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By C Munro, S Emery, M Flynn, K Tan

"AEROPHINE® 3418A Promoter is a well-known and widely used collector and is an industry standard for its excellent selectivity and efficacy in the processing of complex polymetallic sulfide ores, particularly those containing silver. Until now, however, it has not found widespread use in primary nickel flotation.In an effort to increase nickel recovery without compromising selectivity over iron sulfides, Western Areas Forrestania Nickel operation trialled the use of AEROPHINE® 3418A as a secondary collector at low dosage. A series of ON/OFF trials were conducted, with the finding that a very low dose of AEROPHINE® 3418A increased nickel recovery by 0.6 per cent compared to using xanthate alone.This paper provides a brief operational history and overview of the Forrestania operations, a description of the trial and an analysis of the results.Citation:Emery, S, Flynn, M, Tan, K and Munro, C, 2016. Aerophine® 3418A Promoter as a Secondary Collector to Boost Nickel Recovery at Forrestania Nickel Operations, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2016, pp 145–148 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 10, 2016

By S Hapugoda, H Han, L Lu

Charcoal produced from Syzygium Zeylanicum trees was widely used in ancient Sri Lankan iron smelting practices. Charcoal made from Syzygium Zeylanicum tree trunks, branches and leaves were analysed by optical mineralogy and SEM and found to contain unusually high concentrations of calcium oxalate (CaC2O4.H2O – CaOx) crystals in plant cells. Partial and full reduction tests of a high-P Brockman ore were conducted at several temperatures with coke and coke doped with CaOx and CaCO3. It was observed that CaOx promoted reduction and generated comparatively more metallic iron in reduced samples. Furthermore, CaOx encouraged phosphorous partition into slag phases than into the metallic iron, suggesting CaOx can a potential alternative fluxing material to calcium carbonate for treating high-P iron ores in ironmaking processes.

Sep 18, 2023

By L. H. Michaud

A mining company plans to extend its surface coal-mining operations in central Pennsylvania. Although the proposed site contains pyritic material, the results of the acid-base accountings for the site shows an overall Neutralization Potential to Maximum Potential Acidity Ratio (NP:MPA) of 4.26:1 for the entire site. The pyritic material is, however, associated with the lower of the three seams to be mined. If traditional dragline-mining methods are used, this would result in the acidic material being placed at the top of the spoil piles, exposing it to air and water, and therefore to the formation of acid mine drainage (AMD). Further concerns are associated with the fact that the alkaline material is not distributed evenly over the mine site. To prevent the formation of AMD, the company has proposed to mine the area using truck-shovel mining methods. This technique offers a more flexible alternative for cut sequencing and for the selective placement of waste material. Working with the Department of Mineral Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, amine plan was developed for this site. This plan results in the layering of the alkaline and acidic spoil to achieve an overall net alkalinity in all spoil areas. Therefore, mining this site should not result in the formation of AMD.

Jan 1, 1996

By Robert W. Thompson, Darry A. Ferguson

In August, 1977 the United States Congress passed Public Law 95-87 which has been commonly referred to as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (or SMCRA). This title is somewhat misleading in that the act creates as many regulatory requirements for underground coal mines as for surface coal mines. How- ever, this paper will concentrate on the effects of SMCRA on designs and stability for various activities of surface coal mines, specifically those concerning "Disposal of Excess Spoil". In the past, the objective of most laws and regulations applicable to the mining industry has been to achieve goals of safety or environmental concerns for all types of mining. However, SMCRA is unique in that it sought to regulate-all-activities of coal mining from initial data gathering, exploration, mine design and facilities design to reclamation activities and design. More specific to the stability of the activities of surface coal mining, special criteria for design and construction performance standards have been promulgated for the construction and maintenance of roads, dams and embankments, coal processing waste, ex- cess spoil piles, backfilled reclamation and pit slides. The criteria for design for the previously mentioned facilities has been enumerated by regulations and in many ways restrict the use of site specific design parameters. The restrictions imposed by regulations significantly inhibit the engineer's ability to develop the best practical and economical design and in some cases may re-

Jan 1, 1983

By R. E. Wagner

MISSOURI's famous lead area, in what is known as Southeast Missouri, is locally termed the "Lead Belt." These deposits are in the Bonne Terre dolomite of late Cambrian age which has a thickness of nearly 400 ft. Underlying this is the La Motte sandstone which varies in thickness from 0 to 400 ft. The La Motte beds are deposited directly on the ancient erosion surface of Pre-Cambrian porphyries and granites of probably Algonkian age. The buried igneous peaks extend up into the Bonne Terre in several areas within the Lead Belt. Overlying the Bonne Terre are shales and siliceous dolomites of late Cambrian and early Ordovician age. Within the Lead Belt these have a thickness of from 0 to 500 ft. The district is bounded in general on the southwest by the Sims Mountain fault, on the northwest and north by the Big River fault, and on the

Jan 1, 1947

By John Drew Ridge

Tables showing world trade in metallic mineral raw materials during the years 1953 through 1957 have been prepared for the following twenty-one commodities: alumina, aluminum, bauxite, chromite, copper concentrates, partly refined and fully refined copper metal, iron ore, pig iron, iron and steel (simple shapes), lead concentrates, lead metal, manganese ore, mercury metal, nickel ore, concentrates, and matte, nickel metal, raw pyrites, sintered pyrites, tin concentrates, tin metal, zinc concentrates, and zinc metal. In each instance, the amounts given by the importing country were used except when statistics from the importing nation were lacking, incomplete, or misleading. To show the considerable divergence between importing and exporting country totals for the same years, the complete mercury table is given and, in parallel columns, shows the comparable tonnages of importers and exporters. Tables for the other twenty commodities are presented in summary form. The data of the concentrate tables are used with those of the corresponding metals as a basis for a discussion of trade in concentrates versus trade in metals. The data of all twenty-one tables provide the basis for testing the thirteen rules governing international trade in metal raw materials which I first published in Mining Engineering for July 1955. Because the 1953 through 1957 data are far more complete and considerably more extensive than those on which the 1955 rules were based, it was found possible to deduce five additional rules and to modify three of the original thirteen appreciably. The full text of the eighteen rules is given.

Jan 1, 1960

By Gilles Cachia, Foteini Vasilikou, Seth Pollak, Hannes Lagger

"INTRODUCTION The Shatin to Central Link (SCL) is a new rail line being constructed by the MTR Corporation for the Government of Hong Kong to cater for the growing passenger demand between the North-East New Territories and the urban areas of the city. Contract 1103, which will provide the 4 km of running tunnels between the new Hin Keng and Diamond Hill Stations, was tendered in a design-build framework and awarded to Vinci Construction Grands Projets (VCGP) in October 2012, with Arup as Vinci’s lead designer. One of the most challenging pieces of work on the contract involved the construction of 133m of SEM mined tunnel on the northern end of the project. The Northern Mined Section (NMS) is an undrained, twin-track, single bore profile, broken out through the southern pipe pile wall of the Hin Keng Station cut-and-cover box, Figure 1. The tunnel has maximum excavated dimensions of 14.5m span x 12m height, with track spacing of 6.175m. The general excavation sequence consisted of 3 stages; a 6m high top heading (73.1m2), followed by bench (27.3m2), and invert (26.7m2). A risk-based approach to the design was taken given the large variation in rock level, cover, and an active stream course above tunnel crown. Ultimately, six different temporary support types were utilized in order to optimize the construction process through continually changing ground while maintaining a safe and stable excavation. Three main support types were developed during the initial design phase, along with a “contingency” case, which utilized a partial heading excavation sequence and enhanced face support. The purpose of the contingency support type was to have a robust, engineered design available for immediate implementation should unexpected ground behavior develop, leading to the breaching of instrumentation trigger levels. This support type was never implemented on site. Drill- and-blast tunneling commenced once 6m of rock cover was verified through forward probing. A robust instrumentation and monitoring scheme provided valuable data throughout excavation and the means to carry out a geotechnical back-analysis of the ground behavior and support performance."

Jan 1, 2016

By Tony Moore, Peter Riccio

"MMG (Minerals and Metals Group) operates the LXML Sepon’s mineral processing facility located 40 kilometers north of the town of Sepon, in the Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR. The Sepon copper plant produces 70,000 tons/year of LME grade A copper cathode using leachautoclave- SX/EW-flotation technology (Baxter et al., 2003). Pyrite recovery in the flotation circuit is critical to the operation, as it is used to generate acid and soluble ferric ion for the leach circuit. Low pyrite recovery has been an on-going challenge in the flotation circuit. Final tailings characterization work done by Ian Wark Research Institute (Bassell et al., 2006) showed that the pyrite losses to the tailings are made up of a combination of coarse liberated particles and finer particles that have been coated by clay fines.In December of 2005, a joint Cytec-MMG technical program was initiated to address the pyrite recovery issue. A series of diagnostic tests were performed in the Cytec Stamford Research Facility using synthetic plant water showing that the collector was precipitating as a metal salt and was unavailable for mineral attachment. The tests also identified several collector chemistries that would likely be robust in the low pH (< 1), high dissolved metal ion environment and will not complex with metal ions in solution. With the support of the Sepon on-site engineers, an extensive, successful laboratory program was completed, which was subsequently followed by on-plant testing that showed a step wise improvement in pyrite recovery.INTRODUCTIONLow pyrite recovery has been an ongoing problem in the flotation circuit at Sepon. Sulfur recovery (indirect measure of pyrite) was improved from 40% to 65%-75% in mid-2005 when on site laboratory work confirmed that AERO® 8045 Promoter was a more effective collector then AERO® 407 Promoter. However, sulfur recoveries above 65% could never be achieved. Sepon requested the Ian Wark Research Institute to complete a surface analysis study using Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy to determine if clay coated pyrite played a role. It was concluded that the pyrite losses to the tailings are made up of a combination of coarse (+ 100µm) liberated particles and finer (-74µm) particles that have been coated by clay fines. The majority of the losses appear to be due to the former. In December of 2005, a series of diagnostic tests were performed in Stamford using synthetic plant water in order to identify what chemistries would likely be robust in the slimy low pH and high dissolved metal ion solution environment. Results showed that several chemistries would not complex with ferric, ferrous or copper in solution and therefore should perform well in the Sepon flotation. The incumbent collector, AERO® 8045 Promoter was complexing with metal ions in solution. This resulted in the collector not being available for adsorption onto pyrite."

Jan 1, 2011

By Hal McVey

The logic and importance of marketing in the industrial minerals industry is generally recognized by those of us intimately involved in this industry. The illogical instances where marketing is ignored in evaluating projects or poorly implemented in operations are also well known. The interplay between these two extremes is interesting territory and is explored commencing with a logical progression of a metal mine that became an industrial minerals mine and ending with the most illogical and failure-prone decision common to the minerals industry today. This paper will demonstrate how: 1. A logical progression of marketing expertise can result in previously unseen benefits to a minerals venture. 2. Logic can turn to illogic due to market conditions and price fluctuations. 3. How operations can turn marketing logic into illogical results. 4. Short term "logic" is often illogical.

Jan 1, 1981

By George D. Graffin.

The first use of graphite is lost in the mists of time. It was used by primitive man to make drawings on the walls of caves and by the Egyptians to decorate pottery. As early as 1400 A.D. graphite crucibles were being made in the Haffnerzell district of Bavaria. Through the Middle Ages graphite was confused with other minerals, especially galena and molybdenite. Two common names that are still used for the mineral are "Plumbago," meaning leadlike, and "Black Lead." The latter name implied that graphite is either composed of lead or at least contains a large percentage of it. Gessner is credited with having recognized it as a separate mineral in 1565, but its composition was not determined until 1779, when Scheele demonstrated that graphite oxidized to carbon dioxide, thus proving its carbon constitution. In 1789, Werner named it "graphite" from the Greek word "graphein," meaning to write. The United States has long relied on foreign countries for its graphite supplies. This reliance has been due more to the lack of suitable domestic graphites than to any particular preference for buying minerals overseas. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) graphites were imported as early as 1820, and Madagascar graphites have been imported since the properties on that island were opened up about a hundred years later. Mexico has long supplied the United States with most of its requirements for amorphous graphite. Physical Properties and Classification Graphite is found in laminated, flaky aggregates disseminated in schistose rocks. It also occurs in veins and exhibits a foliated or fibrous structure. Graphite is a black lustrous mineral that crystallizes in the hexagonal system, with rhombohedral symmetry. The crystals have tabular form and are six-sided; the faces are commonly striated. The flakes have perfect basal cleavage and are opaque. When well crystallized, the flakes have a black metallic luster while the amorphous material is black and earthy, with a microcrystalline compactness. The flakes feel greasy. Graphite is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It melts at approximately 3550°C at a triple point under 1250 psi. It sublimes between 3300-3500°C at 14.7 psi. At 3726°C a second triple point occurs at approximately 100,000 atmospheres. Thermal oxidation in the presence of oxygen begins at 300°C and the rate increases with temperature. The three forms of carbon (charcoal, graphite, and diamond) are distinguished by chemical and physical tests. The specific gravity of charcoal is 1.3 to 1.9, of graphite 2.266 g/ cm3 (crystal density), and of diamond 3.5. Graphite has a hardness of 1 to 2 (Mohs&apos; scale). Natural graphite can be divided into three classes: disseminated flake, crystalline vein (fibrous or columnar), and amorphous. Flake graphite is a lamellar form found in metamorphic rocks, such as marble, gneiss, and schist. Each flake is separate, having crystallized as such in the rock. Crystalline vein graphite is found in the form of well defined veins or as pocket accumulations along the intrusive contacts of pegmatites with limestones. The graphite of such deposits is of two types, foliated and columnar. The important Sri Lanka (Ceylon) deposits are vein type. Amorphous graphite is commonly found as minute microcrystalline particles more or less uniformly distributed in feebly metamorphic rocks, such as slates and shales, or in beds consisting practically entirely of graphite. The latter usually are metamorphosed coal seams and carry as much as 80-85% graphitic carbon, while the former, being altered carbonaceous sediments, commonly range from 25 to 60%

Jan 1, 1983

By Kurt RP Petersen, Hendriena van der Walt

With the decline in fine diamond production from the Argyle mine in Australia, there is a greater emphasis on efficiently treating the finer size fractions through a DMS circuit. Although it is generally well understood that smaller diameter cyclones are more appropriate for this application, practical results do not necessarily meet this expectation. In this paper the operational performance of particular sized cyclones throughout the group was compared. Based on the results there is evidence that under certain practical operating conditions, small cyclones are not necessarily best for fine size particle treatment, particularly given the production pressures faced by all mines. However, there seems to be considerable merit in using larger sized cyclones, which tend to exhibit less performance variability, irrespective of operation conditions.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jeffrey Meissner, Charles Dowding

Cracking is one of the concerns cited by owners of structures adjacent to construction or mine blasting. During the past decade a large number of measurements have documented the low level of crack response produced by typical, ground motions compared to those produced by climatological effects. These data support the observation that there is a level below which ground motions do not cause even cosmetic cracking. As with all new findings, these crack response measurements need to be thoroughly investigated for all possible alternative interpretations. Among these alternatives is that uncracked locations are more affected than cracked locations. This paper presents measurements to shed light on the influence of existing cracks and the response of uncracked, but weak locations. Blast and weather induced responses of cracked and uncracked areas of gypsum wall board are compared in two structures: one near a surface coal mine in Indiana, the other near a limestone quarry in Florida. The ground motions that excited one of the structures were unusual in that the dominant excitation frequencies of 5 Hz were near the structure’s natural frequency and amplitudes exceeded 0.7 ips (18mm/s).

Jan 1, 2011

By Gurinder Kaur

Selenium (Se) based materials find wide applications in rectifiers, solar cells, photographic exposure meters, data storage devices, xerography and anticancer agents. They are also used in the glass industry to eliminate bubbles and remove undesirable tints produced by iron. In addition, Se is highly reactive towards a wealth of chemicals that can be potentially exploited to convert Se into other functional materials such as CdSe, ZnSe, Ag2Se. Here, we report a review of structural investigations of Se based materials in glassy and nanostructured forms. Glasses having varying amounts of Se and Tellurium (Te) were doped with group IV and V elements such as antimony and tin. Structural changes accompanying the composition variation were characterized with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy. At the same time Se-Te nanoalloys were synthesized in aqueous micellar phase using Na2SeO3/Na2TeO3 as the Se/Te source. Morphology change from nanoparticles to nanoribbons was investigated using Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM/TEM) techniques. Structural investigations were also done for well defined morphologies of Se based nano-biomaterials obtained in the presence of water soluble protein bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Aug 1, 2013

By Anand Bhagwat

Surface control can prevent the falls of ground between primary roof support systems and rib support. Using existing industrial products, and adopting them for mining applications, has historically attained surface control in underground mining. However, the latest innovative solution, a revolutionary wire mesh product, is designed specifically for underground mining applications jointly by Bekaert and Orica. This knotted wire mesh, FlexKnot? 2500 and FlexKnot? 3500, uses smaller gauge, higher tensile strength wires, than a chain link fence or welded wire mesh. The higher tensile wire enables the mesh to achieve greater ultimate load-bearing capacity, with significantly lower overall weight. Test results, obtained at the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) Mine Roof Simulator facility, illustrate the comparisons of the new FlexKnot with traditional 8- and 10-gauge welded steel mesh. The FlexKnot is superior in deflection, load-bearing capacity, and stiffness?categories that are critical in achieving safer surface control. It also offers enhanced corrosion resistance because of the galvanized coating applied on the individual wires prior to the knotting process. Case studies from underground coal mine installations confirm that FlexKnot has the ability to significantly reduce installation cycle time and to minimize use and repetitive manual handling of individual mesh panels. An added advantage is the ability to supply FlexKnot in rolls for quick and easy handling for either rib or roof support application. When using rolls, the bolter can install the entire roll with one continuous forward motion, unlike the wasteful back and forth travel for mesh panel.

Jan 1, 2014

By U .. C. Rojas, J .. C. Gomez

"Fire Refined Copper (EI Teniente Three Stars) has been produced at Caletones Smelter of Codelco Chile since almost the beginning of its operations.Due to changing features of the copper market, together with the targets on technical efficiency and productivity, it has become more and more relevant for copper industry to reach both, good final product quality and a proper environmental control.At present, copper refining process at Caletones Smelter takes place in two cylindrical tilting furnaces, where solid fluxes are injected through horizontal tuyeres into the molten bath. (Fig. N2 1)Solid reagents are pneumatically conveyed and injected into the liquid copper bath attaining excellent solid - liquid contact, so the impurities removal efficiencies are found to be high. Same injection tuyeres are used to introduce both oxidising agent (normal air) and reducing agent (reformed gas) into the molten bath. Air or nitrogen is used as conveying gas for solid reagents, depending on the process stage.This pap~r gives a fundamental description of the process and industrial results related to the injection of blend of sodium and calcium carbonates to remove arsenic and antimony, silica and granulated reverberatory slag to remove lead and a mixture of calcium carbonate and mineral coal to reduce the selenium content of the fire refined copper."

Jan 1, 1996

By Kenji Koga

In order to derive the population distribution of gold nanoparticle morphologies as a function of size, highresolution electron microscopic (HREM) observations and structural analyses were done for over 4000 particles (3-18 nm) grown by an inert gas aggregation (IGA) source using helium. To obtain structural features threedimensionally and not to skip high-contrast images, twenty photos were taken for each particle by changing tilting angle of a specimen holder in combination with the through-focus procedure. For the reliable structural determinations, HREM images and their tilting sequences were directly compared with multislice-simulation results for icosahedral, decahedral and face-centered cubic morphologies, and finally the population distribution of each morphology was obtained as a function of size. In the present sample, icosahedral particles were dominantly populated over the whole observed size range and decahedral particles with non-spherical truncated bi-pyramid shape were secondly dominant. Even though a large number of sampling has been done, few crystalline particles were observed.

Oct 1, 2003

By Zhao-cheng Liu

Iron oxide red pigment powders of high quality were synthesized from pyrite cinders. Iron ox-ide red pigment powders were synthesized by hydrothermal method from the precursor of Fe(OH)3 and Fe(OH)2 colloid, which were obtained after ammonia solution reacted with acidic leaching solution produced by the reaction of pyrite cinders with sulfuric acid. Effects of reaction concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time, pH value and n(Fe2+)/n(Fe3+) on main properties of oxide iron red were studied by experiments. The prepared particles were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The results revealed that the synthesized iron oxide red particles were _-Fe2O3 and pseudocubic with particle size of 0.50~0.75µm. Furthermore, the quality of iron oxide red pigment powders reached the first grade of national standard (GB1863-89 ).

Jan 1, 2009

By M. Normandin

The performance of various polymers and other macromolecules used to flocculate red mud particulate materials in the Bayer process can be evaluated on the basis of their efficiency to achieve adequate settling velocity and turbidity level, The Jar Test is widely used in the mineral industry to determine the efficiency of solid-liquid separation processes, particularly for gravity settler of the Bayer process. However, a high level of variability is found in the data obtained by this methodology, In this study, different parameters of the cylinder test procedure are evaluated to determine their role in the overall variability of the method, As demonstrated by laboratory testing, the overall variability can be considerably reduced by good laboratory practices.

Jan 1, 2005

By A. J. Carlson, G. M. Marincel, M. L. Hovland, J. H. Healy

Research personnel of Erie Mining Co., a pioneer taconite mining firm on the Mesabi Range, have invented a new method to make an effective 325 mesh separation at high tonnage rates over stationary screens. The company regards this development as historically significant in that it represents the first successful method to commercially screen large tonnages of ore at fine sizes. Erie, which is now completing an expansion program at its plant site near Hoyt Lakes, Minn., has incorporated this screening method as part of that expansion. When completed, the concentration plant will produce 10.3 million tons of iron concentrate, all of which will have been efficiently screened at 325 mesh.

Jan 4, 1967

By Alexandre Chagnes

The extraction properties of two synthesized cationic exchangers, i.e. bis (1,3-dibutoxypropan-2-yl) phosphoric acid (BiDiBoPP) and bis(1,3-diisobutoxypropan- 2-yl) phosphoric acid (IPA), have been studied for the liquid-liquid extraction of Co(II), Ni(II) and Mn(II) contained in 1 M HCl. A comparison of the extraction properties of these extractants diluted in kerosene with Cyanex® 272 shows BiDiBoPP and IPA extract advantageously at lower pH than Cyanex® 272 and a better Co(II)-Mn(II) separation is achieved using BiDiBoPP or IPA than with Cyanex® 272.