is likely to be most profoundly affected by the development due to impacts on their traditional activities such as hunting and reindeer herding. The paper examines in detail the regional economic, social, environmental and Indigenous peoples concerns over the construction of the oil pipeline and investigates actions and methods adopted by community organisations to voice their concerns about the pipeline development. Finally, the paper assesses the process of interaction between the pipeline developers and regional stakeholders.

Jan 1, 2009

By Bo Björkman

Four different arsenic containing dusts from the Boliden plant, Boliden mineral AB, Sweden have been examined. A kinetic study of the As elimination was performed in a laboratory scale roasting furnace for roasting furnace ESP dust and smelting furnace ESP dust. Characterisation and thermodynamic calculations were carried out to determine the mineralogy, and the stability of compounds in the dusts studied. The characterisation methods used were chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and microprobe analysis. It was found in the experiments that a high degree of As elimination was obtained for roasting fumace ESP dust and a low degree for smelting fumace ESP dust. Derived kinetic models are given. A prediction of the As-elimation for settling furnace dust and converter ventilation dust is presented.

Jan 1, 1994

By P. Walshe

A common belief among Itlnl.ng operators today is that computer based truck m:mitoring and dispatching systems are only applicable to, or affordable by, very large scale open pit mines. Before the advent of microcomputer technology this belief was generally a valid one. Microcomputer technology as it currently exists has reached a high level of sophistication and capability, rapidly approaching that of the minicomputer standard. When coupled with reliable software and data communications packages, it now provides the means to make truck monitoring and dispatching a viable and attractive management aid to mines of all sizes. This paper briefly addresses the evolution and current state of computer truck dispatching and examines a microcomputer based system in this context. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach to truck dispatching a recent installation in a medium sized mine is presented. Preliminary field data from the case mine are presented to illustrate the methodology.

Jan 1, 1989

By Aaron Jones, Guy Reed, Russell Frith

"In 2017, one of the international authorities on coal bursts, Dr. Chris Mark, published a paper entitled “Coal Bursts that Occur during Development: A Rock Mechanics Enigma,” in which several relevant technical issues were identified, the most pertinent being:i.whilst development coal bursts are commonly associated with geological faults, understanding which specific faults result in burst-prone development mining conditions and why, remains undefined.ii.conventional wisdom in relation to strong roof and floor geology of the coal seam might be limiting, based on certain burst examples in Colorado.iii. development coal bursts can occur without the local ground stresses being substantially elevated from their in situ levels.This paper outlines what is considered to be a credible, first-principles, mechanistic explanation for these three current development coal burst conundrums by reference to early published coal testing work examining the significance of a lack of “constraint” to coal stability and an understanding of how very specific structural geology and other geological features can logically cause this to occur in situ, albeit on a statistically very rare basis. This basic model is examined by reference to published information pertaining to the development coal-burst that occurred at the Austar Coal Mine in New South Wales, Australia, in 2014 and from the Sunnyside District in Utah, USA.The “cause and effect” model for development coal bursts presented also offers a meaningful explanation for the statistical improbability for what are nonetheless potentially highly-destructive events, being able to explain the statistical rarity being just as important to the credibility of the model as explaining the local conditions associated with burst events.The model could also form the basis for a robust, risk-based approach utilising a “hierarchy of controls” to the operational management of the development coal burst threat. Specifically, these include the use of pre-mining predictions for likely burst-prone and non-burst-prone areas, the use of the mine layout to avoid or at least minimise mining within burst-prone areas if appropriate, and finally the development of an operational Trigger Action Response Plan that reduces the likelihood of inadvertent roadway development into a burst-prone area without suitable safety controls already being in place."

Jan 1, 2019

By R. J. Wysor

Discussion of the paper of R. J. WYSOR, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 106, October, 1915, pp. 2161 to 2170. LEONARD WALDO, New York, N. Y.-Will Mr. Wysor kindly give us more information as to the pyrometers used and the temperature measurement? R. J. WYSOR, So. Bethlehem, Pa.-We used standard Bristol pyrometers with bare fire ends. These were standardized both before and after the tests with salt and pure aluminum. We also interchanged the pyrometers. J. W. RICHARDS, So. Bethlehem, Pa.-Did you attain any results which gave you approximately the value of the heat insulation at any of the furnaces? R. J. WYSOR.-In the first installation we were afraid to put in the insulation throughout the hot-blast main for the reasons mentioned in the paper, but we used the insulating brick in two 8-ft. sections in straight lengths of our hot-blast mains. Owing to the high conductivity of the steel shell, the temperatures which were taken on the outside were not representative of the two temperatures resulting from heat flow through the insulating brick. I believe that when a hot-blast main is insulated

Jan 5, 1916

By Alberto Terrones

En un mundo que cada vez se hace más pequeño, los países latinoamericanos deben buscar una alternativa que oriente su desarrollo y estructure sus economías hacia un mercado común. En ese sentido, es necesario conocer la producción minera y metalúrgica de los distintos países de la América Latina, así como examinar algunos de los proyectos mineros y metalúrgicos que se espera desarrollar a corto plazo con el fin de apreciar o valorar sus posibles repercusiones en las economías nacionales o subregionales. Por ello, el presente texto revisa el panorama actual de la industria minera y metalúrgica de América Latina y plantea mejorar la industria a través de establecer contacto directo con todas las instituciones de técpicos mineros y metalurgistas de los países latinoamericanos para intercambio de publicaciones, la estimulación de la organización de reuniones técnicas regionales y el diálogo de los problemas técnicos y económicos que afecten al desarrollo latinoamericano de la industria minero - metalúrgica.

Jul 1, 1967

By R Cannings, J Wallace, M McCamley

The mining industry continues to have major disasters (Bingham Canyon, Pike River, Upper Big Branch, Mount Polley and Samarco), which often have a devastating effect on the enterprise, in terms of personnel deaths and injuries, environmental destruction, and financial and reputational loss. These disasters are not imposed from outside the business or organisation, they are almost always a function of loss of control of the management of the organisation’s critical assets and processes that they contain or to which they are exposed.Asset integrity is discussed as an effective response to business risks in order to mitigate, control and recover from loss scenarios that could expose a mining operation to significant property damage and business interruption, or even total loss. Vital to this process is the identification and control of risks to critical assets. Components of a critical asset assurance program are presented for discussion.Formal risk assessment has a longer history in industries other than mining, eg petrochemical, nuclear, military, aviation and space industries. Risk assessment is a structured, proactive approach to understanding and improving risks, as opposed to a reactive ‘fix-it-when-it-breaks’ mentality. Risk assessment techniques were triggered by major public disasters, such as the Flixborough chemical plant disaster (1973), Three Mile Island nuclear plant event (1979) and others.Today, most industries see risk assessment as an inherent part of their business, but do mining sites capture business risks that are related to major loss scenarios, which could have a significant impact on the operation?Does your risk assessment process:- involve a team having the right skill set so that the discussion is both stimulated and technically sound?- use generic assessment when a site-specific assessment is needed?- fail to consider all possible outcomes, including maximum foreseeable loss (MFL)?- fail to identify all hazards and controls associated with a particular activity?- fail to monitor controls effectively?This paper addresses the issues identified by these questions and provides some direction for developing a risk management process where business risk associated with critical asset integrity is integrated with other business and safety and health risk processes to provide a robust method for managing your business. Case studies and common findings from critical asset failures are used to support the need to include critical asset assessments as part of business risk management processes.CITATION:Wallace, J, McCamley, M and Cannings, R, 2016. How robust are your asset integrity management processes? In Proceedings International Mine Management Conference, pp 53-64 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 22, 2016

By Wilbert J. Huff

The work of the Explosives Division, Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1939, is described in the following pages. This paper is the fourth of a series of annual reports covering the activities of the division since July 1, 1936. The studies outlined in this and preceding reports of the series have been conducted under the direction of the author and the respective unit leaders to whom specific credit is indicated.

Jan 1, 1940

By Gabriel Gonzalez, Paulo Couceiro, Luis Manriquez, Alejandro Gutierrez, Juan Navarro

A high-stakes blasting campaign was successfully executed at a major open pit copper mine in northern Chile. This operation posed a significant technical challenge due to its immediate proximity to the tailings dam - a critical infrastructure whose structural integrity depends on strict control of blast-induced seismic vibrations. The geological complexity of the area, characterized by upper andesite interbedded with caliche (carbonate), further complicated the operation. This lithological composition, known for its high tenacity and cohesion, posed additional challenges for achieving effective fragmentation, necessitating a highly customized blast design and loading strategy. The campaign included four production blasts and one secondary blast, all executed under the constraint of not exceeding the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) threshold of 0.64g, as defined by the Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE) scenario. To ensure compliance, geophones were strategically installed at three monitoring points (P1, P2, and P3) on the dam to capture real-time acceleration data. The use of specialized blast patterns, precise stemming control, and electronically sequenced detonations ensured that all recorded accelerations remained well below the critical threshold. A total of 496,163 tonnes of material were safely blasted, with 8,452 meters drilled and powder factors ranging from 419 to 594 g/ton. Therefore, this case study exemplifies operational excellence in controlled blasting, demonstrating the feasibility of safe mining near geotechnically sensitive zones through predictive modeling, rigorous QA/QC, and post-blast analysis.

Jan 26, 2026

By Charles G. Yale

A few years ago somebody connected with one of those self-constituted bodies of unofficial character, like a Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade, or State Development Board, started a catch-phrase referring to California as a The Land of Sunshine, Fruit, and Flowers," and the railroad magazines and folders keep it steadily in use, working day and night. Yet it altogether ignores the substance which brought the State into the Union, which peopled it, and which made it famous thronghout the world. You ladies and gentlemen who have come from what wc here call "the East," have in your own States, no matter which one, sunshine, fruit, and flowers. But your Eastern States, having these things as we do, have not the gold that we do. Therefore, the old designation of " The Golden State," applied to California, should be revived, as being the most distinctive term. It is worthy of remembrance, too, that during the dark days of the civil war this State handed over $172,000,000 in yellow gold, and saved the credit of the nation. Gold-mining has been carried on in California since '' The days of old, The days of gold, The days of '49," and it still continues. Since that historic year, and up to the end of 1910, the State has produced, in gold alone, $1,530,214,468. Since 1792 the entire United States production of gold has been $3,261,573,500, so that the single State of California has, in that period, produced within $201,144,564 of one-half of all the gold from Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and the Southern and scattering States. In other words, all the other 25 States of the United States combined

Jan 1, 1912

Heavy liquids have come into use in ore-dressing investigations, as they make possible the separation of an ore into its specific-gravity components. A paper containing a general dissertation on heavy liquids has been written by John D. Sullivan,4 and the practical application of heavy liquids is explained by Box and Crabtree5. Some heavy liquids become discolored after continued use, and the lack of transparency impairs their value. Since they are fairly expensive, reclaiming is desirable. This paper briefly discusses the preparation and care of some of the more common heavy liquids.

Jan 1, 1928

By F. E. Brantley, D. M. Yergensen, D. A. Martin

Fluidized - bed roasting was investigated as a means of decomposing gypsum and gypsum mixtures to produce a gas rich in sulfur dioxide and a lime or portland cement residue . Ninety- eight percent desulfurization of gypsum in a 10 - inch fluidized- bed reactor took 1.5 hours at an operating temperature between 1,200 ° and 1,225 ° C. A cement- type residue was obtained but had to be refired at 1,450 ° C before mortar prepared from it met the physical specifications for cement .

Jan 1, 1963

By D H. Sharp

The Quebec Cartier Mining Company produces iron concentrate for twelve months of the year from Port Cartier. This J>Ort is designed to handle ship varying in size from 3,000 to 100,000 d.w.t., requiring 50 feet of water at low tide. The harbour was built on shore for reasons of economy and layout, after considering many more conventional offshore designs. It provides for heavy oil bunkering, tanker off-loading, a heavy lift derrick and freight handling, besides ship loading and mooring. The weather for the previous fifty years was studied to enable wind and wave conditions to be accurately assessed for design purposes, and to determine probable lost time due to adverse weather conditions through-out the year. The first ship to be loaded was 60,000 d.w.t.; the second, 20,000 d.w.t. The latter entered the harbour after dark, under its own power, following a tug through the partly dredged narrow entrance. Large ships use tug assistance. Ships may leave the loading berth with the other berths occupied.

Jan 1, 1963

By L. Rahnenfuhrer

"Hoisting equipment is a vital part of the operation of most producing mines. Safety and continuation of operation necessitates ultrasonic preventive maintenance inspection on a regular basis.Ultrasonic inspection of hoist shafting, brake linkage and draw bars will contribute to a safe operation and can prevent costly unscheduled shut-down time. With little dismantling, ultrasonic testing techniques can be applied to. determine the conditions of shafting and linkage in hoisting equipment, mining equipment and other miscellaneous mining equipment."

Jan 1, 1969

By J. K. Armstrong, C. Feyerabend

"As mines are constantly growing and expanding, so do the challenges for emergency response teams. They have to keep up with the pace set by current and future production techniques. Although mines have now reached depths of several kilometres and their dimensions and complexity are that of an entire city, mines rescue still must be able to reach the most remote areas within the mine in a swift and safe manner. The duration of breathing apparatus and physical human capabilities are limitations. Therefore, alternative methods have to be explored to extend the time under oxygen for mine rescue teams without putting additional stress on the team members. To address this global trend, Dräger, Goldcorp and PAUS have partnered to develop a mine rescue vehicle that allows mine rescue teams to travel for an extended period of time through a contaminated atmosphere without the use of breathing apparatus, thus extending the range of their mission. By applying currently available techniques, the safe expansion of mine production can be ensured, giving mine rescue teams the ability to respond to accidents in a safer and faster way. INTRODUCTION With the reduction of easily accessible natural resources, there is a global trend toward searching for higher ore grades underground and/or continually expanding mines underground to extend their lifetime. While in some areas this trend has just begun, in other countries mines are reaching depths or horizontal dimensions that pose extreme challenges (Codelco, 2016). These challenges include safety relevant topics, such as rock stability, heat and seismicity, but also more basic issues such as distances to the working face, which can become crucial considering the cost to develop a new shaft or decline. To overcome this, there is a growing interest in collaboration among various stakeholders to drive the development and support of deeper mines and tackle the complexity of underground mining. This is evidenced by the fact that several industry and research groups and networks have formed, e.g. the I2mine project in Europe and the Ultra-Deep Mining Network by the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation in Canada. Due to commodity pricing and the trend toward renewable energy, metal/non-metal mining will be the driving force behind this development."

Jan 1, 2019

By Albert E. Greene

Processes for the removal of phosphorus from iron or steel are steadily assuming greater importance in view of the abundance of high-phosphorus iron-ore and the diminishing supply of pure ore. In the present methods of removing phosphorus by the basic open-hearth or basic Bessemer process, or even by electric processes, complete control over the metallurgical conditions is either impossible or has not yet been realized. The removal of phosphorus has so long been accomplished along certain well-defined lines, that when the electric furnace made its appearance metallurgists adhered to the same old reactions used in the older processes and failed to appreciate and take advantage of the new forces at their disposal. One object of the present paper is to set forth more clearly the metallurgical reactions by which phosphorus can be removed from iron, and to show the necessity of controlling the conditions, and particularly the temperature, by means other than combustion in the furnace-chamber. Invariably, the commercial removal of phosphorus has been accomplished by oxidation. The reactions involved in oxidation of phosphorus in general consist, first, of the formation of P2O5 and second, the combination of this oxide with lime, forming calcium phosphate, which latter is held in a slag high in iron oxide. In the present-used processes, the phosphorus is never removed without the assistance or presence of considerable quantities of iron oxide. The oxygen for removal of phosphorus in the basic open-hearth process comes largely through the medium of iron oxide and furnace-gases, but not

Jan 1, 1913

By V. Rajaram

Rock reinforcement systems are used in open pit and underground mines to stabilize the rock mass in-situ and provide safe working conditions. Significant progress has been made to date in the design and implementation of rock reinforcement systems to accommodate bad rock conditions and larger excavations. However, the rationale for the design of rock reinforcement systems remains essentially the same and can be categorized into three groups, namely 1. to create a beam of competent rock in stratified formations, 2. to resist sliding motion in jointed rock, 3. to passively support the superincumbent loads in highly stressed ground. Case histories of the rock reinforcement sys¬tems that illustrate these design approaches will be presented in this paper.

Jan 1, 1983

By Robert W. Row

Advanced physical coal cleaning processes that are now under development may remove significantly greater fractions of pyritic sulfur and ash than do commercial coal cleaning processes at comparable heating value recoveries. These processes may be useful for reducing sulfur dioxide emissions from electric utilities and other emission sources. However, little work has been done to determine their applicability to any major coal market. The northeastern states of the United States are interested in burning more coal, but with further sulfur dioxide emission restrictions. Their nearest coal sources are relatively high sulfur Northern Appalachian coals. The project discussed in this paper, which is scheduled to be completed in June 1985, has the objective of technically and economically evaluating various coal supply scenarios involving five selected advanced physical coal cleaning processes; and comparing the economics of them with alternative fuel supply options open to the northeastern users.

Jan 1, 1985

By T Muri

The drying operation of materials from particulate solids, through slurries and suspensions, to continuous sheets represents an important part of several processes in the chemical and mineral industries. The increasing demand of high productivity at low cost and minimal environmental impact makes it complex to evaluate and choose the best available drying technology for each industrial application. The drying technologies are mainly characterised on the basis of how the wet product is related to the drying medium, namely: direct and indirect drying. In the direct drying method (convection drying), the product is brought into direct contact with the drying medium, which may be hot gas or air. Large quantities of gas are necessary for transfer of the required energy. A special case of the direct dryer is the fluid bed dryer, in which the product floats on a cushion of air or gas. The process air is supplied to the bed through a perforated distributor plate and flows through the bed of solids at a velocity sufficient to support the weight of particles. Very high heat and mass transfer values are obtained as a result of the intimate contact with the solids and the relative velocities between individual particles and the fluidising gas. In the indirect drying method (conduction or contact drying), the wet product is separated from the drying medium. The drying unit can consist of a rotor forming the indirect contact heating surface mounted in a stationary or rotating shell. The indirect method uses saturated or superheated steam resulting in low energy consumption and minimal environmental impact. In this paper, a review is given of the technologies available on the market based on different drying methods. The advantages and the disadvantages are summarised with respect to issues such as investment and operating cost, maintenance, product capacity, product handling and environmental impact.

Jan 1, 2006