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By J. D. Smit, K. C. Garner, P. C. van Aswegen

The initial results obtained from the implementation of computer-controlled strategy on the milling circuit are reported. An analysis of these results showed that a peak-power pebble-mill controller on a high throughput hardrock wet-milling circuit reduces the stability of the system. It was concluded that the milling circuit should be regarded as a single system in which the measurement of grinding efficiency, circulating load, product size distribution, and feed rate should minimize the product variance and maximize the feed rate according to the grinding power available. Work is proceeding on such a system.

Jan 1, 1980

By U. Atici, R. Comakli

"Understanding rock properties is of vital importance in mining and civil engineering. Rock properties are generally determined through laboratory tests, which require a large number of uniformly shaped samples and technicians who use indirect methods to determine rock properties. The texture coefficient (TC), which represents various textural parameters including the size, shape, orientation, and relative proportions of grains and the matrix, is an efficient means for indirectly evaluating the mechanical behaviour of rocks. In this study, 12 different rocks (ten granites, one diorite, and one gabbro) were collected and their engineering properties. including specific gravity, porosity, P- and S-wave velocities, Schmidt rebound hardness, uniaxial compressive strength, and elasticity modulus, were investigated. Relationships between TC and these measured properties were assessed. Statistically significant (at the 95% confidence level) correlations were found between the TC and compressive strength, elasticity modulus, sound velocity (both compression and shear waves for dry and saturated samples), but no significant correlation was found with Schmidt rebound hardness. The results suggest that it is possible to use the relationships between TC and the mechanical properties of rocks in rock classification. IntroductionIn every aspect of rock engineering, knowing rock properties is essential for determining and predicting the behaviour of rocks and rock masses. Mechanical properties of rocks are important parameters in mining, geology, and engineering, and they are affected by textural characteristics such as grain size, grain shape, cement type, degree of cementation, mineral content, and the ratio of the grain area to the matrix area. The effects of textural properties on the physical and mechanical properties of rocks have been investigated for a long time, and previous studies revealed close relationships between single parameters related to rock texture and mechanical properties of rocks (Akesson et al. 2001; Gunsallus and Kulhawy 1984; Merriam, Rieke, and Kim, 1970: Onodera and Kumara 1980; Prikryl 2006; Ulusay, Tureli, and Bider, 1994; Tugrul and Zarif 1998). Rock properties are usually determined using mechanical tests, which require uniformly shaped and relatively large samples. However, it is not always possible to obtain such samples. Furthermore, rocks with similar textural and structural properties may exhibit different mechanical behaviour. Howarth and Rowlands (1987) developed a texture coefficient (TC) that expresses all the main textural parameters of a rock in a single dimensionless quantity based primarily on statistical assessment. The TC makes it possible to understand the effects of a rock’s textural properties on its mechanical properties using thin sections instead of large, uniform samples. Ersoy and Waller (1995) investigated the relationship between strength and TC for limestone, sandstone, and siltstone; they also examined the effect of rock properties and TC on drilling performance. Ozturk, Nasuf, and Bilgin (2004) explored the relationship between rock quality and TC by evaluating the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) values of limestone, basaltic andesite, and tuff. Gupta and Sharma (2012) evaluated TCs as well as the petrophysical and mechanical properties of quartzite from the lower and higher Himalayas and found a strong relationship between TC and UCS. Similarly, Ozcelik, Bayram, and Yasitli (2013) investigated the relationship between TC and various parameters in marble by applying the statistical analyses developed by Ozturk, Nasuf, and Kahraman (2014)."

Jan 1, 2019

By P Luo, J E. Danoczi, P Nakutnyy

Sensor-based sorting methods to remove waste or for upgrading ore prior to downstream metallurgical processing is becoming more prevalent for mining operations. X-ray transmission (XRT) sorters are a popular choice for mineral processing plants since they can sort a wide variety of minerals. XRT sorters pass high intensity X-rays through particles to generate images of varying greyscale, based on their effective atomic density. The ore sorter then mechanically separates the particles using algorithms based on the images. A popular test currently used to evaluate the amenability of the ore to XRT sorting is to pass the particles through the sorter and obtain the greyscale images showing mineralogical differences. This test provides information on the mineralogical heterogeneity between ore particles for their separation. However, it does not provide an understanding of the actual mineralogical composition of the ore or information pertaining to which other minerals may respond in a similar manner, nor does it provide liberation information. This paper describes a test that combines high resolution X-ray micro Computer Tomography (CT) combined with QEMScan to obtain information about amenability of ore to XRT sorting and to obtain valuable information that can streamline metallurgical testwork programs. This test also provides information relating to particle thickness and associated X-ray attenuation coefficients, desired mineral presence and mineralogical information relating to associated minerals and clays to assist with developing sorting algorithms. Combining the CT and QEMScan can address many limitations of the current method to determine whether XRT sorting technology is appropriate for particular ores. Mineralogy information from QEMScan can identify incidences of; mineral encapsulation, problematic clays, detrimental minerals as well as calibrate the greyscale values of CT data. Additional 3D CT imaging carried out on cores provides spatial information of the minerals within the ore and mineral grades.

Nov 10, 2020

By M. Muravyov, T. Kondrat’eva, A. Bulaev

Metallurgical treatments of sulfide ores containing copper and zinc are characterized by significant losses of base metals, particularly formation of the flotation tailings and slags during the dressing and pyrometallurgical treatment respectively. In addition, SO2 gas obtained during roasting and converting may be as raw material for sulfuric acid production. A treatment of the industrial metallurgical wastes has been investigated. Two samples of old pyrite tailings from two concentrators that contained 0.36% and 0.26% of copper and 0.23% and 0.22% of zinc were leached with 10% sulfuric acid in the column. Recovery of copper reached 47% and 38% while recovery of zinc was 47% and 41% from the first and second samples, respectively. The pregnant leach solutions contained 15.9 g/l and 10.5 g/l of ferric iron. Ferric iron is the strong oxidant and ferric containing pregnant leach solutions can be used for ferric leaching of different types of raw materials containing sulfide minerals. Therefore, ferric leaching of copper converter slag flotation tailings contained 0.53% of copper and 2.77% of zinc with the first pregnant leach solution was conducted. The effect of various experimental parameters on the leaching dynamics of copper, zinc, and iron under batch conditions was investigated. Under the best conditions (temperature 70oC, pulp density 30%) the recovery of copper and zinc reached 80% and 42%, respectively. Thus, it has been shown that acid leaching of base metals from old pyrite flotation tailings with using of the pregnant leach solution for the ferric leaching of copper converter slag flotation tailings is a prospective technique for the complex treatment of mining and metallurgical wastes. Investigated processes could be introduced into the technological flow-sheet of typical pyrometallurgical plants.

Jan 1, 2014

By G. Chunnett

Platinum metal prices have risen significantly during the past 18 months, and have remained at elevated levels. Driving these bullish prices are sustained jewellery demand, mainly from the Far Eastern markets, and ongoing autocatalyst usage in response to ever more demanding global environmental legislative requirements. Within South Africa, the areas north and south of the Steelpoort River in the Eastern Bushveldare well known for their significant resources of platinum. The bulk of the resources have lain dormant in anticipation of the very situation that is currently occurring in the marketplace. Anglo Platinum is the largest primary platinum producer in the country, and is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the current elevated metal prices and shortfall in supply of platiniferous metals. In addition to its production capabilities, Anglo Platinum holds an extensive portfolio of mineral reserves and resources which underpin its ability to implement expansion projects to continue growth in platinum group metal production. It also has access to, and is actively expediting, the exploration of a range of properties where the company can further expand current production capacity or supplemented depleted production levels.

Jan 1, 2006

By K. V. S. Sastry

This paper summarizes recent research on the kinetic aspects and process behavior of agglomeration in balling circuits. The physical concepts underlying agglomeration, the mechanisms responsible for size changes during agglomeration, and a generalized population balance model for agglomeration systems are summarized. Experimental techniques for investigating the batch balling behavior and for simulating the balling- circuit operations are reviewed. Further, the effect of such operating variables as feed moisture, bentonite content, and the rate of feed addition are discussed. An approach to the computer simulation of the agglomerating circuits is shown and the importance of such models in process engineering is discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By Chao Li, Shuai Wang, Hongxu Li, Lifeng Zhang, Xie Yang

The method of chloride-hypochlorite leaching has the advantages of short process, low pollution and higher in reaction rate compared with the traditional leaching method. In this research, NaCl - NaClO solution is used to leaching gold from a refractory gold concentrate, and the influence of NaCl and NaClO concentration, reaction time to the leaching rate were investigated in this experiment. The raw materials and the leaching residue were characterized by a series of analysis methods such as XRD, XRF, SEM and EDS. Results indicate that the leaching rate and the desulfurization rate can be achieved at 96.26% and 98% with most optimum conditions as follows: NaCl concentration 50g/L, NaClO concentration 200g/L, Liquid-solid ratio 10:1, the best reaction time was 150 mins. And these conditions should be guaranteed pH<8.0, ORP>900mV.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Carr

Ring gear and pinions used as the final drive on large metallurgical grinding mills are expected to transmit their rated horsepower reliably for long periods of time. Duty is 24 hrs./ day. Life expectancy of such gear sets is of the order of 20 years; that is, each gear and pinion flank is expected to resist failure by pitting for 10 years. This means that for a dual pinion gear set having a ratio of 18.42:1.0 and a mill speed of 10 RPM, every gear tooth will see 105.12 x 106 surface contact stress cycles and every pinion tooth will see 968.15 x 106 surface contact stress cycles in a 10 year period. The allowable surface contact stress on the gear and pinion is determined by the material hardnesses. The rule being the higher the hardness, the higher the allowable surface contact stress may be.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. Pancher

"Stainless steel castings are used in abundance in the mineral processing industry. In rotary kiln-based processes, these castings are typically exposed to high loads, corrosive elements, mechanical abrasion and cyclical temperature exposure. In the processing of iron ore pellets, it is typical to use a traveling grate preheater or a straight grate furnace to heat the pellets. Both machines have a conveyor that is mainly comprised of high temperature stainless steel castings. It is these castings which are the focus of this study. The expected life of these castings can be quite short, their cost quite high and the effort to replace them very labor intensive. The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the failure modes of these castings. With that basic understanding, modifications to the alloy content could be made to achieve a new operational paradigm. That paradigm could be a cheaper casting, a longer lasting casting or a casting tailored to special operating conditions (for example, highly corrosive gases or sudden temperature shocks). Over the past 4 years, Metso Minerals has sought to achieve a better understanding of the failure modes through modeling, laboratory testing and sampling of used castings from various end-users. In addition, we have tested new alloys in a laboratory setting and also in the field to see how they would perform compared to the existing ""standard casting"". Our testing has revealed interesting data concerning the impact toughness, sigma phase content and formation, chloride attack and other performance attributes of various grades of stainless steel when exposed to cyclical temperatures. Interesting results were also obtained concerning the addition of rare earth elements (Niobium, Boron, etc), nitrogen and manganese to a typical ASTM A297 grade of stainless steel. To date, a few hundred test castings have been installed in iron ore pellet plants worldwide. Many of these test castings have already experienced a year or more of operation with good results.INTRODUCTION Cast stainless steels (ASTM A297 and similar) are a main constituent used in the construction of iron ore pelletizing equipment. A typical straight grate pelletizing machine would contain upwards of 160,000lbs of ASTM A297 Grade HH castings. With a typical casting lasting only two to four years, and a casting costing around $35USD, it is easy to see that the castings are a main contributor to the overall cost of producing the pellets. Grade HH and HI (see chemical composition listed below) became the “go to” materials in the 1960’s and very few changes have been made to this day (the exception being plants that switched to flux pellet production in the 1980’s)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Wei Sun, Xue-feng Cao, Lei Sun, Run-qing Liu

The flotation performance of kaolinite in laboratory micro-flotation was investigated with 3- (dodecyloxy) propan-1-amine (ON12) as the collector. Compared with dode cylamine (DDA), which is commonly used as the bauxite reverse flotation collector, ON12 shows stronger collecting ability for kaolinite than using the same amounts of DDA, when experimental pH value reaches more than 6. With the addition of ON12, the isoelectric point of kaolinite shifts to 6.1 from 3.6, which suggests a strong adsorption between kaolinite and ON12. Infrared spectra analysis indicates that the type of ON12 adsorbed on the kaolinite surface is mainly of electrostatic adsorption. Molecular dynamics simulation further indicate that electrostatic adsorption of ON12 cation on kaolinite (001) surface based on electrostatic interaction between NH4+ and O atoms. ON12 will be suitable for bauxite reverse flotation with the efficiency depressors of the diaspora.

Jan 1, 2014

By Richard A. Winters

In 1987, at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the 6,022-acre Spring Basin Wilderness Study Area (OR-005-009) in order to evaluate its mineral resources. The study area is in Wheeler County about 13 miles southwest of Fossil, Oregon. No mineral resources were identified. The area is underlain by volcanic flows, domes and sediments ranging in composition from olivine basalt to rhyolite of the Clarno and John Day Formations. There are three mining claims in the study area, all apparently located for lapidary material. Samples of agate were of poor quality. Four of 13 alluvial samples, two inside and two adjacent to the area, contained gold; content ranged from 0.0000097 to 0.00416 troy ounce per cubic yard. About 23 percent of the Wilderness Study Area is covered by oil and gas lease applications.

Jan 1, 1988

By James A. Decker

Hanna has developed three production planning systems to help the mine engineers determine the sequence of mining from available ore supples. The Production Scheduling System was developed to give the staff a tool for long range planning by sequencing the removal of blocks from an open pit property. It was needed to determine the year of removal for each block so that the optimum present-valued pit limits could be established by our pit design program. Since in this type of planning short term grade control is less of a factor than it is in daily or monthly planning, the system gives the program greater control and more latitude in block selection. It permits only full blocks to be taken.

Jan 1, 1984

By Enrique Fernández

INTRODUCTION The high speed rail link between Madrid and Asturias, in the North of Spain, has encountered in the Cantabrian range the biggest challenge of the whole line, a very deep tunnel, 25 km long through a foreseen difficult geology. This tunnel was divided in the following four lots for construction: ¦Lot 1: Pola de Gordón- Folledo. L=10,7 km ¦Lot 2: Folledo-Viadangos. L=4,166 m ¦Lot 3: Viadangos- Los Pontones. East tube. L=10,4 km ¦Lot 4: Viadangos- Los Pontones. West tube. L=10,4 km. Dragados S.A. leading a JV was contracted to design and built the Lot 2 on the captioned Pajares High Speed Railway Tunnel. The Lot 2, comprising the middle third section of the 25 km long tunnel has an additional challenge: the construction of one access from the surface to allow it own construction. Feasibility reports and preliminary design do not foresee the use of TBM due to the risk of squeezing ground at the deepest area of the tunnel. On the other hand, conventional NATM excavation of the twin tunnels and ancillary works, including access shafts were against the expected construction schedule by the client, due to the poor ground foresee at the early stage.

By Olaf B. Slostad

ONE of the essential functions of any modern community is to provide a fully accredited public school system. The Climax Molybdenum Co. was cognizant of this fact and erected a modern school building in 1937 to meet this need. The building was named after the president of the Company, Max Schott, who was largely instrumental in making it a reality. The building is a two-story brick structure with fourteen rooms, eight of which are regular classrooms. The others consist of a room for industrial arts, two for home economics, one for commercial arts, one for a science laboratory with a dark-loom for photography, and one large room for a combination library, study hall, and assembly room. All these are equipped with the most up-to-date modern equipment. The school is fully accredited by the University of Colorado. Although in a mining camp, it operates as a public

Jan 1, 1946

By P. H. Mell

AMONG the minerals exhibited at the Atlanta Exhibition of 1881, soapstone, kaolin, and asbestos were well represented. The first two occur in large quantities, of very pure quality, throughout the South. The last is somewhat limited in amount, get in certain localities it exists in masses sufficiently large to pay for working; in North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama it has ken mined with some profit. I would, in this paper, call special attention to the minerals soapstone and kaolin, because their many valuable qualities seem to have been almost entirely overlooked by our Southern manufacturers. Steatite, particularly, occurs in such large quantities, and generally in such close proximity to the great iron regions of Alabama and Georgia, that it is anlazing that the iron companies will persist in sending abroad under heavy expense for firebrick. It would require a much smaller sum of money to quarry this rock and place it at the various furnaces ; and the results obtained, I am sure, would prove its superiority over the majority of firebrick brought into this region. Soapstone, as well as kaolin, is found throughout the metamorphic regions of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Below will be found seven analyses that I have made of this mineral, taken from various points in the four States above mentioned. I have also subjected these same specimens to severe fire-tests, and the results were very satisfactory. The tests mere canducted in the following manner: Small portions of the compact variety were carefully weighed and placed in a Fletcher&apos;s new crucible furnace for gas, and subjected for half an hour to a heat that will in 12 minutes fuse iron. The only effect upon these specimens was a slight change in color to a darker shade, a small loss in weight, due evidently to the evaporation of water, and, in one or two specimens, a slight degree of fusion on the sharp edges. The first specimen subjected to investigation was taken from a large outcropping in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Specific gravity, 2.88 ; hardness, 1.9; color, blue gray. Composition: Water,....2.68 Silica,..........65.48 Iron oxide,.........2.10 Alumina,.........15.02 Magnesia,... 15.35 10061

Jan 1, 1882

By Lucas L. Costa, Luiz F. Lopes, Ludy C. Motta, Felipe P. D. Lopes, Sergio N. Monteiro, Lara S. Vasconcellos

"Environmentally correct materials like the lignocellulosic natural fibers, which are renewable and biodegradable, are being extensively investigated as possible substitutes for synthetic fiber in polymeric composites. Several natural fibers have never been thoroughly investigated as possible composite reinforcement. The fiber obtained from the leaves of the buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) palm tree is one example. Therefore, the objective of this work was to study the properties of buriti waste fibers, in amounts of up to 30%, reinforcing polyester composites.IntroductionIn the past century, the technological development gave priority to new synthetic materials with energy intensive methods of production. Today, there is a concern that conventional energy source such as petroleum, natural gas and coal are the main responsible for global warming. Therefore, the use of natural materials is gaining attention not only for the saving in process energy but also the renewable and biodegradable characteristics that make them environmentally correct. The lignocellulosic natural fibers extracted from cultivated vegetables like jute, sisal, hemp, coconut, flax, ramie and many others are typical examples. This type of fiber is being extensively investigated as a possible substitute for synthetic ones, especially the glass fiber, as composite reinforcement [1].A relevant example of lignocellulosic fiber substitution is nowadays occurring in vehicles. The automobile industry is applying composites reinforced with natural fibers to replace parts such as panels and seat cushions made of fiberglass or polymeric foams [4], as illustrated in Fig. 1. The practical reasons for this preference are that natural fiber composites present less damage to tools and molding equipments as well as relatively better finishing and less abrasive surface than corresponding parts made, for instance, of glass fibers. On top of these advantages, low cost is probably the main motivation for the industrial interest for natural fiber composites, especially in the case of residual fibers [5] or post-used fabrics such as jute sackcloth [6]. Natural fibers, however, are hydrophilic and will not form strong bonding with a hydrophobic polymer, normally used as composite matrix [1-3]. Another disadvantage is the heterogeneous characteristics of a natural fiber, which is typical of biomaterials. This results in a relatively great dispersion of dimensions and properties values such as the mechanical strength [1-3]."

Jan 1, 2008

By S. Kauchali, J. van Dyk, J. Feris, S. Pershad, M. van der Riet, D. Love, J. Brand, C. A. Strydom

"This paper offers an introduction to and strategic context for the other papers included in this special UCG edition of the Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. South Africa is facing long-term energy security challenges, brought about by a myriad of factors that are somewhat unique or exacerbated in the global context. Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a process used to produce synthesis gas from coal in situ, that is, in the coal seam. UCG is an emerging, advanced clean coal technology that offers a potential solution for these challenges, as it can cost-effectively and cleanly liberate vast coal resources in the country that currently cannot be economically exploited using traditional mining technologies. One of the tasks of the South African Underground Coal Gasification Association (SAUCGA) is to advance the development of UCG in South Africa by compiling a technology roadmap. This paper presents the initial findings of the SAUCGA Roadmap (Draft), and contextualizes the technology opportunities and challenges, stakeholders, and provides a basis from which to progress further plans for technology development. Firm development plans and deadlines are not yet possible due to the reliance of the UCG Roadmap on the higher level South African energy policy and regulatory framework. However, the draft roadmap has taken the first step of identifying these policies and stakeholders, and should be seen as the seed from which this embryonic technology and industry can be further developed. IntroductionSouth Africa’s long-term energy security challenges include energy access and affordability, dwindling reserves of accessible bulk primary energy, mounting environmental concerns with all forms of energy generation (especially coal and nuclear), balancing the electricity grid by incorporating an increasing proportion of non-despatchable renewable energy sources, mounting environmental liabilities regarding defunct mining operations, and lastly but by no means less important, fluctuating exchange rates and energy commodity prices.Correctly managed underground coal gasification (UCG) is an emerging, advanced clean coal technology that offers a potential solution for these challenges, as it has been shown to have the potential to cost-effectively and cleanly liberate vast coal resources in the country that currently cannot be economically exploited using traditional mining technologies."

Jan 1, 2019

By R. Hoare

TSG Consulting works with many of the major global mining companies using simulation modelling as an integral component in their development team&apos;s processes to determine which combination of infrastructure options, operating performance and operating rules best achieve project goals. All systems can be divided into a series of subprocesses. Conventional management and design practices focus on the optimisation of these system components. However, the interaction between subprocesses means that improvements made to the individual components do not necessarily translate into total system performance improvement. TSG Consulting advocates a `total integrated system approach&apos; to understanding the behaviour and performance of complex interacting systems. In a constraint-based integrated set of processes, the instantaneous system capacity is limited by the subsystem component capacity that is the bottleneck at that point in time. Additionally, real world stochastic and dynamic influences tend to have knock-on effects across subsystem boundaries. This necessitates the requirement for simulation modelling to develop and validate solutions that are sufficiently robust to deliver sustainable outcomes. The key to maximising production is to understand the causes and effects the inherent variability has on component performance, subprocess performance and most importantly, the total integrated system performance. The correct use of simulation modelling techniques allows study teams to evaluate the relative merits of different capacity enhancement proposals. Put simply, when done well, simulation modelling provides a quantitative and rational process to enhance the knowledge and insight needed to make informed decisions.

Jan 1, 2007

By G. Hilson

The exact application of sustainable development in the mining and minerals industry has precipitated considerable debate in recent years. Since the publication of the Brundtland Commission?s Report, Our Common Future, numerous attempts have been made to define sustainable development in the mining context. The inability of the Brundtland Report to outline an effective sustainability framework, combined with its contention that no single blueprint for sustainable development exists, has prompted many academics and practitioners to provide viewpoints on the application of sustainable development in the mining and minerals industry. This paper provides an overview of the many groups of assessments made of sustainable development in the mining industry. Sustainability assessment and reporting for this industry sector using indicators are also addressed.

Jan 1, 2003

By Sadan Kelebek, S. O. Fekete, Gerhard W. Heinrich, Peter F. Wells

"For many years, rejection of pyrrhotite at the milling stage has been a viable method for sulphur dioxide abatement. Pyrrhotite rejection options have included the use of selective pyrrhotite depressants in flotation; a depressant which has recently come into use is diethylenetriamine (DETA). This reagent has been the subject of recent research and development efforts in the processing of nickel-copper sulphide ores.In the present study, adsorption trends for DETA have been monitored under the dynamic conditions of flotation using a spectrophotometric method which has been adopted for this purpose at Falconbridge Limited. The results indicate that the adsorption of DETA is quite fast and in the majority of cases, accounts for the disappearance of 75-95 % of this reagent from pulp's liquid phase. The adsorption decreases linearly with an increase in the DET A dosage from 100 git to 600 git. The tailings produced in flotation tests were subjected to washing with deionized water at 60 °C to examine the desorption of DET A. These results indicate that the amount desorbed increases with increasing DETA dosage used during flotation but is less than 7 per cent of that adsorbed. It was found that adsorption of DETA alone, even at relatively high levels, does not always cause depression of pyrrhotite. A new combination of reagents identified in the metallurgical laboratories of Falconbridge Limited utilizes sulphur dioxide with DETA. These reagents together are capable of efficient depression of pyrrhotite on a consistent basis."

Jan 1, 1995