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By B Dold

"Mining has still today high potential for improvement in the exploitation efficiency. Especially low-grade ores have very low recoveries. In Cu bioleaching operations from porphyry copper deposits extraction of only five and 15 per cent with maximum of 40 per cent are reached. This means that 60–95 per cent of the resource is not exploited. Consequently, any metal not extracted will end up in the waste material, therefore increasing the risk of environmental pollution. This inefficiency is mainly due to the use of element concentrations for decision-making on the daily basis of a mining operation (eg cut-off ore grade, acid-base accounting – ABA). If, instead, quantitative mineralogical and geochemical data together with information on the bioleaching behaviour of the ore assemblage (the biogeometallurgical approach), is used for decision-making right from the beginning of the exploitation, higher recoveries and less environmental impact can be achieved, ie an increase in sustainability can be reached.CITATION:Dold, D, 2016. The Biogeometallurgical Approach – the Information We Need to Increase the Sustainability of Mining, in Proceedings The Third AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2016, pp 169–172 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jun 15, 2016

By A. D. Davis

Environmental impacts from acidic mine drainage are growing national concerns that are particularly acute in the headwaters of the Rocky Mountain region. In the Black Hills of South Dakota, approximately one thousand mines are inactive or abandoned, most of them in the headwaters of major drainages. This paper examines the Bear Butte Creek basin, a heavily mineralized watershed with significant historical mining impacts and a surface gold mine permitted in 1997. The watershed loses its surface discharge to swallow holes in the karstic Madison Limestone. The integrity of the aquatic ecosystem was monitored with a suite of site-specific bio-indicators. Stream surveys covered the entire reach of Bear Butte Creek from near its headwaters to the swallow holes in the Madison aquifer. Data from the stream surveys, water-quality sampling, and bio-indicator surveys clearly showed that water-quality impacts are limited mainly to Strawberry Creek and to the area of Bear Butte Creek near and downstream of the town of Galena.

Jan 1, 1999

By A. C. Fieldner

In 1927 the Carbonization Committee of the American Gas Association proposed cooperation with the Bureau of Mines in the development of suitable methods for determining the carbonizing properties of American coals. It was further proposed to apply these methods in the testing of representative coals and to make the information obtained available to the public through Government publications. A cooperative agreement was signed whereby the Gas Association contributed part of the funds necessary for beginning the project and appointed a committee to consult and advise the Bureau in the work. The Advisory Committee has been reappointed each year, and the Bureau has had the benefit of its advice. The composition and carbonizing properties of 33 coals previously tested have been given in technical papers of the Bureau of Mines and in short reports published for the most part in the Proceedings of the American Gas Association. A complete list of publications on the work previous to 1937 is appended to this report. The present report gives the composition and carbonizing properties of seven additional coals from West Virginia. The data include results of blending tests in which Beckley led low-volatile coal was used with all the high-volatile coals except the Alma coal, with which Pocahontas No. 4 coal was used.

Jan 1, 1938

By Jochen Franke, Derek D. Lichti

"This paper gives a brief introduction and presents recent enhancements in the MillMapper technology developed for thickness gauging and condition monitoring of liners in grinding mills used for mineral comminution. It also introduces the recent expansion of MillMapper functionality aimed at mill operational optimization. MillMapper uses calibrated laser scanner data captured inside a mill to determine thickness at several million points on all liner surfaces at feed, shell, and discharge ends with millimeter accuracy. Data capture takes nominally 5 minutes, hence interruption to mill operation is negligible.The paper is structured as follows. First, a review of the technology and discussion of recentlyimplemented innovations such as liner change out forecasting, automatic ball charge volume and weight measurement, and automatic mill liner volume/weight measurement for mill operational control or load cell calibration are presented. Combined weight information provides control over load related issues such as load fill levels for relining, or start-up load after reline. Feature descriptions are followed by a listing of the numerous advantages over existing techniques and the benefits to operations. Results from the application of MillMapper are presented throughout.INTRODUCTIONThe need for thickness gauging of liners of grinding mills used for mineral comminution is well known but the task is rarely completed to a satisfactory standard. Liner failure resulting from excessive wear can have expensive consequences. Furthermore, mill performance as well as liner wear are known to be correlated to lifter bar geometry (Napier-Munn et al., 1999; Rajamanni et al., 2005). At present, the following techniques are routinely used to gauge the thickness of mill liners:1. Visual inspection;2. Ultrasonic thickness gauging (for steel liners); and3. Physical inspection (e.g. nail inserted in rubber liners)"

Jan 1, 2008

By Vladko Panayotov, Marinela Panayotova

"Recently, in order to extract metals, the industry is trying to process old metallurgical slag. The material requires very fine grinding that results in enhanced slime-formation. This in turn leads to problems in the course of the flotation process and to a loss of metal. In addition, it causes difficulties in the wastewater treatment aimed at water reuse. The aggregation and separation of the fine particles and their further subjecting to mineral processing would result in more efficient use of raw materials. Closing the water cycle also would be facilitated. The paper presents results from studying sixteen flocculation reagents, commercially available for treating municipal wastewater, including products based on nanotechnology, for their ability to rend the production wastewater in suitable for reuse in the flotation. It turned out that, from all studied reagents, the cationic C-587 is suitable for the purpose. Some of reagents were studied for their ability to flocculate selectively, in presence of coke fines, rich in copper fines which are produced at grinding of a slag from lead-zinc metallurgy. Most promising reagents are chosen, based on the chemical analysis of the flocculated materials. Open-cycle rough copper flotation experiments with the flocculated fines and recycled wastewater gave encouraging results."

Jan 1, 2014

By M. R. Geer

American and European practices in cleaning fine coal are strikingly different. The tables, launders, classifiers, and pneumatic devices used in America are seldom employed in Continental Europe, where much of the fine coal is cleaned in feldspar jigs, often supplemented by froth flotation of the extreme fines. This difference in choice of cleaning equipment may be fortuitous, but in large measure can be attributed to a difference in economic factors. Coal being more costly in Europe, there is greater emphasis on efficient cleaning of all sizes, including the extreme fines, and it is common to produce a high-ash middling for "on-site" consumption to avoid any waste of fuel value. The feldspar jig has been found advantageous under these conditions. In the United States fuel coal must be prepared as cheaply as possible, and metallurgical coal must be prepared as efficiently as possible; thus in both branches of preparation practice, any cleaning device that promises greater economy or higher efficiency warrants consideration. The feldspar jig, as employed in Europe, has a much higher unit capacity than the wet table used so extensively here and therefore offers economy in the capital costs of a washery through saving in space. As pointed out by Vissac,4/ the jig operates under automatic control, and therefore can cope with fluctuations in quality of feed. Maintenance costs for a single, large-capacity unit, such as the feldspar jig, would be expected to be lower than those for a battery of low-capacity cleaners. These considerations led the Bureau of Mines to undertake an investigation of the feldspar jig to determine its possible usefulness in this country.

Jan 1, 1958

By S. K. R. Iyengar

This report presents the results of a study to develop optimal designs for light-weight mine roof supports for use in underground coal mines. A load capacity of 196 kN (22 tons) and a height adjustable between 1.829 m (72 inches) and 2.438 m (96 inches) were taken as the design parameters and the design goal was a unit weighing less than 22.3 kg (50 lbs). Three alternative design concepts were explored, viz. mechanical, hydraulic, and hydro-mechanical and a total of 13 designs analyzed in detail. Steel, aluminum alloy and composites were the main potential construction materials investigated for suitability from structural, life, and safety and other considerations. The designs considered most promising for development were: (i) the mechanical screw-pin type using telescopic tubes and a fine adjustment screw thread section (ii) the all-hydraulic type, of steel, aluminum alloy or aramid graphite construction (iii) the hydro-mechanical design using telescopic tubes and a short stroke hydraulic cylinder for fine adjustment It is shown that by using realistic mathematical models for stress and deflection calculations, it is possible to reduce prop weight to the design goal. The analysis presented for all-hydraulic props is applicable to hydraulic cylinders on all mining equipment and similar machinery. This report includes the computer program and user's guide for analyzing hydraulic cylinders as well as a cross-indexed bibliography on structural composites.

Jan 1, 1978

By Eckl, Martin, Stefan Lemke, Martin Londschien

"Tunnels are built with a design life expectancy of over 100 years. One key component of such a design is the waterproofing system, which must reliably fulfil its function during the whole service lifetime of the tunnel structure. This paper deals with the determination of test criteria for the durability assessment of geosynthetic products in tunnel sealing systems. Hereby the understanding of the individual aging processes is crucial along with the long-term experience with these materials to ensure the transfer of the laboratory results and performance to site practice (test calibration) and vice versa. To verify the results of the new test procedure the material properties of geosynthetic products samples removed from older tunnels are investigated. Based on the presented results of the still ongoing research programs some preliminary conclusion regarding the updating of regulations for tunnel sealing systems are given. INTRODUCTION Watertightness is directly related to the durability and serviceability of the concrete lining. Therefore, modern traffic tunnels and shafts (Figure 1) are generally protected against mountain/ground water and water penetrating through rock fissures by a sealing system, for example with a loose-laid polymeric sheet membrane. Hereby the waterproofing sealing systems must be reliably fulfilling their function during the whole service life of the tunnel structure, regularly of more than 100 years. In consequence, the quality and lifetime performance of the waterproofing materials—beside the correct professional and careful installation in a tunnel infrastructure, is of great importance. The challenge for the industry, owners, operators and designers is ultimately the development of qualification testing and requirements (acceptance criteria) for products to ensure the design lifetime performance. Hereby the qualification procedure is seen as a routine integrated in standards, norms or guidelines, wherein test procedures should cover typical environments for the specific application fields. Polymeric synthetic raw materials are increasingly used in products with long service lifetimes (e.g. in injections, gaskets, waterbars, spray-applied and sheet waterproofing membranes). During service they are subjected to chemical (e.g. oxidation processes) and physical (e.g. changes in morphology) influences from the environment, which affect their mechanical properties—and they age. Hereby organic materials are more affected than inorganic materials. Also, polymers show strongly temperature-dependent properties compared with other construction materials. However, their long-term aging behavior is not given per se and has to be explored extensively by suitable tests, which simulate—under accelerated processes—real exposures and loads. Hereby the understanding of the individual aging processes is crucial along with the long-term experience with these materials to ensure the transfer of the laboratory results and performance to site practice (test calibration) and vice versa."

Jan 1, 2016

By B. Seymour

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting research to develop safe practices for the use of shotcrete as ground support in underground mines, particularly mines operating in weak host rock. As part of this research, tests were conducted with a commercial poly-fiber reinforced shotcrete mix to develop a practical means of measuring shotcrete adhesion strength. Full-scale tests were conducted in a test frame equipped with concrete panels having three distinct surface roughness profiles. Adhesion test fixtures either embedded or epoxied in the shotcrete were overcored into the underlying concrete, and direct tensile tests were conducted to determine the bond strength of the shotcrete cores to the substrate after a selected shotcrete curing interval (1, 3, 7, 14, 28, or 90 days). Measured adhesion strengths typically ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 MPa depending on the curing age of the shotcrete samples. This paper presents the results of these tests, describes the portable test system components, and addresses some of the design issues encountered in the development of a rugged and reliable method for determining shotcrete adhesion strength in underground mines.

Jan 1, 2010

By Masaru Imaizumi, Hiroyuki Nomura, Mitsuharu Takita

"Cast iron possesses many superior characteristics caused from precipitated graphite structure, for example, castability, wear resistance, solid lubrication, damping capacity. But the more graphite hyper-eutectic cast iron contains, the lower its mechanical strength becomes, because graphite gives a negative effect to strength of cast iron. In addition, primary graphite tends to segregate during solidification, so uniform materials are difficult to be produced.In this study, authors introduced semi-solid processing in developing new and high quality cast iron. A series of semi-solid processing experiments were carried out to clarify the effect of stirring condition; solidification temperature and etc. on microstructures and characteristics of cast iron. In particular much attention is paid to the appearance of ternary eutectic zone at the final stage of solidification. As the results advanced hyper-eutectic cast iron was obtained with high quality of both the mechanical strength and wear resistance. As for the mechanical strength, 300MPa and 0.60% are obtained as the tensile strength and the elongation values, respectively, under the controlled stirring condition. This indicates that semi-solid processed hyper-eutectic cast iron is used prospectively without spheroidization.IntroductionCast iron has various good properties such as wear resistance, solid lubrication, damping capacity and machinability. The characteristics of cast iron are mainly decided by graphite structure, namely graphite shape and its distribution in the matrix. Mechanical strength of cast iron is large in the case of small quantity of graphite particles which are precipitated uniformly, however, it becomes small in the case of large quantity of graphite precipitated flakily."

Jan 1, 2000

By Robert M. Cox

The U. S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) MULSIM/NL modeling technique has been used to analyze anticipated stress distributions for a proposed alternative longwall gate road design for a western Colorado coal mine. The model analyses indicated that the alternative gate road design would reduce stresses in the tailgate entry without increasing stresses in the headgate entry. To test the validity of the alternative gate road design under actual mining conditions, a test section of the alternative system was incorporated into a subsequent set of gate roads developed at the mine. The alternative gate road test section was instrumented with borehole pressure cells, as part of an ongoing USBM research project, to monitor ground pressure changes as longwall mining progressed. During the excavation of the adjacent longwall panels, the behavior of the alternative gate road system was monitored continuously using the USBM computer-assisted Ground Control Management System. During these field tests, the alternative gate road system was first monitored and evaluated as a headgate, and later monitored and evaluated as a tailgate. The results of the field tests confirmed the validity of using the MULSIM/NL modeling technique to evaluate mine designs.

Jan 1, 2010

By C. H. Mathewson

MY treatment of the subject of "Metals of the Future" is imaginative rather than statistical or scientific, because reliable information concerning useful concentrations in the form of ore deposits of by far the majority of the elements does not exist and the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the unfamiliar metals are recorded only in fragmentary and uncertain form or not at all.

Jan 1, 1944

MIM Holdings Limited (MIM) committed to a long-term future in copper in the Carpentaria Mineral Province in 1996 with the development of the Enterprise and Ernest Henry mines, and an upgrade of MIMsÆ copper smelter in Mount Isa, and copper refinery in Townsville. The upgrade of the copper smelter will enable the smelter to produce 250 000 tpa of copper with a single primary smelting unit, the copper Isasmelt furnace installed in 1992. The copper Isasmelt furnace currently smelts concentrate containing 145 000 tpa copper. To reduce the risk associated with the copper smelter upgrade, and shorten the ramp up time of the upgraded smelter, two high-rate trials were undertaken in 1997 to demonstrate that the copper Isasmelt furnace could, with an additional 525 tpd of tonnage oxygen, treat concentrates containing 250 000 tpa copper. During the trials the concentrate feed rate to the Isasmelt furnace was increased from its average rate of 100 tph of concentrate to 150 tph of concentrate. The increase in the capacity of the furnace was achieved by: supplementing the installed tonnage oxygen capacity of 595 tpd with an additional 300 tpd supply; reducing variability in the furnace feed rate from ¦25 per cent to less than ¦5 per cent; and reducing tramp air. The Isasmelt furnace smelted concentrate at a rate of 140 to 150 tph for four hours 25 minutes during Trial 1, and at a rate of 150 tph of concentrate for five hours and 30 minutes during Trial 2. The oxygen utilisation was 100 per cent during the trials with the process remaining under control. As a result of the development work for the trials the average treatment rate of the furnace under normal conditions increased by ten per cent.

Jan 1, 1998

By R. G. Dressler

The design and operation of the Koppers powdered-coal gasifier and its auxiliaries at Louisiana, Mo., are described. This unit was designed to convert 1 ton of coal per hour with oxygen and superheated steam into synthesis gas - primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The first run was made on May 4, 1949. After this, 44 short runs (less than 8 hours each) and 1 long run (lasting 11 days) were made. Total gasification time was 420 hours. The gasifier was not cooled down during the year when these runs were made. After an initial period of test operations and equipment proving, during which 12 runs were made, the effect of numerous variables on gasifier performance was studied. The long run was made primarily to check the equipment in sustained operation. Detailed data from these runs are presented.

Jan 1, 1954

By Phil Keele

"Manalta Coal Ltd. 's Vesta Mine will supply Alberta Power Limited's 740 MW Battle River Generating Station with 1 128 000 tonnes of sub-bituminous ""C"" coal in 1983. Mana/ta Coal Ltd. and Alberta Power Limited are in their seventh year of a 31-year coal supply agreement. With the exception of localized topographic highs where three coal seams are mined, the Vesta Mine is primarily a single-seam mining operation. Vesta's comprehensive programs of mine planning, preventative maintenance, reclamation, and employee relations make it an efficient and a well run operation. Introduction The Vesta Mine, located in east-central Alberta approximately 300 km northeast of Calgary, supplies sub-bituminous ""C"" coal to Alberta Power Limited's 740 MW Battle River Generating Station. The coal reserves and principal stripping equipment are owned by Alberta Power Limited. Manalta Coal Ltd. owns and operates the additional mining equipment and support facilities. Coal production is from a single pit, 3.5 km in length. Both single and multi-seam operations are encountered in the active pit. In 1983, production is anticipated to increase to I 128 000 tonnes from 906 000 tonnes in 1982. The additional tonnage will be achieved by operating 24 hours per day, 5 days per week. The following sections briefly highlight historical, geological and mining/reclamation aspects of the Vesta Mine. Figure I illustrates the location of the Vesta Mine in relation to the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. History Coal mining for domestic use began near the turn of the century in the Vesta Mine area. Initially, small underground room-and-pillar operations were dominant. As equipment technology advanced, surface strip mining replaced the underground methods."

Jan 1, 1985

By Gary Buchan

"Mine-wide ground control stability is essential to any mining operation to prevent catastrophic failure of underground structures. The ability to recognize or indicate the potential for ground control hazards in underground mine operations is highly desirable to reduce or eliminate ground-control-related injuries and fatalities. The acoustic emissions (AE) form of non-destructive testing has been used for decades to determine material or machine deterioration or potential failure. This paper presents the findings of research in AE with the results of laboratory bolt pull tests and comparisons to field experimentation, including AE sensors and bolt load data in an underground stone mine. The goal of the project is to compare laboratory results of AE sensors on roof bolt pull tests with field experimentation to determine the capability of predicting bolt failure or roof deterioration.INTRODUCTIONMine-wide ground control stability is essential to any mining operation to prevent catastrophic failure of underground structures. The ability to recognize or indicate the potential for ground control hazards in underground mining operations is highly desirable to reduce or eliminate ground-control-related injuries and fatalities. Typical ground control monitoring devices involve drilling into roof or rib, grouting or gluing of sensors, and dedicated cabling for data collection. One of the original goals of this research was to develop a methodology for a simple wireless device that could provide an indication or warning of potential roof bolt or roof failure. Various types of nondestructive testing (NDT) have been used for decades to determine material or machine deterioration or the potential failure of either. One type of NDT is acoustic emission (AE) monitoring, which has been studied for use in mining to predict rock bursts and mine failures since the 1940s (Obert, 1941; Obert and Duvall, 1942). The primary goal of the work was to compare laboratory results of AE sensors on roof bolt pull tests with field experimentation to determine the capability of evaluating bolt loading or roof deterioration in an underground stone mine. Bolt pull tests were conducted in the laboratory to establish a repeatable trend of AE activity versus bolt load. The second part of the project was to then install bolt load cells in an underground stone mine and monitor AE activity in the vicinity of mining."

Jan 1, 2018

By Donlad B. Lindsay

This report describes a field-test program to determine the effectiveness of a polymeric wall sealant to reduce the excape of naturally occurring radio-active gas radon from the walls of an underground uranium mine into the ventilation air. A 75-foot-long, dead-end drift with a surface area of about 6,000 ft2 was used as the test site in which the average natural radon flux from the normally dry rock was 16 fCi/cm2-s. The effect on radon emanation of wetting the walls with water to a depth of 3 inches was tested, after which the rock was completely covered with a coating of dry-mix concrete to provide a base for the sealant, an acrylic latex. Sealant was applied in two coats to about 0.25 mm thick. An overall reduction of average radon flux of about 75 pct was achieved. Radon production and other environmental values were measured continuously and automatically by a Bureau of Mines data acquisition system. A commercial microcomputer was programed to convert raw data to engineering units and to perform other useful operations while recording all data on magnetic diskettes. Direct measurements of radon flux from the rock surface were made by a charcoal adsorption technique.

Jan 1, 1981

By Gordon King

The site of the First Quality Tissue plant is located on a previous paper production facility in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The new development, which included the construction of a tissue machine building, baled building, converting building, various storage buildings and an electrical switchgear building, required the use of deep foundation systems to transfer loads below compressible fill and alluvial soils. Loading details provided by Jacobs Engineering, the project structural engineer, detailed braced steel frame buildings with typical column loads ranging from 75 to 150 kips and slab live loads of 250 to 300 psf. As an exception to this, however, the tissue machine and stock preparation building, which had a roof height ranging up to 85 feet, had column loads ranging up to 800 kips in addition to high dynamic loads. The First Tissue plant is located in a river valley in the hills of Western Pennsylvania. To evaluate the proposed site conditions and to formulate recommendations for the structure foundations, a geotechnical study was performed by the owner. Approximately 30 borings were advanced to bedrock, with wire-line coring performed in the tissue machine building. The borings disclosed a soil profile comprising of the following:

Jan 1, 2004

By W. W. Adams

In mining coal, the Nation's principal mineral fuel, loss of life has been much lower recently than in earlier years when coal mining contributed so heavily to the industrial-accident death toll in the United States. Particularly notable has been the relatively small number of deaths during the past few years compared with the number that occurred 20 or 30 years ago. Reports received by the United States Bureau of Mines, covering all commercially operated mines that were active during all or any part of the calendar year 1935, showed that accidents during that year had resulted in the loss of 1,242 lives. This death toll, although regrettable, represents a material improvement over the industry's experience during most years prior to 1935, and especially over the industry's worst year, 1907, when 3,242 men were killed. Fewer lives were lost in 1933, when 1,064 men were killed at work, than during any year for which complete figures are available.

Jan 1, 1938

By Duclerc Fernandes Parra, Vijaya Kumar Rangari, Washington Luiz Oliani, Ademar Benevolo Lugao, Nilton Lincopan

Due to its versatility and low cost, polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely used polymers in the world, consequently in research and development of new products. The polypropylene modified was prepared by gamma irradiation in acetylene at 12.5 kGy dose, technical polymer also known as high-melt-strength-polypropylene (HMSPP). It was mixed with montmorillonite (MMT) clay and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for bactericide activity. HMS-Polypropylene-clay-silver nanocomposites were manufactured using twin-screw extruders. Those materials were prepared by a melt mixing process via twin screw extrusion with a wide range of processing conditions. The polypropylene nanocomposites (PPNC) surfaces were exposed to gamma-radiation (60Co) source in presence of nitrogen as inert atmosphere at 1; 3; 5; 10; 20 and 50 kGy doses for modified the surfaces in order to enhance biocide activity. The samples surfaces were characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX) and evaluated by determination of bactericide effects. The results indicate the formation of structures predominantly intercalated of HMSPP nanocomposite. Contact tests for antibacterial activity of the hybrid polymer were applied against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria. The irradiations on the samples surfaces were insufficient to promote activity on contact biocide tests.

Mar 1, 2018